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
– Samuel Basallo has arrived and has already been handed a long-term contract extension. The 21-year-old has started six of eight games since being summoned from Triple-A Norfolk, with four of those coming at catcher and the other two coming at designated hitter. The plan had been to mix Basallo in at first base and DH often, but with Adley Rutschman (oblique) hurt, Basallo is slated to be the club's primary catcher indefinitely. The left-handed-hitting Basallo has batted sixth four times and fifth once versus righties and hit seventh Monday against a lefty.
– Jordan Westburg has made another trip to the injured list, this time going down with a sprained ankle. The Orioles have used Luis Vazquez three times, Vimael Machin twice and Jeremiah Jackson once at third base since Westburg went down. Jackson, though, has made five straight starts in Westburg's old two-spot in the lineup, with the last four of those coming in right field. The 25-year-old has managed an .811 OPS with one home run, two doubles and two triples in his first 20 games. Jackson
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
– Samuel Basallo has arrived and has already been handed a long-term contract extension. The 21-year-old has started six of eight games since being summoned from Triple-A Norfolk, with four of those coming at catcher and the other two coming at designated hitter. The plan had been to mix Basallo in at first base and DH often, but with Adley Rutschman (oblique) hurt, Basallo is slated to be the club's primary catcher indefinitely. The left-handed-hitting Basallo has batted sixth four times and fifth once versus righties and hit seventh Monday against a lefty.
– Jordan Westburg has made another trip to the injured list, this time going down with a sprained ankle. The Orioles have used Luis Vazquez three times, Vimael Machin twice and Jeremiah Jackson once at third base since Westburg went down. Jackson, though, has made five straight starts in Westburg's old two-spot in the lineup, with the last four of those coming in right field. The 25-year-old has managed an .811 OPS with one home run, two doubles and two triples in his first 20 games. Jackson has lacked consistency year-to-year in the minors, but he's had a nice 2025 campaign between the Double- and Triple-A levels with an .879 OPS, 15 homers and 11 steals.
Boston Red Sox
– The Red Sox have been searching for first base help since Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury in early May. They hope they've found a solution in Nathaniel Lowe, who was quickly signed by the Red Sox after the Nationals cut him loose. Lowe floundered in Washington but has hit the ground running in Boston, going 7-for-20 with a home run and seven RBI in his first seven contests. He's serving on the long side of a platoon with Romy Gonzalez, and Lowe has come off the bench to receive at least one plate appearance in all three games he didn't start.
– Wilyer Abreu is out with a calf strain, and in the three games versus righties since he landed on the IL, the Red Sox have used Ceddanne Rafaela in center field and David Hamilton at second base. Hamilton has had a brutal season offensively, but he's reached base six times across those three starts, scored four runs and stole a base. The speedster has 18 steals in 157 plate appearances this season despite a .245 on-base percentage. I don't know how often Hamilton will get on base, but he's going to run when he gets on.
New York Yankees
– Anthony Volpe — who is 1-for-28 with an 11:0 K:BB over his last nine games and who has regressed significantly defensively this season — was benched for consecutive games Sunday and Monday, with Jose Caballero stepping in at shortstop. Yankees manager Aaron Boone publicly backed Volpe on Monday, but if the skipper should change his mind about Volpe's standing, Caballero would be the primary beneficiary. Caballero has made a total of just nine starts since being acquired at the trade deadline, but seven of those starts have come over the team's last 10 contests.
– Jasson Dominguez has been in the lineup for just three of the past seven and seven of the past 15 games for the Yankees. The 22-year-old has collected just a .592 OPS in August and has slugged only four home runs since the beginning of June. Between Dominguez's underwhelming offense and lackluster defense and the emergence of Trent Grisham, Dominguez simply isn't one of the team's three best outfield options right now, and his playing time has reflected that.
Tampa Bay Rays
– Ha-Seong Kim is back on the shelf with a back injury, joining Taylor Walls (groin) on the IL. Taking over at shortstop has been top prospect Carson Williams, who has reached base six times, homered and stolen a base in his first three tilts. Williams had 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases at Triple-A Durham, but he also hit .213 with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate, so it's far from a guarantee the hot start will last. He should be useful in fantasy if he's able to make enough contact, though. Williams has hit seventh once and eighth twice in his first three starts.
