Jhonkensy Noel DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Jhonkensy Noel will retreat to the bench for Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the hosting Washington Nationals. The left-handed-hitting Nolan Jones will start in right field and bat eighth against Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin. This will be Noel's second straight game on the bench after he's gone 4-for-31 with two home runs, four RBI, no walks and 13 strikeouts in his last 12 games since April 20. The 23-year-old Dominican has hit just .164 (11-for-67) on the year with two homers and eight RBI. Jones hasn't been any better from the left side as an option in right field, going 12-for-77 (.156) with one long ball, five RBI, five runs and two stolen bases. Neither player has stood out and gained extra playing time for the Guards as of early May. Jones won't be a very attractive DFS play due to his slump and his low lineup placement.

According to Mandy Bell of MLB.com, the Cleveland Guardians will likely have a rotating door in right field to start the 2025 season. Bell noted that Jhonkensy Noel and Will Brennan would likely operate in a platoon role to begin the season as they did throughout most of the second half of the 2024 season. Across 64 games, Noel posted a .218/.288/.486 slash line with 13 home runs. Under the hood, Noel flashed upside power as he generated a 14.5 percent barrel rate. However, he held a hefty 31.8 percent strikeout rate. Brennan held a .264/.309/.388 slash line across 114 games with just eight home runs and four stolen bases. Unlike Noel, Brennan showed a strong eye at the plate with a 13.6 percent strikeout rate but struggled to generate much power as he posted a 4.6 percent barrel rate. Fantasy managers should only target Noel and Brennan in deeper formats, as their upside will be limited due to sharing playing time.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman/outfielder Jhonkensy Noel came up with one of the signature moments of the postseason on Friday, blasting a two-out, two-run homer off New York Yankees closer Luke Weaver in the bottom of the ninth to tie Game 3 of the ALCS. Noel was down to his final strike before he got a hold of a pitch and sent Progressive Field into a frenzy. The 23-year-old may very well have saved the Guardians season, as they would have gone down 3-0 in the series if it wasn't for his heroics. He may not be in the lineup every day for Cleveland, but when he is at the dish there is always the possibility of a long ball.