Monday's slate in the majors is quite loaded with 14 games, as the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals are the only teams that won't see action on this day. Here are the three best player prop options for this loaded Monday, May 18 slate.
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Best MLB Bets Today
Toronto Blue Jays 
vs. New York Yankees 
- Ryan Weathers Over 5.5 strikeouts (+110 FanDuel)
Weathers has been outstanding this season, and while it remains to be seen just how long he'll remain in the rotation, he's certainly doing enough to show he can stay in such a role throughout the campaign. His most recent start was another strong outing, as Weathers completed 6.1 innings in a no-decision against Baltimore last Monday, allowing two runs on one hit and three walks while striking out nine batters.
Weathers has been on a roll of late, posting an impressive 26:6 K:BB in his last four starts while allowing just five earned runs over five starts. Considering that the Blue Jays have the ninth-worst collective OPS against southpaws this season (.656), Weathers could be in line for another strong showing here. He has cleared this line of strikeouts in five of his eight starts in 2026.
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New York Mets 
vs. Washington Nationals 
- Juan Soto Over 1.5 total bases (-117 DraftKings)
Soto went 4-for-10 with three walks, three strikeouts, three stolen bases, a solo shot and three runs scored over the weekend in the Subway Series against the Yankees. The star outfielder has been getting hot at the plate and has recorded multiple bases in four of his last six contests, a span in which he's hitting .348 with a 1.032 OPS. It's not the biggest sample size, but he's clearly trending in the right direction after a slow start to the campaign.
Soto might be hitting just .214 with a .718 OPS in 15 games since the beginning of May, but the Nationals will have Jake Irvin on the mound, a pitcher who has a 5.91 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 45:20 K:BB through 42.2 frames in 2026. Soto should capitalize on his struggles.
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Cincinnati Reds 
vs. Philadelphia Phillies 
- Kyle Schwarber to hit a home run (+230 BetMGM)
Few hitters in the majors are swinging a bat as hot as Kyle Schwarber's. While he went just 4-for-14 over the weekend series against the Pirates, he went yard Friday and became the first hitter in the majors to reach the 20-homer plateau.
With nine homers over his last 10 games, and a .302/.375/.953 slash line over that span (as well as a massive 1.328 OPS), it's hard to get against Schwarber right now. Especially since he'll be facing Nick Lodolo, who has a woeful 8.68 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB over 9.1 innings in his two starts in 2026. What's even more concerning is the fact that Lodolo has already given up three homers in those 9.1 frames, making Schwarber a prime candidate to go yard in Monday's slate.
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MLB Picks Recap
- Blue Jays vs. Yankees: Ryan Weathers Over 5.5 strikeouts (+110 FanDuel)
- Mets vs. Nationals: Juan Soto Over 1.5 total bases (-117 DraftKings)
- Reds vs. Phillies: Kyle Schwarber to hit a home run (+230 BetMGM)
All Plays - 1 Unit