– The right-handed-hitting Kim hit leadoff in his last two games versus lefties before going on the IL, with the lefty-swinging Chandler Simpson moving to the nine spot once and the eight spot once those days. However, Simpson has started 10 consecutive contests in the leadoff spot in Kim's absence, including a pair versus southpaws. The speedy Simpson has been as advertised and then some from a fantasy perspective, hitting .302 with 38 stolen bases in his first 81 major-league games.
Toronto Blue Jays
– George Springer has been a fixture in the leadoff spot in all nine games since returning from a concussion. He remained there on Monday with Vladimir Guerrero (hamstring) back in the lineup. Springer has gone deep four times over that span, so the Jays might not want to mess with a good thing.
– Injuries have limited Daulton Varsho to only 44 games this season, but he's managed to pop 15 home runs, which is just three off his total from last year (in nearly 100 fewer games). Each of Varsho's last seven starts have come from the five spot in the Toronto lineup. The 29-year-old is sporting just a .282 on-base percentage but has driven in 40 runs in his 44 contests.
Chicago White Sox
– Varsho and Colson Montgomery have shockingly similar offensive profiles right now. Montgomery has nearly matched Varsho with a lowly .288 OBP, and the strikeout rates (29.9 percent for Varsho, 27.3 percent for Montgomery) and walk rates (7.5 percent for Varsho, 6.8 percent for Montgomery) are awfully close. However, like Varsho, Montgomery has provided thump, smacking 13 long balls with 36 RBI over 42 tilts. Initially, the rookie rarely escaped the lower third of the White Sox' batting order upon his promotion, but he hasn't batted lower than fifth since Aug. 1 and on six occasions over that stretch has hit third.
– Chase Meidroth returned from the IL on Aug. 15 and batted eighth seven times and ninth once in his first nine games back. He hadn't previously hit that low all season, and before going on the IL had made 73 straight starts either from the No. 1 or No. 2 spot in the batting order. After slashing .296/.385/.365 in his first 45 games, Meidroth is slashing only .214/.284/.275 in 48 games since.
Cleveland Guardians
– Brayan Rocchio lost his shortstop job to Gabriel Arias long ago, but he's now settled in as the team's everyday second baseman, making 19 consecutive starts (18 were at second base, with the other one coming at shortstop when Arias had a day off). Rocchio has been serviceable offensively since returning to the majors at the start of July, slashing .276/.317/.421, but with only three homers and four steals. He's hit eighth or ninth in all but two of his starts since July.
– Nolan Jones has been absent from the lineup for four of the last five tilts and has started only 11 of the Guardians' last 28 games. He still easily leads the team with 65 starts in right field this season (and he's made an additional 19 starts in the other two outfield spots), but C.J. Kayfus has held down right field in eight of the last 11 games. Jones crashed and burned in 2024 following a breakout 2023 campaign, and he's somehow been even worse in 2025.
Detroit Tigers
– Trey Sweeney had a stretch after being recalled from Triple-A Toledo earlier this month when he started at shortstop eight times in a 10-game span, as Javier Baez refocused mostly on playing center field those days. However, Sweeney has since been in the lineup just twice across the last five tilts. The 25-year-old's .669 OPS in August is actually his highest in five months this season, and he's graded out as a below-average defender at shortstop, as well.
– The Tigers have not faced many left-handers lately, but the last two times they did, they used catcher Dillon Dingler at DH. We will sometimes see a starting catcher's workload taper off a bit late in the year as managers try to be cognizant of how physically demanding the position can be. Dingler, though, is still carrying a big workload, thanks in part to his increased reps at DH. You can understand why manager A.J. Hinch has wanted to keep Dingler's bat in the lineup versus lefties, as Dinger boasts a .980 OPS against southpaws this season (as compared to a .669 OPS versus righties).
Kansas City Royals
– Adam Frazier has started all but three games since July 28 and all but one game versus right-handed pitching over that span. He's played all over the diamond, making nine starts at second base, five starts apiece in left field and at DH and two starts apiece at third base and in right field. The veteran is slashing .286/.321/.408 with a couple homers since rejoining the Royals, although he's just 3-for-22 over his last seven tilts.
– Mike Yastrzemski continues to hold down the Royals' leadoff spot versus right-handed pitching, making 13 straight starts in such situations. He's sporting an .902 OPS with five home runs in 22 games since joining Kansas City. Randal Grichuk has served on the short side of a platoon in right field with Yastrzemski but has made just five starts versus righties this month.
