Bleday is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.
The lefty-hitting Bleday will head to the bench for the series finale while Atlanta brings rookie southpaw Jared Shuster to the hill. While all of Ramon Laureano, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker and Esteury Ruiz are available, Bleday doesn't have a clear-cut path to regular playing time in the outfield or at designated hitter, though Oakland manager Mark Kotsay managed to make room in the lineup for Bleday in each of the previous three contests.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: On bench versus lefty
Rotowire
Bleday will sit Saturday against the Astros.
With left-hander Framber Valdez starting for the Astros, Bleday will get a breather Saturday. Seth Brown will slide over to left field while Ramon Laureano enters the lineup in right field and bats fourth versus Houston.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Hits bench versus lefty
Rotowire
Bleday is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
The lefty-hitting Bleday will take a seat with southpaw Marco Gonzales on the hill for Seattle. Bleday has been starting regularly against right-handed pitching since his May 3 call-up from Triple-A Las Vegas, but he may face a more muddled path to steady playing time following Seth Brown's return from the 15-day injured list Monday. The 25-year-old hasn't helped his cause by going 1-for-22 with nine strikeouts over his last eight games.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: On bench to open Sunday
Rotowire
Bleday is not in the starting lineup against the Astros on Sunday.
Bleday will take a seat against southpaw Framber Valdez on Sunday for the series finale. Brent Rooker will hit second and start in left field while Shea Langeliers gets the start at designated hitter.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: On bench versus southpaw
Rotowire
Bleday is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Bleday is off to a strong start for Oakland with a 1.008 OPS and three homers in 11 games since being promoted May 3, but he'll take a seat Sunday with lefty Andrew Heaney on the mound for Texas. Brent Rooker will move out to left field while Carlos Perez serves as the designated hitter.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Double, home run in loss
Rotowire
Bleday went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees.
Bleday has hit the ground running with Oakland, going 11-for-25 with three homers through his first eight games since he was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. As a rookie with the Marlins last year, Bleday hit just five homers in 204 at-bats while slashing .167/.277/.309. A first-round pick in 2019, he's worth a flier in deeper formats as he should at least be afforded a regular starting job with the Athletics.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Rests against lefty
Rotowire
Bleday is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.
With the Athletics opposing a southpaw (Nestor Cortes) for the second consecutive day, the lefty-hitting Bleday will once again take a seat. Oakland will roll out an outfield of Brent Rooker, Esteury Ruiz and Ramon Laureano from left to right in the series opener.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Heads to bench versus lefty
Rotowire
Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
For the first time since his call-up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, the lefty-hitting Bleday will exit the starting nine, with his absence likely a result of the Royals bringing a southpaw (Ryan Yarbrough) to the bump. Bleday appears to have at least secured regular playing time versus right-handers moving forward after he went 6-for-16 with a pair of solo home runs, a double and two additional runs in his first four games with Oakland.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Produces second homer in four games
Rotowire
Bleday went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Royals.
Bleday's hot start to the season continued Saturday, swatting a solo home run off Brady Singer in the third inning and tallying his third consecutive multi-hit game. Despite hitting just .167 in 238 plate appearances last season with the Marlins, Bleday might be worth a speculative add in dynasty or deep bench formats in case his start to 2023 isn't a fluke.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: On base thrice in win
Rotowire
Bleday went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Royals on Friday.
The hot-hitting rookie followed up a successful performance Thursday against the Mariners that included his first home run of the season with a second consecutive two-hit effort. Bleday's early success since his May 3 promotion is simply an extension of his body of work at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he'd generated a .316 average and 1.072 OPS across 25 games. Given the Athletics' willingness to give young players plenty of run and Bleday's ability to fill in across the outfield, the 25-year-old is likely in for extended opportunity the rest of the season.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Goes yard in loss
Rotowire
Bleday went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.
