Cleveland Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 11-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He also drew a walk and struck out. It was Jones' first long ball of the season, and the three RBIs brought him up to five to match his run total. The former second-round pick has had a dreadful start to the year, batting .190 (12-for-63) with five doubles and two steals across 24 appearances. Despite the lack of statistical output, the 26-year-old holds a strong 14.9% walk rate and is hitting the ball incredibly hard. Jones' average exit velocity (96.3 MPH) and hard-hit rate (65%) are the best figures in the bigs. Furthermore, it appears he's having some bad BABIP luck (.244 xBA). With batted ball metrics like this, the home runs should begin to fall as he sees some positive regression.

MLB.com's Tim Stebbins writes that the bulk of Cleveland Guardians new outfielder Nolan Jones' at-bats this year are expected to come in right field against right-handed pitchers. After the Guardians acquired Jones from the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, they also optioned left-handed-hitter Will Brennan to Triple-A Columbus. Jhonkensy Noel is expected to get starts in right field when Cleveland faces left-handed pitchers. The 26-year-old Jones, who was previously selected by the Guardians in the second round in 2016, is moving from the best hitter's park in baseball in Coors Field to Progressive Field, which actually played very favorably to lefty hitters in 2024. He hit 20 homers and stole 20 bags in 106 games in 2023 before slumping to a .227/.321/.320 slash line and only three homers in 79 games in an injury-plagued 2024 campaign. If Jones can avoid injuries in his return to Cleveland, a bounce-back could be coming.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones has been traded to the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. Jones was scratched ahead of Saturday's contest, so now that makes sense why he was benched. The 26-year-old will head to Cleveland in exchange for infielder Tyler Freeman. The Guardians can't be exactly sure what they will be getting with Jones. He put together an outstanding 2023 season with a .297 batting average, 20 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in 106 games. However, Jones was awful in 2024, hitting only .227 with three homers and five steals with the Rockies. Jones has a strong arm in the outfield, but his defense isn't exactly stellar right now. It's worth noting that Jones began his career in Cleveland, so now it appears they want him back after two seasons in Colorado.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for the young slugger who has been in a slump at the plate lately. Jones is hitting .209 with three home runs and 25 RBI in 74 games this season. Sam Hilliard will cover left field and bat sixth while Jordan Beck takes over right field against right-hander Michael McGreevy. Hilliard could be a low-end streaming option as he's posted a .254 batting average with nine long balls this season.

Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and outfielders Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Jones are all out of the lineup for Wednesday's series finale at Coors Field against the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the bump. Aaron Schunk will start at third and hit out of the nine-hole, Sam Hilliard will start in left and bat seventh, and catcher Jacob Stallings will be the designated hitter and bat fifth. Hunter Goodman is catching and hitting sixth. Hilliard has hit .250 (27-for-108) in his return to the Rockies this year with eight homers and 23 RBI in 49 games played. Stallings has hit .260 (59-for-227) with a career-high nine homers in 76 games, and Schunk has hit just .194 (14-for-72) with one homer and three RBI in his first 32 big-league games. None of Colorado's replacements are particularly attractive DFS sleepers, even at Coors Field.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones is absent from Tuesday's starting lineup against the Detroit Tigers. It's a bit odd to see Jones sitting out against a right-handed starting pitcher. It has been a disappointing year for Jones who is hitting .212 with three home runs in 65 games this season. It's worth noting that Jones has picked it up with the bat over the last few weeks. This appears to be a routine rest day, so Jones should be back in the lineup after this game. Jordan Beck will cover right field and bat ninth against right-hander Keider Montero. Beck has a ton of potential, but he's off to a slow start at the plate during his rookie season.

