Lane Michael Thomas (born August 23, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Thomas in the 2014 MLB draft. He played in their minor league system for four years before he was traded to the Cardinals in 2017. He made his MLB debut with the team in 2019, but struggled with injuries and was unable to find consistent playing time before he was traded to the Nationals during the 2021 season, with whom he became their starting center fielder. The Nationals traded him to the Guardians in 2024.
Amateur career
Thomas attended Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a sophomore, he committed to play college baseball at the University of Tennessee. During the summer of 2013, he played for Team USA in the 2013 18U Baseball World Cup in Taichung. In 2014, as a senior, he batted .410 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs. Following his senior year, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.
Professional career
Toronto Blue Jays
Thomas signed with the Blue Jays for $750,000, forgoing his college commitment.
Thomas made his professional debut that same year with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays before being reassigned to the Bluefield Blue Jays. In 52 games between the two clubs, he batted .281 with one home run and 19 RBIs. In 2015, he played for both the Vancouver Canadians and the Lansing Lugnuts, hitting a combined .206 with five home runs and 35 RBIs in 52 total games. He spent 2016 with Lansing where he compiled a .216 batting average with seven home runs, 27 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases in 81 games. He began 2017 with the Dunedin Blue Jays.
St. Louis Cardinals
On July 2, 2017, Toronto traded Thomas to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for international signing bonus cap space. St. Louis assigned him to the Palm Beach Cardinals, but he played in only nine games due to injury. In 82 total games between Dunedin and Palm Beach, he hit .252 with four home runs and 41 RBIs. Thomas began the 2018 season with the Springfield Cardinals where he was named a Texas League All-Star. He was promoted to the Memphis Redbirds in late July and finished the season there, helping the Redbirds win the 2018 Triple-A National Championship Game. In 132 games between Springfield and Memphis, Thomas slashed .264/.333/.489 with 27 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. He was assigned to play for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League after the season.
The Cardinals added Thomas to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season. He returned to Memphis to begin 2019. On April 17, he was recalled to the major leagues for the first time and he made his major league debut that same day at Miller Park against the Milwaukee Brewers. On April 19, against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium, he hit a home run in his first major league at bat. On August 11, Thomas hit his first ever major league grand slam. On August 30, he was placed on the 10-day injured list after being hit in his right wrist. On September 1, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season. Over 44 plate appearances with St. Louis, he hit .316 with four home runs.
Thomas began the 2020 season with St. Louis. On August 9, it was announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. He returned to play in October, and ended the season batting .111 with one home run over 18 games. In 2021, Thomas did not make the Opening Day roster. He split time between Memphis and St. Louis during the 2021 season before being traded.
Washington Nationals
On July 30, 2021, Thomas was traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for starting pitcher Jon Lester. Thomas was called up in August 2021 and soon became the Nationals' everyday center fielder, supplanting Victor Robles. Over 45 games with Washington, Thomas slashed .270/.364/.489 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs.
On June 3, 2022, Thomas enjoyed his first career three-home run game in a contest against the Cincinnati Reds. In 2022 with the Nationals, he played in 146 games, led the majors in percentage of balls hit safely (23.2%), and batted .241/.301/.404 with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 26 doubles.
On January 13, 2023, Thomas agreed to a one-year, $2.2 million contract with the Nationals, avoiding salary arbitration.
In 2023, Thomas became the Nationals primary right fielder and enjoyed a breakout season, batting .268 and setting career highs with 28 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
On January 11, 2024, Thomas and the Nationals agreed to a one-year contract worth $5.45 million to avoid salary arbitration.
Cleveland Guardians
On July 29, 2024, Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Alex Clemmey, José Tena, and Rafael Ramírez Jr.
On October 12, in Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Thomas hit a grand slam off Tarik Skubal in the bottom of the fifth for the Guardians to take the lead at 5–1 and propel them to the ALCS for the first time since 2016 with a 7–3 win.
Personal life
Thomas co-owns Knox Cabinet Co., a home remodeling business, with his sister alongside another co-owner.
Thomas married Chase Henry on January 21, 2023, in Panama City Beach, Florida. On October 30, 2023, their son was born.