Tommy Pham DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, outfielder Tommy Pham signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates worth $4 million. Pham opened the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox and was eventually shipped to St. Louis and then concluded the season in Kansas City. Across 116 contests, Pham held a .248/.305/.368 line. He tallied 20 doubles, nine home runs, and seven stolen bases. Under the hood, the 36-year-old generated a solid .263 xBA and a .407 xSLG, suggesting he should see some positive regression in 2025. Pham also generated a 42.7 percent hard-hit rate, which was above the average mark. At the plate, Pham held a 7.3 percent walk and a 22.2 percent strikeout rate which were both just below the average marks. Fantasy managers should expect Pham to compete for starts in right field with Nick Yorke as a platoon bat or see time as a designated hitter alongside Andrew McCutchen.

With a right-hander on the mound for the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of the wild-card series on Wednesday at Camden Yards, Kansas City Royals veteran outfielder Tommy Pham will start on the bench. Hunter Renfroe will instead get the nod in right field and will bat seventh against Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin. In the Game 1 win over the O's on Tuesday, Pham made the start in right field and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the victory. Neither veteran outfielder is particularly attractive in DFS while hitting near the bottom of the Royals' batting order. The 32-year-old Renfroe doesn't move the needle much offensively these days after slashing .229/.297/.392 with a below-average .689 OPS, 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 120 games this year for KC. He hit just .177 (9-for-51) with three homers, five RBI and 16 strikeouts in 16 games in the month of September.

Free agent outfielder Tommy Pham has been claimed by the Kansas City Royals, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Pham was DFA'd by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, only a month after acquiring him at the trade deadline. Pham posted a mere .208/.286/.368 slash line with two home runs across his 23-game stint in St. Louis. However, earlier this summer with the White Sox, the veteran held a solid .266/.330/.380 line. Fantasy managers should expect the 36-year-old to see most of his starts in right field and will likely compete with switch-hitter Robbie Grossman for playing time. Managers in deeper leagues should consider adding Pham as he could earn a stable spot in the starting nine and should produce solid counting stats batting in the heart of a competing Royals lineup.

The St. Louis Cardinals designated outfielder Tommy Pham for assignment on Friday and recalled outfielder Jordan Walker from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. It was announced on Thursday that the Cardinals were looking to put the veteran Pham on waivers for some financial relief while also giving some younger players more playing time in the outfield for the final month of the season. The 36-year-old is now off the team's 40-man roster, but he could be claimed by a team in postseason contention looking for a veteran presence on their roster. At best, though, he'll probably be just a platoon player against left-handed pitching, like he was with St. Louis. Since being acquired at the deadline from the Chicago White Sox, Pham disappointed with the Cardinals, going 14-for-68 (.206) with two homers, 12 RBI and 16 strikeouts in 23 games played.

The St. Louis Cardinals are placing veteran outfielder Tommy Pham on waivers on Thursday, according to team sources. The move comes just ahead of the league's postseason eligibility deadline of Sept. 1. Pham is eligible to play for the Cards until he is claimed by another team. If he's not claimed, he'll remain with St. Louis. If a team doesn't claim him ahead of Sunday's deadline, he will not be eligible to play in the playoffs with a new team. Entering play Thursday, the Cardinals had less than a one percent chance of making the postseason, according to FanGraphs. The Cardinals could gain some financial relief with the move, and it also suggests they could move to some younger talent in the final month in September. Since joining St. Louis, Pham has been operating in a platoon role and has hit just .206 (14-for-68) with two homers, 12 RBI and 16 K's in 23 games.