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. For today's lineups, head to our MLB Daily Lineups page.
Atlanta Braves
– Ha-Seong Kim has not only started all 12 games since being claimed off waivers by the Braves, he's been up in the No. 5 spot in the lineup seven times and in the cleanup spot once during that stretch. Manager Brian Snitker, as we all know, simply doesn't rest his starting position players, so Kim will continue to receive all the playing time he can handle down the stretch.
– Michael Harris is back in a tailspin, having gone just 3-for-42 at the plate over his last 44 plate appearances. He had been moved up to the fourth and fifth spots in Atlanta's lineup often during his scorching hot stretch from late July to late August, but Harris was in the No. 7 spot for four straight tilts and then hit eighth Monday. Perhaps Harris' 26:1 K:BB in August should have been a red flag that he wasn't going to keep this up.
Miami Marlins
– Heriberto Hernandez got a day off Sunday, but before that he had started
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. For today's lineups, head to our MLB Daily Lineups page.
Atlanta Braves
– Ha-Seong Kim has not only started all 12 games since being claimed off waivers by the Braves, he's been up in the No. 5 spot in the lineup seven times and in the cleanup spot once during that stretch. Manager Brian Snitker, as we all know, simply doesn't rest his starting position players, so Kim will continue to receive all the playing time he can handle down the stretch.
– Michael Harris is back in a tailspin, having gone just 3-for-42 at the plate over his last 44 plate appearances. He had been moved up to the fourth and fifth spots in Atlanta's lineup often during his scorching hot stretch from late July to late August, but Harris was in the No. 7 spot for four straight tilts and then hit eighth Monday. Perhaps Harris' 26:1 K:BB in August should have been a red flag that he wasn't going to keep this up.
Miami Marlins
– Heriberto Hernandez got a day off Sunday, but before that he had started 14 consecutive games. The 25-year-old has bounced back and forth between left field (six starts) and designated hitter (eight starts) over that stretch and in four of his past five starts has batted either fourth or fifth. Hernandez's production has not trended in a positive direction, however, as he entered August with an .868 OPS but has posted a .656 OPS since then.
– Javier Sanoja has drawn four straight starts and has been in the lineup five times across the last six contests. Three of those starts have been at third base and two were in left field. Sanoja appears poised to go back to a reserve role, however, with both Connor Norby (quadriceps) and Graham Pauley (oblique) back from the 10-day injured list.
New York Mets
– The Mets have faced lefties in five of their last six games. The left-handed-hitting Brett Baty has been absent from the lineup for all five of those contests versus southpaws, and dating back to late August he's been out of the lineup each of the last eight times his team has gone up against a lefty. The Mets have been using Mark Vientos at third base and Starling Marte at designated hitter in those games versus left-handers.
– On Aug. 17, Vientos was in the No. 8 spot in the Mets' lineup. He homered that day and has sported a 1.010 OPS with 10 long balls over 27 contests since then. As a result, he's been in the lineup for all but one game over that stretch, and in Vientos' last seven starts he has not batted lower than fifth.
Philadelphia Phillies
– Trea Turner's hamstring strain has meant the Phillies have needed a new leadoff hitter, and in each of their last seven games those duties have fallen to Harrison Bader. Bader is 13-for-33 at the dish over that span and boasts a .917 OPS in 39 games since landing in Philadelphia via trade. He's become the most-played Phillies outfielder over the last several weeks, having started 21 of the past 23 tilts. Brandon Marsh has started 16 games, Max Kepler has started 14 games and Nick Castellanos has started 13 games during that stretch.
– Otto Kemp is getting regular run again, making eight straight starts at third base after Alec Bohm (shoulder) went down. He's taken advantage, putting up a 1.160 OPS with a couple home runs during that stretch. Bohm is expected back from the 10-day IL when first eligible later this week, which will send Kemp back to a reserve role.
Washington Nationals
– Daylen Lile has settled in as the Nationals' cleanup hitter for each of the last nine contests. The 22-year-old has been swinging one of the hottest bats in baseball in September, going 22-for-52 with three home runs, five triples and one stolen base across 14 tilts. Lile and James Wood are splitting reps between left field and DH.
