Luis Arraez (leg) likely to rejoin starting lineup

Arraez’ home run was his fifth of the season. He hit a solo shot off Jake Irvin in the second inning. Arraez now has three RBI in his first two games with the Phillies.

Perfect. This is what cleanup Arraez was always supposed to do and always why Arraez was also supposed to bat cleanup. He’s not an OBP guy while hitting singles or doubles every third at-bat. He’s an RBI guy.

The Phillies are facing a lefty opener tonight, but the lineup looks more like it would against a righty, with Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott and Justin Crawford all included. Arraez is more used to hitting first or second than cleanup, but no one is better equipped to single in a guy from second base. The Phillies are keeping Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner at the top for now.

The Phillies will be mixing things all up to accommodate Arraez, with Bryson Stott moving to third, Alec Bohm going to first and Bryce Harper returning to the outfield for the first time since elbow surgery. It’s probably worth it to add Arraez to the lineup, though it would have been cheaper in prospect cost just to add an outfielder and keep the infield as it was. Arraez, a free agent at season’s end, should get a little value boost in Philly, though the ballpark upgrade probably doesn’t make much of a difference here like it would with a more traditional power hitter. The Giants will give Nate Furman and Osleivis Barabe looks at second base for now.

Arraez is continuing to do what he’s always done and hit, slashing .324/.360/.440 on the season for the Giants with four home runs, 52 runs scored, and 10 steals. What’s new this year is that he’s playing tremendous defense at second base. Which begs the question of what’s next for the Phillies? The Phillies have Bryson Stott at second base, Bryce Harper at first base, and Kyle Schwarber at DH, so there don’t seem to be any openings for Arraez. They could opt to move Bryce Harper back to the outfield, or perhaps Stott or third baseman Alec Bohm will be headed somewhere else today.

Arraez left Friday’s game and was held out of action on Saturday due to cramping in his legs, but he’s doing much better now. It’s still possible that he gets pulled early from Sunday’s game if he winds up on the move as trade rumors have been ferociously swirling around him in recent days.

Heyman notes that the Rays have expressed interest as well, which was noted by independent journalist Francys Romero earlier in the week. The 29-year-old continues to shine for the Giants, slashing .328/.364/.446 with four homers, 43 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 459 plate appearances. It’s looking increasingly likely that he’ll be packing his bags and moving to a new destination soon.

Arraez was set to return to the lineup against the Padres after leaving Friday’s game due to the cramp, but the Giants will give the 29-year-old another day off. It’s very likely that Arraez is going to be traded before the deadline, so it’s possible that he’s played his final game with San Francisco.

It would be stunning if Arraez, who will hit free agency in the offseason, wasn’t on the move prior to next week’s trade deadline. All nine Rotoworld staffers surveyed for our annual trade deadline preview column picked Arraez as the most likely player to be dealt. He’s showed some real improvement as a defender at second base in his Giants debut, while also hitting .328 with four homers and 10 steals in 459 plate appearances over 104 games. He was lifted from Friday’s game against the Pirates for precautionary reasons with leg cramps. It would be surprising if he didn’t end up somewhere in the AL East.

We kind of figured it was just because of the score, but Arraez was dealing with a leg issue. He’s expected to be traded prior to Monday’s lineup, but he still could be back in the starting lineup on Saturday.