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

– Since returning from his calf injury on May 13, Austin Hays has started six of 14 games. Working against him, though, is that the Orioles have faced just one left-hander over that span and also his calf issue was still lingering for a few days after his activation (he seems to be fully healthy now). Hays has been better in May, although with just a .670 OPS this month (he had a .311 OPS in April), it's all relative.

– Over the past week, Hays has started three of eight tilts, Cedric Mullins has made five starts and Kyle Stowers has been in the lineup four times. Colton Cowser has started seven of eight over that span and has been in the lineup for 19 of the past 20 contests. He and Anthony Santander have become the clear priorities for outfield playing time, with the others mixing and matching. The worry with Mullins coming into the season was that he might not play versus lefties, but he's now seen his role against righties slip with just eight starts against them in the last 13 games. He has an ugly .392 OPS in his last 28 games.

Boston Red Sox

– Eight of Ceddanne Rafaela's last 10 starts have come in center field. That's come after a stretch which saw him make 21 of 24 starts at shortstop. The reasoning behind a rejiggering of Rafaela's main position has primarily been the emergence of David Hamilton at shortstop. Hamilton has started nine of the last 11 contests, with seven of those starts coming at shortstop and the other two at second base. The speedster has been solid with the glove of late and is slashing .370/.433/.667 with one home run and three stolen bases over the aforementioned stretch.

– Wilyer Abreu has firmly established himself as the Red Sox's No. 2 hitter against right-handed pitching, making 12 straight starts there versus righties. He also made two starts during that span versus left-handed openers, with one of those coming from the two hole. Abreu is slashing .302/.378/.548 with five home runs against right-handed pitching this season after batting .333/.413/.515 versus them during his rookie season.

New York Yankees

– Jon Berti (10 starts) and Oswaldo Cabrera (eight starts) had been splitting third-base duties virtually down the middle since the former's return from the IL, before Berti suffered a high-grade calf strain last week which sent him back to the IL. It could mostly be a moot point now with DJ LeMahieu (foot) back in the fold as the primary guy at the hot corner. LeMahieu won't be handed a full workload right away, and he's no longer in line to bat leadoff as he had been prior to getting hurt. The veteran infielder was down in the No. 9 spot in his season debut Tuesday.

– The Yankees have faced an abnormally high number of right-handers in May, having gone up against just two southpaws in 25 games. It has allowed the left-handed hitting Alex Verdugo to settle in as the team's cleanup man, with the 28-year-old occupying the slot every time they've faced a righty since May 3. Verdugo is slashing just .260/.273/.452 in his last 19 contests, but the favorable lineup spot has allowed him to collect 15 RBI.

Tampa Bay Rays

– Jonny DeLuca had started just five games during a 10-game stretch before Josh Lowe suffered another right oblique strain this past Friday. In four contests since then DeLuca has been present in the lineup each time, playing right field three times and center field once. All of those tilts were against right-handed pitching, and we should see DeLuca be an everyday guy while Lowe is back on the shelf.

– Jonathan Aranda has been in the lineup for 10 of 13 contests since being activated from the IL. He's played first base three times, second base once and served as the DH in the other six games. The Rays have not faced a left-hander during that stretch, and Aranda will almost surely garner few, if any, starts versus southpaws. His placement in the Rays' lineup has been pretty encouraging, though, as he's batted cleanup five times, fifth four times and sixth once.

Toronto Blue Jays

– Every one of George Springer's starts through May 17 came from the Blue Jays' leadoff spot. He was then demoted down to the sixth spot for six starts, hit fifth the game after that and then on Monday and Tuesday was batting seventh, which is the lowest he's hit in a batting order during his 11-year career. Naturally, he responded with a home run in his first trip to the plate Monday and reached base three times. The 34-year-old will probably right the ship eventually, although there's not really anything in his batted-ball data right now to suggest that's imminent.

– Springer's tumble down in Toronto's lineup has coincided with Davis Schneider's elevation to the top of it. Schneider's last 10 starts have come from the leadoff spot and he's been at the top of the batting order for 13 of his last 16 starts. Dating back to April 27, Schneider has been out of the lineup just twice, with 16 of those starts coming in left field and nine of them coming at second base. This is the same guy who was out of the lineup for each of the Blue Jays' first three games of the season and made only four starts in the first 14 contests.

