Aaron Judge's injury that will sideline the New York Yankees slugger indefinitely has also created a wide-open race for Most Valuable Player honors in the American League.
The two-time reigning AL MVP, Judge suffered a stress fracture of his right rib. While he is expected to return at some point this season, he is now out of the picture for an MVP three-peat.
The new favorite is Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who is being offered at +140 by BetMGM. Alvarez entered Friday hitting .316 with
21 home runs, 44 RBIs and a 3.1 WAR. His OPS of 1.077 leads Major League Baseball.
The second-shortest odds belong to Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Despite the Royals' challenging first half of the season, Witt is batting .281 with nine homers, 26 RBIs and a 3.8 WAR in addition to his outstanding defensive play.
Alvarez and Witt top the AL MVP odds despite the Royals having the second-worst record in the league at 25-38, while the Astros were only 2 1/2 games better at 28-36 entering Friday.
Judge's teammate, Ben Rice, is batting .300 with 17 homers, 44 RBIs and a 2.6 WAR. His OPS of 1.030 is second in the majors to Alvarez. Rice also plays for one of the AL's best teams and will have an additional opportunity to shine in Judge's absence.
Rice is being offered at +300 at BetMGM, followed by Athletics second-year first baseman Nick Kurtz at +850. Kurtz has followed up his stellar rookie year by hitting .284 with 11 homers, 43 RBS and a 2.3 WAR through 61 games.
No other player has shorter AL MVP odds than Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez at +2200.
AL MVP ODDS*
Yordan Alvarez, Astros (+140)
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (+155)
Ben Rice, Yankees (+300)
Nick Kurtz, Athletics (+850)
Julio Rodriguez, Mariners (+2200)
Junior Caminero, Rays (+2800)
Jose Ramirez, Guardians (+3000)
Shea Langeliers, Athletics (+3000)
*BetMGM
--Field Level Media
