Angel Martínez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Angel Martinez is out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers at Progressive Field. Nolan Jones will make the start in center field and will hit eighth against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta. Martinez will take a seat for Cleveland after starting each of their last seven games. The 23-year-old Dominican has been seeing most of the playing time in center for the Guardians with Lane Thomas (wrist) on the injured list. He's gone 8-for-32 (.250) with a homer, double, six RBI, a steal and five runs scored in 10 games so far in May. The counting stats have been lacking, but overall Martinez has been great for those in AL-only leagues with a .303 average (27-for-89). Jones has plenty of power to spare but is hitting just .156 (14-for-90) on the year with two homers. He's gone hitless in two career at-bats against Peralta.

Cleveland Guardians outfielders Nolan Jones and Angel Martinez are both getting a day off on Thursday against the division-rival Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Jhonkensy Noel is starting in right field and batting fifth, while Daniel Schneemann gets the start in center field and is hitting out of the six-hole against Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. Jones is hitting just .171 (12-for-70) on the year with a homer, five RBI and two steals, so it's possible the 26-year-old left-handed hitter could start losing more playing time against right-handed pitching. Martinez is hitting .333 (19-for-57) but hasn't homered and has only five RBI. The Dominican outfielder has seen most of the playing time in center with Lane Thomas (wrist) on the injured list. Noel and Schneemann have faced Woods Richardson a combined seven times and haven't recorded a single hit.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Angel Martinez went 3-for-4 with a triple, steal, and two runs scored in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. His other two hits were singles. The 23-year-old has logged three multi-hit outings this season in his first four appearances, including two three-hit efforts. Martinez is hitting a scorching .571 (8-for-14) with two doubles, one triple, a steal, two runs scored, and three RBI. It's a small sample, but the switch-hitting outfielder has raised his average exit velocity by eight ticks (94.5 MPH) and is registering a hard-hit ball nearly 70% of the time (69.2%). Martinez was good for double-digit homers and steals during his time in the minors but never hit for a high average, so it's unlikely his early-season production sticks. Still, he's worth monitoring for the time being.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Angel Martinez is making the start in center field and will bat seventh in Friday's series opener against the division-rival Kansas City Royals and left-hander Kris Bubic at Progressive Field. Nolan Jones has been starting in center the last few days with Lane Thomas (wrist) out of the lineup, but he'll take a seat on Friday with a southpaw on the mound in favor of Martinez. The 23-year-old switch-hitting Dominican will be making his 2025 debut after slashing .232/.298/.338 with three home runs, seven doubles, 11 RBI, three stolen bases, 15 walks and 33 strikeouts in his first 43 big-league games in Cleveland in 2024. Without much speed or power, Martinez lacks a ton of fantasy upside, but he'll likely remain with the Guardians while Thomas heals up after being hit by a pitch on Tuesday.

The Cleveland Guardians optioned outfield prospect Angel Martinez to Triple-A Columbus on Friday and recalled outfielder Will Brennan from Columbus in a corresponding move. Martinez, the team's No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, had been operating as Cleveland's starting center fielder ever since being called up from Columbus. The 22-year-old Dominican went 26-for-110 (.236) with three home runs, six doubles, nine RBI, two steals, 12 walks and 23 strikeouts in his first 31 games in the Show. Martinez should be back with the Guards when rosters expand in September, but for now he'll head back to Columbus to work on his offense. In the meantime, Tyler Freeman and Lane Thomas figure to see work in center field for Cleveland.