The Colorado Rockies will have outfielder Nolan Jones in Tuesday's lineup against the Washington Nationals, his first appearance in the big leagues since July 11. Jones will play left field and will bat seventh in the order against Nationals rookie left-hander DJ Herz. He is hitting .202/.311/.313 with three homers, 14 RBI, 19 runs scored with three stolen bases in 49 games. Jones' .623 OPS is a staggering .308 lower than last season, as he has been plagued with a lower-back strain, resulting in two trips to the injured list. Fantasy managers still holding onto Jones hope he can generate enough production to merit keeping him on their rosters, but many have tossed Jones aside as one of the season's biggest fantasy busts.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) has been activated off the 10-day injured list on Sunday. Jones appears to be ready to play again after missing a month of action due to a lower back strain. The young slugger is having a disappointing 2024 campaign after hitting .297 with 20 homers last season in Colorado. Now, Jones is barely hitting .200 with only three long balls and 14 RBI in 49 games this season. Despite that, Jones should still get regular playing time down the stretch on this rebuilding Rockies roster. In a corresponding move, infielder/outfielder Hunter Goodman has been optioned to Triple-A with Jones being activated.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back, personal) took a brief pause from his minor-league rehab assignment this week for the birth of his child, but he returned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday and walked in his only plate appearance after coming off the bench. During his rehab assignment, Jones has gone 5-for-16 with two home runs in six games and could be nearing his return to the big-league roster. Although it's been a terrible season for the 26-year-old left-handed hitter, he should return to a regular role in the Rockies' outfield to close out the year. Jones has hit just .202/.311/.313 with three homers and 14 RBI in 49 games in 2024, but there's still plenty of power/speed intrigue after he had a 20-20 season in his first year in Colorado in 2023.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) joined Single-A Fresno recently after a few days of strengthening at the team's spring training complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. Jones has gone 5-for-16 with two home runs over his first four games with Fresno. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger started his minor-league rehab assignment last Tuesday and went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer while serving as the designated hitter. It's good to see him playing in games again, but there's still no timetable for his return from a strained lower back. As long as he doesn't suffer a setback, though, it seems likely that he'll be back with the Rockies at some point this week. 2024 has been a lost season for the former second-round pick of the Cleveland Guardians in 2016, but don't forget that Jones had 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in 106 games for the Rockies in 2023.

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said prior to Tuesday's game against the visiting Boston Red Sox that the club doesn't have "a total game plan" for outfielder Nolan Jones (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 13. "He's feeling better, that's the main thing," Black said. "With Nolan, it starts with that. If he gets through the next couple of days, we'll probably have a little bit more of a plan." It's the second time this year Jones has been on the shelf with a strained lower back, so the Rockies are likely going to be more inclined to take a cautious approach this time around. The 26-year-old left fielder enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, but he's slashing a dreadful .202/.311/.313 with three home runs, 14 RBI, 19 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 163 at-bats in 2024 and is no longer a must-stash fantasy asset.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) participated in live batting practice on Friday, according to Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com. Jones still does not have a timetable for his potential return, but it is promising that he will not face any setbacks yet. The 26-year-old hit the injured list on July 13 with a back strain. Jones has had a disappointing season as he holds a poor .202/.311/.313 slash line with just three home runs, 14 RBI, and a 25:63 BB:K ratio across 49 games. Last summer, he posted an excellent .297/.389/.542 line with 20 home runs and 20 swiped bags. Jones is still worth a look in standard leagues once he returns, as he could provide a strong combination of power and speed down the stretch run despite his struggles in the first half.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, July 13, due to a lower-back strain. In a corresponding move, Colorado promoted outfielder Sean Bouchard from Triple-A. Jones was a late scratch on Friday evening and will now be sidelined until at least the end of the month. The 26-year-old has had a disappointing season with a .202/.311/.313 line, three home runs, and three swiped bags. Bouchard could see time in the starting lineup with Jones sidelined as he posted a strong .385/.448/.654 line in his previous six games at Triple-A before earning the promotion but held a poor .200 AVG in the 29 games he appeared in the major leagues this season.

