MLB Best Bets Today: MLB Player Props for Monday, May 25

Betting Expert Juan Pablo Aravena reviews the Memorial Day slate, including props and plays for a pair of afternoon games and an evening tilt on the holiday.
MLB Best Bets Today: MLB Player Props for Monday, May 25

Monday's slate in the majors has 13 games, so it's a pretty loaded agenda. These are the three best bets we've found for the upcoming slate, featuring two games in the National League and one in the American League. We're backing a star pitcher to bounce back, and two star sluggers to wreak havoc in favorable matchups.

Cash in on the best sportsbook promos available at the best MLB betting sites this baseball season. The BetMGM bonus code gets new players one of the best welcome bonuses in the industry.

Best MLB Bets Today

New York Yankees  vs. Kansas City Royals

If you're looking for the best option to hit a home run, look no further than the game between the Yankees and Royals, as Judge is a strong candidate to go yard every time he steps up to the plate. 

The star slugger went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, and it was the first home run in 12 games for Judge, who'd been slumping mightily coming into the day, going just 1-for-23 in his prior six contests. Judge still has 17 homers, which ranks second in the majors behind Kyle Schwarber, and it wouldn't be shocking if he goes on a hot streak now that his cold spell is no longer an issue. Overall, Judge is slashing .250/.379/.557 with 17 homers, 32 RBI, 41 runs scored and five stolen bases across 234 plate appearances this year. 

Check out on one of the top sports betting apps when you sign up with the bet365 bonus code for your baseball betting.

Cincinnati Reds  vs. New York Mets

McLean didn't have his best performance the last time out, walking two, hitting two and allowing nine runs (six earned) across 5.2 innings in a loss to the Nationals on Tuesday. He fanned "only" five in that loss, but McLean has shown an outstanding ability to miss bats this season, notching at least seven strikeouts in six of his 10 appearances and an impressive 10.7 K/9 across 58 innings so far in 2026. 

The Reds have racked up the seventh-most strikeouts in the majors this season, and given McLean's ability to miss bats, this looks like an intriguing line to say the list. McLean owns a 3.57 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP, 3.18 FIP and 69:17 K:BB across 10 starts this season.

Check out Caesars Sportsbook this MLB season and use the Caesars Sportsbook promo code for one of the top MLB betting promos.

Colorado Rockies  vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Ohtani saw the end of his nine-game hitting streak Sunday, when he went 0-for-3 with two walks against the Brewers. However, he should have the ability to bounce back against the Rockies in what figures to be a favorable matchup not only for the Japanese slugger, but for the entire Dodgers lineup as a whole. 

Ohtani is hitting an impressive .421 with two homers, 12 RBI, eight runs scored and a 9:11 K:BB over his last 10 games, a stretch in which he's also posting a 1.277 OPS. With two or more bases in eight of those games, look for Ohtani to continue his torrid stretch at the plate. His early-May slump is clearly a thing of the past now.

Check out Fanatics Sportsbook to bet on MLB odds and use the Fanatics Sportsbook promo for a great welcome offer.

MLB Picks Recap

  • Yankees vs. Royals: Aaron Judge to hit a home run (+245 FanDuel)
  • Reds vs. Mets: Nolan McLean Over 6.5 strikeouts (-145 BetMGM)
  • Rockies vs. Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 total bases (-115 DraftKings)

All Plays - 1 Unit

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
37-year-old sports analyst and journalist. Fan of every single sport on this earth, but mainly NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL and soccer. Eternal optimistic who, for unknown reasons, chose to root for the Chicago Cubs and Jacksonville Jaguars. Born and raised in Chile.
RotoWire Logo

Continue the Conversation

Join the RotoWire Discord group to hear from our experts and other MLB fans.

Top News

Tools

MLB Draft Kit Logo

MLB Draft Kit

Fantasy Tools

Don’t miss a beat. Check out our 2026 MLB Fantasy Baseball rankings.

Related Stories