Brayan

Rocchio

Rocchio only had one official at-bat, but that one at-bat saw him hit a two-run homer that extended Cleveland’s lead to 4-1. Earlier in the game he drove in a run with a sac fly, and another RBI came on a bases-loaded walk. Rocchio has seven homers on the year, 31 RBI and a .211/.298/.319 slash.

That’s his third straight start at his third different position, playing the last two games at third base and center field. Schneeman has gone 3-for-7 in those two games, so the Guardians will go back to him as they try to jump-start their offense. Brayan Rocchio will head to the bench for the day.

It was a rare big fly for Rocchio, who has just six home runs on the season and a .210/.298/.320 slash line. The nine steals on the year are also nice, and he does play regularly for the Guardians, but he doesn’t bring enough to the table to be added in most fantasy formats.

Breanna has started three straight games since being recalled, going 5-for-12 with one run scored and one RBI. However, with the Cubs throwing left-hander Shota Imanaga, the Guardians will go with their platoon lineup, which means Jhonkensy Noel will play right field, Tyler Freeman will play shortstop and both Brennan and Brayan Rocchio will head to the bench.

Rocchio has lost his everyday gig at shortstop, as manager Stephen Vogt is now mixing and matching he and Daniel Schneeman. There’s still time for that to change, however, particularly if Rocchio can get hot at the plate. He has four homers in his last 111 plate appearances after going without one in 189 plate appearances to start the year. Unfortunately, he’s hit just .192 in the midst of this “power surge.”

The homer came in his 276th career plate appearance. He has 192 so far this year, and he’s driven in a total of 11 runs. On the plus side, his defensive numbers have improved in recent weeks, and thanks to a fine 12% walk ate, his .314 OBP isn’t dreadful. Still, it’s hard to see where the fantasy upside might come from here.

The Guardians just needed one in the 10th, and they got it after a sac bunt to advance the runner to third. The single accounted for Rocchio’s fifth RBI in 120 plate appearances this season. He’s batting .223/.319/.301 with middling defense, so there’s still the possibility that the Guardians will make a change at shortstop at some point.

Statcast thinks Rocchio has been kind of unlucky in hitting .200/.278/.300 to date, but he’s impressed neither defensively nor offensively. If other outfielders stepped up, it might be worth it for the Guardians to play Tyler Freeman at short and send Rocchio down. Calling up Johnathan Rodriguez might help there.

Both of the hits were doubles. Considered one of the better prospects in baseball the last couple of seasons, Rocchio struggled in his limited action with the Guardians in 2023, but this is a nice reminder of the talent the 23-year-old possesses. Expect some ups-and-downs early for the infielder, but there is fantasy upside for 2024 and beyond.

There are plenty of fresh faces in Cleveland’s lineup to open the season as they open up the season against Athletics left-hander Alex Wood out in Oakland. Here’s the full lineup: Steven Kwan LF, Ramírez 3B, Ramón Laureano RF, Josh Naylor 1B, David Fry DH, Tyler Freeman CF, Andrés Giménez 2B, Austin Hedges C and Brayan Rocchio SS.