Lineup Lowdown: American League

The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: we're looking for trends which could help identify players who 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.

Baltimore Orioles

– Jackson Holliday's first stint in the big leagues was ugly from the jump and showing no signs of getting better, so the Orioles opted to send him back to Triple-A Norfolk after just 10 games. Holliday went just 2-for-34 (.059) with two singles at the plate, along with an 18:2 K:BB. He had been sitting against lefties in favor of Jorge Mateo and it's been Mateo still handling second base against the three southpaws the O's have faced since Holliday's demotion. Mateo also got the call there versus a right-hander Sunday with Jordan Westburg battling a stomach bug. Westburg should be in line to play second base against righties and third base against lefties, with Ramon Urias occupying the hot corner versus right-handers. 

– While the O's sent one top prospect in Holliday packing last week, they added another in Heston Kjerstad. Unfortunately, things have not started out promisingly for Kjerstad. The 25-year-old started in his first game following a promotion and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He did not start any of the five contests after that, even as the Orioles faced a righty twice during that span (he did receive one pinch-hitting appearance and was retired). Kjerstad has big-time power, as his 10 longballs in 21 games this season at Norfolk can attest, but getting him playing time does not appear to be a priority for Baltimore.

Boston Red Sox

– Manager Alex Cora confirmed last week what had become obvious: Ceddanne Rafaela is now the team's everyday shortstop. Cora had intended to keep Rafaela in center field after Trevor Story's season-ending shoulder injury and mostly kept his word for a while, but it eventually became obvious that Boston's bigger need was shortstop and that's where Rafaela has made each of his last 10 starts. Rafaela's production has mostly continued to lag, but he did have one huge game over the weekend in driving in seven runs against the Cubs. Unfortunately, he was probably on a lot of fantasy benches for that performance.

– Unfortunately, Triston Casas has joined Story on the shelf in suffering a rib injury that's going to keep him out indefinitely. Pablo Reyes started at first base in the first game after Casas' injury, but then Bobby Dalbec made six straight starts at the position. However, Boston has traded for Garrett Cooper and the expectation is he'll be prioritized over Dalbec at first base. Dalbec did remain on the roster, with Reyes being designated for assignment. Cooper earned his first start at first base Tuesday.

New York Yankees

– Alex Verdugo spent most of his time in the Yankees' first 27 games of the season batting sixth (10 times) or seventh (15 times), but in the last two contests before he went on paternity leave he was elevated to the cleanup spot. The 27-year-old homered in back-to-back games over the weekend in Milwaukee (one of them out of the cleanup spot), pushing his OPS up over .800 for the first time this season. Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres have all slid down in the order with Verdugo moving up. Perhaps Torres got the message, as he collected seven hits out of the seven spot in the last three games. Rizzo has also been swinging a scorching-hot bat with a 1.307 OPS in his last seven tilts.

– Frankly, I've been a bit surprised at how often Aaron Judge has played center field. I know the Yankees said that was their plan heading into the season, but especially after it was revealed during spring training that his toe injury from last season was still nagging at him, I figured he'd wind up at designated hitter or a corner outfield spot often. Judge, though, hasn't missed a game and 23 of his 30 starts have come in center field, where he's graded out solidly defensively. He did get his first-ever start in left Monday with Verdugo out. Trent Grisham has made only seven starts and received 25 plate appearances this season, and he finally picked up his first hit over the weekend before adding another one Monday.

Tampa Bay Rays

– When the Rays inked Amed Rosario to a modest one-year, $1.5 million contract in late February, the expectation was that, given his career-long issues against righties, he would be a short-side platoon bat. That was mostly the case for the first couple weeks of the season, but Rosario has started all but one game since April 14, making 10 starts in right field, three starts at second base and one start at shortstop during that span. The 28-year-old is sporting a .351/.373/.509 batting line over that stretch, and on the season he's actually been better against righties (.799 OPS) than lefties (.781 OPS). He even hit third against a righty three times last week. Rosario is swinging more often – particularly at pitches in the strike zone (75.8 percent) – and is also making more in-zone contact (89.9 percent) while at the same time cutting his whiff rate (18.3 percent) and upping his hard-hit rate (43.4 percent).

– It would appear notable that the Rays have used Randy Arozarena in center field for four of their last 11 contests. This is after he didn't make a single start in center field in his first four seasons with Tampa Bay. Jose Siri has been on the bench on the days Arozarena was in center, and Siri is currently sitting on a .525 OPS and obscene 42.7 percent strikeout rate for the season. He also was removed from a game over the weekend due to a lack of hustle. Siri's glove in center field remains terrific, but it's possible his bat becomes bad enough that he's no longer a regular, particularly when Josh Lowe returns. Lowe, though, had a setback on his rehab assignment from an oblique injury when he tweaked a hamstring.

