LaMonte Wade Jr. DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that the team is toying with the idea of using outfielder Jung Hoo Lee in the third spot in the batting order in 2025 as he returns from a season-ending shoulder injury. First baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. is also healthy, and the Giants like his on-base skills at the top of the order in the leadoff spot. So as things stand at the beginning of spring training, it looks like Wade will lead off, followed by new shortstop Willy Adames, Lee, third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Heliot Ramos in the top half of the order. Lee played in only 37 games in his first year with San Fran in 2023, and while he made plenty of contact, his superior on-base skills from Japan didn't transfer over. A move down the order slightly would mean fewer runs scored but also give him more chances to drive in runs. Lee hit the ball hard in his small sample size last year, so more power could be coming in 2025.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and infielder Brett Wisely are both sitting on Monday against the hosting Washington Nationals with left-hander Patrick Corbin on the mound. Mark Canha will play first base and hit second, while Casey Schmitt will start at the keystone and bat in the five-hole against Corbin. Wade is actually hitting .450 against lefties this year, but he's only had 27 plate appearances against them. The 30-year-old lefty has hit a strong .294 (60-for-204) but with limited counting stats (four homers, 20 RBI) for fantasy managers. Out of the two-hole, Canha makes for an intriguing DFS sleeper on Monday against Corbin, who he is hitting .462 against with a 1.115 OPS, a homer and two RBI against in 26 career at-bats. Schmitt has faced Corbin three times and has a solo home run.

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. is getting a breather in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. With Wade starting on the bench, veteran Wilmer Flores will get the start at first base and will bat seventh for the Giants against Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. Flores has hit .429 with a .929 OPS in seven career at-bats versus Gausman, although he'll still be a pretty bland DFS sleeper option near the bottom of the order in a tough matchup. The 32-year-old Venezuelan is hitting just .207 (42-for-203) this year with four homers and 25 RBI in a part-time role. Since returning from the injured list on June 28, Wade has hit .241 (7-for-29) with a homer, two doubles and an RBI. He's hitting over .300 on the season, but his counting stats are lacking for fantasy managers.UPDATE: Manager Bob Melvin said Wade has a little hamstring tightness, but the feeling is that next week's All-Star break will help Wade get to 100%.