Tuesday night brings the full MLB board back to life, and with the final month of the regular season underway, home run props are in the spotlight.
Three left-handed bats stand out in the plus-money market, starting with New York Mets star Juan Soto. He’s set for his fourth game back since coming off the injured list, and he’ll face former Met Freddy Peralta and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Soto has already left the yard once since returning, and he’s up to 22 homers in 87 games this season. Most of that damage has come against right-handed pitching, where he’s batting .289 with a 1.029 OPS and 18 home runs.
Peralta has been vulnerable all year, allowing 22 home runs in 27 appearances while carrying a 5.11 ERA. Soto has only one hit in his career against him, but it was a home run.
With a .948 OPS on the season and a home run rate of about once every four games, the Mets slugger looks positioned for another big swing.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II also draws a matchup worth circling. He homered Monday night against the San Francisco Giants, giving him 23 on the year, and he’s turned in a huge 2026 season with a .297 average, 78 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
Against right-handed pitching, he’s hitting over .300, and 15 of his 23 homers have come in those matchups. On Tuesday, he gets Washington Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin, who led MLB in home runs allowed last season and has already surrendered 14 in 17 appearances this year.
Harris has handled Irvin well in his career, going 7-for-24 with a pair of extra-base hits. He’s also been locked in lately, hitting .380 with three home runs and a 1.092 OPS over his last 13 games.
Even if Irvin gets knocked out early, the Nationals bullpen hasn’t offered much resistance, posting a 4.94 ERA and allowing 94 home runs this season.
The third name on the board is New York Yankees slugger Luis Garcia Jr., who has been scorching over the last two weeks. He’s hitting .407 in his last seven games and .340 over his last 13, with four homers in that stretch and 28 on the season overall.
Garcia has done most of his damage against right-handed pitching, batting .295 with 25 home runs and a .912 OPS. The Yankees are trying to bounce back from a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Angels in Monday’s series opener, and they’ll see righty Grayson Rodriguez, who owns a 6.03 ERA and has allowed 10 home runs in 15 outings this season.
Garcia, who led the NL in slugging percentage before being dealt to New York at the deadline, is listed at +430, and that price makes him an appealing play if the bat stays this hot.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
In Other News...
Mets Front Office Problem Now Feels Bigger Than One Miss
The Mets offseason already had the feel of a front office trying to thread a difficult needle, and the latest reminder only sharpens that view. After injuries and coaching staff changes altered the shape of the roster, David Stearns has been working through a series of decisions that hinge on balancing upside against downside, with owner Steve Cohen publicly framing the approach as a question of risk management rather than simple aggression.
Luis Robert Jr. ending up with the Orioles after the Mets declined his club option is the most visible example so far of how fine that line can be. It is not just about one missed opportunity, either, because the broader concern now is whether the Mets are making enough bold, calculated bets to keep pace while still protecting themselves from the kind of mistakes that can haunt a roster for months. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Suddenly Have A September Decision Fans Should Watch Closely
MJ Melendez has put together a mixed 2026 season, showing enough production in both the majors and Triple-A to keep his name in the conversation, even if the big-league results have been harder to sustain. His recent run in Triple-A has been encouraging, and for a club trying to sort out its depth down the stretch, that kind of performance tends to linger on the radar.
Jonah Tong is the one creating the more immediate September question. He followed a one-hit shutout in a minor league double-header with a better August overall, and the Mets roster needs make a return to the majors feel likely, even if some of the underlying metrics hint that the rebound may not be as clean as the results suggest. For a team managing every bullpen and rotation decision with October in mind, Tongs next move is one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Just Landed A Surprise Chance To Test Their Roster Plans
After the Mets were unable to work out a trade before the 2026 deadline, they placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on waivers and moved on quickly when the Orioles stepped in to claim him. The transaction clears Roberts $20 million salary off New Yorks books and opens a roster spot at a time when the Mets are still sorting out the edges of their roster for the stretch run.
Robert leaves New York after a brief, uneven run that still hinted at the upside that made him such a notable trade chip in the first place. He hit .222 with a .737 OPS in 34 games overall, but his last 19 games with the Mets were far more encouraging, as he settled in with a .262 average and a .930 OPS before Baltimore seized the chance to take a look for itself. [Read more 🡒]
