DJ Stewart DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington mentions Jared Triolo, DJ Stewart and Darick Hall as options that the Pirates will consider at first base now that Spencer Horwitz is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a wrist injury that required surgery. Those three players should see the most reps at first base in spring training with Horwitz sidelined, but Cherington also mentioned the possibility that there could be others that get work at first that aren't as familiar with the position. Cherington also said the team's focus right now is to keep left fielder Bryan Reynolds in the outfield. Triolo won a Gold Glove as a utility player in 2024 and is the most likely option to benefit the most from Horwitz's injury early in the season. However, he hit just .216/.296/.315 with nine homers and eight steals in 125 games in 2024 and probably won't move the needle much fantasy-wise, especially if he's in a platoon at first.

According to Mike Mayer of MetsMerized, outfielder DJ Stewart has signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stewart spent the past two seasons with the New York Mets after beginning his major league career with the Baltimore Orioles. Across 74 games last summer, Stewart held a .177/.325/.297 slash line with five home runs and a 31:48 BB:K ratio. In 26 games with Triple-A Syracuse, Stewart held a strong .280/.434/.451 slash line with three long balls and five stolen bases. Given his career .212/.328/.401 major-league line, fantasy managers should expect him to open the season in the minor leagues. However, Stewart has MLB experience and would likely be given a call if the Pirates need additional depth in the outfield.

With New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte (knee) sidelined, the obvious candidates on the roster to see more action in the outfield are DJ Stewart and Tyrone Taylor. Second baseman Jeff McNeil could see more time in the outfield, too, which would open up the possibility of moving an infielder up from Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets have used Jose Iglesias often against lefties to spell the slumping McNeil at the keystone. Brett Baty, who has played three games for Syracuse at second since his demotion last month, and prospect Luisangel Acuna are infielders on the 40-man roster. The only other outfielder on the 40-man roster is speedster Duke Ellis, but he's only played eight major-league games. Ben Game and Trayce Thompson are other options not on the 40-man roster for the Mets.