Christian Arroyo and Omar Narvaez Fantasy Baseball Updates - Ben Rosener’s MLB Beat

June 7, 2023

Ben Rosener looks at the fantasy baseball impact of Boston Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo and New York Mets catcher Omar Narvaez both being activated from the injured list.

Major League Baseball’s regular season is here, and with it comes the daily influx of baseball news that fantasy managers missed in the winter months. Lineup news, actual games happening, constant waiver wire moves, pitching assignments, and bullpen usage.

This column aims to cover any and all fantasy baseball news, big or small, and how it pertains to your fantasy team. Spring training or the regular season, it's covered here.

Has a player who's usually been hitting in the middle of a lineup suddenly batting eighth or ninth for an extended period? The fantasy implications will be covered here. The same goes for injuries and injured placements and whether or not you should consider picking up a player who was recently called up. Basically, any kernel of fantasy news and its relevance to fantasy managers could be covered here. Today, the news of the day is the fantasy impact of Boston Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo and New York Mets catcher Omar Narvaez each being activated from the injured list.

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Fantasy Baseball Impact Of Christian Arroyo Being Activated From The 10-Day Injured List

Boston Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo is officially back from the injured list. The 28-year-old was activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday morning, per a tweet from the American League East club’s official Twitter account:

Per the same tweet, veteran outfielder Raimel Tapia was designated for assignment by the team in order to clear a roster spot for Arroyo on the active roster.

So far this season, the infielder is batting .263 with a .300 on-base percentage, a home run, and a stolen base for the Red Sox. He’s seen the majority of his playing time at second base this season, with 24 appearances there compared to three at shortstop and one at third base.

Emmanuel Valdez is the only other Boston player who has logged more than 60 innings at second base this season. So far, Valdez is batting .244 with a .292 on-base percentage in 97 plate appearances for the Red Sox. He's also added some fantasy value with some over-the-fence power and speed on the base paths, with four home runs and three stolen bases in those 97 plate appearances.

Since Arroyo was activated from the injured list on Monday, the duo has started a game each at second.

Arroyo returned to face Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan on Monday, while Valdez got the nod against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber on Tuesday.

Both Arroyo and Valdez are only deeper league fantasy options at this point in time for managers in leagues with 14 or more teams. And while both have considerable experience playing all over the diamond in their careers, a potential timeshare at second base would make this a fantasy situation to stay away from in almost all leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Impact Of Omar Narvaez Being Reinstated From The Injured List

The New York Mets reinstated veteran catcher Omar Narvaez from the injured list on Monday, per a tweet from the team’s official Twitter account:

Narvaez only appeared in five games for the Mets earlier this season, batting .286 with a .353 on-base percentage, two RBI, and a run scored in 17 plate appearances. He's in his first season with the club after joining as a free agent during the offseason.

The 31-year-old catcher previously hit .206 with a .292 on-base percentage and four home runs in 296 plate appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers during the 2022 campaign. The veteran now joins rookie Francisco Alvarez as one of the primary options behind the plate for the National League East club. Michael Perez is in the minors and Tomas Nido is being designated for assignment to make room for Narvaez on the active roster, per the tweet from the Mets.

The biggest question moving forward here, at least from a fantasy standpoint, is what the playing time distribution will look like between the two. Is Alvarez the primary catcher with Narvaez acting as a backup? Is this a timeshare? Something resembling a platoon?

And while it remains to be seen who will draw the majority of the catching starts moving forward, it is worth noting that Narvaez has been decidedly more productive against right-handed pitching in his career. He’s also been utilized much more often against right-handed pitchers.

• Omar Narvaez against right-handed pitching in his career: 1,553 plate appearances, 106 wRC+, .137 ISO, .268 batting average, .345 on-base percentage, .750 OPS
• Omar Narvaez against left-handed pitching in his career: 304 plate appearances, 79 wRC+, .076 ISO, .207 batting average, .332 on-base percentage, .615 OPS

That’s not to say that the National League East club is necessarily going to use Alvarez exclusively against left-handed pitchers, or that Narvaez will unseat Alvarez as the starter behind the plate at all. However, there is timeshare potential here that could significantly hamper Alvarez’s rest-of-season upside in most formats if this becomes a situation where he splits time evenly behind the plate with Narvaez.

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