Fantasy Baseball Lineup Lowdown: American League Latest Trends

The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: we're looking for trends which could help identify players that might be undervalued or overvalued. Who is playing more/less? Who is moving up/down? We'll be doing a deep dive into one league each week as we navigate the lineup landscape.

To track all the latest changes around the league, visit our MLB batting order changes and MLB playing time changes pages.

Baltimore Orioles

– Jackson Holliday has taken over as the Orioles' leadoff man, occupying the spot in each of his last 14 starts. He has made two starts against left-handed openers over that time but was down in the No. 7 spot the last time Baltimore faced a traditional left-handed starter. The left-handed-hitting Holliday sports an .825 OPS against righties but just a .485 OPS versus lefties this season, so he could continue hitting lower in the order against left-handed pitching. Gunnar Henderson has been elevated to leadoff those days.

– The Orioles are currently without all three projected starting outfielders, with Colton Cowser (thumb), Cedric Mullins (hamstring) and Tyler O'Neill (shoulder) sidelined. All three are expected back soon, but in the meantime, Dylan Carlson, Jorge Mateo and Heston Kjerstad are getting regular run in the outfield. Coby Mayo is also getting another opportunity with Ryan Mountcastle (hamstring) also shelved. Mayo was up in the No. 5 spot in the batting order Sunday.

Boston Red Sox

– Carlos Narvaez is not only soaking up most of the starts at catcher over Connor Wong, he's also been elevated to more high-profile spots in the Red Sox' batting order. In each of his last seven starts, Narvaez has hit either third or fourth. The 26-year-old slashed .356/.427/.534 in May. Narvaez had just a .746 OPS in the minors, but his 13.2 percent barrel rate and 91.4 mph average exit velocity is promising.

– Alex Bregman is, unfortunately, slated for a long absence after suffering a significant quad strain. The silver lining is that the injury has led to the arrival of Marcelo Mayer, who drew eight straight starts at third base before getting a breather Monday. Mayer has batted fifth for the Red Sox in each of his last three starts.

New York Yankees

– Jazz Chisholm (oblique) played third base on his rehab assignment and will be used at the hot corner now that he's back in tow with the Yankees. That means DJ LeMahieu will remain at second base rather than shift to the hot corner. LeMahieu has started 12 of 17 contests since returning from the IL and will likely play at a similar rate moving forward, with Oswald Peraza being mixed in at the keystone.

– Ben Rice has been out of the lineup eight times across the team's past 20 games. He has, however, entered mid-game in five of those eight contests he didn't start. Rice's production has slowed since his scorching-hot start to the season, but he has gone deep four times over the aforementioned 20-game stretch.

Tampa Bay Rays

– Upon Jake Mangum's (groin) return from the IL, the Rays elected to send down speedster Chandler Simpson. Simpson was excellent from a fantasy perspective, batting .285 with 19 stolen bases in just 35 games, but he had just a .632 OPS, a lowly 15.3 percent hard-hit rate and rated poorly as a defender. Simpson had already ceded the leadoff spot versus righties to Josh Lowe, who has hit either first or second in his last 11 starts against righties. The left-handed-hitting Lowe has remained in the lineup in three of five tilts versus southpaws, batting either sixth or seventh those days.

– Jose Caballero has been up at the top of the batting order each of the last two times the Rays have faced lefties, and he's also started 12 of the past 15 tilts against right-handers. After leading the AL with 44 stolen bases last season, Caballero is tied for third on the Junior Circuit with 19 thefts in 2025. He's also somewhat mitigated his 28 percent strikeout rate — a high number given his pedestrian power — by nearly doubling his walk rate this season to 10.2 percent.

Toronto Blue Jays

– The Blue Jays' outfield/designated hitter depth has taken a hit, with Daulton Varsho (hamstring) joining Anthony Santander (shoulder) on the shelf over the weekend. Myles Straw had already been seeing regular starts against lefties and should get run in center field versus righties, as well, while Varsho is sidelined. Jonatan Clase and Nathan Lukes held down the corner outfield spots the last time the Jays faced a righty, and Alan Roden could also get another chance after being recalled.

