Murakami, Hicks, and Happ: Three HR Props Worth Playing on a 15-Game Saturday Slate

Three names stand out on Saturday's loaded 15-game MLB slate for HR prop value: Munetaka Murakami (CWS, +200), Liam Hicks (MIA, +610), and Ian Happ (CHC, +425). As CBS Sports flagged, all three face right-handed pitchers with legitimate vulnerabilities, and the underlying numbers back up the narrative in each case.

Murakami is the headline. The 29-year-old Japanese slugger came into this season with contact questions hanging over him, and he has answered every one of them — 15 homers through early May puts him tied for the MLB lead. Saturday he faces Luis Castillo, who arrived in Seattle as one of the more reliable arms in the American League but is posting a 6.29 ERA in 2026 and has surrendered three home runs over his last three starts. Murakami has gone deep 11 times against right-handed pitching this season. He homered Friday night at home, which some bettors will flag as a recency concern, but Castillo's recent inability to miss barrels makes the +200 number more than defensible.

Hicks is the sharper play at longer odds. The Marlins catcher is slashing .316/.OPS .948 with nine home runs — eight of them off right-handers — and Saturday's assignment is Nationals starter Zack Littell, who has already given up 13 home runs in just 32.1 innings this year. That's a 3.6 HR/9 rate. Hicks owns an OPS north of 1.000 against right-handed pitching. At +610, you're getting plus-money on a matchup where both the batter profile and the pitcher profile are pointing the same direction. Parlay risk is real at that price, but as a single-game prop, the matchup juice is there.

Happ rounds out the card. The Cubs' switch-hitter leads Chicago with nine home runs and an .869 OPS, and he draws Rangers righty Jack Leiter, who owns a 5.45 ERA over seven starts and has allowed four home runs in his last two outings alone. Happ bats left against right-handers and owns a .955 OPS in those matchups, with six of his nine homers coming off same-side starters. The +425 price reflects his overall HR rate fairly but undersells the matchup quality. In a full Cubs lineup that should generate run-scoring opportunities, Happ's ceiling is higher than that number implies.

The broader angle here is roster construction for HR parlays. All three players are facing starters with elevated home run rates and recent struggles — not just league-average pitchers having a bad week, but arms with structural 2026 problems. Murakami at -or-near plus money is the strongest standalone. If you're building a two-leg HR parlay, Happ plus Hicks offers the price, though the variance is significant. Lean Murakami as the anchor; the Castillo matchup is as clean as these spots get.