Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL inside Marlins Park on July 10, 2021.
On Friday, Acuna makes his first trip back to the home of the Miami Marlins with the Atlanta Braves for the start of a three-game series.
Acuna producing a huge series in his return to south Florida could be one of the biggest stories of the Major League Baseball weekend.
I am not just picking Acuna to play well on Friday just because of the narrative in play. Miami starter Trevor Rogers has not had a great start to the season and he conceded 16 hits in his first three May starts.
Acuna should have a few chances to get on base and cash in on his total bases prop, which is the target of a few other hitters across the big leagues as well.
Friday MLB Props
Season Record: 4-3
Ronald Acuna Jr. Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125)
Firstly, the narrative of Ronald Acuna Jr. returning to Miami and slugging all weekend is too fun to pass up.
The Atlanta leadoff hitter should have plenty of chances to reach base against Trevor Rogers, who allowed 16 hits in April and May.
Rogers conceded at least four hits in six of his seven starts and he allowed five or more base knocks in four appearances, including each of his last three.
Acuna has a decent sample size against Rogers. He has one home run and three RBI in six at-bats, but that is not enough to solidify my bet.
Acuna had an eight-game hitting streak ended on Wednesday, but he still scored two runs in the series finale with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Acuna is seeing the ball well and he should take advantage of an average pitching matchup.
Trevor Story Over 1.5 Total Bases (+105)
Trevor Story's three-homer outburst was the biggest storyline to come from Thursday's small slate.
Story should be one of the most popular players on the prop bet side because of that performance.
Instead of banking on a home run, I'm willing to take Story's total bases prop at plus money.
Story had seven total bases over the first two games against the Houston Astros this week. He went 4-for-5 with 13 total bases in the series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.
Story also has a large sample size of at-bats against Robbie Ray. Story has three home runs and a .296 batting average in 27 career at-bats against the southpaw.
Ray has 24 strikeouts in the last three games, but that should not deter anyone who bets on the Red Sox. Ray conceded 14 hits over 18.1 innings in May.
Ray conceded 40 hits through the first two months of the season, so he is susceptible to some big hits, which is why Story seems like a solid play.
Anthony Santander Over 1.5 Total Bases (+130)
Anthony Santander's bat started to heat up over the last few weeks.
The Baltimore Orioles switch-hitter produced four home runs over the last seven days, including a walk-off dinger against the New York Yankees on Thursday.
Santander's OPS is slightly better against left-handed pitchers. That is the matchup he gets from the start against Jalen Beeks of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Santander has also been comfortable hitting inside Camden Yards recently. He had a pair of multi-hit games against the Yankees and he hit safely in six of 10 games in Baltimore's last home stand.
Hunter Renfroe Over 1.5 Total Bases (+130)
Hunter Renfroe's total bases prop feels like a steal at +130.
Renfroe had two or more total bases in his last three games and he had performances with five and eight total bases in the last week-and-a-half.
Renfroe and the Milwaukee Brewers get a favorable pitching matchup against Erick Fedde of the Washington Nationals on Friday.
Fedde conceded 13 hits and walked 10 batters in his three May starts. The poor form should lead to some run-scoring opportunities for the Brewers in which hitters, like Renfroe, can do damage and fill up the stat sheet.