By Annie Walker
July 29, 2024
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Guardians announced today the following transaction relative to the 2024 Major League roster:
Acquired OF Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals in exchange for LHP Alex Clemmey, INF Rafael Ramirez, Jr. and INF José Tena.
Thomas, 28, is hitting .253 (76-for-300) with 16 doubles, 8 home runs, 40 RBI, 28 stolen bases and a .738 OPS in 77 games this season. His 28 stolen bases are the 3rd-most in MLB behind MIL’s Brice Turang (31) and CIN’s Elly De La Cruz (55). Thomas has reached base safely in 25-straight games, the longest active streak in MLB, owning a .287 (27-for-94) average with 8 doubles and 6 RBI over that stretch. He has appeared primarily in right field this season (74GS), recording 6 outfield assists, T4th in the National League and T7th in MLB. His 24 outfield assists since the start of last season are the most in MLB. He missed time from April 24- May 26 with a left knee sprain. He’s been particularly effective vs. left-handed pitching, batting .326 (28-for-86) vs. lefties with a slash line of .410/.512/.922, the 10th-best OPS in the NL.
The Knoxville, TN product was originally drafted out of Bearden High School in the 5th round (144th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014 MLB Draft. He was traded to St. Louis on July 2, 2017 for cash considerations, making his debut for the Cardinals on April 17, 2019. Thomas appeared in 84 games for St. Louis from 2019-2021 before being dealt to Washington for LHP Jon Lester. Over 4 seasons for the Nationals, he hit .257 (412-for-1604) with 60 home runs, 205 RBI, 60 steals and a .759 OPS. The right fielder excelled in 2023, posting career-highs in batting average (.268), doubles (36), home runs (28), RBI (86) and OPS (.783), while being named finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
He is under club control thru the 2025 season.
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