Arias started at shortstop, which is notable with Brayan Rocchio slashing .183/.258/.220 on the season. Arias has some swing-and-miss in his game, but he also makes a lot of hard contact. The Guardians are comfortable playing him all around the field which should lead to consistent playing time. He’s a solid player to have on your bench given his multi-position eligibility.

That makes it three homers in five games for Arias who has cemented himself as an every day player for the Guardians in the early going this season. He’s also 8-for-17 over that same five-game span with and doing well to access his tremendous raw power despite ample swing-and-miss in his game. His long ball in this one was tattooed at 108.9 mph and traveled an estimated 424 feet. He’s been a fun player to track so far.

Arias’s OPS is up nearly 300 points (.589 to .878) the last two days. He still hasn’t demonstrated much ability to hit for average, and he’s only a modest steal threat, so it wouldn’t seem to be time to pick him up in mixed leagues. Still, the Guardians will take what they can get after declining to sign a veteran stopgap for second base over the winter.

Arias’s homer accounted for the first runs given up by Kris Bubic in three starts this year and the only runs scored tonight until the Guardians turned the game into a rout with four in the bottom of the eighth. Arias raised his OPS from .589 to .754. He’s started 11 of the Guardians’ 13 games to date, having played second base eight times, shortstop twice and third base once. There’s little reason to think he’ll offer mixed-league value at any point, but the Guardians would be happy to see him emerge as more than just a stopgap while they wait for Juan Brito and Travis Bazzana.