Blaze Alexander DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Blaze Alexander (oblique) was diagnosed with a Grade 1 oblique strain and is expected to miss "weeks" not "days." Jack Sommers of Sports Illustrated noted that the young infielder may not be ready in time for Opening Day. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status during camp as he slowly works his way back to the field. Last season the 25-year-old made his MLB debut and held a .247/.321/.343 line with seven doubles and three home runs. He held a 15:49 BB:K ratio. He generated a weak .258 xwOBA with a low .281 xSLG. However, he did draw walks at a modest 8.1 percent rate. While sidelined fantasy managers should expect Geraldo Perdomo to see most of the starts at shortstop with Garrett Hampson operating as the No. 2 option.

MLB.com's Steve Gilbert wonders if the Arizona Diamondbacks would consider turning shortstop Blaze Alexander into a Chris Taylor-type of multi-positional player moving forward. Alexander has appeared at shortstop, second base and third base at the major-league level, but he has yet to play the outfield. The 25-year-old is an above-average athlete that can run, and he also possesses a strong arm, so he shouldn't have a ton of issues learning the outfield. Using Alexander at other positions in the outfield would make him much more valuable and give manager Torey Lovullo a lot more options in game. An 11th-round selection in 2018, Alexander made his big-league debut in 2024 for the Snakes and saw extensive action, appearing in 61 games and slashing .247/.321/.343 with a .664 OPS, three home runs, 21 RBI, three steals and 19 runs scored in 185 plate appearances.

Arizona Diamondbacks middle infielder Blaze Alexander has begun to heat up with another big performance in Tuesday's victory versus the rival San Francisco Giants. Alexander went 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI on Tuesday and now has eight hits over his last 16 at-bats with four runs and three RBI. Overall, the 24-year-old has been putting together a solid rookie campaign, but he will need to keep his hot streak up with shortstops Geraldo Perdomo (knee) and Jordan Lawlar (thumb) both on rehab assignments. Alexander is worth riding with the way his bat is swinging at the moment, but is nothing more than a streamer in redraft leagues, especially with Lawlar and Perdomo eventually returning.