San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has been moved up to the leadoff spot for Friday's series opener against the New York Yankees and right-hander Marcus Stroman in the Bronx after hitting a two-run, walk-off shot against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Not only was Yastrzemski the hero the other day, but he's hitting .344 (11-for-32) with two homers, fix RBI, five runs scored and two stolen bases early on this season. Before moving up to the top spot in the batting order on Friday, Yaz had hit near the bottom half of the lineup this year. If he stays hot, he could stay in the leadoff spot against right-handed pitchers. First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. will move down to sixth for the Giants on Friday. Yastrzemski now becomes a much more attractive DFS play despite the fact he's hit just .214 with one RBI in 14 career at-bats against Stroman.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski hit a solo home run to walk things off in the tenth inning of an 8-6 win over the Reds. This was a continuation of an already hot start to the season, as he's now slashing .344/.462/.594 with two home runs, six RBI, five runs, and two stolen bases. He is the strong side of a platoon in right field and gets few at-bats against lefties, which likely won't change anytime soon. Still, he is productive enough when he plays to be relevant in deep fantasy formats, such as NL-only.
Mike Yastrzemski Hits A Three-Run Home Run On Sunday
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski went 1-for-3 with a walk and a three-run home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Mariners. It was the left-handed hitter's first home run of the year, and he's now hitting .333 (8-for-24) with a .484 OBP thanks in large part to seven walks in 31 of his plate appearances. Despite not breaking into the big leagues until he was 28, the 34-year-old has been a productive major leaguer, hitting no less than 15 home runs in each of his five full seasons (even collecting 10 in the shortened 2020 season). As a career .240 hitter, don't expect the .333 average to stick, but the veteran can be a useful source of power, RBI, and runs in deeper and NL-only leagues so long as he's hitting sixth like he was on Sunday.
Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr. Sitting On Saturday
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. are not in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon as the Giants will face left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo. Instead, Luis Matos will enter the outfield and bat sixth, and Wilmer Flores will shift to first base. This opens up the designated hitter spot for Casey Schmitt. Yastrzemski did not see many opportunities against southpaws last season, either. Across 140 total games, Yastrzemski posted a .231/.302/.437 slash line with 16 doubles and 18 round-trippers. Wade also saw limited opportunities against southpaws last season but was productive in his limited stint, as he slashed a .324/.429/.412 line across 43 plate appearances. Both Flores and Matos are worth a look in DFS while facing Lodolo, who held a 4.76 ERA in 2024.
Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $9.25 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, according to a source. Yastrzemski will return to the Bay Area in 2025 for his seventh year with the franchise after slashing .231/.302/.437 with a .739 OPS, 18 home runs, 16 doubles, 57 RBI, three stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 140 games over 474 plate appearances. The 34-year-old veteran left-handed-hitting outfielder isn't going to provide fantasy managers with a high average and has a capped ceiling on the strong side of a platoon role in San Fran's outfield, as long as he keeps that role heading into 2025. The vast majority of Yaz's production in 2024 came against righties once again, as he hit .232 (80-for-345) with all 18 of his home runs. He had just 83 at-bats against lefties.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski will take a seat on Saturday afternoon as the Giants continue a series with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 34-year-old has been showcasing his power as of late with three long balls in his past 11 games. As a result, Heliot Ramos will cover right field and bat second. Yastrzemski has seen his power production slightly increase this summer with a high of 18 home runs, a feat he has not accomplished since the 2021 season. Ramos has carried a stellar .323 AVG over the past week and is worth a look in DFS as he will face St. Louis right-hander Andre Pallante who enters Sunday with a 3.71 ERA.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It looks like the Giants will play matchups here and give Yastrzemski a day off against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. In his place, Heliot Ramos will cover right field and bat leadoff on Monday. Ramos is crushing left-handed pitching with a .369 batting average with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 54 games against left-handers this season. Ramos is looking like a strong fantasy option for Monday's slate.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is not in the starting lineup on Thursday for the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. With Yastrzemski getting a day off, Jerar Encarnacion will make the start in right field for the Gigantes and bat seventh against Brewers right-hander Aaron Civale. The left-handed-hitting Yastrzemski has struggled at the plate of late, going 7-for-34 (.206) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI and seven strikeouts in his last 10 games since Aug. 17. His OPS is down to .731 on the year while providing a very modest 11 home runs and 42 RBI in 114 games for San Fran. Encarnacion will be a deep DFS sleeper for Thursday's slate. He's played in only 16 games for the Giants this year and has gone 12-for-51 (.235) with two home runs and eight RBI in 54 trips to the plate.
LaMonte Wade Jr., Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski Out
San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. and outfielders Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski are all out of Wednesday's series finale against the Chicago White Sox at Oracle Park against All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet. Mark Canha is starting at first base and batting second, rookie Grant McCray is in center field and hitting ninth, and Jerar Encarnacion is in right field and in the five-hold. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised at all that any of these three left-handed hitters are sitting out with a southpaw on the mound. Wade has only had 34 plate appearances against lefties in 2024. Crochet has been one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball this year, so none of Canha, McCray or Encarnacion should be particularly attractive DFS sleepers on Wednesday. Canha makes the most sense given his lineup spot and his .272 average (25-for-92) against lefties in 2024.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (elbow) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Yastrzemski was removed from Thursday's contest after getting hit by a pitch in the elbow. It originally sounded like Yastrzemski was going to sit out of Friday's game but he's now a late addition to the lineup. The 33-year-old will bat seventh and cover right field versus right-hander Tanner Bibee on Friday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups ahead of first pitch.
Mike Yastrzemski
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Giants
