JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Wed 5/10/23 5:36 PM

Bleday went 2-for-5 with a double and a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Yankees.
EDGE Analysis
Bleday has hit the ground running with Oakland, going 11-for-25 with three homers through his first eight games since he was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. As a rookie with the Marlins, Bleday hit just five homers in 204 at-bats while slashing .167/.277/.309. Bleday, a first-round pick in 2019, is worth a flier in deeper formats as he should at least be afforded a regular starting job with the Athletics.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Mon 5/8/23 3:17 PM1 Comment

Bleday is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.
EDGE Analysis
With the Athletics opposing a southpaw (Nestor Cortes) for the second consecutive day, the lefty-hitting Bleday will once again take a seat. Oakland will roll out an outfield of Brent Rooker, Esteury Ruiz and Ramon Laureano from left to right in the series opener.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Sun 5/7/23 12:34 PM

Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
EDGE Analysis
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.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Sat 5/6/23 11:30 PM

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.
EDGE Analysis
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.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Sat 5/6/23 12:17 PM

Bleday went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Royals on Friday.
EDGE Analysis
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.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Thu 5/4/23 7:29 PM

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

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Wed 5/3/23 5:02 PM

Oakland recalled Bleday from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
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.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Mon 5/1/23 12:38 PM

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.
EDGE Analysis
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 in a sample of 238 plate appearances. 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.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Mon 3/13/23 9:32 AM

The Athletics optioned Bleday to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.
EDGE Analysis
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.

JJ Bleday
OF ATH
Sat 2/25/23 9:28 AM

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.
EDGE Analysis
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.