Toronto Blue Jays

– Through his first 13 games of the season, Daulton Varsho was slashing an ugly .158/.261/.286 and had made two straight starts from the nine spot in the Blue Jays' lineup (both against righties). Since then, he's hit .289/.383/.731 with six home runs and three stolen bases in 17 contests. He's batted fifth or higher in eight of his last 10 tilts.

– Each of Varsho's last five starts have come in center field following Kevin Kiermaier's (hip) trip to the IL. Davis Schneider has been used in left field for three of those games, while Addison Barger has handled the position for the other two. Schneider has also finally been getting some reps at second base recently, making four starts there since April 17. He's the right-handed bat while Barger hits lefty, but it does not seem to be a platoon situation, with Schneider looking to have the edge in playing time.

Chicago White Sox

– Signed to a minor-league contract in mid-April, Tommy Pham was added to the roster this past weekend and thrown right into the mix, starting four of five games in center field and occupying the second spot in the batting order. Pham hasn't played center field regularly since 2018, but he lost some weight over the offseason and it looks like that's where he'll see most of his starts after Dominic Fletcher was sent down. The 36-year-old hit 16 homers and stole 22 bases last season and needs to be rostered in any five-outfielder leagues.

– Nicky Lopez has taken over as the White Sox' new leadoff hitter, starting there in 10 of the last 11 contests. He comes into action Tuesday slashing just .215/.303/.228 and has somehow yet to drive in a run even as he's played 25 games and accrued 93 plate appearances. Obviously, that doesn't sound like a leadoff hitter, but Chicago isn't exactly teeming with options.

Cleveland Guardians

– Tyler Freeman got a brief run in the two hole last week, starting consecutive games there (one against a righty and one against a lefty). However, Andres Gimenez has since re-established himself there for the last three tilts. Freeman is the unquestioned everyday center fielder, though, having settled in there for 10 of the previous 11 games. He's sporting just a .687 OPS, but Freeman has three homers and three steals and has been scorching the ball with a 53.1 percent hard-hit rate.

– David Fry's playing time has ticked up lately, as he's been in the lineup for six of the previous 11 games. He hasn't batted lower than fifth during that span and on two occasions was up in the two spot versus lefties. Fry played three different positions (catcher, first base and left field) amidst that stretch, not including DH, and he's eligible at all three of those spots on Yahoo. The playing time still isn't ideal, but with a .295/.441/.432 batting line, Fry is a viable second fantasy catcher.

Detroit Tigers

– Wenceel Perez has worked his way into a regular role for Detroit, starting six of the last seven contests and eight of the last 11 games. He has batted either second or third in all of those starts but one, playing right field seven times and center field once. The 24-year-old switch-hitter comes into play Tuesday with an .873 OPS, one home run and two stolen bases over 39 plate appearances. With Mark Canha's and Kerry Carpenter's roles secure versus right-handed pitching, Perez's best path to continued regular starts might be in center field, where Parker Meadows continues to struggle mightily.

– In eight games since Gio Urshela (hamstring) went down, Matt Vierling has started at third base nine times, with all but one of those contests coming against righties. This is after Vierling had started only nine of the Tigers' first 20 games. He entered action Tuesday hitting .308/.357/.539 since Urshela was injured, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him continue to get regular reps at the hot corner once Urshela is back (and he can also play the outfield, too).

Kansas City Royals

– MJ Melendez was on the bench Saturday (against a right-hander) and Sunday (against a left-hander) and then was down in the seven spot Monday and Tuesday, which is the lowest he's batted this season. The 25-year-old entered play Tuesday hitless in his last six games and in a 3-for-46 freefall across his last 14 contests. Melendez has consistently underperformed relative to his expected stats and that's been the case again this year, even as his batted-ball data has gone from terrific to merely above-average. He'll probably right the ship to some degree, but in the meantime we could see Dairon Blanco getting more reps.

– Michael Massey has started nine of 12 games at second base since returning from the IL, sitting out twice versus lefties and once against a righty. Adam Frazier has just two starts at the keystone over that span but has still been a regular presence in the lineup, seeing a total of seven starts between second base (two), left field (one), right field (one) and DH (three). He was in the lineup at the expense of Hunter Renfroe three times during a four-game stretch, but Renfroe has since been back in there for four straight contests.

Minnesota Twins

– Jose Miranda's arm strength has looked better than expected following shoulder surgery, which has helped lead to each of his last seven and nine of his last 10 starts coming at third base. That's covering a 15-game span for the Twins, and five of those starts have been against right-handed pitching. Mostly, though, it's his bat that's going to keep Miranda in the lineup, and he's off to a solid start in slashing .280/.308/.480 with two homers in 17 tilts coming into play Tuesday. Miranda has hit either third or fourth each of the last four times Minnesota has faced a southpaw.

