Michael Siani DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

St. Louis Cardinals outfielders Alec Burleson and Michael Siani are both out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies and left-hander Kyle Freeland. Ivan Herrera is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup, while Victor Scott II is in center field and in the nine-hole against Freeland. Burleson will head to the bench again for the second straight day with a lefty on the mound. The 25-year-old hasn't started against a southpaw since Aug. 6 and came into the day hitting .196 (26-for-133) against them with only three of his 21 homers on the season. Herrera will be a popular DFS sleeper on Thursday at Coors Field against a lefty. The 24-year-old Panamanian catcher is batting .297 on the year with one of his four long balls coming against a southpaw. Siani takes a seat after starting in each of the first two games in Colorado.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani (oblique), who has been out since Aug. 4 with an oblique strain, is starting in center field and is batting ninth on Monday against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Freddy Peralta at American Family Field. Siani was reinstated from the 10-day injured list on Sunday but wasn't available for the team's series finale in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. The 25-year-old is expected to see the bulk of the action in center field for the rest of the season in St. Louis, and his return is mostly bad news for rookie Victor Scott II. Siani has mostly been useful to the Cardinals for his glove in center field in 2024 while providing decent speed for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. He's returning to a .256/.297/.325 slash line with only two home runs, 18 RBI and 14 stolen bases in his 234 at-bats this year.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani (oblique) will play five innings in center field on Tuesday for Triple-A Memphis as he begins his minor-league rehab assignment. Siani was cleared to play in games again after taking part in a live batting practice session at Busch Field on Monday before the game against the San Diego Padres. He was cleared by doctors to resume swinging on Aug. 16 as he attempts to return from what manager Oliver Marmol called a "moderate" oblique strain. Siani was put on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 4. The 25-year-old has provided the Cardinals with Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field this year while also hitting .256 (60-for-234) with two homers, 18 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 101 games in his first full big-league season. Siani is mostly useful for his speed as a platoon player for St. Louis in deeper fantasy formats.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani (oblique) took full batting practice in the cages on Thursday for the first time since going on the 10-day injured list earlier this month due to a strained right oblique, according to manager Oliver Marmol. The skipper said a minor-league rehab assignment is near, and the team is still deciding when and where his rehab stint will be. Oblique injuries can be tricky to come back from, so it remains to be seen how many rehab games the 25-year-old will require before rejoining the major-league roster. When the Cardinals give him the green light to return, Siani, who hits from the left side, will return to a platoon role in center field in St. Louis. Speed is his biggest asset for fantasy managers in NL-only and deep-mixed formats. Siani has only two homers in 2024 to go along with 18 RBI and 14 steals in 234 at-bats.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani (oblique) is meeting with doctors on Friday to determine whether he's had enough healing to begin swinging a bat. Siani has been going through fielding drills and running in the past week to prepare for a return as soon as possible. Swinging and facing live pitching will be the last hurdle for Siani as he tries to recover from a right-oblique strain. The 25-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Aug. 6 after being put on the 10-day injured list. The timing of his injury was terrible, as Siani was looking much better at the plate since the All-Star break. Overall, the former fourth-rounder of the Cincinnati Reds in 2018 has hit .256 (60-for-234) and has mainly been fantasy relevant in NL-only leagues due to his speed (14 steals).