JJ BLEDAY NEWS

Heads to bench versus lefty Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Impact 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.

MAY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Produces second homer in four games Bleday went 2-for-5 with one double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Royals.

Impact 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. Though his current pace is unsustainable, Bleday is a player who should be on managers' radars, especially if he continues to carry a hot stick. 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.

MAY 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

On base thrice in win Bleday went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Royals on Friday.

Impact The hot-hitting rookie followed up a successful Thursday performance 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.

MAY 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Goes yard in loss Bleday went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Impact 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.

MAY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Recalled from Las Vegas Oakland recalled Bleday from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Impact 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.

MAY 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Making waves in Vegas 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.

Impact 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. 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.

MAY 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sent to minors The Athletics optioned Bleday to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Impact 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.

MARCH 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Starting, batting cleanup Saturday 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.

Impact 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.

FEBRUARY 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

A's get outfielder Bleday from Miami for Puk OAKLAND -- Just a few days before Spring Training gets underway, the A’s added a left-handed bat to their outfield mix. In a swap of former...

FEBRUARY 12, 2023 • MLB.COM

Traded to Oakland Bleday was traded from the Marlins to the Athletics in exchange for A.J. Puk on Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Impact 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.

FEBRUARY 12, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Sunday Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at Milwaukee, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Impact Bleday is hitless in his past four contests and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Jesus Sanchez, Bryan De La Cruz and Avisail Garcia will start from left to right in the outfield.

OCTOBER 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Thursday Bleday isn't starting Thursday against the Brewers.

Impact 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.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Slugs fifth homer Bleday went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Mets.

Impact 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.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Monday Bleday isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

Impact 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.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

On base three times Monday Bleday went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's win over the Athletics.

Impact The 24-year-old rookie is getting more comfortable in the majors. Bleday has drawn a walk in five straight games and reached base successfully in 10 straight, and while he's batting only .156 (5-for-32) over that stretch, four of the hits have gone for extra bases (two doubles, two homers). Since his promotion in late July, he's slashing .213/.321/.426 through 109 plate appearances with four homers and three steals.

AUGUST 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Homers in Sunday's loss Bleday went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Impact Bleday accounted for the Marlins' last run in the game with his eighth-inning solo shot. The 24-year-old outfielder has just two hits in his last five games, but both have left the yard, and he's added a reasonable 4:7 BB:K in that span. Bleday is slashing .198/.305/.407 with four homers, five RBI, 11 runs scored and two stolen bases through 27 contests, holding down a regular role in the heart of the lineup since his July 23 call-up.

AUGUST 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Friday Bleday is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Impact Bleday is 2-for-27 over his past eight games and will take a seat against Los Angeles lefty Tyler Anderson. Jerar Encarnacion was called up from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday and will start in left field.

AUGUST 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

In 'surreal' moment, Bleday homers, girlfriend winds up with ball PHILADELPHIA -- Marlins outfielder JJ Bleday is a man of his word. While Bleday watched footage of Phillies pitchers in preparation for Tu...

AUGUST 10, 2022 • MLB.COM

Smacks second home run Bleday went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to Philadelphia.

Impact Bleday provided the only offense for the Marlins on Tuesday, taking a Zack Wheeler fastball deep to right field in the fourth inning for his second home run of the season. The rookie outfielder is now slashing just .218/.283/.382 in 16 games since being called up from Triple-A on July 22. While he generated a strong 124 wRC+ in 85 games at Triple-A this year, he was buoyed by a high HR/FB ratio of 18.9 percent, so it remains to be seen whether he will find success in the majors.

AUGUST 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Bows out Tuesday Bleday is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Reds, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.

Impact The rookie started the last nine games the Marlins played, but he went just 6-for-36 (.167) over that span, so he will get a day to clear his head. Bryan De La Cruz will get the start in center field Tuesday night.

AUGUST 2, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Launches first big-league homer Bleday went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Reds.

Impact Despite the loss, Bleday provided an offensive highlight for the Marlins in the contest, belting his first big-league home run -- a 366-foot solo shot to right field in the fourth inning. The power shouldn't be surprising, as the 24-year-old cranked 19 homers over 85 games at the Triple-A level prior to his recent call-up. Bleday has gone 4-for-18 with three extra-base hits and a stolen base in addition to the homer over his first five big-league games.

JULY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Bleday wraps 1st MLB homer around foul pole CINCINNATI -- Marlins No. 4 prospect JJ Bleday made hard contact vs. the Reds all of Tuesday with nothing to show for it. He finally reaped...

JULY 28, 2022 • MLB.COM

Not in Saturday's lineup Bleday isn't starting Saturday against the Pirates, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Impact Bleday's contract was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday, and he'll likely be available to make his major-league debut off the bench if needed. The 24-year-old should have an opportunity to carve out at-bats in the outfield after Jorge Soler (back) was placed on the 10-day injured list, but Luke Williams is starting in left field and batting eighth Saturday.

JULY 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Called up by Marlins Bleday's contract will be selected by the Marlins on Saturday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Impact It's not yet clear whether Bleday will join the Marlins in time for Saturday's matchup against the Pirates, but his major-league debut appears to be imminent. The 2019 first-round pick has showcased his power potential at Triple-A Jacksonville to begin the year, slashing .228/.365/.467 with 19 homers, 54 runs, 51 RBI and a steal over 85 games. Jorge Soler exited Friday's game against Pittsburgh due to back stiffness, and Bleday is a strong candidate to fill in as the left fielder if Soler is forced to miss additional time.

JULY 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE