Austin Slater's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Slater will be batting leadoff for the Orioles on Saturday as they face the Cleveland Guardians and scheduled starter Joey Cantillo. Slater was acquired by the Orioles from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline and has made one plate appearance for the Orioles, a pinch hit single in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Guardians. Slater was generally used in a platoon role against southpaws when he was with the Giants and batted near the bottom of the order in his short time with the Cincinnati Reds. It's too early to tell if Slater hitting leadoff will be a regular thing for Baltimore, or if he'll be relegated to a platoon role like he had with the Giants, but fantasy managers looking for the 31-year-old to show his .543 OPS is a fluke will hope he gets plenty of opportunities in the leadoff spot to crank that number up.

Newly acquired outfielder Austin Slater will bat sixth in the Reds lineup on Thursday in their home matchup versus the Rockies. Slater came over from the Giants in a trade on Monday and debuted with the team on Wednesday, going 1-for-3 while batting out of the six-hole in that contest as well. Hopefully a change of scenery will benefit Slater, as he comes into Thursday batting .204 but is a career .254 hitter. His .286 BABIP compared to a career BABIP of .342 suggests he's been very unlucky at the plate this season, but he continues to get on base thanks to a keen eye, recording an above-average walk rate of 13.9% so far in 2024.

The Cincinnati Reds acquired outfielder Austin Slater and cash considerations from the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in exchange for left-hander Alex Young. Slater, a former eighth-round pick of the Giants out of Stanford in 2014, hit just .200 (18-for-90) with a home run, nine RBI, two steals and 12 runs scored in limited playing time in San Francisco this year. The 31-year-old veteran right-handed-hitting outfielder has a career .254/.344/.391 slash line with a .736 OPS, 39 home runs, 162 RBI and 47 stolen bases in 593 career games with the Giants. In Cincinnati, he'll likely fill in on the short side of a platoon in a corner-outfield spot against left-handed pitching. The Reds could use the outfield depth with Will Benson struggling and with both TJ Friedl (hamstring) and Nick Martini (thumb) currently on the injured list. Stuart Fairchild (back) is also banged up, and Jake Fraley is currently away from the team for personal reasons.