Gabriel

Arias

Arias makes a ton of sense for Chicago as a short-term stopgap solution to help fill their infield while Dansby Swanson (oblique) is on the injured list for the next couple weeks. The 26-year-old provides the Cubs with an experienced and versatile infield option behind Nico Hoerner and Pedro Ramírez. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats, but still represents a quality depth addition at this stage of his career.

Why did they even claim him in the first place? Arias got one start and made one appearance off the bench during his 10 days with the Mets, going 0-for-5. He’ll stay in the organization if he clears waivers, but it’s just not going to make sense for the Mets to give him another chance in September when they have the similar-but-more-talented Ronny Mauricio ready to take those at-bats. Arias offers ample pop for a middle infielder, but poor plate discipline has held him back in a big way.

It seems likely that he’ll eventually be on the 26-man roster. Arias had a 0.5 WAR in 134 plate appearances for the Guardians, but is the rare right-handed hitter who struggled mightily against left-handed pitching, hitting .171/.224/.295 against southpaws in his career as compared to .243/.301/.392 against right-handers.

This is a bit of a shocker. Arias is 26 years old and has slashed .219/.275/.359 in 1,168 MLB plate appearances, so he has had plenty of opportunities. However, he also has a career 10 percent barrel rate and 43 percent hard-hit rate with a 75 mph bat speed and 90.3 mph average exit velocity. He has also been an average to above-average defender at second base, third base, and shortstop. There has been far too much swing and miss in his game, but it would not surprise us if somebody claims him on waivers and tries to see if they can help him remedy that.

It’s strange to see DeLauter taking a seat against a right-handed starter, especially since he’s hitting .344 (11-for-32) with four RBI and two steals in eight games since the All-Star break. With Angel Martínez back in right field, it’ll be rookie Travis Bazzana at DH with Gabriel Arias handling second base on Saturday evening.

Arias had the two hardest-hit balls of the game with a 108 mph single in the fourth inning and a 111.1 mph single in the sixth. It’s been a good month for Arias, who is now 12-for-40 (.300) with two home runs, seven runs scored, four RBI, and three steals in 14 games. The problem is that it also comes with a 19/3 K/BB ratio. Arias has loud raw tools, but the plate approach will always make him risky in fantasy leagues.

Arias had a solid day at the plate, starting with a base hit and a stolen base in the second inning. He then singled, stole a base, and scored a run in the fourth before collecting his third hit to lead off the sixth. The 26-year-old infielder is hitting .239/.280/.432 with five homers and three steals across 93 plate appearances.

Arias has now sat in two straight games after starting four of the previous five. The 26-year-old has gone just 4-for-22 since being activated off the 60-day IL with a 13/0 K/BB rate in five games. Daniel Schneemann will start at third base and bat seventh.

The 26-year-old infielder had been shelved since early April due to a left hamstring strain. He figures to share time at third base with Daniel Schneemann for the next month while José Ramírez (wrist) is sidelined. Before landing on the injured list, Arias was hitting .200/.250/.433 with a pair of homers and four RBI in his first 32 plate appearances.

The 33-year-old superstar suffered the unfortunate injury on a swing during Saturday’s game. He’s expected to miss at least a month’s worth of action and as we have often seen with hamate bone injuries, his power may be impacted upon his return. Gabriel Arias was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move and figures to share time with Daniel Schneemann at third base to cover for the loss of Ramírez.