Leody Taveras DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Athletics. Taveras has been off to a slow start this season as he's slashing .197/.210/.246 with six RBI heading into Wednesday's game. That being said, the Rangers have decided to give Taveras the night off against left-hander JP Sears. During his career, Taveras has struggled against left-handed pitching, so this seems like a good time to give him a rest game. In his absence, Kevin Pillar will take over in center field and bat leadoff against Sears. Pillar is hitting over .300 in his 23 plate appearances with the Rangers this season. He could offer some deep league appeal in the leadoff spot on Wednesday.

Texas Rangers outfielders Evan Carter and Leody Taveras could start the year in a platoon in center field, according to MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. Neither player has hit lefties well, but Carter has really struggled, hitting .081/.150/.081 with three total hits against lefties in the big leagues since debuting late in the 2023 season. He has five strikeouts in seven at-bats against southpaws in spring training. The 22-year-old just hasn't had much exposure to high-leverage lefties in the big leagues in only 68 regular-season games played. He also played just 45 games in 2024 due to a back injury that the team is still managing. Carter expects to improve against lefties in time, but the Rangers might just continue avoid having him face them. Between recurring back issues and the fact that he won't play regularly, Carter's fantasy upside is limited in 2025.

Outfielder Leody Taveras and the Texas Rangers avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by settling on a one-year, $4.75 million deal. Taveras had a pretty disappointing 2024 campaign in his fifth year with the Rangers, slashing .229/.289/.352 with a below-average .641 OPS, 12 home runs, 44 RBI and 59 runs scored in a career-high 151 games, but he did manage a career-best 23 stolen bases. The 26-year-old switch-hitting Dominican outfielder also reached double-digit home runs for the second straight season, but Taveras could face more competition for everyday playing time and is in danger of becoming Texas' fourth outfielder unless he improves more offensively in 2025. Helping his cause is that he's solid defensively and can run. The health of Evan Carter could have a big impact on how much playing time Taveras sees next season.