Yankees vs. Rays prediction: MLB Thursday player props, picks odds

It’s time to fade Marcus Stroman once again. 

The Yankees’ veteran will look to reverse a hellish 2025 when the Rays visit the Bronx on Thursday. 

Stroman, who missed two and a half months with knee inflammation, has a 6.09 ERA across eight outings, which is the 14th-highest in baseball among pitchers with at least eight starts. 

Batters have no problem squaring him up. 

Stroman has allowed a 49.1 percent hard-hit rate and a 91.7 mph average exit velocity this season – both of which rank in the bottom four percent of the league.

If the season ended today, Stroman would have the highest home run per nine innings of his career (1.59), allowing six in just 34 innings pitched. 

The hits keep coming, literally. 

Stroman has given up well above a hit per inning (10.06 per nine innings).

Marcus Stroma reacts after walking Philadelphia outfielder Johan Rojas (not pictured) with the bases loaded to surrender a run during the Yankees’ loss to the Phillies on July 26, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He’ll face one of the better contact-hitting teams in the league on Thursday in Tampa Bay, which is tied for third in baseball with a .255 batting average heading into play on Wednesday. 

The Rays have limited experience against Stroman, but have had success in previous plate appearances against him – Josh Lowe, Taylor Walls, and Nick Fortes are hitting a combined 11-for-27 (.407) with four extra-base hits against him. 

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In two starts against Tampa Bay last season, Stroman allowed just three earned runs, but that didn’t stop the Rays from hitting him around, getting 12 knocks against him in just 9 ⅔ innings. 

I’m betting on Stroman will have a hard time fooling Tampa’s hitters on Thursday.

The play: Marcus Stroman Over Hits Allowed

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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.