Bleday opened the scoring with a second-inning blast off Mariners starter George Kirby. After going 0-for-4 in his season debut Wednesday, Bleday showed off some of that power that got him on the radar for a recall -- he had seven homers and 19 RBI in 25 games with Triple-A Las Vegas. He doesn't yet have a clear path to everyday playing time, but he could force the issue if he hits well.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Recalled from Las Vegas
Rotowire
Oakland recalled Bleday from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Bleday was crushing Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .316 average with seven homers and a 1.072 OPS over 98 at-bats, and he'll get a chance to see if it can carry over while facing MLB pitching. With Bleday now on the active roster, the A's have optioned Conner Capel to Triple-A in a corresponding transaction.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Making waves in Vegas
Rotowire
Bleday is slashing .316/.429/.643 with 16 extra-base hits and 19 RBI across 119 plate appearances over 25 games with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Bleday displayed some impressive pop while also generating a bloated 28.2 percent strikeout rate during his first taste of the big leagues in 2022 with the Marlins, as he laced 17 of his 34 hits for extra bases in a sample of 238 plate appearances. The slugging outfielder is back at it in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League early this minor-league season after coming over in the A.J. Puk trade this offseason; given the Athletics' willingness to evaluate prospects during what's already shaping up as a lost season, he's a virtual certainty for a promotion at some point this summer, if not sooner.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Sent to minors
Rotowire
The Athletics optioned Bleday to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.
Bleday, whom the Athletics acquired in February in the deal that sent left-hander A.J. Puk to the Marlins, failed to win a spot on Oakland's Opening Day roster despite slashing a respectable .286/.375/.429 with a home run and a stolen base across 11 Cactus League games. With Bleday heading to the minors, Esteury Ruiz could be in the driver's seat to begin the campaign as the Athletics' primary center fielder.
Bleday will start in center field and bat cleanup in Oakland's Cactus League opener Saturday against the Diamondbacks, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
It's just the first exhibition game for the A's, but it's notable that Bleday is in such a prominent spot in a lineup that features a lot of the projected regulars. Esteury Ruiz is on the bench. Bleday, the No. 4 overall pick in 2019, was just acquired from Miami earlier this month in exchange for left-hander A.J. Puk.
... See More... See Less
Athletics' JJ Bleday: Traded to Oakland
Rotowire
Bleday was traded from the Marlins to the Athletics in exchange for A.J. Puk on Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Bleday was the fourth pick of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt, and the outfielder struggled mightily in his 65 games with the Marlins in 2022 with a .167/.277/.309 slash line along with five home runs and four stolen bases over 238 plate appearances. A left-handed hitter, Bleday has easy plus power and a quality approach at the plate, but he's struggled to make hard contact as a professional. There's still time for Bleday to tap into his potential as a 25-year-old, and Oakland's rebuild offers him a chance to earn a starting spot. Fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach for the outfielder before considering him for a roster spot.
... See More... See Less
Marlins' JJ Bleday: Takes seat Thursday
Rotowire
Bleday isn't starting Thursday against the Brewers.
Bleday hasn't started against a left-handed pitcher since Sept. 7, and he'll retreat to the bench with southpaw Eric Lauer on the mound Thursday. Bryan De La Cruz will man center field and bat fifth.
... See More... See Less
Marlins' JJ Bleday: Slugs fifth homer
Rotowire
Bleday went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Mets.
His third-inning blast off Carlos Carrasco gave the Marlins a 4-0 lead and provided valuable insurance when New York surged back for three runs in the fourth. Bleday snapped a 30-game homer drought with the performance, and his first taste of the majors has been largely disappointing as the 24-year-old carries a .175/.296/.322 slash line with five homers, four steals, 13 RBI and 19 runs through 216 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Marlins' JJ Bleday: Not starting Monday
Rotowire
Bleday isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.
Unsurprisingly, Bleday sits with a lefty in Wade Miley starting for the Cubs. The 24-year-old is 0-for-7 with three strikeouts in his last couple games and has a dismal .451 OPS this month.
... See More... See Less
Marlins' JJ Bleday: On bench versus lefty
Rotowire
Bleday is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.
Bleday is 4-for-31 in September and will head to the bench Tuesday with southpaw Bailey Falter on the mound for Philadelphia. Bryan De La Cruz will man center field and bat seventh.
