Lineup Lowdown: American League

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.

Baltimore Orioles

– Cedric Mullins' 2024 campaign has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. A particularly dreadful May had him seemingly losing the grip on a starting job, and even when he was in the lineup he almost always batted in the lower-third of the order. However, Mullins boasts a 1.037 OPS in September and, as a result, has hit second five times and third once over the Orioles' last six games. He hadn't previously batted higher than fifth all season, and he did that only three times all the way back in April. Old No. 2 hitter Adley Rutschman has been down in the five spot (four times) and cleanup spot (twice) over that span.

– Coby Mayo has made just four starts in 13 contests since rejoining the big club. He was in the lineup for back-to-back games on Sept. 9-10, but since then has seen Emmanuel Rivera's name penciled in at third base for each of the last four tilts. Mayo hasn't done himself any favors with his dreadful performance, of course, and at this point it's clear Rivera will be the preferred option at third base until Jordan Westburg (hand) is ready.

Boston Red Sox

– Since Trevor Story returned to reclaim his shortstop job, Ceddanne Rafaela has made four starts in center field, two starts at second base and one start at shortstop, while also receiving a couple days off. His four starts in center have all come versus left-handed pitching, with the Red Sox shifting Jarren Duran over to left.

– Speaking of Story, he's been at shortstop for all but one game since being activated and has hit sixth once, seventh four times and eighth three times. He's looked decent enough with one home run and a couple stolen bases, albeit with a 29 percent strikeout rate.

New York Yankees

– The Yankees resisted the urge to promote Jasson Dominguez when rosters first expanded on Sept. 1, but they eventually recalled the youngster on Sept. 9 and have given him five starts in seven contests (three in left field, two in center). Alex Verdugo has been on the bench three times over that span, while Giancarlo Stanton has sat out twice. Dominguez has a chance in the final weeks here to run with the left field gig, but he's fumbled the opportunity thus far in failing to record an extra-base hit or RBI in his first six contests.

– Gleyber Torres has started 28 consecutive games in the leadoff spot and is hitting .307/.394/.447 over that stretch. The dramatic strikeout rate improvement Torres showed last season (14.6 percent) has not carried over into 2024 (20.6 percent), but the walk rate has (10.1 percent), and he's drawing walks at a 12.9 percent clip since moving to the top of the batting order.

Tampa Bay Rays

– After starting just two of the Rays' first seven games upon his recall, Jonathan Aranda has since been in the lineup for eight of the last 10 contests. He boasts a .910 OPS with a couple long balls over that time. Six of the eight starts for Aranda have been at first base, as Yandy Diaz has been in the designated hitter slot five times and also been on the bench on three occasions during the stretch. Diaz is slashing .308/.364/.468 in the second half, but he's hit just .263/.324/.382 off right-handed pitching this season.

– Jonny DeLuca has pretty much been an everyday player since the trade deadline, starting 34 of 43 games. He's bounced around the outfield during that stretch, making 15 starts in center field, 15 starts in right field and four starts in left field. The production for DeLuca on the whole this season has been lackluster, but he's slashing .319/.356/.507 over his last 20 games.

Toronto Blue Jays

– Daulton Varsho (shoulder) and Joey Loperfido (hip) being banged up lately has opened up some playing time in the Blue Jays' outfield, and Nathan Lukes has been handed four straight starts, batting second three times and leadoff once. Lukes has a .928 OPS in 11 games with Toronto this season, although he hasn't homered and has just one stolen base. It's similar to what the 30-year-old has done the last few years at the Triple-A level, as his rate stats look good but the counting stats are lacking.

– Vladimir Guerrero has started five games at third base since the beginning of August and 10 games in total there this season. Just two of his last 19 starts have been at the hot corner, however, and while he's seen enough action there to pick up in-season eligibility in fantasy leagues, he's not going to reach the 20-game threshold that most leagues use for eligibility heading into 2025.

Chicago White Sox

– Bryan Ramos has garnered seven straight starts, splitting them between third base and DH. It has resulted in fewer reps for Miguel Vargas, who has started just four games during that span and only six of the last 11 contests, and for Gavin Sheets, who has been in there for just three of the last eight tilts. Ramos has bounced around all over the batting order during the seven-game stretch, batting as high as leadoff and as low as eighth. Yoan Moncada is now back following a lengthy absence, although the plan is for him to be a part-timer.

– Dominic Fletcher has started all but five games dating back to Aug. 14 as he settles in as the White Sox' everyday right fielder down the stretch. Unfortunately, he's shown no signs of righting the ship offensively, producing just a .493 OPS and 21:2 K:BB over those 25 contests.

Cleveland Guardians

– Lane Thomas has finally found his footing, putting up a .959 OPS with four homers, 15 RBI and one stolen base this month, although it has come with a 36.2 percent strikeout rate and zero walks. As a result, Thomas has started all but one game in September, including 12 straight. Each of his last eight starts have come in center field. Right field has been handled by Jhonkensy Noel (five starts) and Will Brennan (three starts) during that latter stretch.

– Kyle Manzardo's playing time has come in waves. After making five straight starts upon his Sept. 1 promotion, he was then on the bench for three straight. Then, after starting each of the next four contests, Manzardo sat out two in a row before returning to the lineup Monday and delivering a big homer. It hasn't been a lefty thing, either, as four of the five times he's been on the bench have come against righties. Manzardo had a two-homer game in his first start back in the majors but since then had just a .558 OPS and 35.5 percent strikeout rate prior to Monday's big night. Hopefully that gets him rolling.

Detroit Tigers

– While he's been the Tigers' primary third baseman since being summoned from Triple-A Toledo in mid-August, Jace Jung has been something less than an everyday player, particularly of late. He's been on the bench in three of the last four contests and in five of the previous 11 games. A 16.1 percent walk rate has been nice to see, but Jung has also struck out at a 30.5 percent clip and is slugging .261.

