MLB Player Props: Picks and Best Bets for Wednesday, April 23 Games

Alex Payton

MLB Player Props: Picks and Best Bets for Wednesday, April 23 Games image

Wednesday is getaway day for plenty of Major League teams. That means the action starts early, with a handful of afternoon games to sweat. The player props menu is stocked full of attractive bets, and we’ve identified our three favorite wagers to target below.

MLB Player Prop Picks for April 23

Reese Olson 5+ K’s (+135 at DraftKings)

Our first bet comes from one of today’s Matinees, as we’re targeting 5+ strikeouts for Detroit’s Reese Olson at juicy +135 odds. Full disclosure, his actual K prop is 3.5, but the juice is -160 to the over. The alt line of 5+ is much more appealing, and a mark that Olson has reached in three of four starts this season.

Olson has a K/9 rate of 8.1 in 2025, which falls directly in line with his career average. He’ll likely cash this prop if he makes it through 5 innings, and he’s fresh off his best start of the season. The righty scattered 4 hits over 5 shutout innings last Thursday, neutralizing the KCRoyals bats.

Today, he’ll square off against the Padres, who just struck out 12 times last night versus Jack Flaherty and a couple of Tigers relievers. Olson’s velocity this season is the highest it’s been during his three-year career, giving us confidence that he’s going to generate enough swings and misses to cash this bet.

Gavin Lux Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, and RBI (-125 at DraftKings)

Next up, we’re going back to Cincy’s Gavin Lux. We’re betting over 1.5 hits, runs, and RBIs for the 27-year-old, looking to capitalize on his white-hot form.

Lux enters play slashing .429/.556/.619 over the last week. He’s cleared this line in six of his past seven starts and has a solid track record versus Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. Lux is 2-for-5 all-time against Miami’s ace, and has a batting average that’s .228 points higher against righties than lefties so far in 2025.

Jordan Walker Under 0.5 Hits (+135 at DraftKings)

While Lux is on fire, St. Louis’ Jordan Walker is ice cold. The 22-year-old is hitless in his last three games, and boasts the second-lowest average of any player in baseball over the last week with a minimum of 25 at-bats (.074).To make matters worse, he’s facing a Braves team that he’s never recorded a hit against.

Walker is 0-for-12 lifetime versus Atlanta pitchers, including 0-for-2 against this afternoon’s Bryce Elder.

Walker boasts a 30% strikeout rate this season, the highest of his career. He’s making hard contact at the lowest mark of his MLB tenure, while his swing and miss rate is up to 16.4%.

That’s one of the highest marks among full-time players so far in 2025.

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Alex Payton

Alex Payton is a betting content producer for The Sporting News. A resident of Kentucky, Alex graduated from the University of Louisville in 2017 and is a devoted Cardinals fan. He has several years of experience creating dedicated content for various publications in the online sports betting industry.