Minnesota Twins
– Matt Wallner is sporting an .964 OPS with nine home runs in 29 contests since the All-Star break. He's been up in the cleanup spot for each of his last three starts, although he's also been held out of the lineup twice across the last five tilts. While Wallner has regressed offensively this season, the left-handed hitter has performed much better against lefties with a .788 OPS. That's big for a guy who had a career .510 OPS versus southpaws coming into the season.
– James Outman is getting regular run versus right-handers since being recalled earlier this month, making seven starts in eight contests against righties. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old is just 5-for-25 with 12 strikeouts with his new club. Outman has been in the bottom third of the Twins' lineup for all seven of those starts, with more than half of them (four) coming from the No. 9 spot.
Houston Astros
– Jacob Melton has been given seven starts in center field in nine contests versus right-handed pitching since being recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land. Unfortunately, Melton has shown nothing at the plate so far, going just 2-for-24 with 10 strikeouts. Chas McCormick has been getting the reps in center against lefties but continues to look lost offensively, with a .498 OPS in the second half.
– Cam Smith has been in the lineup for just one of the last three and two of the last five contests against right-handed pitching, and his last start versus a righty came from the No. 9 spot. The rookie outfielder has a lowly .385 OPS in August and a .611 OPS against righties this season (as compared to an .860 OPS versus lefties). Smith's playing time could continue to dwindle with Yordan Alvarez (hand) finally back in action, especially if the Astros prefer to put Jose Altuve in left field rather than at second base.
Los Angeles Angels
– Nolan Schanuel has landed on the IL with a wrist problem, and taking his place at first base in the two games since that move was made has been Niko Kavadas. Kavadas has been a three true outcomes hitter throughout the minors, but a 39 percent strikeout rate at the big-league level, particularly when it's come with only four homers in 118 plate appearances, isn't going to cut it.
– Yoan Moncada has been swinging a hot bat this month, collecting an .800 OPS with three home runs. The switch hitter has an .829 OPS with all 11 of his home runs this season against right-handed pitching. Mike Trout filled the No. 2 spot in the lineup Sunday in the first game after Schanuel went out, but it was Moncada hitting there Monday as the slumping Trout took a seat.
Sacramento Athletics
– The Athletics' leadoff man in their last seven contests versus righties has been Nick Kurtz. Their leadoff man in their last six games against lefties has been Shea Langeliers. While perhaps atypical selections to be sitting atop your batting order, giving your better hitters more plate appearances is never a bad idea. It does ding their RBI outlooks a bit if they remain there.
– Zack Gelof was summoned from the minors Monday and thrown into the lineup against a lefty, promptly striking out in all four of his plate appearances. He's fanned 17 times in 32 plate appearances with the big club this season after leading the AL with 188 strikeouts in 2024. Perhaps the A's will give Gelof another shot at regular reps down the stretch, but Darell Hernaiz and Max Muncy (once he's healthy) are probably higher priorities at this point.
Seattle Mariners
– Victor Robles has returned from a fractured shoulder following a nearly five-month absence. He was the Mariners' leadoff man for the first 10 games of the season but has hit seventh once and ninth twice against three lefties since he was activated. Robles is facing a 10-game suspension for throwing his bat at a pitcher during his rehab assignment, but he'll continue to play until the appeal is heard. Dominic Canzone has been terrific in right field, and while he's currently a bit banged up with a wrist issue, he seems likely, when healthy, to see the bulk of the reps in right field versus righties, with Robles playing against southpaws.
– The Mariners have faced an inordinate number of lefties lately, going up against southpaws in seven of their last 12 contests. The switch-hitting Jorge Polanco has been out of the lineup four times over that stretch, though he did start at second base each of the last two games versus left-handers, with lefty-swinging Cole Young sitting out those days.
Texas Rangers
– Marcus Semien has been probably the most durable player in baseball over the last several years, but he could be done for the season after suffering a fracture and a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot. In four contests since Semien went down, Ezequiel Duran has started at second base twice and Josh Smith and Cody Freeman have handled the position one time apiece. Duran has also drawn an additional start at first base over that span and will likely be the biggest beneficiary with Semien out, especially with Smith already essentially playing every day in a super utility role.
– The Rangers being banged up is certainly a factor, but Josh Jung has started four straight games and five of the last six contests at third base. That stretch was preceded by one which saw Jung sitting out three consecutive games. It's been another forgettable season for Jung, but he has reached base six times and homered once over his last three tilts.
