José Caballero DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jose Caballero and outfielder Jonny DeLuca are both out of the starting lineup on Saturday at Tropicana Field against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. Taylor Walls will make the start at the 6 for Tampa and will hit ninth, while Jose Siri starts in center field and bats seventh against Blue Jays rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez. Caballero does lead the league with 44 stolen bases (and also 14 times caught stealing), but he has only nine home runs and 44 RBI on the year in 133 games in his first year in Tampa and has struggled at the plate of late. The 28-year-old Panama native has gone 11-for-49 (.225) in 18 games in September with no homers, two doubles, three RBI, seven steals and 17 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. Walls and Siri have four combined at-bats against Rodriguez this year and have gone hitless.

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Jose Caballero is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting division-rival New York Yankees. With Caballero retreating to the bench for a day off, Richie Palacios will draw into the lineup at second base and will hit sixth against Yankees right-hander Marcus Stroman. The speedy Caballero has been as advertised on the base paths in his first year in Tampa and just his second big-league campaign, as he currently leads the league with 24 stolen bases. Offensively, though, he leaves a lot to be desired, batting .238/.301/.365 with a .666 OPS, six home runs, 24 RBI and 38 runs scored in 76 games played as a regular. Since June 13, he's gone 9-for-52 (.173) with two homers, two doubles, four RBI, 12 strikeouts and only two steals in 17 games. Caballero could use the day off.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Jose Caballero is taking the day off on Friday for the start of a series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. With Caballero starting on the bench, Amed Rosario will start at shortstop and hit seventh against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. This will only be Caballero's fifth game on the bench to start a game for Tampa this year, as he's been the team's primary shortstop in 2024 in the wake of Wander Franco's off-the-field issues. The 27-year-old from Panama doesn't have much power and is hitting just .252/.309/.360 in 139 at-bats, but he's useful in fantasy leagues for his speed (17 steals in his first 40 games with the Rays). Rosario isn't in an ideal lineup spot for those in DFS, but he is sporting a .300 average (42-for-140) on the year with two homers, 18 RBI, five stolen bases and 12 runs scored.