Lineup Lowdown: National 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.

Atlanta Braves

-- Marcell Ozuna has cooled down in July following an excellent two-month stretch, putting up a .576 OPS and 31.1 percent strikeout rate in 11 contests. He's nonetheless made 25 straight starts at designated hitter, with the last 16 of them coming from the six spot in the lineup. No manager in baseball has been more static with their lineups than manager Brian Snitker, and you can hardly blame him for not shaking things up given how prolific the offense has been.

-- With Ozuna cemented into the DH spot and Sean Murphy over his hamstring issue, Travis d'Arnaud's playing time has really dried up. He started five straight games in late June when Murphy was banged up, but since then d'Arnaud has been in the lineup just six times across the last 16 tilts. He's remained productive with an .895 OPS with seven home runs since the start of June, but the lack of volume makes it difficult to carry d'Arnaud outside of deep two-catcher leagues.

Miami Marlins

-- The Marlins briefly turned to Jonathan Davis when Jazz Chisholm (oblique) went down again at the beginning of July, but then Davis suffered a knee injury which required surgery. It's now Dane Myers' turn, as the rookie has made eight straight starts in center coming into play Monday. While Myers' opportunity came about mostly by necessity, he has run with it, going 13-for-32 with a home run and a couple doubles in his first nine big-league games.

-- The Marlins haven't veered away from Jean Segura amidst a disappointing season and he's finally showing some signs of life. Heading into play Monday, the veteran infielder is batting .333/.377/.439 with one home run and one stolen base across 15 games since returning from a strained hamstring. He's mostly batted sixth for the Fish over that span and that doesn't seem terribly likely to change.

New York Mets

-- Tommy Pham was in the lineup in the DH spot against a lefty in the Mets' first game back from the All-Star break, but then sat out the next two contests versus righties. Pham suffered a groin injury in the final game of the first half and it seems like the club is just being cautious here especially since the hot-hitting Pham could fetch them something in a trade. Jeff McNeil was elevated to the third spot in the lineup in the two games Pham missed, with Francisco Lindor bumped up a spot to second. McNeil has mostly hit in the 5-7 range over the last month as he struggles to duplicate his 2022 NL batting title-winning season.

-- If/when Pham is traded, perhaps it will result in another chance for Mark Canha, who has started just eight of his team's last 20 contests. The 34-year-old has a solid .804 OPS since the beginning of June, but Pham's emergence and the bizarre commitment to Daniel Vogelbach has meant Canha fighting for playing time. He could be a candidate himself to be traded.

Philadelphia Phillies

-- Bryce Harper will see his first-ever action at first base during this week's series against the Brewers, and might not play right field again until 2024. How much he ultimately plays first base the remainder of the season isn't clear, but given that Darick Hall is just 4-for-28 with a 41.2 percent strikeout rate since returning from the minors earlier this month, the Phillies would probably love it if Harper is able to handle the position on a regular basis.

-- The first 108 starts of Brandon Marsh's Phillies career were in center field, but over his last four starts he's played left field twice and right field once. Cristian Pache and Johan Rojas are both better defenders in center field than Marsh, so it would make sense to use Marsh on the corners more on days when Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos DH and Harper plays first base. Pache is going to be out for a bit, though, after having surgery to remove a screw from his right elbow.

Washington Nationals

-- CJ Abrams has taken over as the Nationals' leadoff hitter, entering play Monday having made six straight starts at the top of the batting order. The young shortstop earned the ascension to the leadoff spot with a hot stretch at the plate and he hasn't missed a beat since the promotion in going 12-for-25 at the dish. Abrams has also really begun to cash in on that elite speed, going 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts across his previous seven contests.

-- The Nats gave Derek Hill a brief turn with the center field job after Victor Robles' back problems flared up again, but he was designated for assignment earlier this month and the club has since been leaning on Alex Call again in center. Call had started eight straight at the position heading into action Monday, with all but one of those starts coming from the bottom spot of the lineup (he batted eighth the other game). The 28-year-old has perked up offensively, too, with three homers and two steals since rejoining the big club.

Chicago Cubs

-- Seiya Suzuki batted sixth for the Cubs on Sunday, the lowest spot he's hit all season. He was back up to the two spot Monday against a left-hander, but the 28-year-old might no longer have a favorable lineup spot versus righties. Suzuki entered action Monday hitting only .198/.270/.273 since the start of June and has hit just .235/.326/.388 against right-handers this season.

-- Nick Madrigal had emerged as the team's primary third baseman before going down with a strained hamstring in early July. Patrick Wisdom (five starts), Miles Mastrobuoni (three starts) and Christopher Morel (two starts) have each seen action at the hot corner since then. Morel's last eight starts have been at second base as Nico Hoerner slides over to shortstop to fill in for Dansby Swanson (heel). With Swanson due back before Madrigal, we could see Morel being used more at the hot corner.

Cincinnati Reds

-- The Reds finally gave in to temptation Monday, promoting Christian Encarnacion-Strand to join their stable of exciting rookie position players. Encarnacion-Strand started in the DH spot and batted seventh in his debut. The 23-year-old is primarily a corner infielder and has dabbled in the corner outfield spots, but he might wind up seeing most of his action at DH.

-- Even if Encarnacion-Strand plays the field plenty in addition to serving as a DH, the Reds are facing a bit of a logjam. Spencer Steer was the odd man out Monday, which was his first day off since all the way back on June 2. Steer is slumping with just one hit across his last 24 at-bats, but it's hard to see him being the one to lose ample playing time given that he's been arguably the team's best position player this season. Most likely, manager David Bell will rotate days off among a host of guys. The Reds are pretty balanced from a lefty/righty/switch-hitter perspective, so it should be doable.

Milwaukee Brewers

-- Owen Miller has gone from super utility player to everyday first baseman since Rowdy Tellez went on the IL with a forearm injury. Tellez recently had a setback when he suffered a fractured left ring finger while shagging a fly ball, something which could sideline him for another month. Thus, it appears Miller is likely to stay put, provided the Brewers don't acquire a first baseman at the deadline. Miller has started 11 straight tilts and been in the cleanup spot for eight of those.

-- The Brewers are down their other corner infielder, too, with Brian Anderson landing on the IL with a back issue. Andruw Monasterio has garnered three straight starts at third base in Anderson's place, batting seventh twice and sixth once. Luis Urias has been decent at Triple-A Nashville (.258/.400/.387) since being optioned earlier this month, so perhaps he gets another look. Keston Hiura is also lurking at Nashville, but is no longer on the 40-man roster.

Pittsburgh Pirates

-- The Pirates on Monday began leaning into their youth movement even more, summoning Endy Rodriguez and Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis. Rodriguez caught and batted seventh in his debut while Peguero played shortstop and hit ninth (it wasn't his debut, as he got into one game in 2022) as Pittsburgh used all rookies from the five to nine spots. Rodriguez will be the team's primary catcher, while Peguero should see the most starts at shortstop while Nick Gonzales focuses on second base.

-- Another rookie, Jared Triolo, has started 15 of the last 16 – including each of the last seven – at third base with Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) banged up (the only game he didn't start was when Hayes aggravated his back issue and went back on the IL). Triolo is a solid prospect who has a very good glove and an ability to get on base at a decent clip, but he's hit just one home run all season between the majors and minors.

St. Louis Cardinals

-- Brendan Donovan has been at DH and in the leadoff spot eight of the last nine times the Cardinals have faced a right-hander. He hasn't played the field since June 29 due to an issue with his throwing arm and is expected to remain a DH only for at least another week or so. Due in part to Donovan's situation but also because the Cards had committed to Tommy Edman in center field before he got hurt, Nolan Gorman hasn't been used at DH in more than a month.

-- Tyler O'Neill (back) is poised to come off the IL Tuesday and will be the team's everyday left fielder upon his activation, with Lars Nootbaar manning center field and Jordan Walker handling right. That's supposed to be the setup heading into the trade deadline, anyway, but both O'Neill and Dylan Carlson have been mentioned prominently in trade rumors. Alec Burleson has started three of the last four contests in left field versus right-handers and would be the natural replacement at that position if O'Neill winds up being dealt.

