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
– Tyler O'Neill returned from the 10-day injured list July 4 after missing nearly two months of action with a shoulder problem. He's already sat three times in nine contests since being activated, and O'Neill has batted higher than seventh just once in his six starts. O'Neill has split his time between right field (three starts) and designated hitter (three starts) and is only 3-for-22 at the dish over that span. While the playing time and certainly the production for O'Neill have been less than ideal, he should have everyday playing time locked in again if/when the Orioles trade Ryan O'Hearn, Cedric Mullins and/or Ramon Laureano.
– Speaking of Laureano, he has clearly surpassed O'Neill in the Orioles' current outfield/DH hierarchy. Laureano was in the lineup for each of the team's final 15 games and 23 of their last 24 contests leading up to the All-Star break. He's put together a .318/.385/.529 slash line with three home runs, 18 RBI and two steals over the latter stretch. Laureano hasn't batted lower than fifth across his last 18 starts.
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
– Tyler O'Neill returned from the 10-day injured list July 4 after missing nearly two months of action with a shoulder problem. He's already sat three times in nine contests since being activated, and O'Neill has batted higher than seventh just once in his six starts. O'Neill has split his time between right field (three starts) and designated hitter (three starts) and is only 3-for-22 at the dish over that span. While the playing time and certainly the production for O'Neill have been less than ideal, he should have everyday playing time locked in again if/when the Orioles trade Ryan O'Hearn, Cedric Mullins and/or Ramon Laureano.
– Speaking of Laureano, he has clearly surpassed O'Neill in the Orioles' current outfield/DH hierarchy. Laureano was in the lineup for each of the team's final 15 games and 23 of their last 24 contests leading up to the All-Star break. He's put together a .318/.385/.529 slash line with three home runs, 18 RBI and two steals over the latter stretch. Laureano hasn't batted lower than fifth across his last 18 starts.
Boston Red Sox
– The scorching-hot Ceddanne Rafaela was not only all the way up in the two hole for Saturday's game against the Rays, but he also started the game at second base. It's the first time this season that he started a contest anywhere other than center field and also the first time this season he batted higher than sixth. While he will still be the team's primary center fielder in the second half, Rafaela is expected to be mixed in at second base and also perhaps some at shortstop as manager Alex Cora juggles all of his options. Rafaela has been planted in the No. 9 spot in the lineup for most of 2025, including twice during the four-game set versus the Rays before the break. However, with a 1.004 OPS since June 1, he could earn more chances to bat higher in the order.
– Masataka Yoshida has occupied the DH spot in four of five games (all versus right-handers) since coming off the IL to make his season debut. He's been slotted in once apiece in the sixth, fifth, fourth and third spots in the lineup, notably batting third once and fourth once in the two games Alex Bregman started upon his return. Meanwhile, Marcelo Mayer has shifted over to second base, as expected, in Bregman's two starts.
New York Yankees
– The Yankees have elected to shift Jazz Chisholm back to second base, which is where he played for the first month of the season. Rather than move DJ LeMahieu to third base, they just cut him loose instead. That's opened up the hot corner for Oswald Peraza, who has started at third base in six of the team's last seven contests. Peraza has hit ninth in virtually all of his starts this season and continues to show little offensive aptitude at the big-league level with a lowly .456 OPS. The Yankees are a slam dunk to trade for a third baseman this month.
– The good news with Ben Rice is that he's reached the necessary 10 games played at catcher to earn in-season eligibility at the position in fantasy. The bad news is Rice hasn't been playing much lately, having started just two of the final seven games of the first half. Part of Rice's downward playing time trend is due to the emergence of Jasson Dominguez, who has started in the leadoff spot each of the last four times the Yankees faced a righty. Dominguez went into the break having slashed .359/.388/.547 with two home runs and four stolen bases over his last 16 tilts.
Tampa Bay Rays
– Ha-Seong Kim tweaked his calf in his Rays' debut July 4 and missed the next three games. He returned to start five of the next six contests, batting second against the lone lefty the Rays faced over that stretch and bouncing between the fifth and eighth slots against righties. Five of Kim's six starts have come at shortstop, but he also made one start at second base.
For all the latest injury updates, check out RotoWire's MLB Injury News page.
