David Richard – USA Today Sports
The Cleveland Indians have a star catcher in Carlos Santana, but young catcher Yan Gomes is hitting so well he could force his way into the lineup and become a legitimate fantasy baseball option.
Gomes has played in just 10 games this month but has a hit in all but one of them. He is 14-for-36 (.311) with a 1.132 OPS. He has three home runs, three doubles and nine RBI in the month, providing excellent power from the bottom of the order. That power is no fluke as Gomes slugged .557 in AAA for the Toronto Blue Jays last year. He saw some time with the club and although he struggled, he did hit for decent power with four home runs.
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After just a few games in the minors for the Indians this season, Gomes was called up and is now hitting .311 and slugging .672 on the young season. Santana is one of the best hitters on the Indians and is not going to be moved out of the lineup, but he also isn’t going to catch every day. He can play first base and will also DH plenty, leaving more opportunities for Gomes to see regular playing time if he continues hitting like this.
For now, Gomes is only an option in AL only or two-catcher leagues. For those in standard leagues that are in need of help at the catcher position, Gomes needs to be put at the top of your radar and can be added if he continues to play in the majority of games each week. Gomes has now started behind the plate in four of the past six games and if that rate continues he can be safely added in all formats.
Rich Arleo is a fantasy sports expert with Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Rarleo, ‘Like’ him on Facebook and add him to your networks on Google.
