Josh Naylor's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (back) returns to the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is good news after Naylor was forced to exit early during Tuesday's game due to back spasms. As a result, Naylor sat out on Wednesday and the team had an off day on Thursday. Naylor will bat cleanup and cover first base versus right-hander Landon Knack on Friday. Naylor has been on fire at the plate with nine hits and six RBI in his last five games. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Naylor back in their lineups ahead of first pitch.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (back) remains out of the starting lineup on Wednesday evening as the Guardians look to close out a three-game sweep on the division-rival Kansas City Royals. The slugging first baseman was removed from Tuesday's game due to a back spasm and will need at least another day to rest. The Guardians will likely take caution with the 27-year-old as they have their sights on competing in October. As a result, rookie Kyle Manzardo will get the starting nod on Wednesday and bat in the six-hole. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the Cleveland lineup, as Naylor could return as early as Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manzardo could be a sneaky play in DFS against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo, as the young infielder has tallied five hits across his past three games.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (back) left Tuesday's contest early against the division-rival Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning due to an acute back spasm, according to the team. Before leaving, Naylor went 1-for-4 in the contest and was replaced by rookie Jhonkensy Noel. For now, fantasy managers should treat it as a day-to-day situation and shouldn't expect the power-hitting lefty to be back in the lineup for the series finale on Wednesday. The good news is Cleveland has an off day scheduled for Thursday, so perhaps Naylor will be ready to play again for Friday's series opener in LA against the Dodgers. Losing Naylor, who already has a career-highs in homers (29) and RBI (100) on the year, for any stretch of time would be bad news for the Guardians as they vie for the AL Central title. Noel will likely take over for Naylor at first if he misses any more time.