Chicago White Sox

– Corey Julks didn't draw a single start during the first four games the White Sox faced a right-hander after he was promoted (although he did start all three versus lefties over that stretch). However, since then he's started five straight against righties and has even batted cleanup a couple times. Julks is off to a nice start with his new club, reaching base 12 times with one homer and two steals in nine contests.

– From April 26 through May 17, Korey Lee and Martin Maldonado split the catching duties right down the middle with 10 starts apiece. The playing time has tilted to Lee since then, though, with the 25-year-old accruing eight starts in 11 games (seven at catcher, one at DH). While Lee is striking out at a 26.1 percent clip, that's actually down from the 30.2 percent rate at which he fanned during his relatively brief time in the big leagues the previous two seasons. He's been productive at the plate, too, slashing .275/.313/.413 with four homers and three stolen bases.

Cleveland Guardians

– David Fry has been included in the Guardians' lineup 13 times across their last 19 games, with nine of those starts coming against right-handed pitching. Prior to that, he had made just six starts versus right-handers all season. Fry is hitting an utterly ridiculous .421/.610/.842 with four home runs over 59 plate appearances against lefties, but he's more than held his own versus righties with a .289/.367/.423 batting line and a couple long balls in 60 trips to the dish. Eight of Fry's 13 starts during the aforementioned stretch have come in left field, a position which won't be available when Steven Kwan (hamstring) returns – Kwan is on a rehab assignment. Fry can play multiple other spots, though, and it's hard to see his playing time being cut much, not when he's this productive and batting fifth regularly.

– Johnathan Rodriguez was summoned from Triple-A Columbus last week and has received four starts in eight tilts. Three of them have come against left-handed pitching for the right-handed hitter, though, as he's been in the lineup just once the five times the Guardians faced righties. It seems likely that Rodriguez will head back to Columbus when Kwan is ready.

Detroit Tigers

– Wenceel Perez has continued to elevate his standing with the Tigers. The 24-year-old has started 16 of the last 18 games and in 12 of those starts he's batted in the top third of the lineup. The switch-hitting Perez has played center field each of the last seven times the Tigers have faced a right-hander. In the three games versus lefties over that span, Perez has slid over to right field while Matt Vierling occupies center. That means Kerry Carpenter is usually on the bench in those latter situations.

– Mark Canha began the season primarily batting fifth for the Tigers, doing so in six of his first eight starts of the season. Since then, though, he's batted lower than third in just one of his starts (and he hit cleanup that day). Canha has made most of his starts at DH (18), but he's also bounced around from left field (13), right field (nine) and first base (five). Unfortunately, while Canha has had a nice year, he falls under the "better in real life than in fantasy" umbrella.

Kansas City Royals

– We've seen more Freddy Fermin lately, as the Royals have given him five starts over their last nine contests. It hasn't come at the expense of Salvador Perez, though, as Perez has remained in the lineup each of those five games, making three starts at first base and two at DH. Rather, it's been off days mixed in for Hunter Renfroe, Nelson Velazquez and MJ Melendez on days Fermin is behind the plate. Fermin is slashing .395/.439/.500 in May.

– Adam Frazier's playing time had taken a major hit since Michael Massey returned from the IL. From April 29 through May 24, Frazier started just nine of a possible 23 contests. Unfortunately, Massey has landed back on the IL with more back issues, resulting in three straight starts at second base for Frazier before he sat out Tuesday. The 32-year-old Frazier has been terrible at the plate on the whole this season but has perked up of late, slashing .306/.342/.444 with one homer and one steal in his last 10 games.

Minnesota Twins

– Up through May 25, Edouard Julien had not batted lower than second in any of his starts against right-handed pitching this season. However, he then started back-to-back contests all the way down in the No. 8 spot for the Twins. The demotion is the result of the 25-year-old putting together an ugly .123/.210/.192 line and 35.8 percent strikeout rate so far in May. Julien collected an .830 OPS with seven home runs in April and an .839 OPS last season, which should earn him some leash. The Twins will have a roster decision to make when Royce Lewis (quad) comes back, though. Lewis recently began a rehab assignment.

– Speaking of decisions to make when Lewis is back, Jose Miranda is another guy who could be affected. He's become an everyday guy at Lewis' position, starting 11 straight games and 21 of the last 24 contests at third base. Over those last 11 tilts, Miranda sports a .930 OPS with a trio of long balls. Miranda surely won't be going anywhere if he stays hot, and there should be at-bats available at first base and/or DH.

