Home runs. Long balls. Bleacher reachers. Whatever you want to call them, people love watching and betting on home run props during baseball games. So much so, we’ve got a whole article dedicated to just that.

Here are my top two home run prop picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thursday’s truncated slate: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ben Rice.

Let’s break them down.

Top MLB Home Run Props

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1+ Home Run (+521)

Guerrero Jr. hasn’t exactly looked like himself so far in 2026. Well, he hasn’t looked like the version of himself we saw throughout the postseason last year, or at the WBC during Spring Training. He’s managed just three home runs in his 207 plate appearances.

That said, this might be the matchup that pulls him out of his power slump. Let’s just say that no one in the world was happier to see Carlos Rodon reinstated from the IL than Vladdy. Including the playoffs, Guerrero Jr. has 18 career at-bats against the veteran lefty. In those at-bats, the former All-Star is slashing .611/.696/1.111 with a pair of long balls. Not too shabby. I’m not asking you to only believe in small sample BvP, as well. Since the beginning of 2025, Guerrero Jr. ranks fourth among all qualified hitters in expected wOBA against LHPs (.441), trailing only Yordan Alvarez, Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt.

On Thursday, Rodon will be making just his third start of the season at the MLB level. In those first two outings, he’s struggled with walks a lot more than he’s struggled to keep the ball in the park, but the fact of the matter is he’s still shaking off some rust. It would not shock me to see Vlad greet his long-time adversary with a homer.

Ben Rice 1+ Home Run (+338)

Let’s stick in the same game, shall we?

The Jays will be using an opener on Thursday, as Braydon Fisher will take mound ahead of Spencer Miles, who will be pitching in the classic “bulk” role. Neither Fisher nor Miles is a bad pitcher — quite the opposite — but their presence means we’re assured of Ben Rice getting at least three plate appearances against right-handed pitching to start his day. On top of that, Toronto’s primary lefty out of the pen, Mason Fluharty, is likely unavailable after pitching back-to-back days. The club’s second lefty, Joe Mantiply, was placed on the IL before yesterday’s game. Everything’s coming up Ben Rice.

Why do you want to back Rice in an opposite-hand matchup? Well, beside the fact that the converted backstop has the third-most home runs in MLB (16), Rice ranks top three in the sport among qualified hitters in ISO (.378) and wRC+ (191) against RHPs. Overall, he also owns a 98th percentile expected wOBA (.417) and a 97th percentile barrel rate (19.6%) in 2026. He’s quite good, and he’s long been a fan of Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field.