– Addison Barger is turning into an everyday player and a key part of Toronto's lineup. He batted third the last time the Blue Jays went up against a right-hander, and the left-handed-hitting third baseman was also in the lineup each of the last two times the opposition sent a lefty to the hill. Barger has homered in three straight contests and boasts loud batted-ball metrics, notably ranking in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity.

Chicago White Sox

– The White Sox sent the struggling Andrew Vaughn and also Tim Elko to Triple-A Charlotte on May 23. Since then, Miguel Vargas has made nine of 10 starts at first base. He's also batted third nine times over that span and hit second in the other contest. Vargas made changes with his hand placement over the offseason, putting them lower and more out in front of his body. While the adjustment didn't pay immediate dividends, the 25-year-old is sporting a .920 OPS with eight homers across his last 35 games.

– Luis Robert has been all the way down in the No. 7 spot for the White Sox in each of the club's last two games, which is the lowest he's hit this season. The 27-year-old has been in a season-long slump at the plate but has managed to keep his fantasy value somewhat afloat by leading all of baseball with 21 stolen bases.

Cleveland Guardians

– Lane Thomas lasted only four games before going back on the IL, this time with a foot issue. Angel Martinez got three starts at second base during the brief time Thomas was healthy but will now go back to being the Guardians' everyday center fielder. He's occupied the two hole in Cleveland's lineup for each of the last four games.

– Nolan Jones has been stuck at the bottom of the Guardians' lineup for each of the last three contests, but he might finally be finding something at the dish, having gone 8-for-14 across his last four tilts. The 27-year-old boasts a 50 percent hard-hit rate and a 92.8 mph average exit velocity, along with an improved 26.6 percent strikeout rate, so he was probably due for some good fortune.

Detroit Tigers

– Parker Meadows was activated from the 60-day injured list Monday and immediately slid into the leadoff spot for his season debut. Javier Baez has been a pleasant surprise in center field and could still see some action there versus lefties, although the left-handed-hitting Meadows has not had notable splits in his career. Baez started at shortstop Monday and, given Trey Sweeney's struggles, could see more action there moving forward.

– Jake Rogers (oblique) returned from the IL in late May but has taken a backseat at catcher to Dillon Dingler, who has started nine of 13 contests since Rogers was activated. Dingler is hitting .321/.368/.418 since the beginning of May and was up in the No. 5 spot in the Tigers' lineup for Monday's game.

Kansas City Royals

– Jac Caglianone has arrived, getting the call after slashing .322/.389/.593 with 15 home runs and two stolen bases over 50 games between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. As I'm writing this, the Royals had not yet released their first lineup with Caglianone, but he is expected to receive the majority of his playing time in right field, a position where he has very limited experience. He'll be the eighth different player to be used in right field by Kansas City this season.

– The Royals have not yet bailed on Michael Massey as a regular, but they have demoted him to the eight spot in the lineup for each of his last eight starts. He began the campaign as the club's regular No. 5 hitter, but the 27-year-old has been in a season-long slump and shows no signs of snapping out of it. Massey's .486 OPS is easily the lowest in baseball among 170 qualifiers.

Minnesota Twins

– Royce Lewis — who famously once said that he doesn't slump — is, in fact, slumping, heading into play Monday mired in a 0-for-30 drought. As a result, he's been out of the Twins' lineup three times across their last six games, and in his last start he was in the ninth spot in the batting order. It seems very unlikely that Lewis will play himself out of a starting job, but he's unplayable right now in fantasy leagues.

– The left-handed-hitting Kody Clemens has become a regular against right-handed pitching, making 14 straight starts in such situations. Eight of those starts have come at second base, three have been at first base and three have been in right field. Clemens is sure to cool off, and probably sooner rather than later, but he's collected a .951 OPS with five homers in his first 26 tilts with the Twins.