Houston Astros

– Jose Abreu has returned after a month in purgatory. In his first two games back with the Astros he started at first base and batted eighth. Presumably, Abreu won't be guaranteed anything as far as playing time goes, but it seems notable that the club kept Jon Singleton in the lineup at DH in Abreu's first two games back, with Yordan Alvarez shifting to left field and Chas McCormick riding the pine.

– As for McCormick, he's started just three of seven contests since returning from his hamstring injury. Perhaps the team just doesn't want to overdo it with him initially, but the 29-year-old's performance this season (or lack thereof) hasn't exactly screamed "play me!" One of McCormick's paths to playing time could be closed, at least for the time being, with Jake Meyers swinging a hot bat (and playing his usual excellent defense) in center field.

Los Angeles Angels

– Luis Rengifo's usage has frustrated fantasy managers at times this season, particularly in the first few weeks. However, while the super utility player didn't start the first game after returning from a viral illness earlier this month, he's since been in the lineup for 10 straight contests. Rengifo has also batted second in nine of those games and hit leadoff in the other one. The switch-hitter has been one of the few bright spots with the Halos in 2024, slashing .326/.374/.504 with four home runs and 12 stolen bases.

– Kyren Paris was summoned from Double-A Rocket City back on May 9 and he's been in the lineup for 14 of 17 games since then, with all but one of his starts coming at second base. Paris has put up some prodigious stolen base totals in the minors and has done so at a very efficient rate. Unfortunately, you can't steal first base, and the 22-year-old has swiped just three bags (all in 2023) in 29 contests in the majors while getting on base at just a .230 clip.

Oakland Athletics

– Miguel Andujar finally made it back from meniscus surgery and has seen his name penciled into the Athletics' lineup four times in five games upon his activation. He's occupied a key spot in the batting order for each of those starts, too, hitting third twice and fourth twice. All four starts have come in left field. Andujar is now 29 and his shine has long since faded since he was runner-up in the AL Rookie of the Year voting back in 2018, but it would appear Oakland intends to give him some run as a regular.

– Unlike Andujar, Max Schuemann has not been entrusted with a big spot in the batting order, as he's batted ninth in eight straight starts and rarely escaped the bottom third of the lineup. He has been in the lineup for each of his team's previous 20 contests, though, taking over as the A's everyday shortstop. The 26-year-old is holding his own at the plate, too, with a .730 OPS along with three home runs and three stolen bases in 36 tilts.

Seattle Mariners

– Dylan Moore's burst of playing time began when J.P. Crawford went on the injured list but has continued since Crawford returned. Moore has started 30 of the last 33 contests for the Mariners, including 17 straight before finally sitting Tuesday. He was the everyday shortstop while Crawford was on the shelf but has since made three starts at third base, two at second base and two in left field. Moore has also occupied the two hole for each of his last five starts. The 31-year-old has carried a .978 OPS with five homers and three steals in May, and has shown a vastly improved contact rate in fanning at just an 18.1 percent clip.

– Through May 22, Julio Rodriguez made every one of his starts either in the two spot (46) or leadoff spot (three). Then he was moved all the way down to the six spot in the lineup for three straight contests. The timing of the demotion was odd, since Rodriguez had slashed .325/.357/.425 in the 10 games prior to that. He has moved up to the third position in the batting order for three of the last four tilts, so perhaps the shift down in the order was short-lived.

Texas Rangers

– Josh Smith has been the No. 3 hitter in the Rangers' lineup for each of their last five contests. The 26-year-old is certainly miscast in the role, but he's one of the few players on the roster who's hitting, having put up a solid .280/.376/.410 batting line. With Josh Jung's (wrist) potential return delayed multiple weeks, Smith will continue operating as the Rangers' primary third baseman indefinitely.

– The Rangers lost Evan Carter (back) but gained Wyatt Langford (hamstring) Tuesday. Langford was in the DH spot for his first game back, marking his 20th start there (versus 12 starts in left field). Travis Jankowski drew the first start in left field post-Carter and is sure to see an uptick in playing time. Surely, though, Texas will plan to give many of the left field starts to Langford, as they don't want to pigeon-hole him as a bat-only guy already.