
Robert had a chance to do some serious damage when he came to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, but ended up grounding into a double play. The 27-year-old has gotten off to a painfully-slow start at the plate, batting .143 (4-for-28) with one steal through eight contests. It's too early to completely panic, but it's not what fantasy managers want to see in the early stages of the year while he's playing for a non-contender.
Olson struck out five and issued three walks. He gave up a run-scoring double to Andrew Vaughn in the opening frame, but settled in nicely afterwards, and was eventually staked to a six-run advantage by the middle innings as Detroit's offense plated seven runs through three innings. He appeared headed for serious trouble in the fifth when he loaded the bases with nobody out, but ended up coaxing a key double-play ball from Luis Robert Jr. to dodge a potential blowup. He'll square off against the division-rival Twins on Friday in his next outing.
It's a routine day off for Vaughn, who has started every game so far this season. Nick Maton will play first base and bat leadoff, with Luis Robert moving to designated hitter and Travis Jankowski getting the start in center field.
The 25-year-old Vargas was a top prospect for the Dodgers but struggled after he was traded to the White Sox last season. He began to recoup some of his past prospect value after hitting .341/.423/.523 in 52 plate appearances this spring with two home runs, five strikeouts, and seven walks. There won't be a ton of value in the White Sox lineup this season, but if Vargas is going to be the primary leadoff hitter, then he could carve out some fantasy value hitting in front of Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Vaughn. The White Sox's full lineup is: Miguel Vargas 3B, Luis Robert CF, Andrew Benintendi DH, Andrew Vaughn 1B, Austin Slater RF, Lenyn Sosa 2B, Korey Lee C, Jacob Amaya SS, Michael A Taylor LF.
Robert has closed out the spring on a bit of a hot streak, going deep in back-to-back contests to end Cactus League play. The 27-year-old's power-speed upside is among the game's elite, but the lack of a strong supporting cast puts him in the top-30 range at the moment among fantasy outfielders.