There are nine games on the MLB schedule for Thursday, April 23, so sports fans interested in MLB betting and prop betting have plenty of options when it comes to looking at home run picks. SportsLine MLB expert Adam Thompson has highlighted his favorite players to target for Thursday’s games when it comes to home run props, including one of the most terrifying hitters in the big leagues.
Thompson was one of the earliest SportsLine experts back in 2016-19, and rejoined the company in 2026 following a stint as the primary betting analyst for the Gambling.com Group. An analytics-driven exploiter of matchups, Adam specializes in the NFL, MLB and the NBA. He also has delivered consistent winners in college basketball, horse racing and golf. Over the past two seasons, he’s up over 70 units in MLB and over 60 units in the NBA.
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Best home run picks for Thursday, April 23
Aaron Judge, Yankees (+253, DraftKings)
Judge has nine homers on the season for the pinstripes, tops on the team and third in MLB. Boston is calling up left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle from Triple-A Worchester for the start. He was not sharp in seven big league spots last year, giving up a pair of homers in two of his three starts. Judge has feasted on left-handers, hitting over half of his homers (five) in half as many at-bats compared to facing righties. Judge has three homers in the last week, and this sounds like a favorable opportunity to keep it going.
Byron Buxton, Twins (+367, DraftKings)
Minnesota’s designated hitter has more homers this season than anyone on the Twins or the Mets for Thursday’s matchup at Citi Field. He’s crushed four of them in the last week alone, so he comes in hot. He’ll face New York starter Christian Scott, who makes his first MLB start since Tommy John surgery in 2024. He’ll give way to a bullpen with a 6.00 ERA the last two weeks. Wind could be a factor so it will take someone with legit pop to get the ball out. Buxton fits the bill.
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