We're heading down the stretch run of the MLB season. Are you ready? Not just as a fan, but as a Sorare MLB player? There are still tweaks that can be made to your lineup. You can still add some players to boost your lineup while perhaps removing some guys that may not be benefiting you. That's what I am here for. There are MLB players who could be upgrades, some that right now are downgrades, and also some holds. Those are the guys who come with a caveat. Before you know it, September will be here, and that means around the corner October will be here. Here are my Sorare lineup recommendations for this week.
The number in parentheses represents each player's last limited card sale price as of 8/13.
Upgrades
Matthew Boyd, CHC ($3.61): This hasn't just been a bounce-back season for Boyd. He's having the best season of his career. Five times in his last eight games he's blanked the opposition. In four of those games he's had at least 35.0 Sorare points. I also wanted to shout Boyd out because of his control and command this season. He's issued only 29 walks through 23 starts.
Brent Rooker, ATH ($3.45): Rooker isn't going to hit 39 home runs like he did last season, and it's possible he won't even get to 30, given that he is at 24. However, what is the goal of being a hitter in baseball? Well, looking cool when swinging, but also getting on base, and then moving from base to base until you get home. Rooker has racked up 236 total bases. Now, the top four in that category have really separated themselves, but Rooker is fighting to finish fifth in total bases. Plus, as we think about Rooker securing Sorare points down the stretch, remember that the Athletics have replaced Oakland's pitcher-friendly ballpark with Sacramento's hitter-friendly park, helping Rooker to a .875 OPS at home.
Taylor Ward, LAA ($1.46): I did a double take when I saw just how high Ward has climbed on the RBI chart. He has 90 RBI on the season, which has him not just firmly in the top 10, but fighting for a spot in the top five. This month he has four games with multiple RBI, and in three of those games he had at least 24.0 Sorare points. Ward also has an .860 OPS over the last three weeks, so he's staying in good form as he heads toward his first 100-RBI campaign.
Holds
Lawrence Butler, ATH ($3.43): One Athletic is an upgrade, while another is a hold. Butler does have 16 homers, 17 stolen bases and 24 doubles. He also is getting to benefit from Sacramento's ballpark, where he's slugged .453. The pause here is that Butler, a lefty, has really struggled against southpaws this year. Part of Butler's emergence last season was that he handled his fellow lefties. In fact, he had an .838 OPS against them. This year, though, that has fallen to .572. Thus, Butler is really only likely to deliver you Sorare points when a right-handed pitcher is in the game.
Jackson Holliday, BAL ($2.56): Holliday has done well enough in 2025 that I don't think he will end up being a bust after being such a vaunted prospect. On the other hand, he clearly still has room to grow. The second baseman has struck out 111 times in 112 games. He has 14 home runs and 11 stolen bases, and for his position that might feel satisfactory. What if I told you he has been caught stealing nine times, though? Pair that with his strikeouts and clearly Holliday needs to improve his discipline.
Nick Lodolo, CIN ($2.51): Lodolo has a 5.17 K/BB rate largely bolstered by an 1.67 BB/9 rate. He's walked batters as infrequently as anybody, making it harder to score runs on him. In late July he pitched a complete game shutout against the Nationals that earned him 46.0 Sorare points. I have Lodolo as a hold not just because he has a blister and is on IL. Since 2023 he has a 2.77 ERA on the road…and a 5.61 ERA at home. Even this year, Lodolo has a 4.10 ERA in Cincinnati. He just hasn't figured out how to pitch in his own ballpark.
Downgrades
Ozzie Albies, ATL ($3.01): I feel comfortable saying the Albies of two years ago isn't coming back. Maybe he is better in 2026, but the second baseman is steadily heading in the wrong direction. He's slugged .322! Albies has only nine home runs and 11 stolen bases. Over the last three weeks he's slugged a paltry .275. The issue is that, while the switch-hitter was still able to handle lefties even last season, everybody is getting the best of Albies now. He has a .635 OPS against righties and a .588 OPS against lefties.
Clay Holmes, NYM ($2.33): People were somewhere between skeptical and curious about the Mets moving Holmes from being a reliever to a starter, and it hasn't really panned out. It's not surprising his strikeout rate has dropped, but 7.21 Ks per nine innings is a significant drop. Paired with that is a rise in walks, as Holmes' BB/9 rate is up to 3.71. There is also, and reasonably so, worries about fatigue in Holmes' arm. To that end, he has a 5.45 ERA over his last eight starts. Furthermore, in five of those starts he only managed single-digit Sorare points.
Nathaniel Lowe, WAS ($0.39): Oof. Lowe is heavily in the running for worst first season with a new club in 2025. He left the Rangers and has utterly collapsed. Lowe is a first baseman, and he's slashed .216/.292/.373. The lefty came into this season with a career .789 OPS. The Nationals saw no light at the end of the tunnel and elected to deisgnate him for assignment Thursday. Lowe has a .402 OPS over the last three weeks, a time littered with games with negative Sorare points. He's 30 now. This could be the end of the line.
