Josh Rojas and Alek Thomas Fantasy Baseball Updates - Ben Rosener’s MLB Beat

June 21, 2023

Ben Rosener looks at the fantasy baseball impact of the Arizona Diamondbacks optioning infielder Josh Rojas to Triple-A Reno and recalling outfielder Alek Thomas to take his place on the team’s active roster.

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 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 the Arizona Diamondbacks optioning infielder Josh Rojas to Triple-A Reno and recalling outfielder Alek Thomas to take his place on the team’s active roster.

Fantasy Baseball Impact Of Josh Rojas Being Optioned To Triple-A By The Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned infielder Josh Rojas to Triple-A on Monday afternoon, according to a tweet from the team’s official Twitter account.

A lineup staple in Arizona dating back to the 2021 season, Rojas has logged at least 500 plate appearances in each of the last two seasons.

Last year, the 28-year-old hit .269 with a .349 on-base percentage, nine home runs, and 23 stolen bases in 510 plate appearances while seeing time at both second base and third base.

This season, however, the veteran’s power production has largely gone missing. He’s yet to hit a home run in 210 plate appearances in the majors and his .071 ISO would be a career-low if the season finished today.

Overall, Rojas is batting .235 with a .301 on-base percentage, six stolen bases, 23 runs scored, and 26 RBI in 210 plate appearances.

He’ll head to Triple-A. While his versatility is certainly a bonus for fantasy managers and his past success makes him a decent stash option if your league has separate roster spots for minor league players available, he’s probably someone who can be dropped, even in deeper leagues.

Moving forward, this should only help Emmanuel Rivera’s case in terms of continuing to play regularly. The 27-year-old is off to a strong start so far this season, batting .313 with a .341 on-base percentage and a home run in 135 plate appearances in his first full season with the Diamondbacks. And while Rivera is sporting a .364 BABIP so far, he also owns a 51.9% hard-hit rate and a .296 xBA this season.

Entering play Tuesday, Rivera had made 23 appearances at third base, nine at designated hitter, and six at first base. With Rojas in the minors now, he should see even more reps at third base.

Fantasy Baseball Impact Of Alek Thomas Being Recalled From Triple-A By The Arizona Diamondbacks

As part of the move to option Rojas to Triple-A Reno, per the club's tweet on Monday afternoon, the Diamondbacks also recalled outfielder Alek Thomas from the team's top minor league affiliate.

Thomas, like Rojas, saw extensive playing time last season. During the 2022 campaign, the 23-year-old appeared in 113 games for the National League West franchise, batting .231 with a .275 on-base percentage, eight home runs, and four stolen bases.

He saw regular playing time for Arizona earlier this season as well but hit just .205 with a .260 on-base percentage, two home runs, and three stolen bases in 123 plate appearances.

However, with Kyle Lewis and Dominic Fletcher in the minors, Thomas could get a chance to play at least somewhat regularly alongside the likes of Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the outfield grass at Chase Field.

Thomas hit a home run in his first game back from the minors. He could be a quality fantasy option if he can make good on the power and speed potential that’s made him such an intriguing fantasy prospect.

Per FanGraphs, Thomas’ current and future game power and speed grades are as follows:

• Game power: 40/55
• Speed: 60/60

Overall, the 23-year-old hit .348 with a .409 on-base percentage, three home runs, and a pair of stolen bases in 128 plate appearances during his time at Triple-A this season. If he can even replicate a bit of that production in Arizona, it should do wonders for his fantasy upside.

As of the beginning of the day on Tuesday, the Diamondbacks had scored the fifth-most runs in the league while sitting in a tie for eighth in terms of collective wRC+. The team's lineup has been particularly productive as of late. Looking specifically just at the month of June, only two teams -- San Francisco and Atlanta -- had scored more runs this month.

In short, it's a decidedly very fantasy-friendly situation in Arizona, something that should only help improve Thomas' fantasy ceiling moving forward.

More Fantasy Baseball Advice