Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas turned in his best game of the season in an 11-2 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Thomas drilled a three-run homer, his first of the year, as part of a 3-for-5 afternoon. The 29-year-old averaged 20 homers, 20 steals, and 67 RBI per season from 2022-24, but he has started slowly in 2025 during an injury-riddled couple of months. Thomas has already spent time on the 10-day IL twice, including for a foot injury that shelved him from May 27 until this past Monday. Thanks in part to those issues, Thomas is hitting an unsightly .164/.227/.224 with two steals and six RBI in 75 plate appearances. He's 4-for-14 with an HR against his next opponent, Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. They'll face off on Friday.
The Cleveland Guardians announced on Monday that they activated outfielder Lane Thomas (foot) from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Will Wilson to Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move. It's unclear if Thomas will be in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, so fantasy managers will have to check back a bit later. So far in 2025, Thomas has been plagued by injuries, first a wrist contusion and most recently by plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The 29-year-old has played in just 17 games as a result in his first full season in Cleveland and has gone just 7-for-59 (.119) at the plate with three RBI, two runs and a stolen base. Thomas was set to be the Guardians' primary center field this year, but if he doesn't turn things around offensively, he might find himself on the bench more often than not.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (foot) has resumed running after being shut down and placed on the injured list last Friday due to right plantar fasciitis. Thomas is still day-to-day, according to manager Stephen Vogt, but has had some good days lately that could indicate that an extended absence isn't needed. Thomas has been dealing with the issue throughout the season and has only hit .119 (7-for-59) in his 17 games with a double, three walks, and a stolen base. He missed more than a month with a bone bruise in his right wrist, and now he's been sidelined by a different issue. Last year, Thomas showed some fantasy value, hitting .237 but adding 15 homers and 32 stolen bases while splitting time with the Nationals and Guardians. If he is healthy, he'll be worth a look in standard leagues, but he's had a rough road so far this season due to injuries.
Lane Thomas Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Plantar Fasciitis
The Cleveland Guardians placed outfielder Lane Thomas (foot) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 27) on Friday with right-foot plantar fasciitis, according to MLB.com's Tim Stebbins. A corresponding move will be announced by the team on Saturday. It's the second time that Thomas has been on the IL already season, previously missing time earlier this year with a wrist contusion. It's unclear how long the 29-year-old will be out, but there's a good chance he won't be ready to go when his 10 days are up. In the meantime, Angel Martinez will continue to see the lion's share of starts in center field for the Guardians while hitting a solid .270/.292/.409 on the season with three home runs, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored and four stolen bases. When Thomas returns, he could be on the bench more often than not after going 7-for-59 (.119) with no homers when healthy in 2025.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (foot) is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot and is being evaluated on Wednesday, according to MLB.com's Tim Stebbins. Thomas did not start in the series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, with Angel Martinez making the start in center field. It's the second straight game that Thomas has been out of the starting lineup, and he could be headed back to the injured list for the second time this year. The 29-year-old has had bad luck with injuries so far in 2025 after already having a lengthy stay on the IL earlier this season with a wrist contusion. When on the field, Thomas has gone just 7-for-59 (.119) with no homers, three RBI, two runs and a steal. It remains to be seen how long he'll be out, but either way, Angel Martinez's fantasy stock continues to rise as a center field option in Cleveland.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas will start Tuesday's game against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers at Progressive Field on the bench. Angel Martinez will start in center field and bat ninth against Dodgers right-hander Dustin May. Thomas hasn't had a hit in 14 at-bats while walking twice and striking out seven times in the four games since he returned from the injured list last week. The 29-year-old has looked ugly in his first 59 at-bats of 2025 with a .119 average, no homers, three RBI, two runs scored and a run scored, so he could start losing more playing time to Martinez if he doesn't pick things up soon. Martinez was solid for the Guards when Thomas was out and is currently slashing .271/.294/.388 with two homers, 17 RBI, 15 runs and four steals in 129 at-bats. The Dominican will have minimal DFS upside in the nine-hole against a pitcher he's never faced.
The Cleveland Guardians announced on Thursday that they activated outfielder Lane Thomas (wrist) from the 10-day injured list and placed outfielder Will Brennan (forearm) on the 10-day IL in a corresponding move. Thomas is starting in center field and will bat out of the two-hole in his return on Thursday in Detroit against the division-rival Tigers and right-hander Jack Flaherty. The 29-year-old has missed most of the season up to this point due to a bone bruise in his right wrist, but he's back now and should see most of the playing time in center field moving forward, which is bad news for Angel Martinez. He went 8-for-24 with two homers, five RBI, seven runs and a steal in seven minor-league rehab games, but he had gone 7-for-45 (.156) with no homers in his first 13 games for Cleveland before his injury. Thomas has hit .400 with an RBI in 10 career at-bats versus Flaherty.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (wrist) had a good day at the plate in his latest minor-league rehab game on Sunday with Triple-A Columbus, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, stolen base, three runs scored, a walk and a strikeout as the leadoff hitter. In his five rehab games with Columbus, Thomas has gone 5-for-17 with a homer. The 29-year-old should be ready to rejoin the big-league club at some point this week, possibly as early as Monday's series opener in Minnesota against the division-rival Twins. Thomas was serving as the regular center fielder for Cleveland to begin the 2025 season before landing on the injured list with a wrist injury, although he had gotten off to a cold start offensively. He had seven hits in 45 at-bats without a home run while striking out 15 times in 48 plate appearances.
Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (wrist) started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, May 13. He will play in at least a week of rehab games before the team decides whether to activate him. In his first game with Columbus on Tuesday, the 29-year-old went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts while serving as the designated hitter. He is recovering from a right-wrist bone bruise that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch early in the season. Thomas was placed on the 10-day IL back on April 22, but he could return to the Guardians in mid- to late May, barring a setback with his wrist. He might need to pick it up offensively to avoid falling into a platoon in center field with Angel Martinez when he returns, as he hit just .156 (7-for-45) with no homers and two RBI early on before getting hurt.
Lane Thomas, David Fry To Play In Rehab Games This Week
Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said that outfielder Lane Thomas (wrist) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment this week with Triple-A Columbus. Outfielder/catcher David Fry (elbow) is also set to start his rehab assignment and play in games in Arizona this week. Thomas is getting close to a return to the MLB roster after being out since April 22 with a bone bruise on his right wrist. The 29-year-old had gone just 7-for-45 (.156) with no homers and two RBI in the early going before his injury, but he should return as Cleveland's primary option in center field when he's activated. If he continues to struggle, though, Angel Martinez could take playing time away from him. Fry will take much longer to return after having UCL revision surgery on his right elbow in November of last year. The 29-year-old will only serve as a designated hitter for the Guardians when he's eventually cleared to make his 2025 debut.
Lane Thomas
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Guardians
