Wednesday's MLB Player Props & Expert Picks Today: Rice the Perfect Side for Yankees' Slugging Duo

The New York Yankees are struggling, but could Ben Rice be the answer to their slump? We look at his matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays at 6:50 p.m. ET as part of today's MLB player props.

Staying in the AL East, the Boston Red Sox take on the Oakland Athletics at 7:10 p.m. ET, and there's a slugger in red to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, in the NL, the Milwaukee Brewers will try to continue climbing the World Series odds when they play the Pittsburgh Pirates at 8:10 p.m. ET.

The final player prop I'll be backing focuses on Marcell Ozuna, a contender by the MLB MVP odds, with the Atlanta Braves hoping to stomp the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Wednesday’s MLB expert picks

MLB picks based on odds via our best MLB betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.

• Ben Rice Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs (-105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Rafael Devers Over 1.5 total bases (+105 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Christian Yelich Over 1.5 hits (+210 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐
• Marcell Ozuna Over 0.5 home run (+300 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐

MLB player props

Ben Rice Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Game info: Yankees vs. Rays | Moneyline: Rays (-120 via bet365) | Total: Over 8 (-115)/Under 8 (-105) via bet365 | Start time: 6:50 p.m. ET

Is it time to ring the alarm bells in the Big Apple? The Yankees are 5-15 over their last 20 games. However, rookie Rice has been the unsung hero during the slump.

Rice has hit five homers in seven games this month while slugging .852 with 23 total bases. He's been one of the best power hitters in the league to start July and that can continue against Zach Eflin. Eflin has five pitches he uses over 9% of the time and Rice is batting .300 or better against all of them with a .692-plus SLG against three.

That sets him up well to get on base, and with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto primed for get right games and batting behind him in the lineup, I trust them to bring him home. A $10 bet pays a $9.52 profit.

Best odds: -105 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 51.28%

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Rafael Devers Over 1.5 total bases ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Game info: Athletics vs. Red Sox | Moneyline: Red Sox (-185 via bet365) | Total: Over 10 (+100)/Under 10 (-120) via bet365 | Start time: 7:10 p.m. ET

The Red Sox have been red hot lately with seven wins in their last eight games and Devers has been the key to it all. Despite the All-Star dealing with a shoulder injury that's led him to opt-out of the ASG next week, you wouldn't know it from watching him.

Devers is slashing .393/.500/.821 in July with 23 total bases in seven games. He's been on fire dating back to June and is averaging 2.6 total bases per game over his last 31 outings. That spells trouble for Oakland starter JP Sears, who has given up 37 hits and five homers in his last five starts.

Sears' top pitch is his four-seamer (30.8%) and Devers has a .713 SLG against them this year. That's why I'm surprised I'm getting plus-money odds on this prop, with a $10 bet paying a $10.50 profit.

Best odds: +105 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 48.78%

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Christian Yelich Over 1.5 hits ⭐⭐⭐

Game info: Pirates vs. Brewers | Moneyline: Brewers (-155 via bet365) | Total: Over 8.5 (-115)/Under 8.5 (-115) via bet365 | Start time: 8:10 p.m. ET

After four years of dealing with injuries, and seemingly losing his ability to play at an MVP level, Yelich is once again one of the best bats in baseball. I'm not sure anybody has been better than him to start July.

He's slashing .400/.500/.867 with 26 total bases in eight games. Yelich has also found his power again with three homers this month, and it's only July 10.

The last time Martin Perez started for the Pirates against the Brewers, he gave up 11 hits, nine earned runs, and five homers.

Perez's go-to pitch also happens to be one that Yelich hits best. The Milwaukee star is slamming sinkers with a .357 average. If he records his sixth 2-hit game since June 30, a $10 bet pays a $21 profit.

Best odds: +210 via bet365 | Implied probability: 32.26%

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Marcell Ozuna Over 0.5 home run ⭐⭐

Game info: Braves vs. Diamondbacks | Moneyline: Braves (-130 via bet365) | Total: Over 9 (+100)/Under 9 (-120) via bet365 | Start time: 9:40 p.m. ET

I want to get a little spicy and go with a big swing here, though I'd recommend placing just half a unit on this prop with the probability so low though. That said, Ozuna is fourth in MLB in homers (23) and seventh in SLG (.560).

The Braves slugger has already hit two dingers in eight games in July, and takes on a pitcher in Slade Cecconi who is struggling. Cecconi has a 6.10 ERA and has given up 12 homers this season. He also rarely goes away from his four-seamer (54.1%), and the only other pitch he uses more than 16% of the time is his slider (21.4%).

Those are two pitches Ozuna has hammered with a .642-plus xSLG against both and a hard hit rate of 58.8% or better. A $5 winning bet on Ozuna to go yard pays a $15 profit. 

Best odds: +300 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 25%

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MLB player props made Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. ET.

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