Best MLB Props Today: Total Bases, Strikeouts and H/R/RBI Prop Bets for Friday 5/8/26

Top MLB Player Props at a Glance

• Sal Stewart 2+ Total Bases
• Brendan Donovan 2+ H/R/RBI
• Ben Brown Over 3.5 Strikeouts

The beauty of baseball is the wide variety of prop markets at your fingertips each day -- from home runs to strikeouts to total bases and much more.

Here are some MLB player props that look appealing via the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as well as our MLB projections.

MLB odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and may change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

What are the top MLB home run picks for today?

MLB Player Props for Today

Sal Stewart 2+ Total Bases (+110)

Astros vs. Reds, 6:11 p.m. ET

Sal Stewart is off to a blistering start this season and is the NL Rookie of the Year odds leader. He's got a friendly home matchup tonight against Mike Burrows.

Hitters typically have no trouble getting the ball in the air versus Burrows, racking up a 41.9% fly-ball rate against him this season. That's led to Burrows permitting 1.91 homers per nine. For a pitcher with a HR issue, Great American Ball Park is one of the last places you want to visit, but that's what awaits Burrows today -- with the wind blowing out to left.

Since getting called up late last year, Stewart has done nothing but rake. He's generated a .385 expected wOBA and 42.6% hard-hit rate in his young career, popping 15 dingers over 223 plate appearances.

In addition to having power, Stewart has some wheels, too, swiping seven bags this year without getting caught once. That boosts his chances of picking up two bases on one swing, and once Burrows departs today, Stewart will still be in a friendly spot as the Houston Astros have the second-worst reliever xFIP.

Brendan Donovan 2+ H/R/RBI (-135)

Mariners vs. White Sox, 7:41 p.m. ET

Brendan Donovan is expected to make his return from injury tonight, and he's coming back to a welcoming matchup versus RHP Sean Burke.

Donovan was rolling prior to his IL stint, slugging his way to a .423 wOBA. He'd recorded at least two combined hits/runs/RBI in four of his previous five games before going on the shelf.

Burke isn't missing many bats (8.5% swinging-strike rate) and gave up a 44.2% fly-ball rate to left-handed hitters a year ago.

The Seattle Mariners are listed at -166 odds to go over 3.5 runs, and that gives Donovan -- who will likely be atop the order -- a few viable paths to coming through in this market.

Ben Brown Over 3.5 Strikeouts (+112)

Cubs vs. Rangers, 8:06 p.m. ET

After operating out of the bullpen so far this year, Ben Brown is making his first start of the season today, and I think he can reach four Ks.

Brown spent more time starting the past two years and produced a 26.7% strikeout rate and 13.0% swinging-strike rate over 2024-2025. He's been good out of the 'pen this season, pitching to a 3.27 SIERA.

Stuff isn't the issue -- pitch count is. Brown has topped out at 25 pitches across his past three appearances. But in the appearance prior to that, he had a 43-pitch outing, and he's surpassed the 40-pitch mark three other times this season.

There's a chance the Chicago Cubs let Brown go for 50ish pitches tonight, and if they do, I think he can cook against a Texas Rangers offense with the 12th-highest K rate against RHPs (22.3%).

On April 22, Brown fanned five in a relief outing where he tossed only 37 pitches, so he has the ability to pile up Ks if he's dialed in. I think we'll see that version of Brown today.

MLB Prop Bets -- Frequently Asked Questions

What are MLB player prop bets?

MLB player prop bets are wagers on specific statistical outcomes tied to individual players during a game — not on which team wins or loses. You might bet on how many strikeouts a starting pitcher records, whether a shortstop gets a hit, or how many total bases an outfielder accumulates.

Because they are isolated to a single player's performance, props let you apply focused knowledge about matchups, recent form, and ballpark conditions rather than predicting the full game result.

What types of MLB player props are available?

FanDuel offers a wide menu of MLB props. The most common categories include:

• Pitcher strikeouts
• Batter hits
• Home runs
• Total bases
• RBIs
• Stolen bases
• Pitcher outs recorded

How do MLB player prop bet odds work?

MLB prop odds use the standard American (moneyline) format. A negative number shows how much you must wager to profit $100. A positive number shows how much a $100 bet returns in profit.

• -110 odds — bet $110 to win $100
• +130 odds — bet $100 to win $130
• -200 odds — bet $200 to win $100

What does "total bases" mean as a prop bet?

The total bases prop counts the bases a batter earns from hits in a single game:

• Single = 1 base
• Double = 2 bases
• Triple = 3 bases
• Home run = 4 bases

Walks, hit-by-pitches, and stolen bases do not count. A typical total bases line is set at 1.5 or 2.5. Betting over 1.5 means you need at least a double, or two singles.

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Which player props stand out to you today? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.