– Trevor Larnach has been in the Twins' lineup each of the last 10 times they've gone up against a righty. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, he's yet to start a game versus a lefty and the Twins have faced a lot of them lately. Larnach, though, has reached base 10 times in his last six tilts and is sporting a 1.096 OPS since being recalled from Triple-A St. Paul. He hadn't batted lower than cleanup across a seven-start stretch before hitting sixth Tuesday.

Houston Astros

– The Astros summoned Joey Loperfido from Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday and threw him into the lineup in left field. Loperfido played left in part because Chas McCormick (hamstring) is banged up, and it's possible that's where he'll see most of his action if McCormick's injury lingers. However, Loperfido can also handle first base and that spot is wide open after Jose Abreu was optioned. Jon Singleton made his 10th start of the season there Tuesday, but he's somehow yet to drive in a run this season.

– The Astros had seemingly handed Jake Meyers the center field job on a silver platter, but he's found himself on the bench much more frequently of late, having started just five of the last 13 contests. It might be a case of Meyers being a victim of the team's overall failures, as he's been perfectly solid with a 111 OPS+ along with good defense. Mauricio Dubon has started seven games over that stretch, with all but one of them coming in center field, while McCormick has slid over to center twice.

Los Angeles Angels

– When we last discussed the AL in this space, I expressed hope that the Angels might commit to Jo Adell as a regular after they had started him three straight games. They actually put him on the bench for four of the next five tilts after that, but since then Adell has started eight straight, peaking in the two spot in the batting order. He took a blistering .996 OPS into play Tuesday, along with four home runs and five stolen bases. Adell looks to be the clear everyday right fielder for the Halos at this point (particularly with Aaron Hicks having been designated for assignment), although he could now see some starts in center with Mike Trout (knee) out.

– Mickey Moniak got the first start in center field Tuesday following the announcement that Trout needed meniscus surgery. He had been out of the lineup for each of the previous four contests, but Moniak should see the bulk of the action in center against right-handed pitching, with new signee Kevin Pillar in the mix versus lefties. Moniak has not come close to matching last year's surprise production, carrying a sickly .414 OPS into play Tuesday.

Oakland Athletics

– The Athletics appear committed to giving Tyler Nevin a long look as a regular. He's started 14 of the last 15 games and 18 of the previous 21 contests, occupying right field six times, third base four times, left field twice, and first base and DH three times apiece. The 26-year-old is perking up at the dish, too, with three home runs and five RBI across his last five tilts. With Zack Gelof (oblique) sidelined, Nevin has batted second for Oakland six games in a row.

– Speaking of Gelof being out, his absence led to Max Schuemann handling second base for five straight games before he sat out Tuesday. Schuemann doesn't have much in the way of results so far (.483 OPS), but he's hitting the ball hard with a 91.2 mph average exit velocity and 17.6 percent barrel rate. If the 26-year-old does offer some deep-league fantasy production, it would probably be as a stolen base threat. He's stolen 136 bases over 470 minor-league games.

Seattle Mariners

– The Mariners needed a new leadoff man when J.P. Crawford headed to the IL with an oblique strain. Julio Rodriguez has moved up a spot to the top of the order in the two games versus lefties since Crawford went down, but it's been Josh Rojas at the top of the batting order each of the five times they've gone up against a right-hander. Rojas is 5-for-16 with two home runs and a triple over that span and is now slashing .308/.375/.523 for the season. The 29-year-old had batted ninth in 11 of his 14 starts previously and never peaked higher than seventh, so being elevated all the way to the leadoff spot is a dramatic change at least to his short-term outlook. The replacement at shortstop for Crawford – who has begun workouts and doesn't seem likely to be out long – has been Dylan Moore for six of seven tilts.

– Jonatan Clase got a short run as the Mariners' regular left fielder, but his playing time had trended downward and he was optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday. Luke Raley has started each of the last seven contests versus righties (five in left field, two in right), but is still really scuffling at the plate with just a .496 OPS and 16:0 K:BB.

Texas Rangers

– Nathaniel Lowe returned on April 20 from an oblique injury that had kept him out all season. After batting fifth in his first three games, he flipped spots with Evan Carter, moving up to the three hole for each of the last six contests. That includes on Sunday when the Rangers faced a lefty. Carter has heated up since Lowe returned, collecting a 1.028 OPS with three home runs, but it would appear he'll be situated lower in the batting order for a while.

– We're still waiting for Wyatt Langford to get going. He did finally tally his first major-league home run on Sunday, although that was of the inside-the-park variety. The rookie batted seventh for six straight games recently – the lowest he's hit this season – before moving up to sixth for the next three contests. He's started 18 games at DH and 10 in left field. It's probably only a matter of time before Langford gets going, but with an average exit velocity in the 29th percentile and barrel rate in the 54th percentile, his batted-ball data has been surprisingly pedestrian.