– The playing time at catcher for the Tigers tilted in Dillon Dingler's way for a while after he was called up following the trade of Carson Kelly. Lately, though, it's veered back in Jake Rogers' direction, with Rogers garnering eight of the last 11 starts. Dingler did deal with an illness during that time, but the rookie has been overmatched offensively so far, going 9-for-70 with a 34.7 percent strikeout rate.

Kansas City Royals

– Tommy Pham has settled in as the Royals' leadoff man since being scooped up off waivers, making 14 straight starts from the top of the batting order. He's played right field seven times, left field four times and been the DH three times. Both Hunter Renfroe and MJ Melendez have lost playing time as a result. Melendez has been out of the lineup for two of the last four contests versus righties and Renfroe has started just four of the last eight games against right-handers.

– It's been Salvador Perez and Yuli Gurriel handling first base duties since Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) went down. In 16 games, Perez has been at first base nine times and catcher seven times, while Gurriel has manned first base on six occasions and served as the DH once. Worth noting, though, is that Gurriel hadn't joined the roster yet for the first two of those 16 contests and he was also unavailable for a few days with a hamstring issue. Freddy Fermin has started 10 of 16 tilts (nine at catcher, one at DH) since the Pasquantino injury.

Minnesota Twins

– Edouard Julien has been elevated back to the leadoff spot for six of the last seven contests versus right-handed pitching. It's the role he filled at the beginning of the season before he eventually demoted down in the order and then sent to the minors in early June for most of the next two months. Julien is slashing only .225/.286/.310 in 26 games since rejoining the Twins in mid-August, so this is a case of manager Rocco Baldelli shaking things up more than Julien earning it.

– Brooks Lee has been on the bench for two of three contests since Carlos Correa (foot) returned from the injured list, getting one start when Correa was given a rest day. Lee has only played shortstop since he returned from his own injury earlier this month and he looks to be behind Julien, Willi Castro and Kyle Farmer in the pecking order at second base.

Houston Astros

– Kyle Tucker is able to play the outfield again, which is an even bigger deal because the Astros lost a couple outfielders to injury in Chas McCormick (hand) and Ben Gamel (knee). Mauricio Dubon has made six straight starts, with four of them coming in the outfield, and he'll probably be needed mostly in the outfield down the stretch, as long as Jose Altuve's side injury doesn't linger. We could also see more of Jason Heyward, who has made two straight starts in left field.

– Victor Caratini has started four straight games (three at catcher, one at first base) and seven of the last nine tilts. Yainer Diaz has become the Astros' regular first baseman against left-handed pitching, making four straight starts in such situations. He also started there versus a righty Monday with Jon Singleton under the weather.

Los Angeles Angels

– Niko Kavadas clubbed a couple home runs from the bottom-third of the batting order earlier this month, earning a move up to the cleanup spot for each of the last three contests. Naturally, he's gone hitless in those games, and Kavadas promises to be a feast or famine guy with his big power and big swing-and-miss.

– Jordyn Adams has been in the lineup for five straight tilts, playing right field four times and center field once. The 24-year-old has one homer and one stolen base since being promoted earlier this month. Like Kavadas, Adams has strikeout concerns, but he's a fantastic athlete who could provide a little jolt of stolen bases and maybe a homer or two down the stretch if he continues seeing regular reps.

Oakland Athletics

– Zack Gelof has inched his way back up in the Athletics' batting order, having hit fifth in five of the last six starts. That's after he mostly hit seventh or eighth for the first two months of the second half. There's no getting around Gelof's first full season being a disappointment after the promise he showed in half a season last year. He leads the AL in strikeouts and is hitting .217 with an 88 OPS+. However, a .521 OPS in the first two months are really weighing down his rate stats, and the counting stats (17 homers and 23 steals) have been fine.

– Tyler Soderstrom is back from the IL after missing two months with a wrist issue and has made three straight starts at first base, including one against a left-hander. Soderstrom was used primarily as a catcher early on this season with Triple-A Las Vegas and got in a few innings behind the plate in his first game with the A's in early May. However, he has seen zero action behind the plate since then, so he might be a full-time first baseman at this point.

Seattle Mariners

– J.P. Crawford initially returned to the leadoff spot upon his activation from the IL in late August, but each of his last nine starts have come from the bottom third of the batting order. On Sunday, he hit ninth against a left-hander. Victor Robles was the Mariners' leadoff man while Crawford was hurt and is back in the role with six straight starts there. He's batting .463 with eight stolen bases in September.

– You have to go back to Aug. 3 to find the last time Luke Raley wasn't in the lineup against a right-hander. There's a good reason for that, as he's sporting a 1.053 OPS with nine home runs since the beginning of August. Nine of his last 12 starts have come at first base, while seven of Justin Turner's last 10 starts have been at DH. That means guys like Mitch Haniger (one start in the last seven contests) and Mitch Garver (two starts in the last 10 games) have basically been phased out.

Texas Rangers

– Corey Seager opted for season-ending sports hernia surgery, leading to eight straight starts at shortstop for Josh Smith. That has opened up more at-bats in the DH slot, but manager Bruce Bochy isn't settling on one guy there. He's used five different players there in 12 games since Seager went down, with Justin Foscue, Ezequiel Duran and Carson Kelly leading the way with three starts apiece.

– The last time I was with you in this space, I mentioned that 10 of Wyatt Langford's last 13 starts had come from down in the No. 7 spot in the batting order. Well, he's now batted third in each of the last seven tilts and either third or second in 11 of the past 12 contests. It's been a relatively disappointing season for the 22-year-old, but he's finishing strong with a .957 OPS so far in September.