After being scratched from Friday's lineup with lower-back tightness, Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) remains out of action on Saturday against the hosting New York Mets. Sam Hilliard will make another start in left field and will bat ninth for Colorado against Mets rookie right-hander Christian Scott. Fantasy managers are starting to lose patience with Jones, who is hitting just .202/.311/.313 with a .623 OPS, three homers, 14 RBI and three stolen bases in 163 at-bats after he had a 20/20 campaign in 2023 in his first full year in the big leagues. With just one game remaining before next week's All-Star break, don't be surprised if Jones doesn't return to action on Sunday. Hilliard hit two home runs in a game earlier this week but otherwise has gone 5-for-21 (.238) after making his 2024 debut on June 22.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones has been scratched from the team's starting lineup on Friday against the hosting New York Mets for undisclosed reasons. We'll provide an update on why Jones was scratched when we know more. With the 26-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder now out, Sam Hillard will play left field and bat ninth for the Rockies against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea. An injury caused Jones to miss considerable time this year, but when he's been healthy, he's been a shell of what he showed last year, hitting .202/.311/.313 with a weak .623 OPS, only three home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases in 163 at-bats. Fantasy managers shouldn't completely give up on him yet, but he's going to need to get it going here soon. Both of Hilliard's two homers this year came in the same game earlier this week, and he's gone 4-for-18 (.222) otherwise.

Colorado Rockies outfielders Nolan Jones and Jake Cave will take a seat on the bench on Monday with the club facing a left-hander against the hosting Cincinnati Reds. Hunter Goodman is getting the start in left field for the Rockies and will bat eighth in the order against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. Jones has been a massive disappointment for fantasy managers in 2024 after he nearly hit .300 with 20 homers and 20 steals in 106 games in his first full big-league season in 2023. As of right now, he's slashing just .187/.291/.303 with three homers, 14 RBI and three steals in 46 games. The 26-year-old lefty slugger missed considerable time due to injury and has gone 13-for-61 (.213) with two homers, two doubles, seven RBI, one steal and 25 strikeouts in 20 games since returning from the injured list on June 14.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (illness) is back in the team's starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Washington Nationals and rookie left-hander DJ Herz, playing left field and batting sixth in the order. Fantasy managers will now have Jones back after he missed the last two games due to an illness. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter broke out with a 20-20 campaign in 2023 in his first year in Colorado, but this year couldn't have started any worse for Jones. Not only has he missed significant time due to injury, but he hasn't swung the bat well at all when he's been on the field. Jones is currently hitting .194 (21-for-108) with a homer, five doubles, nine RBI, three steals and 39 strikeouts in 126 plate appearances. On the bright side for Friday's matchup is the fact that Jones has looked slightly better against lefties this year.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (illness) remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday for the series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Jones was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday while being under the weather and apparently he is still not feeling good enough to play a day later. Sean Bouchard will make another start in left field and will bat second against Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone. Bouchard went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's victory. He'll be a deep DFS sleeper in the two-hole and is hitting just .205 (16-for-78) on the year with a homer, seven RBI and four steals. Jones teased his upside in 2023 with a 20-20 campaign but has so far been either hurt or ineffective at the plate for the Rockies and fantasy managers this year.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back, knee) resumed his minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch as the designated hitter for Triple-A Albuquerque. Jones is currently dealing with a left-knee injury that he suffered last month during his rehab assignment at Albuquerque for his lower-back strain that initially put him on the injured list on April 30. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger is going to need at least a handful more rehab games before the Rockies consider returning him from the IL. Once he resumes playing the outfield in the minors, he should be close to rejoining the big-league roster. Jones had a 20-20 season in just his second year in the big leagues in 2023, but has been a disappointment so far in 2024, as he's currently hurt and was hitting .170 (16-for-94) with one homer and 37 K's in 26 games before going on the IL.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back, knee) completed his work at Coors Field with a full session of batting practice, fielding, and baserunning ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the visiting Cleveland Guardians. Jones finished by practicing diving back into first base on pickoff moves, and he is scheduled to join Triple-A Albuquerque to resume his minor-league rehab assignment on Friday. His original rehab assignment for a strained lower back was halted when he hurt his left knee on May 17. Barring any setbacks this weekend, expect Jones to return to the Rockies as early as Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. The 26-year-old slugger was slashing a poor .170/.243/.277 with one home run, seven RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases through 26 games (94 at-bats) before getting sidelined, but his five-category upside when healthy at a hitter-friendly ballpark makes him worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.