Jonathan Aranda

Aranda was well into a breakout season until it was broken up on July 31 when he collided with the human statue that is Giancarlo Stanton on a tag play at first base due to an errant throw fracturing his wrist. Aranda did not return until the final weekend of the season and promptly homered in two of those three games to end the season. As it were, he finished the season where he had left off in 2024, and if you lump in that late 2024 work into what he did last season, you get a .306/.383/.492 triple-slash line with 19 homers, 69 runs and 69 RBI in 507 plate appearances. Simply put, Aranda can hit, especially righties, as he wore them out to a .329/.398/.531 tune last season with 10 of his 14 homers coming on the road. Aranda held his own against lefties, but does not hit with as much power there. He does not provide the home run numbers fantasy managers want from first base, but his strong average and solid contributions in run production help make him easier to roster. He should once again hit high in the Rays' lineup when a righty is on the mound. Read Past Outlooks