– Dylan Crews was given one start last week in the two hole against a left-hander, but seven of his last eight starts have come from either the No. 7 or No. 8 spots in the batting order. Crews missed nearly three months of action with an oblique strain and in 29 contests since returning he's slashed only .213/.295/.351 with two homers and three steals. The former top prospect does have a nice 11 percent barrel rate in 2025, but his hard-hit rate is down (44.7 percent to 36.8 percent), his walk rate is down (8.3 percent to 7.6 percent) and his strikeout rate is up (19.7 percent to 25.2 percent).
Chicago Cubs
– The Cubs relented and put Kyle Tucker (calf) on the 10-day IL, and in 11 games since then they've used Willi Castro six times, Seiya Suzuki four times and Owen Caissie once in right field. Caissie, unfortunately, suffered a concussion in that one start and is now shelved indefinitely. Suzuki has also missed four straight contests with an illness, which has led to Moises Ballesteros receiving four straight starts at DH. Ballesteros has been up the cleanup spot in the Cubs' last two games.
– About 80 percent of Nico Hoerner's starts this season have come from the six, seven or eight spots in the Cubs' batting order. However, he hasn't batted lower than fifth in any of his last 13 starts. That's due in part to injuries to others, but it's also because Hoerner has been one of the few Cubs hitters to provide some consistency throughout the season, even as his ceiling is much lower than others. The 28-year-old's average has not dipped below .283 in any month, his OPS has not dropped below .701 in any month and he has stolen at least four bases every month. Hoerner has put up a 1.035 OPS so far in September.
Cincinnati Reds
– The player most affected by Sal Stewart's arrival so far has been Spencer Steer, who has started only one of the past six contests and just five of 13 games since Stewart was promoted. Steer had been slated to start the last contest but was scratched with neck spasms. It seems the Reds are most comfortable playing Stewart at first base, which is a bit odd since that's the position he has by far the least experience at of the three he's played (third base and second base being the others). Stewart has made one start at third base and has yet to play an inning at the keystone.
– Will Benson is attempting to force his way back into the outfield mix, as he's started four of the last six tilts and has homered three times during that stretch. Benson has played all three outfield spots during that time, but Noelvi Marte is the player losing some reps to Benson, as he's been out of the lineup twice in the last six games. TJ Friedl has started all six games and Austin Hays and Gavin Lux have started five apiece during the stretch.
Milwaukee Brewers
– Rhys Hoskins has yet to start a game since being activated from the IL Sept. 9. Meanwhile, Jake Bauers has thrown an unexpected wrench into the first base playing time battle with four consecutive starts. Bauer has started nine of 10 games versus right-handed pitching in September and is sporting a 1.058 OPS with a couple long balls over that time. Vaughn has a 1.036 OPS himself this month, though he's gone homerless over his last 26 contests. Manager Pat Murphy appears willing to play the hot hand here.
– Two weeks ago in this space, I wrote about how Brice Turang had settled back in as the team's leadoff hitter. However, seeing as how he's been the team's best power hitter since the beginning of August, Turang appears to be a better fit right now for the middle of the order, and that's where he's been of late with two starts in the No. 3 spot and one start in the No. 5 spot across the last three games. Christian Yelich hit fifth in those two games Turang batted third, which is the lowest Yelich has been in the batting order all season. Yelich was back up in the three hole for their last contest, however.
Pittsburgh Pirates
– Nick Yorke has been in the lineup for five of the past six games and has started nine of 13 tilts since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. The 23-year-old has made four starts at first base, four starts at second base and one start in right field over that stretch but has yet to get going at the plate, sporting a sub-.500 OPS.
– Oneil Cruz was absent from the Pirates' lineup Monday against a right-hander, marking the first time since the All-Star break that he didn't start versus a righty when he was healthy. Cruz has been absent from the lineup three times across the last five tilts, with the first two of those coming against southpaws. He's slashed an ugly .105/.230/.181 with a 35.2 percent strikeout rate versus left-handers in 2025.
St. Louis Cardinals
– Thomas Saggese has been in the Cardinals' lineup for all but one game since Aug. 8. The bulk of those reps had come at second base, where he was filling in for an injured Brendan Donovan. However, while Donovan is now back, Masyn Winn (knee) has been shut down for the season, resulting in each of Saggese's last six starts coming at shortstop. Saggese is batting .283 since Aug. 8, but it's been an empty average, as he has yet to homer over that stretch and also has a 7:38 K:BB.