Houston Astros

– It seemed like the Astros might be setting things up to demote Cam Smith to Triple-A Sugar Land with how they cut his playing time from late April to mid-May, but they've since handed him 16 straight starts and Smith is slashing .327/.393/.436 over that stretch. Smith hasn't homered since April 18, but he's trending in the right direction at the plate, so hopefully the long balls are coming.

– Mauricio Dubon's playing time this season has been sporadic, but he's found his name on the lineup card consistently lately, starting nine of the last 11 contests. Seven of those starts have come at second base, and he's also been mixed in at third base and in left field. Dubon has batted ninth in all nine of the starts and has not hit higher than eighth this season.

Los Angeles Angels

– Mike Trout returned from the injured list this past weekend following a month-long absence. All three of his starts have been in the DH spot, with Jorge Soler covering right field those days. The plan is for Trout to resume outfield workouts when the Angels return home this weekend, but it's not clear when he will be ready to play the outfield again. What does seem clear is Trout is ready to be moved back up in the batting order after hitting fifth twice and sixth once, as he's 8-for-14 with a homer since returning.

– Yoan Moncada is hurt again, this time going down with a knee injury. Luis Rengifo has shifted over to third base to accommodate the loss of Moncada, with Scott Kingery entering the lineup at second base. Kingery hadn't received a plate appearance at the big-league level since 2021 prior to this recent opportunity. The Halos also scooped up Chris Taylor after he was cut loose by the Dodgers and could give him reps at second base, but Taylor has played only in the outfield so far in Anaheim.

Sacramento Athletics

– Denzel Clarke was called up in late May and has served as the Athletics' starting center fielder and No. 9 hitter in nine of the last 10 contests. The guy he had been recalled to replace, JJ Bleday, is now back with the big club, but with Tyler Soderstrom back at first base to accommodate the loss of Nick Kurtz (hip), Clarke and Bleday could both play regularly (at least against righties, in Bleday's case). Clarke has already stolen three bases in 10 games, but he's also sporting an ugly 21:1 K:BB.

– With Miguel Andujar (oblique) joining Gio Urshela (hamstring) on the IL, the A's have a hole to fill at third base. CJ Alexander drew the first start there after Andujar went down, and he and Max Schuemann could share the position for a while. Schuemann could have enough speed and positional versatility to be relevant in deep leagues if he plays regularly, but you'd have to really be digging deep.

Seattle Mariners

– The Mariners have summoned Cole Young from the minors and appear ready to hand him the keys to the second-base job. Young's plate discipline is his best asset — he walked more times than he struck out this season at Triple-A Tacoma — but he does have some speed, too. The power is modest, and what he does have figures to be thwarted by T-Mobile Park. Young has batted eighth in both starts. The odd man out upon Young's arrival has been Dylan Moore, who has been absent from the lineup in three straight games and four of the last five tilts.

– Jorge Polanco was initially limited to DH duty because of a sore side, but he's been a full-time DH for two months even though he's presumably totally healthy now. After clubbing nine home runs and posting a 1.226 OPS through the end of April, Polanco has produced just a .392 OPS since the start of May. Ben Williamson is also offering very little offensively at third base, but the Mariners love his glovework.

Texas Rangers

– The Rangers sat Adolis Garcia for all three games during their weekend series against the Cardinals, giving him an extended break amidst a .173/.218/.346 batting line and 34.5 percent strikeout rate over his last 15 contests. A long-term benching of Garcia still seems unlikely, especially since he's graded out as a plus defender. Sam Haggerty has been picking up starts in right field with Garcia on the bench.

– Alejandro Osuna has started six straight games in left field against right-handed pitching since being called up and has batted fifth in each of those last four contests. Wyatt Langford has shifted over to center field during those games. Evan Carter (quad) is due back Tuesday and it's not clear how the playing time in the outfield will break down at that point, but the Rangers do have the DH spot available with Joc Pederson (hand) sidelined.