Once again, I have been reminded this week how important it is to make sure players are healthy before putting down any serious futures money, whether on those players or the teams they play for. The New York Yankees are dealing with injuries to their two most important players in outfielder and former American League MVP Aaron Judge and reigning Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole.

Needless to say, both are sources of serious concern. While it sounds like Judge should be OK, Cole will reportedly miss one to two months. But even signs of wear and tear for Judge can be worrying. After a historic 2022 campaign in which Judge set the AL record for homers with 62, he was limited to 37 dingers in 106 games last year due largely to a toe injury. Judge has not hit much this spring, but manager Aaron Boone Boone said that Judge is not having any issues with that right big toe (although Judge has said he will have to manage it all season).

Be wary of spring injuries like these before you place your wagers.

Before you make any bets on who leads MLB in the major hitting categories, you need to see who SportsLine expert Matt Severance is backing. Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, Matt quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. He's up +1969 on his MLB plays on SportsLine. Anybody following him has seen HUGE returns!

Now Severance has shared his 2024 MLB hitting leaders picks. Be sure to see who he's backing before locking in any picks of your own.

Which players are the best bets to win lead the majors in the top hitting categories? ... Join SportsLine right now to see picks from SportsLine's expert!