Bryan De La Cruz DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Atlanta Braves have recalled outfielder Alex Verdugo from Triple-A Gwinnett. In a corresponding move, the Braves have optioned outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to Triple-A. The Braves inked Verdugo to a minor-league contract earlier in the spring, and he will now make his Atlanta debut. During the first nine games of the Triple-A regular season, Verdugo held a .207/.303/.448 slash line with two long balls. Verdugo had a disappointing campaign in the Bronx last season as he held a .233/.291/.356 line with 13 long balls, which was a stark decline from the .264/.323/.431 line he held during the 2023 campaign. De La Cruz tallied just one extra-base hit during the first 16 games of the MLB season and will look to turn the corner at Triple-A. Verdugo should see ample opportunities in the starting nine with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) still sidelined.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and shortstop Orlando Arcia will both start on the bench for Sunday's series finale against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays. Eli White is starting in left field and will bat ninth, while Nick Allen is at shortstop and in the eight-hole against Rays right-handed spot starter Joe Boyle. De La Cruz has seen more playing time with Jurickson Profar suspended, but he hasn't taken advantage of it so far, going 8-for-37 (.216) with no home runs, a run scored and a stolen base. The 28-year-old went 0-for-7 with a steal and five strikeouts in the first two games of the series against the Rays. Arcia is quickly losing the starting gig at shortstop to Allen, as he's been on the bench for three of the last four games. He's gone just 5-for-24 early on with an RBI and a run scored. Neither White nor Allen have faced Boyle in their careers.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Bryan De La Cruz is in Monday night's lineup against the Dodgers, getting his first start of the season. De La Cruz will bat seventh and face Dodgers' starter Tyler Glasnow. The 28-year-old only has two at-bats this season and hasn't received much opportunity so tonight will be a good chance for him to make an impact as the Braves look for a spark to get them their first win of the season. De La Cruz hasn't had much success against Glasnow in his career going 0-3 against him. Fantasy managers shouldn't rush to get him into their starting lineups and DFS managers should do what they can to avoid him until he proves himself.