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
– After Jordan Westburg aggravated his left index finger, Ramon Urias has started at third base in the last three contests. He batted second against two righties before hitting fifth against a lefty. Baltimore seems hopeful that Westburg can avoid a trip to the 10-day injured list, but if he can't, Urias should be in line for everyday reps at third base. All of Coby Mayo's starts since he was recalled in late May have come either at first base or designated hitter, as the O's don't appear anxious to give him reps at the hot corner. Mayo has started only seven of the last 14 games.
– Gary Sanchez has made seven straight starts (three at catcher, four at DH) and has started nine of the last 10 tilts since Adley Rutschman (oblique) was shelved. Sanchez has been red hot since returning from an injury of his own in mid-June, collecting a 1.061 OPS with four homers and 18 RBI over 13 contests. Rutschman isn't expected back until after the All-Star break, and Sanchez should continue to be
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
– After Jordan Westburg aggravated his left index finger, Ramon Urias has started at third base in the last three contests. He batted second against two righties before hitting fifth against a lefty. Baltimore seems hopeful that Westburg can avoid a trip to the 10-day injured list, but if he can't, Urias should be in line for everyday reps at third base. All of Coby Mayo's starts since he was recalled in late May have come either at first base or designated hitter, as the O's don't appear anxious to give him reps at the hot corner. Mayo has started only seven of the last 14 games.
– Gary Sanchez has made seven straight starts (three at catcher, four at DH) and has started nine of the last 10 tilts since Adley Rutschman (oblique) was shelved. Sanchez has been red hot since returning from an injury of his own in mid-June, collecting a 1.061 OPS with four homers and 18 RBI over 13 contests. Rutschman isn't expected back until after the All-Star break, and Sanchez should continue to be a viable second fantasy catcher while he's getting regular run.
Boston Red Sox
– The left-handed-hitting Jarren Duran batted leadoff in every one of his starts through June 11. Since then, however, he's ceded the leadoff spot against southpaws, with Rob Refsnyder starting there six times and Romy Gonzalez once. Duran has remained in the lineup for all but one of those contests, but he slid down to either the No. 5 or No. 6 spot for five of them. Duran has just a .565 OPS against lefties this season, compared to an .807 OPS against righties.
– David Hamilton had started three straight games at second base before Kristian Campbell was sent to the minors, and he started each of the next two games at the keystone after Campbell was demoted. However, in the eight contests since then, Campbell has been at second base three times, Marcelo Mayer and Nick Sogard have received two starts apiece and Gonzalez has started there once. Mayer was on the bereavement list for the three of those, and he could receive the bulk of the reps at second base moving forward, but the rookie was at third base Monday.
New York Yankees
– Ben Rice started at catcher Sunday against the Athletics, marking the ninth time he's appeared behind the plate this season. That's important because it means he's now one game away from gaining catcher eligibility on the vast majority of fantasy platforms. Three of Rice's last eight starts have been at catcher, so it shouldn't take long for him to get to that 10-game mark.
– Since Giancarlo Stanton was activated for his season debut, Jasson Dominguez has been absent from the lineup for six of 14 contests, while Rice and Paul Goldschmidt have sat out five times. Stanton has been out of the lineup four times, Trent Grisham has been out three times and Cody Bellinger has been out twice over that stretch. Grisham exited Monday's game in Toronto with a hamstring injury, so there could be one fewer mouth to feed if he's shelved for a while.
Tampa Bay Rays
– The Rays recalled speedster Chandler Simpson last week and handed him six straight starts in center field before he got a day off Monday. Simpson did some leading off during his first stint in the big leagues, but he's batted in the lower third of the lineup in every game since being recalled and seems likely to remain there for the time being.
– Jose Caballero has been more reserve than superutility player lately, having been absent from the lineup for three of the past five tilts. Caballero's dip in playing time is a result of his lowly .433 OPS in June. He's put up an .826 OPS versus lefties as compared to just a .556 OPS against righties, so we could see the right-handed batter's playing time limited mostly to southpaws for a while.
