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MLB Player Props Today: Rodriguez, Cole Among Thursday's Best Prop Bets

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MLB Player Props Today: Rodriguez, Cole Among Thursday's Best Prop Bets

Top MLB Player Props at a Glance

  • Ozzie Albies 2+ Hits/Runs/RBI (-125)
  • Gerrit Cole Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-122)
  • Grayson Rodriguez Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-111)

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. You can also check out our MLB player news page to stay up to date with lineup news and injuries 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.


Check out the top MLB home run picks for today.


MLB Prop Bets: MLB Props for Today

Ozzie Albies to Record 2+ Hits/Runs/RBI (-125)

Braves vs. White Sox, 2:11 p.m. ET

Player To Record 2+ Hits + Runs + RBIs
Ozzie Albies

Ozzie Albies has a lengthy track record of success versus lefties, and I like these odds on him to notch at least two H/R/RBI today in a date with Anthony Kay.

Kay’s 4.01 ERA doesn’t look too bad, but he’s got a 5.00 expected ERA with a meh 18.1% K rate. Right-handed hitters have racked up 1.46 homers per nine against him while striking out just 14.9% of the time.

Albies, a switch hitter, is at his best from the right side of the plate. He owns a .330 wOBA and 45.0% fly-ball rate in the split this season.

After Kay, Albies will see a Chicago White Sox bullpen that has surrendered the eighth-most homers per nine over the last 30 days.

I like the Atlanta Braves to have a good offensive day, and Albies, who is likely to hit fourth, can be right in the heart of it.

Gerrit Cole Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-122)

Yankees vs. Orioles, 6:36 p.m. ET

Gerrit Cole - Strikeouts

Gerrit Cole Under
Aug 20 10:36pm UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

Gerrit Cole‘s 26.1% K rate looks great. But he’s been getting a little lucky in the strikeout department, and I like him to go under 6.5 punchouts today.

Cole’s swinging-strike rate is just 9.7%, so he’s not missing a ton of bats despite his quality K rate. It’s starting to level out as he’s finished with five strikeouts in two of his previous three starts. His swinging-strike rate over that three-outing span is a lowly 8.2%.

The scary part of this bet is that the Baltimore Orioles have the seventh-highest strikeout rate (24.1%) across the last 30 days. However, they’re also first in wOBA in that time (.336), so if they can have success versus Cole tonight, it could lead to a shorter night for the New York Yankees‘ star RHP.

Grayson Rodriguez Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-111)

Angels vs. Astros, 8:11 p.m. ET

Grayson Rodriguez - Strikeouts

Grayson Rodriguez Over
Aug 21 12:11am UTCMore odds in Sportsbook

It took a little time, but Grayson Rodriguez is starting to deal in his return from injury.

Rodriguez missed all of 2025 and a big chunk of this year, so it’s understandable that he needed some runway to get going. Well, he’s going, tallying a sparkling 13.6% swinging-strike rate and 29.4% strikeout rate over his past four starts. His punchout totals in that time are five, eight, six and six, so he’s cleared 4.5 Ks in four straight.

The issue is that the Los Angeles Angels are playing it safe with him, pulling him at four innings in each of his last two starts. But he’s gotten up to 98 pitches in each of the two starts before those, and as we just covered, he’s still racking up Ks despite some shorter appearances.

The Houston Astros are right around the league average in strikeout rate (21.2%) over the last 30 days, and I think Rodriguez can pile up at least five Ks tonight in Houston.


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.


MLB Profit Boost for today! Get a Profit Boost Token to use on ANY Wager for any MLB Games taking place on August 20th, 2026! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today's other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

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

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!


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.

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