28 Raul Ibanez, DH

Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez still is only batting .235 on the season -- that's how cold he was in April.

The veteran slugger has been ridiculously hot in May, however, and he kept that up on Friday in Cleveland. Ibanez went 3 for 5 in the game with his seventh home run.

He went deep in the sixth inning for a two-run blast. The two RBI gives him 19 on the year.

Ibanez has gone 11 for 28 (.393) in May with a double, triple, five homers and 14 RBI.

Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez entered play Friday with the most RBI of any hitter in the past seven days, aided in large part by his four home runs in his last five games. It's been a good ride.

But it's nearing its end. With Franklin Gutierrez beginning a rehab assignment Thursday, the Mariners will soon have no place for Ibanez, slotting Michael Morse in left field, Gutierrez in center and Michael Saunders in right, Kendrys Morales at DH and Justin Smoak at first base.

Ibanez will still get occasional starts, but only when one of those five needs a rest and mostly just against right-handed pitchers. And obviously, you can't expect him to perform at this pace on those occasions.

Though he clearly still has pop at age 40, Ibanez's limited opportunities for at-bats make him rosterable only in deeper AL-only leagues. And chances are he's been owned in those formats from the beginning.

From the end of April through the last week, Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez started just two out of 12 games, as he was mired in a pretty bad slump that dropped his batting average to .148. After his first multi-home run game Wednesday, he continues to trend upwards, pushing his average to .224.

Ibanez has four home runs in his last four games, and it looks like the Mariners are feeling more comfortable leaving him in the starting lineup against right-handed pitching, especially if they are not playing in National League stadiums.

At 40, Ibanez is incapable of playing every day. However, if he stays hot against right-handed pitching, he might be worth a speculative add in AL-only Fantasy formats. Don't forget, he hit 19 home runs last season. 

Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez earned a rare start in left field Friday night against the Athletics. Ibanez has started just two of the previous 12 games after being mired in a 1-for-23 slump.

"It’s fine,” Ibanez told MLB.com of his playing situation. "I’m not really worried about it. You just stay ready and work on your craft and nothing really changes. You stay prepared to do your job."

Ibanez entered Friday's tilt hitting .180/.242/.361 with two home runs and six RBI over 61 at-bats.