Player props have become one of baseball’s most entertaining ways to bet, offering value well beyond the moneyline, run line, or game total. Each day, this column highlights the best opportunities on the board — from strikeouts and hits to total bases and pitcher outs recorded — using matchup data, recent form, and betting trends to identify edges. Keep reading for the top MLB player prop picks for July 2. Also, make sure you check out our live VSiN programming for more. Our hosts and analysts will be all over the MLB, which is why it pays to be a VSiN Pro subscriber.
MORE: Check out the VSiN Pro Picks page for more bets from our talented hosts and analysts!
Thursday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find my official plays on the player prop market for Thursday. These are the ones that make the VSiN Pro Picks page and count towards my season-long record. I’ll write three up per day, but I’ll add additional ones in an “Additional Best Bets” section. I go lighter on baseball than I do other sports. My MLB units are 50% of what my normal units are.
Slade Cecconi Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+134) vs. White Sox
White Sox at Guardians – 6:40 pm ET
Cecconi hasn’t reached the five-strikeout mark in three starts, and he has had four or fewer Ks in five of his last six. That said, I’m not exactly backing someone that has momentum as he prepares to toe the rubber. However, the White Sox are a bottom-five team when it comes to both strikeout rate (23.9%) and whiff percentage (27.2%). Chicago might be a much-improved team from what we have seen in recent years, but the team still strikes out a ton. Also, while Cecconi is only averaging 4.1 strikeouts per game this season, he’s averaging 4.8 at home. So, in Cleveland, I’ll give him a shot.
Dustin May Under 15.5 Outs (-118) vs. Braves
Cardinals at Braves – 7:15 pm ET
May was on a tear before getting chased in his June 21 start against the Royals, and he ended up needing to miss a start in his last outing. Well, May now has to go against one of the best lineups in baseball, and he’s doing so in a hitter-friendly park. With that in mind, I’m taking May to go Under 15.5 outs here. Not only do I think there’s a chance Atlanta just hits him pretty hard, we also have no idea what his leash will look like with him having just dealt with an injury.
Nathan Eovaldi Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-113) vs. Tigers
Tigers at Rangers – 8:05 pm ET
Eovaldi comes into this start having racked up nine strikeouts in back-to-back outings. He’s now averaging 6.9 strikeouts per game over his last 10 starts, and he has a golden opportunity to keep things rolling here. This Tigers team has a strikeout rate of 23.2% against right-handed starters, and Eovaldi had seven strikeouts against this team in a May start last year. I like him to do it again in his first outing against them in 2026.
Additional Picks
Alan Rangel Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+124) vs. Pirates
Ryan Gusto Over 3.5 Strikeouts (-117) vs. Rockies
Randy Vasquez Over 3.5 Strikeouts (+135) vs. Dodgers
Noteworthy OptaAI Player Prop Edges
Check out the BRAND NEW OptaAI Player Props MLB pages for more of these! VSiN Pro subscribers can find 50+ player prop ideas on a daily basis! We’ll list the top edges in some of the biggest markets below, but there will always be a lot more to uncover on the pages themselves.
James Outman Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-114) vs. Rangers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 1.53 hits, runs, and RBIs, suggesting these odds should be -362 — a +25.1% edge to the Over.
Alex Freeland Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-148) vs. Padres
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 1.80 hits, runs, and RBIs, suggesting these odds should be -502 — a +23.7% edge to the Over.
Kyle Tucker Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (+109) vs. Padres
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 2.46 hits, runs, and RBIs, suggesting these odds should be -238 — a +22.6% edge to the Over.