– Taylor Walls has maintained a regular role even after Kim returned. Unfortunately, it's been because Brandon Lowe (oblique) is hurt, as Walls has shifted over to be the team's primary second baseman since Lowe went down. The biggest beneficiary from Lowe's absence in terms of lineup placement has probably been Jake Mangum, who hit third twice and fourth once in the last three games before the break. Most figured Mangum would have turned into a pumpkin by now (myself included), but he's slashed .297/.333/.392 in 40 games since coming off the IL. He's an extreme groundball hitter with very little power, but Mangum makes a lot of contact and can run.
Toronto Blue Jays
– In the Blue Jays' last five games when facing a righty, Nathan Lukes has held down the leadoff spot. Like Mangum, Lukes' best asset is probably his contact skills. He boasts a 12 percent walk rate and 12.5 percent strikeout rate this season, and over his final 13 games before the break he got on base at a .452 clip. Lukes has bounced around the outfield evenly, making 19 starts in right field, 18 starts in center field and 16 starts in left field. He could get pushed aside when Daulton Varsho (hamstring) and/or Anthony Santander (shoulder) return, but for now Lukes is occupying a prime spot in the Toronto lineup.
– Bo Bichette was cemented into the Blue Jays' leadoff spot for the first four months of the season, making each of his first 82 starts from the top of the batting order. However, he missed four games after tweaking his knee, and since returning to action, Bichette has settled into more of an RBI spot, batting cleanup in six of the last nine tilts.
Chicago White Sox
– The White Sox summoned Colson Montgomery from Triple-A Charlotte on July 4 and handed him starts in nine of 10 contests heading into the All-Star break. Montgomery has hit seventh or eighth in seven of nine starts but did bat fifth once and sixth once. Also, after starting at shortstop in his first eight tilts, he started at third base in the final game before the break while Chase Meidroth handled shortstop. The left-handed-hitting Montgomery's lone day off came against a lefty, but he was in the lineup the other two times the White Sox faced a southpaw since his promotion.
– After showing signs in May that he might be ready for a breakout, Miguel Vargas has stumbled with a .576 OPS and only two home runs since the beginning of June. He was out of the lineup the Saturday before the break and on Sunday batted seventh, which was the first time since May 1 that he hit lower than cleanup.
Cleveland Guardians
– Nolan Jones has been up in the two hole for the Guardians in each of their last six games against right-handed pitching. Jones has managed to slash .297/.385/.406 over his last 36 contests, but the counting stats have been lacking with just one homer and three steals over that span. Jones does have a sizable 46-point gap between his wOBA (.292) and xwOBA (.338), so perhaps he has some better luck coming his way.
– Lane Thomas is dealing with plantar fasciitis again, which means Angel Martinez is again the team's primary center fielder. The switch-hitting Martinez had gone through a stretch where he started only twice in five games versus righties, but with Thomas hurt, Martinez was in the lineup for each of the last 10 contests before the break (including seven against right-handers). Martinez sports an .847 OPS versus lefties this season, as compared to a .558 OPS against righties.
Detroit Tigers
– Matt Vierling's playing time has been trending up. After starting just two of the first five tilts upon his activation from the IL, he has since been in the lineup on seven occasions across the final nine games of the first half. Vierling has yet to play an inning at third base this season, having made 10 starts in the outfield and one at DH. Third base was manned by Zach McKinstry in the final three games and four of the last five games before the break.
– Since Vierling was activated, Parker Meadows has been out of the lineup five times in 14 tilts, including three times against right-handed pitching. Meadows is sitting on a .545 OPS and 30.3 percent strikeout rate and could see his playing time further squeezed when Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) comes back from the IL.
Kansas City Royals
– Nick Loftin has been a regular presence in the Royals' lineup lately, starting seven of the final eight contests prior to the All-Star break. He has split his time between second base (three starts) and left field (three starts) over that stretch, also mixing one game in at third base. The 26-year-old put up an .804 OPS with a couple home runs during those eight tilts. Michael Massey's (wrist) recent setback could give Loftin more time to make an impression, but his leash will be short.
– Also garnering plenty of looks lately has been the left-handed-hitting John Rave, who has been in the lineup for six of the past seven tilts against right-handers. Each of Rave's last five starts have been in left field, a position that has been a black hole offensively for the club with just a wRC+ of 62. Unfortunately, Rave is only dragging that number down with a lowly wRC+ of 42.
Minnesota Twins
– Superutility player Willi Castro has started every game and not hit lower than fourth since June 25. He's spent most of his time at second base (eight starts) and left field (six starts) over that span but has also played right field (two starts) and third base (one start). Castro has also done more running over the 17-game stretch, swiping five bases to nearly double his total for the season.