– After giving Jimmy Crooks three starts at catcher during a four-game span, the Cardinals have put the rookie catcher on the bench in favor of Pedro Pages for four of the past six contests. Crooks has gone just 2-for-24 with a 0:10 BB:K at the plate thus far, which hasn't helped his cause. Pages had a 1.097 OPS with five home runs in August but has fallen back to a .407 thus far in September.
Arizona Diamondbacks
– The Diamondbacks' options at first base are limited after they traded Josh Naylor and Pavin Smith (quadriceps) and Tyler Locklear (elbow) were lost for the season. It's been Tim Tawa at the position in four of the past five contests. Tawa slugged 31 home runs and stole 14 bases last season in the minors, but he hasn't done much thus far the big-league level (.215/.277/.366) and has been particularly feeble against right-handed pitching (.173/.258/.355).
– After starting four of the first five games upon his promotion from Triple-A Reno, Jordan Lawlar has been in the lineup for five of 11 contests since then. Lawlar has gone 8-for-24 with six doubles over his last 26 plate appearances, but the Diamondbacks continue to side with Blaze Alexander as their primary third baseman. Alexander has been in the lineup for every game since July 29, seeing action at second base and in center field on days he's not at the hot corner.
Colorado Rockies
– The Rockies lost Warming Bernabel to a concussion last week. After initially turning to Michael Toglia as a replacement at first base, they've since sent Toglia back down and summoned Blaine Crim, who has drawn three straight starts at the position. Crim homered in his first start for Colorado and had a two-run double in his second start before wearing the golden sombrero in his third start. He's a 28-year-old rookie who fits the Quad-A player mold, but Crim has notched 20-plus home runs in all five of his full seasons in the minors.
– Mickey Moniak crossed the 20-homer threshold for the first time in his career with a two-homer day Sunday. The left-handed batter has made only two starts against left-handed pitching since the All-Star break, but Moniak has started all but one game against righties in the second half and all but one of his starts since Aug. 13 have come from the top three spots in the lineup.
Los Angeles Dodgers
– Tommy Edman returned from the IL last week and has started three of five tilts since being activated. He was in center field in his two starts against southpaws and handled second base in his lone start versus a righty. It had seemed like Edman's return might finally push Michael Conforto from a regular job, but Conforto remained in left field each of the last two times the Dodgers went up against a right-hander.
– Hyeseong Kim sat out the first two games after being activated from the IL but then started four of five tilts at second base. However, since then he's been glued to the bench for six consecutive contests. Part of that has been Edman returning, but the Dodgers are also showing preference to Miguel Rojas at second base. Rojas has handled the keystone in five of the past six contests.
San Diego Padres
– The Padres initially leaned on Jose Iglesias at shortstop after Xander Bogaerts (foot) got hurt, but of late it's been Jake Cronenworth at shortstop for four of the last five games. That shift has allowed San Diego to get Gavin Sheets' bat in the lineup at DH, with Luis Arraez handling second base and Ryan O'Hearn occupying first base.
– Sheets has been locked into the Padres' cleanup spot for each of the past seven contests. He forced his way into more playing time and a prime lineup spot with a scorching-hot August that saw him collect a 1.209 OPS, but Sheets has cooled off in September with a .673 OPS. Meanwhile, Jackson Merrill is heating up with four homers over his last eight contests. Merrill has hit cleanup more than any other Padres player this season but has been in the six spot lately. Given their current trajectories, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sheets and Merrill flipped in the batting order.
San Francisco Giants
– The Giants made a big move Monday, promoting top prospect Bryce Eldridge from Triple-A Sacramento and sticking him in the lineup at DH and the five spot. The plan is for the left-handed-hitting Eldridge to be used at DH at least against right-handers, with Rafael Devers settling in at first base now that Dominic Smith (hamstring) is done for the season. Devers, by the way, has officially crossed the 20-game threshold at first base, ensuring his eligibility at the position in 2026.
– Jerar Encarnacion is back from the IL, but he might have missed his window to establish himself as the team's regular right fielder. Encarnacion did start in right field against a lefty in his first game back, but the left-handed-hitting Drew Gilbert was then back at the position for each of the last two contests against righties. Gilbert has started each of the last 12 games versus right-handers but has been in a lull of late with only one hit across his last six tilts.
