Guardians Open To Trading Josh Naylor, Lane Thomas
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal writes that the Cleveland Guardians are open to trade offers for first baseman Josh Naylor and outfielder Lane Thomas, both of whom are entering their walk years. Naylor is projected to earn $12 million in salary arbitration, while Thomas is at $8.3 million. Cleveland has concerns in their outfield, but they just landed Thomas in a midseason trade in 2024. Naylor, on the other hand, has emerged as one of the team's most valuable position players while also being a leader in the clubhouse. If Naylor were dealt, Kyle Manzardo would be the obvious replacement for Naylor at first base in Cleveland. The small-market organization has already lost left-hander Matthew Boyd to free agency, and right-handers Shane Bieber and Alex Cobb could be next. Naylor had a career year for the Guards in 2024, but his struggles against left-handed pitching remains an issue.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor blasted a pair of solo home runs off of Twins starter Bailey Ober during a 2-for-4 day at the plate in Wednesday's 5-4 win over Minnesota. The left-handed hitter recorded two RBI and scored three times in the contest, bringing his season line to .245-31-105-81-6. This season marks the first time the 27-year-old has surpassed the 30-homer and 100 RBI threshold in his career. The former first-round draft pick will look to keep rolling Thursday against the Twins' Simeon Woods Richardson who he is 2-for-4 off of in his career.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (back) returns to the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is good news after Naylor was forced to exit early during Tuesday's game due to back spasms. As a result, Naylor sat out on Wednesday and the team had an off day on Thursday. Naylor will bat cleanup and cover first base versus right-hander Landon Knack on Friday. Naylor has been on fire at the plate with nine hits and six RBI in his last five games. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Naylor back in their lineups ahead of first pitch.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (back) remains out of the starting lineup on Wednesday evening as the Guardians look to close out a three-game sweep on the division-rival Kansas City Royals. The slugging first baseman was removed from Tuesday's game due to a back spasm and will need at least another day to rest. The Guardians will likely take caution with the 27-year-old as they have their sights on competing in October. As a result, rookie Kyle Manzardo will get the starting nod on Wednesday and bat in the six-hole. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the Cleveland lineup, as Naylor could return as early as Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manzardo could be a sneaky play in DFS against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo, as the young infielder has tallied five hits across his past three games.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (back) left Tuesday's contest early against the division-rival Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning due to an acute back spasm, according to the team. Before leaving, Naylor went 1-for-4 in the contest and was replaced by rookie Jhonkensy Noel. For now, fantasy managers should treat it as a day-to-day situation and shouldn't expect the power-hitting lefty to be back in the lineup for the series finale on Wednesday. The good news is Cleveland has an off day scheduled for Thursday, so perhaps Naylor will be ready to play again for Friday's series opener in LA against the Dodgers. Losing Naylor, who already has a career-highs in homers (29) and RBI (100) on the year, for any stretch of time would be bad news for the Guardians as they vie for the AL Central title. Noel will likely take over for Naylor at first if he misses any more time.
Josh Naylor Suffers Bruised Ankle, Has Big Night At The Plate
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (ankle) managed to have a big offensive night in Friday's 10-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Progressing Field despite leaving the contest early due to a left-ankle bruise. Naylor was replaced late in the game by Tyler Freeman after he apparently rolled his ankle. Before leaving, though, Naylor went 3-for-5 with a double, four RBI and a run scored. Naylor's two-run double in the first inning got Cleveland's scoring started. The 27-year-old appears to have avoided a serious injury, thankfully, but he could be held out as a precaution for Saturday's contest. Fantasy managers should consider him to be day-to-day for now. Naylor, a first-time All-Star in 2024, came into Friday's game with a career-high 28 home runs, and now he's at a career-high 98 RBI through 127 games after driving in four this evening.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor is back in the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The left-handed slugger is back in the mix after missing a few games over the weekend due to soreness. It doesn't sound like Naylor was dealing with anything serious, but the Guardians wanted to give him a few days to rest and get back to full health. He'll cover first base and bat cleanup versus right-hander Beau Brieske on Monday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with Naylor returning.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor is reportedly available off the bench for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The left-handed slugger has been out of the lineup for a few games for vague reasons. It sounds like Naylor is dealing with general soreness but is hopefully going to be available on Monday. David Fry will cover first base and bat cleanup versus left-hander Kolby Allard on Sunday. Fantasy managers will hopefully only be without Naylor for one more game.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The lefty slugger has started in 10 straight games with only five hits during that time. That being said, Naylor could use a day off to rest and recover before getting back in the lineup. In the meantime, Jhonkensy Noel will start at first base and bat fifth versus left-hander Christopher Sanchez. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with Naylor sitting out prior to first pitch.
Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor will take the day off on Thursday in the series finale against the hosting Detroit Tigers and right-hander Jack Flaherty. David Fry will draw into the lineup at first base and will bat fifth against Flaherty. This will be Naylor's first day off since June 27. He's been a must-start in all fantasy lineups this year and is batting .294 (10-for-34) with two homers, two doubles, nine RBI, a stolen base and eight runs scored so far in nine games in the month of July. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger will head to the Midsummer Classic next week in Texas for the first time in his career. Naylor has already reached a career-high 22 home runs in 87 games in 2024 and has driven in 70 runs while adding four stolen bases for the first-place Guardians. Fry got off to an amazing start early on, but he's cooled off and has gone 7-for-32 (.219) since June 26.
Josh Naylor
• 1B
•
Guardians
|
