Jose Altuve, Wilyer Abreu, Trent Grisham: 3 MLB Batter Props to Back on August 31

The MLB slate on August 31 is loaded with contact-driven mismatches, and the sharpest angle isn’t strikeouts — it’s what happens when the bat actually meets the ball. Three hitters stand out as prime targets for prop bettors willing to lean into recent form, platoon splits, and matchup data rather than gut feel.

Jose Altuve is riding one of the best stretches of his season, Wilyer Abreu has turned into Boston’s most dangerous power threat down the stretch, and Trent Grisham gets a first look at a rookie right-hander making his case in the Angels’ rotation. Here’s the analytics case for all three.

Jose Altuve Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs vs. Anthony Kay

Altuve’s power has dipped this year — he’s sitting at a modest .248/.311/.708 line with 14 home runs — but his contact rate has been elite in exactly the window that matters here. Since the start of August, Altuve is 21-for-67 (.313) across 19 games, and over his last seven contests he’s gone 8-for-28 (.286) with a .464 slugging mark, five RBI and five runs scored combined. That’s a hits-plus-runs-plus-RBIs pace comfortably clearing the 1.5 threshold on most nights.

The matchup only sharpens the case. Anthony Kay, the White Sox left-hander, carries a 4.09 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 27 starts, giving up plenty of traffic on the bases even while racking up strikeouts elsewhere in his outings. Altuve is a right-handed hitter who has spent a career carving up left-on-right matchups, and he’s shown zero signs of slowing down at the top of Houston’s lineup — a key factor for a hits/runs/RBIs combo prop, since Altuve gets more plate appearances than almost anyone else in the order to compile all three stats in one game.

Wilyer Abreu to Go Deep Again vs. Seattle

Abreu has been arguably the hottest bat in Boston’s lineup over the past two weeks, and the power surge is very real. He’s set a new career high with 23 home runs this season after connecting off Yankees lefty Carlos Rodon this past weekend, and he’s hit safely in five straight games, going 7-for-18 with two homers and four doubles in that stretch. His season OPS sits at a robust .806, and Abreu has been particularly dangerous the further the calendar has pushed into August.

The specific matchup context matters too — Abreu has actually posted a stronger OPS against left-handed pitching (.910) than against right-handers (.755) in 2026, which is the opposite of what scouting reports on the 2024 version of Abreu suggested. That reverse development, paired with the raw exit-velocity data behind his recent power surge, makes him a live candidate to keep the streak going regardless of who Seattle sends to the mound. A home run prop always carries variance, but few hitters in baseball are running better underlying process right now than Abreu.

Trent Grisham Over 0.5 Hits vs. Walbert Ureña

Grisham’s season line — .213 average, .714 OPS — undersells what makes this specific matchup appealing. He’s a left-handed hitter, and Walbert Ureña is a rookie right-hander who’s still finding his footing in the Angels’ rotation after bouncing between the majors and Triple-A this season. Ureña throws hard, with a sinker and four-seamer both averaging around 98 mph, but he’s given hitters traffic in his limited MLB looks, including allowing multiple runs in his most recent outings before this call-up window.

Grisham’s underlying platoon data actually favors him here more than his overall slash line suggests — his OPS against left-handed pitching this year (.704) is comparable to his mark against right-handers, and lefty batters historically get a cleaner look against a young power arm still working out his command against same-side hitters less than most. A simple over 0.5 hits prop for a starting outfielder facing a pitcher this inexperienced at the MLB level is exactly the kind of low-variance, high-floor spot that sharp bettors target — the type of value worth checking against the latest lines at your book before first pitch.

Lock These In

All three of these props lean on recent form syncing up with a favorable matchup, which is the foundation of any sustainable props strategy. Altuve’s contact surge meets a shaky lefty starter, Abreu’s power spike shows no signs of the calendar catching up to him, and Grisham gets a hittable rookie arm from the left side of the plate.

• Jose Altuve Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs vs. CHW (Anthony Kay)
• Wilyer Abreu HR Yes vs. SEA
• Trent Grisham Over 0.5 Hits vs. LAA (Walbert Ureña)

Check current odds at your preferred book before locking in any of these — lines can move quickly once lineups are official.