In Some Depth: Schwarber's Gotta Play

Cubs 2B/SS/LF
In the mix: Addison Russell, Starlin Castro, Chris Coghlan, Kyle Schwarber

­­Rockies LF
In the mix: Kyle Parker, Brandon Barnes
Next: Drew Stubbs, Ben Paulsen
On the DL: Corey Dickerson

Corey Dickerson is back on the disabled list for the third time this season, so the Rockies are rolling with a platoon of Kyle Parker and Brandon Barnes. Both men are right-handed batters, but Parker has been playing primarily against right-handed starters while Barnes has been limited to starts against lefties. Neither light the world on fire, but both are accumulating at-bats on a regular basis and get to frequently play at Coors Field. Drew Stubbs occasionally appears, but he only has five starts since the All-Star break. Ben Paulsen could be a factor later this season if Justin Morneau returns to first base, but Morneau's return from a concussion remains a huge question mark.

Cardinals LF
Starter: Stephen Piscotty
Next: Brandon Moss, Peter Bourjos
On the DL: Matt Holliday, Jon Jay
In the minors: Tommy Pham

Stephen Piscotty appears to be the main man with Matt Holliday out for the next while. Piscotty has started every game since Holliday went down with the quad injury in late-July, and he has slashed .324/.375/.459 over that 10-game stretch. Brandon Moss could conceivably see a bit of action at the position, but the Cards appear to be set with him holding down the fort at first base. Jon Jay might not beat Holliday back from the DL, and it is not clear if the Cardinals would surrender an outfield spot to Jay at the expense of one of their young guys if said young guy is hitting well.

Braves 1B
Starter: Nick Swisher
Next: Joey Terdoslavich, Adonis Garcia
On the DL: Freddie Freeman (oblique)

Astros 1B
In the mix: Luis Valbuena, Chris Carter, Marwin Gonzalez
In the minors: Jonathan Singleton

Jed Lowrie's return from the disabled list earlier in the month caused a log-jam of sorts on the left side of the Astros' infield, forcing Luis Valbuena to look right. Valbuena has moved to first base in place of the still-slumping Chris Carter. Carter and Valbuena have had strikingly similar seasons - a lot of boom and little contact, but Valbuena has been significantly better with the K's (22 percent K-rate to Carter's 33 percent). Valbuena has also swung a hotter bat of late, so he should have the edge at first base on a nightly basis. The recently-optioned Jon Singleton should return in September, but he has yet to do much in his several cups of coffee in the majors.

Yankees 2B
In the mix: Brendan Ryan, Stephen Drew
In the minors: Rob Refsnyder

Red Sox No. 2

Rusney Castillo has finally taken advantage of his regular playing time that has resulted from the Shane Victorino trade. He has an .819 OPS, one home run, and two steals over his last 10 starts, and that production has helped him shoot up to No. 2 in the Red Sox's order. He should hold onto that spot at least until Dustin Pedroia returns.

Orioles No. 2

Gerardo Parra has been a regular lineup fixture since being traded from the Brewers to the Orioles at the deadline. That is a change from Milwaukee, where he had to share time with Khris Davis and Carlos Gomez. He has hit second every day of his young Oriole career, and hitting between Manny Machado and Adam Jones is a definite upgrade over his previous placement in Milwaukee.

Royals No. 6

Mike Moustakas spent 91 games hitting second for the Royals, but Ben Zobrist's arrival, paired with Moustakas' sudden fall back to earth, has resulted in a fall to the sixth spot in the lineup. That's not a horrible, horrible place to be, but it means fewer at-bats and likely fewer opportunities to score runs (he's being protected by Alex Rios, late-season Salvador Perez, and Omar Infante.

Milwaukee No. 1

Dodgers No. 1 – Jimmy Rollins