– Kody Clemens has inched ahead of Ty France in the pecking order at first base, making five starts to France's three over the last eight contests while also mixing in an additional start at second base during that span. Clemens is hitting only .213 in 2025 between his time with the Phillies and Twins, but he's clubbed 12 homers in 170 plate appearances while putting up robust batted-ball data with a 51.8 percent hard-hit rate, 93.9 mph average exit velocity and 13.6 percent barrel rate.
Houston Astros
– Top prospect Brice Matthews was summoned by the Astros just before the All-Star break and started two of three games at second base, batting eighth once and ninth once. Matthews has struck out at a 31.4 percent clip during his time at Triple-A Sugar Land and has gone 0-for-7 with five strikeouts early on in the big leagues. With raw power and speed, Matthews has plenty fantasy upside, but it's questionable as to whether he'll ever make enough contact to take advantage of those skills.
– With Matthews around, Jose Altuve returned to left field for two of the last three contests, marking the first time he's started there since June 21. Left field had been covered by Cooper Hummel (11 starts) and Taylor Trammell (five starts) during the gap when Altuve focused on second base and DH. Trammell played center field in the final three games before the break as a replacement for Jake Meyers (calf).
Los Angeles Angels
– Yoan Moncada has been at third base and batted sixth for each of the last six games since he returned from a knee injury. With Moncada back in the fold and Christian Moore (thumb) shelved, Luis Rengifo shifted over to second base for all six of those contests. Rengifo was up in the leadoff spot for three straight games in late June while Zach Neto was banged up, but he's batted ninth four times and eighth twice across the past six tilts. The switch-hitting Rengifo could fall into a super utility role when Moore returns, although that might not come before the trade deadline, so Rengifo could be on a different team by then.
– Jorge Soler has been less than an everyday player since coming off the IL at the start of this month. He started each of the first three games upon his activation, but since then he's started only five of 10 contests. Gustavo Campero (three starts) and LaMonte Wade (two starts) have played right field on the days Soler sat out. Mike Trout has been a full-time DH since late May to protect his right knee, but he will resume outfield drills after the All-Star break in hopes of eventually returning to right field.
Sacramento Athletics
– Zack Gelof finally made his season debut on July 4 after recovering from a hamate fracture and stress reaction in his ribs, starting seven straight contests at second base and batting eighth upon his activation. However, he went just 2-for-25 with 13 strikeouts at the dish and was promptly sent back to Triple-A Las Vegas. It's been Max Muncy at the keystone in the two games since then.
– It's possible Muncy takes the second base job and runs with it. He's hit four homers with a .923 OPS in July, but strikeouts (31.8 percent strikeout rate this month) remain an issue. The Athletics also recently got Luis Urias (hamstring) and Miguel Andujar (oblique) back, and Gio Urshela is also still around. Those four guys could mix and match between second and third base, though it should be a priority to get the 22-year-old Muncy the most playing time in the group.
Seattle Mariners
– Jorge Polanco is finally heating back up with four home runs already in July after he hit only two homers while posting a .503 OPS in May and June. Polanco has been mixed in at second base in six of his last 22 starts, but he remains the team's primary DH. Perhaps that will change depending on what/if the Mariners add offense at the trade deadline, but for now it's youngster Cole Young holding down the keystone most days. Young did finally show signs of life offensively in the final week leading up to the All-Star break, going 7-for-18 with his first two major-league homers.
– Luke Raley initially bounced around between first base and the outfield upon his return from the IL in late June, but he has since settled in as the team's everyday first baseman against right-handed pitching, making nine straight starts in such situations. Fellow left-handed swinger Dominic Canzone has been the right fielder in each of those games, with Dylan Moore serving the short side of a platoon in right.
Texas Rangers
– Adolis Garcia is back in manager Bruce Bochy's good graces. Garcia was dropped to as low as eighth in the lineup and even held out of the lineup altogether for four straight games in a stretch from late May to early June when he was in a deep slump. However, since then Garcia has a solid .755 OPS with six homers and has driven in 29 runs in 35 games. As a result of the resurgence, he's returned to the cleanup spot for each of his last 15 starts.
– The Rangers optioned the struggling Josh Jung to Triple-A Round Rock in early July and have handed super utility player Josh Smith nine straight starts at third base against right-handed pitching. Smith has also been the leadoff hitter for each of those contests and in fact has slotted in at leadoff for every one of the Rangers' games versus righties since June 20.
