The Miami Marlins outfield has undergone plenty of change this year. On Opening Day, the stud trio of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton were all out there. But between a broken hamate bone for Stanton, Ozuna hitting so poorly he was demoted to Triple-A and Yelich's struggles and injuries, there has been a lot of movement in the outfield. Now the outfield will see more change, with Christian Yelich headed to the disabled list and Ozuna called up.
Yelich has been out of the lineup since August 11 with a right knee contusion. Before he was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season, Yelich was slashing .275/.343/.376 with six home runs, 29 RBI's and 14 stolen bases. After a slow start to the season, Yelich was hitting .305 in 208 at-bats with four home runs and 10 stolen bases since June 1. Numbers that resemble his breakout 2014 campaign, when he hit .284 a .362 on-base percentage and 21 stolen bases.
Now with Yelich out for at least the next week, Ozuna finally returns to the majors since he was sent down to Triple-A New Orleans on July 5. Before his demotion, Ozuna was slashing .249/.301/.337 with four home runs and 14 doubles in 79 games. It was certainly a disappointment coming off a 2014 season where he hit 23 home runs, but Ozuna was still being productive before his demotion.
In 120 at-bats for New Orleans, Ozuna was destroying Triple-A pitching, slashing .317/.371/.558 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 11 RBI's. Numerous teams inquired on him during the trade deadline, but Miami did not make him available. Now he returns to the bigs and hopefully to the Marlins lineup, with Yelich out and Stanton still on the disabled list.
Fantasy Spin
Fantasy owners first move will obviously be putting Yelich on the disabled list, opening up a roster spot. In re-draft leagues, Ozuna will almost certainly be available on the free agent waiver wire. Ozuna should see time between all three outfield spots. The 24-year-old may not provide high average but he has power to hit for home runs and doubles. He may not be a starting fantasy outfielder in the present situation, but he is a very nice pickup.