Arizona Diamondbacks

-- Alek Thomas has started 18 of 22 games in center field since returning from a stint at Triple-A Reno. The Diamondbacks have faced just four lefties over that span and Thomas has been on the bench for three of those, so he might not quite be an everyday player yet. Thomas has looked good at the dish since returning, though, putting up an .857 OPS with three homers and two stolen bases. The revival comes after he tweaked his batting stance in the minors and crushed the ball at Reno.

-- Since Carson Kelly returned from the IL on June 12, he's made 15 starts at catcher to Gabriel Moreno's 14 starts. It's fair to say that Moreno has been a disappointment this season with a .270/.314/.358 batting line, but Kelly has been dreadful at the plate with just a .487 OPS. Still, with his usage and lack of power, Moreno is unusable right now in all but the deepest of leagues.

Colorado Rockies

-- C.J. Cron has settled into the fifth spot in the Rockies' lineup since he returned from the IL back on June 27, making 11 of 13 starts in the five hole (he also batted cleanup twice). That's meant Elias Diaz sticking in the four hole, which he staked claim to while Cron was sidelined. Cron looks like he's starting to find his footing at the plate, too, with three home runs across his last seven games.

-- Randal Grichuk has been on the bench each of the last three times the Rockies have faced a right-hander. This, despite the fact that he's sporting an .837 OPS and has gone deep three times in his last six games. Meanwhile, Jurickson Profar hasn't had an OPS higher than .795 in any month this season (and a .701 OPS overall) and has not only remained the everyday left fielder/occasional DH but also the regular leadoff man.

Los Angeles Dodgers

-- The Dodgers finally optioned Miguel Vargas back to Triple-A Oklahoma City following an extended slump. Since then, Mookie Betts has made four straight starts at second base. In fact, just one of Betts' last nine starts have come in right field, as he's been at second base seven times and shortstop once over that span. Betts has already locked in second base eligibility for 2024 in addition to the outfield and will require just four more appearances at shortstop to be a triple-eligible player next year.

-- With Betts seeing more and more action on the dirt, Jason Heyward has become the Dodgers' regular right fielder against right-handed pitching, starting 13 of the last 14 games in such situations (he started in center field in the other game). Heyward has actually tailed off at the plate this month, entering play Monday in a 4-for-24 rut. He's still rocking an OPS+ of 113 for the season, though, and remains a top-notch defensive outfielder.

San Diego Padres

-- The Padres cut the cord on Nelson Cruz earlier this month after the 43-year-old just couldn't get going at the plate. Matt Carpenter has been the other half of the Padres' old man DH disaster but has retained his roster spot for now even as he's made just four starts since June 19 and hasn't made a start in the field since mid-May. San Diego has started five different guys – including Carpenter – at DH in nine games since Cruz was jettisoned.

-- Ha-Seong Kim has occupied the leadoff spot for the Padres in 11 of the last 12 tilts. Against right-handers, he's been followed, in order, by Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts. It's a pretty good way to score some runs and Kim has scored 18 of them in 19 games since he started seeing regular starts at leadoff. Kim is batting .284/.372/.457 with nine home runs and 12 stolen bases since May 1.

San Francisco Giants

-- Since Thairo Estrada fractured his hand on July 2, the Giants have used Brett Wisely for six games and Casey Schmitt for four games at second base, with Schmitt drawing an additional three starts over that span at shortstop. Schmitt, though, has been out of the lineup each of the last three times they've faced a right-hander. The 24-year-old rookie got off to a nice start after being promoted back in early May, but he entered action Monday sporting an ugly .125/.205/.175 batting line and 27.3 percent strikeout rate since June 1.

-- The Giants have faced lots of lefties lately, but it's worth noting that Luis Matos has been on the bench each of the last three times his team has gone up against a right-hander. The 21-year-old entered play Monday having gone 10-for-28 at the plate so far in July, although all but one of those hits has been a single. It's a small sample size, but in the early going this month Matos has an .881 OPS against lefties and a .582 OPS versus righties.