Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor is returning to the starting nine for Game 5 of the ALCS after sitting out in Game 4. Naylor will be behind the dish and bat in the seven-hole. Naylor did not tally a hit during the ALDS and has begun to work out of his slump, as he is currently gone 2-for-7 against the Yankees with one extra-base hit. During the regular season, the 24-year-old posted an underwhelming .204/.264/.305 line with 13 home runs and six stolen bases. He will face Yankee southpaw Carlos Rodon, who is coming off a strong outing where he held the Guardians to just one run across six frames while striking out nine and is best to fade in DFS.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and outfielder Will Brennan will start on the bench again in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday at Progressive Field against the New York Yankees with right-hander Luis Gil on the mound. Cleveland will stick with Austin Hedges behind the plate, and he will bat eighth, while rookie Daniel Schneemann will make his second straight start in right field and bat sixth. Naylor picked up a hit as a pinch-hitter in the Game 3 win on Thursday but has gone 1-for-15 overall with four strikeouts in his first eight playoff games. Brennan also picked up a pinch hit on Thursday for his second knock in 11 at-bats this October. Hedges has gone 0-for-2 with a strikeout in his career against Gil, while Schneeman has a single and RBI in two at-bats this year versus Gil.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor is not in the starting lineup for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday at Progressive Field against the New York Yankees. Instead, Austin Hedges will do the catching for left-hander Matthew Boyd and will hit eighth against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. Naylor has gone hitless in his first 14 plate appearances in the postseason this year with four strikeouts, so the Guardians will go in another direction as they look for an offensive spark while down two games to none in the series. Hedges hit just .152 (20-for-132) with two homers, 15 RBI and 12 runs scored in a backup role during the regular season, so he's unlikely to do much offensively. Like Naylor, he's hitless this postseason in nine plate appearances with five strikeouts. Cleveland's catching situation is looking bleak.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo, catcher Bo Naylor and outfielder Will Brennan will all start on the bench for Game 2 of the American League Division Series on Monday versus the division-rival Detroit Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal. The Guardians are going to go with a right-handed-heavy lineup against the best pitcher in the AL this year in Skubal. David Fry is serving as the designated hitter and batting second, Austin Hedges is doing the catching and hitting eighth, and Jhonkensy Noel is in right field and in the six-hole against Skubal. Fry, a first-time All-Star in 2024 in just his second big-league season, is the most attractive DFS sleeper in this tough matchup. He hit .263/.356/.448 with an .804 OPS, 14 homers, 51 RBI and 44 runs scored in 122 games during the regular season. Fry has one hit in three career at-bats versus Skubal, while Hedges has gone 3-for-8 with an RBI and a strikeout.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a stolen base in the team's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. The 24-year-old backstop showcased his power and a bit of speed in Monday's game. Naylor is hitting .206 with eight homers, 32 RBI, and four stolen bases this season. He hit just .189 in July so he'll be looking to turn things around this month. He is still a viable option in two catcher leagues with the potential to add even more value the rest of the season.
Bo Naylor, Andres Gimenez Resting Against White Sox
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and second baseman Andres Gimenez are both out of the starting lineup on Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Gabriel Arias will fill in at the keystone for Gimenez and bat eighth, while Austin Hedges is doing the catching and is batting in the nine-hole against White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet. Neither Arias nor Hedges should be much of a consideration in DFS for Friday's lineups. Naylor is off to a slow start, unlike his brother, in 2024, as he's hitting just .189/.280/.295 with three home runs and nine RBI in his first 30 games. Gimenez is slashing .248/.316/.333 with one long ball, 19 RBI, five stolen bases and 19 runs scored in 141 at-bats as Cleveland's regular second baseman. Both Naylor and Gimenez should be back in action on Saturday.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor smacked his second home run of the year during Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the division-rival Chicago White Sox, also delivering an RBI single in the 10th inning to walk it off. Naylor first went yard 438 feet to deep center for a two-run jack in the fourth inning, later driving in Tyler Freeman for the game-winning score. The 24-year-old backstop was one of Cleveland's top prospects for 2023 but is off to a slow start to the campaign, slashing .194/.324/.387 with two big flies and five RBI through 31 at-bats. The lefty-hitting Naylor remains on the strong side of a platoon behind the plate with Austin Hedges, and he will face two right-handers during a three-game set with the New York Yankees beginning on Friday. He belongs on all fantasy watchlists where he isn't rostered.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor is not in the team's lineup for the series opener against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. Naylor will take a day off after starting in each of the team's last six games and will give way to Austin Hedges behind the plate. Hedges will hit eighth in the batting order against White Sox opener Tanner Banks, with David Fry serving as the designated hitter and batting third. The 24-year-old Naylor is off to a slow start in his first full big-league season, as he's gone 4-for-24 (.167) with one home run, two RBI, two runs scored and 12 strikeouts in his first 28 plate appearances and seven games for Cleveland, so he could probably use a breather. Fry is clearly the more attractive low-cost DFS play at the catcher position because of his spot in the lineup while facing a poor White Sox bullpen on Monday.
Cleveland Guardians catching prospect Bo Naylor (back) is back in the team's Cactus League lineup on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, starting behind the plate and batting cleanup for the Guardians. It will be the 24-year-old's second spring training game because of back spasms that kept him out for around a week. But he's back now, and Naylor should be ready for Opening Day at the end of the month, barring a setback with his back. The left-handed-hitting Canadian played in 67 games last year and hit .237/.339/.470 with an .809 OPS, 11 homers, 32 RBI and five stolen bases for Cleveland. Naylor is expected to see most of the starts behind the plate for the Guardians in 2024 in his first full MLB season, and his combination of power and speed at the catching position gives him unique upside at a weak position for fantasy managers.
Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (back spasms) has been cleared to catch Triston McKenzie's simulated game on Thursday. The young backstop was recently scratched from a Cactus League contest but the ailment appears to be minor in nature. Naylor made his MLB debut in the 2022 season but made a sizeable impact in his true rookie season in 2023. The 24-year-old hit just .237 but also launched 11 home runs, stole five bases, and posted an impressive .809 OPS in 67 games played. He will be the Guardians' primary catcher ahead of glove-first backstop Austin Hedges in 2024 and offers an enticing combination of power and speed that makes him a quality fantasy asset and a potential dynasty-league gem.
