Expert Picks & Player Props for Rays vs Yankees (May 23)

• The Tampa Bay Rays are +120 road underdogs in the Bronx as they battle the Yankees
• Tampa is 8-2 in its last 10 and opened this series with a 4-2 win on Friday
• Read below for my Rays vs Yankees picks, updated odds and player prop picks

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With wins in eight of their last 10, the Tampa Bay Rays look for a series win Saturday in the middle game of their 3-game set against the New York Yankees.

The Rays opened the series with a 4-2 win on Friday in his matchup of the top two teams in the American League East.

Despite Tampa’s fun run and the Yankees dropping three in a row and five of their last seven, the books pick them as the home favorite in the MLB odds.

First pitch is set for 1:35pm ET from Yankee Stadium, with MLB TV providing the national broadcast coverage.

Rays vs Yankees Odds

The graphic above shows the best available odds, which are subject to change. Use the BetMGM promo code to wager on Yankees vs Mets.

The red-hot Rays find themselves as +120 underdogs on the moneyline with the hometown Yankees set as -140 favorites to win outright, with the odds from bet365.

On the runline, New York winning by at least two runs comes at +165 odds, while the Rays staying within two runs is a less entircing -182 over at FanDuel.

The total checks in at 7.0 runs, with the Over paying out at -110 odds at BetMGM.

Rays vs Yankees Picks and Prediction

• Best Bet: Rays ML (+120 at bet365)

The MLB probable pitchers feature two capable arms who have anchored their respective rotations early in the 2026 campaign.

Drew Rasmussen brings an impressive 6-3 record and a sharp 3.19 ERA into Yankee Stadium.

He has been remarkably efficient this season, stifling opponents with a pristine 1.00 WHIP and a stingy .213 opponent batting average. His elite control serves as the foundation of his success, issuing just 1.69 walks per nine innings to limit base traffic.

That steady effort will be necessary Saturday, as the Yankees are an absolute juggernaut in the Bronx, leading their home split with 1.72 home runs per game and a blistering 90.1 mph average exit velocity.

Opposing him is Ryan Weathers, who sports a 5-4 record and a respectable 3.58 ERA. His underlying metrics suggest he has pitched even better than his baseline numbers indicate, boasting an outstanding 2.76 xFIP. Weathers relies on raw dominance to escape high-leverage jams, ringing up 10.91 batters per nine innings.

He’ll have to contend with a Rays side that’s built a stellar 15-10 road record by prioritizing contact and utilizing their team speed.

Tampa Bay hits a very respectable .254 on the road, which outpaces the Yankees’ .247 home batting average. Both teams excel at creating havoc on the basepaths, with New York pacing its home split with 1.24 stolen bases per game and Tampa Bay close behind at 1.16.

My top moneyline prediction targets the Rays. Tampa Bay boasts a 69.4% overall win rate this season and has won eight of its last 10 games.

Meanwhile, New York has cooled off considerably, winning just 40.0% of its last 10 contests. I expect the Rays’ pitching to neutralize the Yankees’ power threats and secure a road victory.

TB Rays vs NY Yankees Props

Ryan Weathers Over 5.5 Pitcher Strikeouts (-102 on FanDuel)
He generates elite swing-and-miss numbers, registering an outstanding 10.91 strikeouts per nine innings. Against a Rays lineup that has struck out 437 times this season, Weathers should comfortably clear this threshold.

Under 7.0 Runs (-105 at DraftKings)
Both starting staffs have been excellent, with New York posting a 3.30 team ERA and Tampa Bay closely following at 3.54. Given the quality of both starters and the Yankees’ struggles to hit for average, runs should be scarce this afternoon.