Toronto Blue Jays
– Fifteen of George Springer's 23 starts in June came from the DH spot. With Daulton Varsho (hamstring) seemingly not far off from a return and Anthony Santander's (shoulder) progress still lagging, Springer could be looking at even more starts at DH in the future. The 35-year-old defensive metrics have gone from bad to worse this season, but thankfully he's had a nice bounce-back year at the plate. Springer has spent much of 2025 locked into either the No. 4 or No. 5 spots in the Blue Jays' lineup.
– Another factor in Springer settling in at DH has been Ernie Clement's re-emergence at third base pushing Addison Barger to the outfield. Clement has started all but one game since May 17, and 16 of his 25 starts in June were at the hot corner. The 29-year-old infielder is slashing .330/.374/.462 since May 1 and sports an absurd 1.153 OPS against left-handed pitching this season.
Chicago White Sox
– Michael Taylor has become an everyday player lately, making six consecutive starts. The first three games were in right field while Mike Tauchman (groin) was limited to DH duty and the last three were in center field after Luis Robert (hamstring) went down. The veteran outfielder should continue to serve as the everyday center fielder while Robert is shelved and could offer enough pop and speed to be viable in very deep fantasy leagues.
– Kyle Teel has been the 1A to Edgar Quero's 1B at catcher since the former's promotion, starting 13 of 21 games behind the dish, adding an additional two starts at DH during that span. He's batted fifth in each of his last three starts for the Pale Hose. Quero has started behind the dish in those other eight contests while drawing three more starts at DH. He's started just one of the last five tilts versus right-handers.
Cleveland Guardians
– Gabriel Arias suffered what looked to be a significant left ankle sprain Sunday versus the Cardinals, so the Guardians will need a new shortstop for a while. It could open the door to another opportunity for Brayan Rocchio, who was optioned to Triple-A Columbus in mid-May following a brutal start. Daniel Schneemann is also an option to slide over from second base to shortstop, which would open more reps at the keystone for Angel Martinez.
– Bo Naylor has made more than twice as many starts at catcher this season as Austin Hedges, but lately it's been more of an even split, with Naylor starting seven of the last 13 contests. Naylor has taken a step forward in the power department with nine long balls already, and he's also upped his walk rate to 12.6 percent. However, a .168/.272/.359 batting line still leaves plenty to be desired, and it's clear at this point he won't be the stolen-base threat he was in the minors, having attempted just two steals in 2025.
Detroit Tigers
– Colt Keith has garnered eight straight starts in the leadoff spot, splitting his time between third base (five games), first base (two games) and DH (one game) during that stretch. The left-handed-hitting Keith hasn't been in the lineup against a traditional left-handed starter since June 1, but he's earned a prime lineup placement versus righties by hitting .264/.351/.445 against them. Meanwhile, Parker Meadows has been demoted from his leadoff perch, with each of his last 11 starts coming from the bottom-third of the batting order. The lefty-swinging Meadows plays everyday because of his glove and his even splits, but he's sporting a .594 OPS since making his season debut in early June.
– He's back now to take the roster spot of the injured Kerry Carpenter (hamstring), but Trey Sweeney had been demoted to Triple-A Toledo last week. On a related note, each of his last six and nine of Javier Baez's last 10 starts have come at shortstop. Baez went through a 20-game stretch from mid-May to early June when it looked like he was reverting to his form from the last few years, but he finished June with a 1.024 OPS in his final 15 contests.
Kansas City Royals
– Freddy Fermin has been in the lineup at catcher for three of the last five games and seven of the last 12 tilts. More action for Fermin has not resulted in fewer starts for Salvador Perez, who has been in the lineup for all but one contest since May 24. Fermin is a better hitter and plays more than most backup catchers, but he's still best reserved for deep leagues.
– Jac Caglianone has been cemented into the No. 6 spot in the Royals' lineup against right-handed pitching and the No. 7 spot versus lefties. He's really struggled to get going, sporting a .461 OPS in his first 24 contests. The good news is that Caglianone is making plenty of contact with a 22.3 percent strikeout rate. He hasn't impacted the ball with as much authority as anticipated, though, ranking right around league average or a tick better in hard-hit rate (42.6 percent), average exit velocity (88.7 mph) and barrel rate (8.8 percent).
