Lane

Thomas

The Braves wanted to add an outfielder who could start against lefties, and Thomas fits nicely there, as long as they don’t get overexcited and start using him versus righties, too. Thomas has an .800 OPS against lefties and a .660 OPS against righties this year. For his career, he’s at .850 against lefties and .669 versus righties. The Braves didn’t have to part with any top prospects, so it’s a solid pickup. With Thomas in the mix, the Braves might move on from Eli White. Isaac Collins and Josh Rojas should get more time in Kansas City with Thomas out of the mix.

Both Thomas and Falter will return to the NL East, with Falter previously pitching for the Phillies and Thomas spending time with the Nationals. Thomas is a lefty-killer who should see the bulk of his time against southpaws, but he could get some playing time against same-sided hurlers as well. Falter gives Atlanta an arm capable of going multiple innings, but hasn’t had much success in his previous two campaigns due to injuries and ineffectiveness when healthy enough to pitch.

John Rave will draw the start in center field. Thomas has more or less been a full-time player for the Royals since mid-June, posting a .234/.293/.462 line in 157 plate appearances since June 15 with seven homers and four stolen bases. Sitting him against a right-handed starter makes sense as Thomas is hitting just .205/.293/.368 against righties this year.

Thomas’ home run was his 10th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Framber Valdez to lead off the game. Thomas’ home run was his first since July 18th against the Padres. He was 3-for-27 (.111) with 12 strikeouts, two walks, no home runs and two RBI in his last seven games entering play Sunday. Thomas is hitting .230 with a .727 OPS and 37 RBI this year.

Thomas’ home run was his ninth of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Griffin Canning in the first inning. Thomas now has four home runs in 13 games in July and eight of his nine home runs this season have come since June 1. The 30-year-old outfielder is more known for his speed than his power, though he only has four stolen bases this year. Thomas is hitting .243 with a .765 OPS and 34 RBI.

Thomas smacked an RBI single off of Shane Baz in the third inning that briefly tied the game at two runs apiece. That would wind up being the extent of the Royals’ offense though. The 30-year-old outfielder has seen his bat heat up over the past few weeks, but he still heads to the break slashing an underwhelming .234/.335/.390 to go along with seven homers, 31 RBI and four stolen bases across 269 plate appearances.

Thomas pulverized the ball tonight, with his three hits all leaving the bat at 106-108 mph. His last double would have been a homer in 12 ballparks. This gives Thomas five doubles and a homer in his last five games, a span that’s raised his OPS from .653 to .720. Despite his usual struggles against right-handers, the Royals have been mostly forced to treat him as a regular with Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino out, and he hasn’t fared too badly. However, with just four steals in seven tries, his fantasy upside isn’t what it used to be.

Thomas clubbed a solo home run off Gus Varland in the ninth inning for his fourth home run of the season. It hasn’t been a great season for the 30-year-old, but he has been playing more regularly with Vinnie Pasquantino hurt and Jac Caglianone moving to first base. Since June 1st, Thomas has gone 11-for-41 (.268) with three home runs, eight runs scored, and seven RBI. It’s not electric production, but he’ll lead off against lefties and could be an option in deeper formats for the next month or so.

The ironman sat out both games over the weekend with a minor thumb injury and will get a blow on Thursday after catching last night. It appears he’s still being handled cautiously. Carter Jensen is playing catcher and Lane Thomas has taken over in the 5-hole for Perez in a rare start against a right-hander in Rangers starter Kumar Rocker.

Caglianone was dealing with some soreness after running into the wall shoulder first during Friday’s game. “He’s just a little sore,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We don’t think it’s anything structural.” Lane Thomas will likely play right field if Caglianone can’t on Sunday.