Juan Rivera - Fantasy News & Updates
Juan Rivera - Fantasy News & Updates
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Rivera has received more playing time in 2009 than he has in any previous season, and has enjoyed a breakthrough fantasy season in turn. His 25 homers and 88 RBIs are both career highs, and his .284 average has helped him provide owners with an impressively well-rounded fantasy season. He doesn't steal bases and has never played a full season due to issues with health and defense, but it's still nice to see Rivera blossom, at age 31, into the fantasy slugger he has always had the potential to be.
After Wednesday night's outburst at the dish, it's safe to say that Rivera's recent skid -- he entered the day stuck in a 1-for-13 funk -- is officially over. Now that he's gotten that out of the way, the 31-year-old masher can resume his efforts in passing his career highs in long balls, runs scored and RBIs, all of which are within sight. Overall, Rivera is batting .291 with 22 homers, 81 RBIs and 64 runs scored.
Rivera's second-half average is well below his .312 first-half mark, but he's still doing more than enough in the RBI department to serve as a useful mixed-league option.
Angels skipper Mike Scioscia likes to give his regulars breaks when he can, and with a day off on Thursday, Rivera will have two days to recharge his batteries. Starting in his place was Gary Matthews Jr., who went hitless in three at-bats. Rivera is two homers away from matching his career high of 23 from 2006, and also within reach is his RBI high of 85 from that season.
Rivera ended the month just one RBI shy of 20, which would have given him his second 20-RBI month in '09. With 76 ribbies, Rivera should easily pass the career-high 85 he racked up in 2006.
Rivera has always hit -- health and playing time have long been his issues. Blessed with both in 2009, Rivera is on track to set career bests across the board. He has become a very useful fantasy slugger in all formats, and should remain such even if he moves down in the batting order once Torii Hunter returns from the DL.
On a day when the Angels offense was firing on all cylinders, Rivera was right in the thick of it, as he has been all season for the Halos. The outfielder has stitched together the most productive campaign of his career, batting .312 (over 20 points better than his career mark) with a meaty .512 slugging percentage and 69 RBIs.
Reggie Willits got the start in left and hit ninth. This is likely a routine day off for Rivera, who’s hitting .307 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs this season but is just 6-for-29 in his last eight games.
Rivera is the owner of a six-game hitting streak during which he's posted three multi-hit efforts. He's split his home runs evenly between the road and at home, and his home/road batting average marks (.320 on the road, .312 at home) are nearly equal.
Rivera has put up some monster second halves in his career and 2009 is shaping up to be no exception. Despite missing eight games with a balky hamstring, the slugging outfielder still managed to clock four homers and drive in 14 runners in July for a red-hot Angels offense.
In his previous 27 games before getting injured, Rivera hit .316 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs, and he picked up right where he left off in this one. The injury-depleted Angels are glad to have his bat back in the lineup, but Rivera's still-balky hamstring will likely keep him from playing left field for a little while longer. Reggie Willits (who went 0-for-4 on Monday) and Gary Matthews (2-for-4) will continue to pick up the slack.
With Juan Rivera still unable to suit up for the Angels, Quinlan -- a third baseman by trade -- has been the unlikely recipient of playing time in left. He's done a fine job, too, going 3-for-7 with a pair of long balls over his last two games. Despite his recent efforts, the 32-year-old veteran has been relegated to the bench for most of his career, so enjoy the production while it lasts.
It's thought that Rivera will DH over the weekend, but check back to make sure he's cracked the lineup before plugging him back in. Robb Quinlan got the start in left for the Angels Friday night, but Reggie Willits also looms as a candidate for at-bats while Rivera is unable to play the field.
Rivera is expected to return to the lineup as the DH this weekend, possibly as early as Friday. Filling his shoes in left field, Reggie Willits went 1-for-4 Thursday out of the ninth spot in the lineup.
Rivera, who is nursing a tight right hamstring, missed his fourth straight game. He hasn't played since July 18 in Oakland, when he left the game early in the third inning. Manager Mike Scioscia said the Angels were still being cautious with Rivera's condition. "He's feeling better," Scioscia said. "But not well enough to full-time DH yet. We're thinking it might be a couple more days." Scioscia said the Angels will use the DH spot to ease Rivera back into the lineup.
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