Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings: ROS Outfield Reinforcements

The biggest news from the past week was the loss of Ronald Acuna to another ACL tear. The Braves star and consensus preseason number-one pick in fantasy baseball will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. It is a brutal blow in a season that has already seen plenty of major injuries impact our beloved game. However, not all hope is lost. Several prominent outfielders returned to action this week, with another on the verge of doing so. Here are my thoughts on these players and what you can expect from them going forward. See where I have them slotted in my latest rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings.

Outfielders Returning to Action

Luis Robert Jr.

We will start with a player who has not quite made it back to the Big Leagues yet, though it is seemingly just a matter of time. All indications point to Tuesday for the return of Luis Robert to the Chicago White Sox. Robert has been out since April 5 with a hip injury. Robert was a third-round pick in March in 12-team leagues on the strength of a 38-homer, 20-steal season last year. I would not expect him to run nearly as much as he did last season. And I want to see him get a few games back under his belt before proclaiming him a top-50 player. But he will be a must-start in all formats and should provide a much-needed boost to a White Sox offense that sorely needs it. Chicago has scored 47 fewer runs than any other MLB team so far this season.

Lane Thomas

I was very high on Lane Thomas coming into this season. He got off to a horrific start, especially when placed against the backdrop of his breakout 2023 campaign. Thomas hit just .184 in 23 games before missing over a month due to an MCL sprain in his knee. The injury was a double whammy because Thomas’ 11 stolen bases were the only saving grace before his injury. Could he maintain that type of pace upon his return? Early returns upon his return have been positive. Thomas has stolen four bases in six games since coming back from the Injured List. Perhaps even more promising is his .370 on-base percentage in that span. He will never reach base at that clip for a full season. But he proved last season that he does not have to to be a top-30 fantasy outfielder.

Steven Kwan

Steven Kwan was one of the early stars of the season before missing three weeks due to a hamstring injury. Kwan was hitting .353 with 28 runs scored in 32 games before suffering the injury. He had even shown some pop, hitting three home runs. Kwan had hit just 11 homers in 305 career games coming into the season. He returned to the Guardians lineup on Friday and did not appear to miss a beat. Kwan collected three this and drew a walk in a 7-1 Cleveland victory. If Kwan can truly pick up where he left off, he could be a speedy version of Luis Arraez. I still have Arraez higher in my ROS rankings for now because I want to see Kwan play a few games before making any declarations. But Kwan could be poised to move his way up the rankings in the coming weeks.

TJ Friedl

TJ Friedl was a popular sleeper in fantasy circles before missing the first six weeks of the season with a fractured wrist. He returned to the lineup in early May, but that was short-lived. Friedl suffered a fractured thumb after being hit by a pitch on May 12. Cincinnati activated Friedl on Wednesday and immediately inserted him as their leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers. Friedl will not lead off against left-handed pitchers, but hitting in front of the likes of Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer most nights should lead to solid fantasy production for the 28-year-old. This is another instance where I want to exercise caution for now concerning this week’s rankings, especially with Friedl already experiencing multiple injuries to his hands this season. However, even if his power does not return, he should score lots of runs and steal plenty of bases going forward.

Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings