Austin Slater

Slater was limited to just 90 plate appearances in the first half last season due to a pair of hamstring injuries. He later had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow just after the season to remove a bone spur which apparently had been an issue for a couple years. In between the injuries and surgery Slater was his usual productive self against left-handed pitching, slashing .288/.361/.439 with four homers in 147 plate appearances. He started just seven games versus righties and collected a .619 OPS. Slater's role as short-side platoon specialist is very defined at this point and it's unlikely to change under new manager Bob Melvin. The 31-year-old is good enough at the role to have some deep-league fantasy value, but he's simply not going to play enough to be useful in shallower leagues. Read Past Outlooks