Austin Slater

Austin Slater

33-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Tampa Bay Rays AAA
2026 Stats
AVG
.231
HR
0
RBI
3
R
6
SB
4
Rest-of-Season Projections
AVG
HR
RBI
R
SB
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Austin Slater in 2026. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
League AAA
Bats R
Throws R
40 Man No
Height 6'2"
Weight 205
DOB 12/13/1992
Born Jacksonville, FL
College Stanford
Drafted 8th Rd 2014 SF
Signed a one-year contract with the Rays in May of 2026.
DFA'd by Tampa Bay
OFTampa Bay Rays  AAA
June 19, 2026
The Rays designated Slater for assignment Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis
The veteran outfielder joined Tampa Bay on a minor-league deal in late May and was added to the big-league roster June 8. Slater went 6-for-22 with three walks, two doubles, three steals, an RBI and two runs in seven games for the Rays, but he'll be the odd man out after the club activated Jonny DeLuca (hamstring) from the injured list. Slater has already seen action with three MLB clubs in 2026 and could return to free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
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Batting Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
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Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
7
3
1
1
2
1
1
1
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+2%
OPS vs RHP
2026
 
 
+48%
OPS vs RHP
2025
 
 
+38%
OPS vs LHP
2024
 
 
+25%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024vs Left .605 300 34 6 21 8 .205 .300 .305
Since 2024vs Right .616 146 18 1 13 0 .237 .303 .313
2026vs Left .555 65 6 0 2 4 .211 .292 .263
2026vs Right .819 9 0 0 1 0 .375 .444 .375
2025vs Left .726 93 14 5 8 1 .224 .290 .435
2025vs Right .528 67 8 0 5 0 .206 .242 .286
2024vs Left .541 142 14 1 11 3 .188 .310 .231
2024vs Right .676 70 10 1 7 0 .250 .343 .333
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+22%
OPS on Road
2026
 
 
+270%
OPS on Road
2025
 
 
+10%
OPS on Road
2024
Even Split
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024Home .549 226 25 5 23 5 .199 .253 .296
Since 2024Away .671 220 27 2 11 3 .234 .350 .321
2026Home .243 34 2 0 3 1 .094 .118 .125
2026Away .899 40 4 0 0 3 .364 .475 .424
2025Home .617 93 13 4 9 1 .222 .239 .378
2025Away .676 67 9 1 4 0 .207 .313 .362
2024Home .587 99 10 1 11 3 .214 .313 .274
2024Away .585 113 14 1 7 0 .204 .327 .258
Minor League Left/Right Batting Splits (AAA)
Since 2024
 
 
+17%
OPS vs LHP
2026
 
 
+29%
OPS vs LHP
2025
 
 
+118%
OPS vs LHP
2024
 
 
+195%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024vs Left .986 24 2 5 .304 .333 .652
Since 2024vs Right .843 57 0 2 .295 .456 .386
2026vs Left 1.109 11 1 3 .300 4.000 .700
2026vs Right .860 17 0 0 .385 9.000 .692
2025vs Left .875 8 0 1 .375 3.000 .500
2025vs Right .402 27 0 1 .263 13.000 .263
2024vs Left 1.400 5 1 1 .200 1.000 .800
2024vs Right .474 13 0 1 .250 4.000 .250
Stat Review
How does Austin Slater compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.38
 
