On Sunday, MLB has a full 15-game slate with many intriguing matchups. Cincinnati Reds SS Elly De La Cruz is one of several hitters worth keeping an eye on throughout the schedule.
PrizePicks offers daily home run projections for all your MLB picks, and many hitters have already been targeted by users as some of the most popular home run picks throughout Sunday’s action.
Below, we’ll break down the most-picked MLB home run predictions for Sunday, including each player’s matchup, recent production, and what makes them a popular home run pick.
Make your MLB home run picks for Sunday, May 24, on PrizePicks now.
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Top Home Run Picks Today – Sunday, May 24
Slugging a home run is one of the more difficult achievements that a player can complete on the diamond. As a result, it can be quite difficult to project which players could go yard on a given day.
Several factors can be attributed to a home run going over the fence. How hard has a player been hitting the ball lately? Has the opposing starter been serving up several fly balls? Could weather conditions be a factor?
Home run projections are labeled as Demons on PrizePicks, which comes with a higher payout. You can only choose “More” on home run projections, which are set at 0.5.
Here’s a look at the most popular home run picks for today on PrizePicks as of writing.
- Yankees OF Aaron Judge
- Phillies OF Kyle Schwarber
- White Sox 1B Munetaka Murakami
- Yankees 1B Ben Rice
- Twins OF Byron Buxton
- Rays 3B Junior Caminero
- Braves 1B Matt Olson
- Angels OF Mike Trout
- Nationals OF James Wood
- Cardinals OF Jordan Walker
Below, we’ll break down three matchups for today, including the opposing starting pitcher with advanced stats from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant, capped by a weather report via RotoGrinders.
Reds SS Elly De La Cruz
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds – 1:40 p.m. ET
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Brycen Mautz
MLB Weather Report: 75 degrees, 59% chance of rain, and winds 3 mph to W
- De La Cruz has belted 12 home runs in 2026, which is tied for seventh in the majors.
- The Reds’ power-hitting SS has slugged 5 of his 12 homers against left-handed pitchers.
- De La Cruz has recorded a 22.0% home run-to-fly ball rate, which is currently the second-best rate of his career.
- The Reds’ standout has registered a career-high 36.2% fly ball rate, while Mautz has yielded a 39.0% fly ball clip in Triple-A.
- De La Cruz has also tallied a 94.0 mph average exit velocity (97th percentile), 51.4% hard-hit rate (92nd), and .501 xSLG (87th).
- Mautz, who's making his big-league debut, owns a 9.8% home-run-to-fly-ball ratio this year, but those numbers were 13.1% in Double-A last year and 14.0% in High-A in 2024.
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White Sox 1B Munetaka Murakami
Chicago White Sox vs. San Francisco Giants – 4:05 p.m. ET
Giants Starting Pitcher: Robbie Ray (10 GS, 3-6, 4.42 xFIP, 37.6% hard-hit, 49.4% FB%)
MLB Weather Report: 59 degrees, clear skies, and winds 10 mph to left field
- Murakami has slugged 17 home runs, second in the majors behind Phillies OF Kyle Schwarber.
- The White Sox 1B has registered a 35.4% home run-to-fly ball rate in 2026.
- Murakami has tallied a 45.7% fly ball rate, while Ray has given up a 49.4% fly ball rate.
- Murakami has also recorded a 58.7% hard-hit rate (99th percentile), 21.2% barrel rate (98th), and a 94.6 mph average exit velocity (98th).
- Ray has yielded 7 home runs across his last four starts, including giving up two in three of those outings.
- Ray has surrendered 12 home runs while also giving up a 1.98 HR/9 and a 15.8% HR/FB rate.
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Padres 3B Manny Machado
Athletics vs. San Diego Padres – 4:10 p.m. ET
Athletics Starting Pitcher: Luis Medina
MLB Weather Report: 69 degrees, clear skies, and winds 8 mph to WNW
- Machado has blasted 8 home runs throughout the 2026 season up to this point.
- The Padres’ slugger has belted a home run in two of his last four games.
- Machado has produced a 15.4% home run-to-fly ball rate.
- The Padres’ star 3B has recorded a 40.0% fly ball rate, while Medina has surrendered a 42.0% mark that's a career high.
- Machado has also tallied a 90.6 mph average exit velocity (74th percentile), a 74.1 mph bat speed (74th), and a 44.6% hard-hit rate (68th).
- Medina sits in the fifth percentile in average exit velocity at 91.6 mph.
Add Manny Machado to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
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Elly De La Cruz and Munetaka Murakami have pitching matchups that they'll look to exploit in Sunday’s action, while Manny Machado aims to continue his hot streak. Who will go yard on Sunday?
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