Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez had a strong night in Thursday's blowout victory against the Chicago White Sox. The outfielder went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI on the evening. Velazquez was a popular sleeper entering this season with his ability to go yard and he now has two round trippers on the season. In addition to the outfield, Velazquez also has slotted into the designated hitter spot. Although he has big bat ability with his power, he does strikeout a lot. As long as managers are willing to take the good with the bad, he is a fine option in deeper leagues.

Kansas City Royals outfielder/designated hitter Nelson Velazquez is on the bench to begin Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins and right-hander Joe Ryan. The former Cub was reported to be the Royals' primary designated hitter for the 2024 season but he is already on the bench following a day off, albeit against a tough right-hander in Ryan. Acquired from the Cubs midway through the 2023 season, Velazquez combined to hit .235 with an impressive 17 homers and an .888 OPS across just 53 games. ATC projects another productive season for the 25-year-old with 23 home runs and six stolen bases in 104 appearances. It appears he will sit out at times against quality right-handers this season, something fantasy managers should keep in mind.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez continued to struggle at the plate in a 6-1 Cactus League loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. The 25-year-old did draw a walk but also went hitless in three trips to the plate as he's now hitting just .172 (5-for-29) with just one extra-base hit, one RBI, and eight strikeouts across 33 trips to the plate. Penciled in as the Royals' designated hitter for 2024, Velazquez hit .235 with a hefty 17 home runs and an .888 OPS across just 53 games between the Royals and Chicago Cubs. While his overall production is projected to drop, Velazquez is still projected to slug 23 home runs with six stolen bases across 102 games played by ATC in the 2024 season.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez is not in Monday's starting lineup against the Oakland A's and right-hander Paul Blackburn. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs as part of a trade that sent reliever Jose Cuas to the Windy City, Velazquez has seen solid playing time with the Royals since being brought up on Aug. 10. The 24-year-old has been extremely productive in a small big-league sample, hitting .259 with seven homers and a .961 OPS across 62 plate appearance between the Cubs and Royals this season. He hasn't fared as well at Triple-A, however, as he hit .253 with 16 homers, seven steals, and an .802 OPS in 74 games with Triple-A Iowa before going just 1-for-22 in six games with Triple-A Omaha prior to joining the Royals.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Nelson Velazquez (illness) remains out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants. He was a late scratch on Friday due to a non-COVID related illness. Possibly, the Cubs decided to have him sit out due to the fact a right-hander pitcher is on the mound. Ian Happ, Rafael Ortega and Seiya Suzuki will cover the outfield for the Cubs on Sunday night. The expectation is that Velazquez will return within the next few days.

Chicago Cubs rookie outfielder Nelson Velazquez (illness) was scratched from the starting lineup on Friday against the San Francisco Giants with an illness. Velazquez should be considered day-to-day for now. He's struggled in his first 147 major league at-bats this year, slashing .204/.282/.374 with six home runs, 19 RBI, 18 runs scored and four stolen bases. With him under the weather, Michael Hermosillo will start in center field and bat seventh against Giants left-hander Carlos Rodon. Hermosillo should be avoided in DFS formats on Friday in a tough matchup. In 28 at-bats for the Cubbies in 2022, he has just two hits, two RBI, two runs scored and 14 strikeouts.

Chicago Cubs rookie outfielder Nelson Velazquez is starting in right field and batting ninth on Saturday against St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. The struggling Jason Heyward will begin on the bench. Velazquez has gone 4-for-12 (.333) with a double, three walks, three strikeouts and two runs scored in his first six major league games for the Cubbies. With the Cubs not in contention, the 23-year-old could earn more playing time in the outfield if he continues to produce. The Cubs' No. 16 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, was slashing a combined .241/.332/.527 with an .859 OPS, 15 home runs, 32 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 56 games with Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa before his call-up, so his power/speed profile could be enticing for those in NL-only and deep-mixed leagues.

The Chicago Cubs will be promoting outfield prospect Nelson Velazquez to Triple-A, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. The 23-year-old has been mashing at Double-A this year with nine home runs and four doubles over 21 games and 91 plate appearances. He has a .279/.374/.696 slash line on the year. Velazquez is ranked as the team's 16th overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. If he continues raking at Triple-A, we could very well see him make his MLB debut this year. However, he has some plate discipline concerns as he has struck out 33 times so far this season and he had 132 whiffs over 103 games at High-A and Double-A in 2021.