BB Rate
10.8%
 
K Rate
28.4%
 
BABIP
.333
 
ISO
.046
 
AVG
.231
 
OBP
.311
 
SLG
.277
 
OPS
.588
 
wOBA
.270
 
Exit Velocity
85.7 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
24.4%
 
Barrels/PA
1.4%
 
Expected BA
.180
 
Expected SLG
.246
 
Sprint Speed
24.8 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
48.9%
 
Line Drive %
17.8%
 
Fly Ball %
33.3%
 
Prospect Rankings History
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Additional Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Slater signed a one-year deal with the White Sox this offseason and is projected to be a right-handed option off their bench to perhaps platoon at DH or with newly signed Mike Tauchman. Slater employed his limited skill-set for three different clubs last season as he continues to be a disciplined hitter who can earn walks while also generating a high volume of strikeouts. 2021 was Slater's last true season of fantasy viability in mixed leagues, while 2022 was the last time he had value even in mono leagues. The open tryout situation in Chicago creates an opportunity for anyone who shows they can hit, so perhaps Slater can extrapolate pieces of what made him good in 2021 and 2022, and for some of 2023, and play that into some value for deeper AL-Only leagues in 2025.
Slater was limited to just 90 plate appearances in the first half last season due to a pair of hamstring injuries. He later had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow just after the season to remove a bone spur which apparently had been an issue for a couple years. In between the injuries and surgery Slater was his usual productive self against left-handed pitching, slashing .288/.361/.439 with four homers in 147 plate appearances. He started just seven games versus righties and collected a .619 OPS. Slater's role as short-side platoon specialist is very defined at this point and it's unlikely to change under new manager Bob Melvin. The 31-year-old is good enough at the role to have some deep-league fantasy value, but he's simply not going to play enough to be useful in shallower leagues.
Slater filled his usual platoon against southpaw role, but improved numbers against righthanders fueled a career-high number of plate appearances, albeit in fewer games than 2021 since Slater incurred a couple of shirt IL stints. His power dropped, commensurate with the hitting environment, but the rest of Slater's underlying metrics carried over from the prior season. With Mitch Haniger signed as a free agent, Slater is again destined for short side of the platoon work, spelling Joc Pederson and sometimes Mike Yastrzemski along with some time at designated hitter. Slater's ability to collect double-digit steals in a part-time capacity has some mixed league appeal, but more on a fill in basis when it is clear he'll be on the field frequently during that transaction period.
Slater helped propel the Giants to the playoff by filling the short side a platoon in the outfield. His double-digit home runs and stolen bases make it seems like he could benefit from more playing time. The deal is that an extreme platoon split will limit his upside. In his career (843 PA), he's struggled against righties (.633 OPS, .853 OPS against lefties). Those struggles didn't end in 2021 with a .894 OPS vs. LHP and just a .497 vs. RHP. Nothing in his profile points to his struggles against lefties going away. His fantasy value comes down to the league type. If the league allows daily moves, he can be started when there is a lefty on the mound, and benched the rest of the time. In a weekly league, he's waiver wire fodder, appealing primarily in those one or two weeks when the Giants are facing five or more lefties. Don't get sucked into doubling his 2021 season.
Groin and elbow issues limited Slater to just 31 games last season, but he was impressive when available, hitting .282/.408/.506 with five homers and eight steals. That's quite a big change from what the 28-year-old showed in his first three partial seasons, when he posted a .254/.335/.368 line in 176 contests, looking firmly like a fourth outfielder. His improvements may have come in a small sample, but they were backed up by strong peripherals, with his .305 xBA and .542 xSLG suggesting he may have even underachieved. His 14.1% barrel rate, 15.4 BB% and 21.2 K% were all career bests. A return to previous form wouldn't be a huge surprise given how brief his breakout was, but if he keeps making considerably more contact that he had in the past while hitting the ball harder than ever, he'll remain a capable everyday starter at minimum and a potential draft-day bargain.
Slater split time between the minor leagues -- where he hit .308 in 240 at-bats -- and the majors last season. With the Giants, he posted a .238 average and a modest five home runs in 192 plate appearances. Nonetheless, Slater showed some signs of being a capable big-league hitter. Most notably, his 11.5 BB% was well above league average, and his 45.0% hard-hit rate was a sizable jump over his previous two stints in the majors. Of course, hitting the ball hard is only relevant if a player is able to put the ball in play, and that has been a struggle for Slater throughout his time with San Francisco. He posted a 30.7 K% for the second consecutive season in 2019, dampening much of the progress he made at the plate. Slater's defensive versatility is an asset, but given his penchant for striking out and less-than-stellar production through 176 career big-league games, a roster spot for 2020 is not guaranteed.
Slater's sophomore season was largely a forgettable one, as he managed a mediocre.251/.333/.307 line in 74 big-league appearances. His strikeout rate jumped nearly eight percentage points to 30.7%, while his slugging percentage fell by 95 points. It took a .377 BABIP to get him up to his unimpressive batting line, which doesn't bode well for a player who is limited to first base and the outfield corners, defensively. Those who want to hold out optimism for the 26-year-old's future can point to his .319/.391/.513 line over parts of three seasons with Triple-A Sacramento, but he just hasn't been able to maintain anything close to that level of performance against big-league pitching. The rebuilding Giants should have plenty of playing time for players like Slater, so he'll likely be given another chance to prove himself at some point.
Slater didn't make a ton of noise in his 34-game debut, but he was perfectly adequate at the dish. After getting the callup on June 2, he hit .282 with a league-average 100 wRC+ in 127 plate appearances. A torn adductor muscle in his right hip cost Slater most of the second half. He returned late in September, but only made five appearances before landing back on the shelf with a sports hernia, which required surgery. Slater's control of the strike zone is a little shaky (22.8 percent strikeout rate last year, 6.3 percent walk rate), and his home park mitigates what power he has, but he's just 25 and should at least be afforded chances against lefties to begin 2018. He can play all three outfield positions and can even man the infield in a pinch. As a reserve in NL-only, Slater makes some sense, but he will need to show more and work himself in to a bigger role before he pops up on the mixed-league radar.
More Fantasy News
Logs third steal
OFTampa Bay Rays  AAA
June 16, 2026
Slater went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Dodgers.
Analysis
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Officially added to roster
OFTampa Bay Rays  AAA
June 8, 2026
The Rays selected Slater's contract from Triple-A Durham on Monday.
Analysis
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Heading to big leagues
OFTampa Bay Rays  AAA
June 8, 2026
The Rays plan to call up Slater from Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Analysis
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Inks minors deal with Rays
OFTampa Bay Rays  AAA
May 26, 2026
Slater signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
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Elects free agency
OFFree Agent  AAA
May 25, 2026
Slater elected to become a free agent Sunday.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Yankees interested in reunion
OFFree Agent  AAA
February 3, 2026
The Yankees have Slater "on their list" as they seek a right-handed-hitting outfielder, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Analysis
Slater went just 3-for-25 at the plate in 14 regular-season games last season after the Yankees acquired him at the trade deadline, missing a chunk of time down the stretch with a strained hamstring. However, the 33-year-old boasts a career .267/.357/.430 batting line versus left-handers, which still makes him a fit for the Yankees' bench.
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