Minnesota Twins
– Harrison Bader has easily paced the Twins with 44 starts in left field this season, but he's seen his playing time slip a bit against right-handed pitching, starting just six of the last 13 contests in such situations. Bader has actually been better versus righties (.744 OPS) than lefties (.686 OPS) this season but had just a .573 OPS in June.
– Ryan Jeffers (44 starts) and Christian Vazquez (40 starts) have split starts at catcher virtually down the middle this season, with Jeffers drawing an additional 15 starts at DH. Jeffers has batted either leadoff or second in each of his last six starts against lefties but been bumped down primarily to the No. 8 spot versus righties during that stretch.
Houston Astros
– In the first two games without Jeremy Pena (rib), the Astros bumped Isaac Paredes up one slot to leadoff and put Jake Meyers in the two hole. It's been a steady climb up in the batting order for Meyers, who is slashing .330/.389/.436 since the beginning of May. Meyers' quality of contact has been virtually the same this season, but he's making more of it, cutting his strikeout rate from 22.8 percent to 17.8 percent. He's also already set a new career high with 14 stolen bases.
– Cam Smith has been up in the cleanup spot for the Astros' last three games and has batted either fourth or fifth in the team's last 10 contests. The rookie outfielder slashed .307/.388/.400 in May but didn't hit a single homer. He's started to add power back to his game lately, going deep four times across his last 12 tilts, during which time he's collected a 1.140 OPS.
Los Angeles Angels
– Luis Rengifo has finally started to show some signs of life offensively, slashing .309/.387/.545 with three home runs and one stolen base across his last 16 contests. He was up at the top of the batting order for three games while Zach Neto (shoulder) was banged up, but with Neto back in action Tuesday, Rengifo was demoted back to the No. 8 spot.
– All but one of Rengifo's starts since Christian Moore was called up have come at third base, with Moore taking over everyday duties at second base. Yoan Moncada (knee) has begun a rehab assignment and could return before the All-Star break, at which point the Angels will have to rethink their third- and second-base situations.
Sacramento Athletics
– Denzel Clarke has been situated at the bottom of the Athletics' lineup for each of his 30 starts since being called up in late May. While the 25-year-old has been a highlight reel on defense, he has managed just a .520 OPS and ugly 41.1 percent strikeout rate. The A's promoted top prospect Colby Thomas, who offers an alternative to Clarke in the outfield if the club wants to opt for offense over defense, but manager Mark Kotsay has indicated that Thomas is in line for more of a reserve role for now.
– The Athletics have essentially flip-flopped the left-handed-hitting Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz, dropping Soderstrom to sixth in the lineup and moving Kurtz up to cleanup. Soderstrom had a huge April but has posted just a .681 OPS since then. Meanwhile, Kurtz has been scorching hot, sporting a 1.069 OPS with 11 home runs across his last 24 contests.
Seattle Mariners
– The Mariners cut Rowdy Tellez loose when they activated Luke Raley from the IL a couple weeks ago, but Raley has bounced around rather than settling in at first base, making three starts at first base, two starts in right field and one start apiece in left and center field across his last seven starts. Donovan Solano has also made seven starts over that stretch even though the Mariners have faced all righties. The 37-year-old slashed .385/.429/.577 with three home runs in June.
– The M's chose to keep Dominic Canzone around over Tellez when Raley returned, and they've handed the left-handed-hitting Canzone 16 starts in 18 games versus right-handed pitching since he was recalled. Canzone has responded with an .899 OPS with five home runs, and he was up in the No. 5 spot in the lineup Monday.
Texas Rangers
– With Wyatt Langford (oblique) out, the left-handed-swinging Alejandro Osuna has made four straight starts in left field against right-handed pitching and five straight starts versus righties overall. Unfortunately, Osuna is slashing only .160/.295/.180 in his first 21 big-league games, and Langford is due to return this weekend.
– The left-handed-hitting Evan Carter has settled into the No. 6 spot against right-handers, making six straight starts there versus righties before going on the bereavement list. He's been excellent since coming off the IL in early June, putting up a .951 OPS with three home runs and five stolen bases. Carter has not made a single start for the Rangers against a left-hander this season.
