Ryan Mountcastle DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (hamstring) left the team's game against the Chicago White Sox on Friday with right hamstring discomfort. The Orioles replaced Mountcastle in the eighth inning with Cooper Hummel, who took over in right field as Ryan O'Hearn shifted to first base. Before exiting, Mountcastle went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. More notably, he pulled off the rare feat of stealing home in the sixth inning. It was his first stolen base of the season. The 28-year-old has hit an ice-cold .246/.280/.348 with two home runs in 200 plate appearances this season, but he has looked better of late with three straight multi-hit games. The Orioles should have more on his status after the game.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle is not in Saturday's lineup when the Orioles continue a series against the Washington Nationals. Mountcastle has started in each of the past 18 games. Fantasy managers should expect the 28-year-old to return to the starting nine on Sunday. Over his last 18 contests, Mountcastle has posted a .239/.263/.366 slash line with six doubles, one home run, and nine RBI. During this stretch, he has held an 18:3 K:BB. Under the hood, Mountcastle has generated an above-average .264 xBA and a .456 xSLG, which suggest he should continue to see positive regression later this season. He has also generated an elite 50.9% hard-hit rate. This afternoon, Ryan O'Hearn will shift to first base and will bat in the two-hole.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle will take a seat in game one of their doubleheader on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers with Casey Mize on the mound. Both Orioles hitters have been struggling lately; however, the decision by manager Brandon Hyde not to start them in Game 1 is due to the nature of the doubleheader, so fantasy managers should not look too much into it. In the meantime, Gary Sanchez will start behind the plate and bat eighth in place of Rutschman. Ryan O'Hearn will start at first base because of Mountcastle, moving Jordan Westburg into the designated hitter spot while Ramon Urias starts at third base.