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

– Jorge Mateo started the Orioles' first four games upon his return from the 7-day concussion injured list. Since then, though, he's started five of 10 contests, while Ramon Urias has been in the lineup seven times over that stretch. I'm not really sure what the impetus behind this is. Urias has been more productive than Mateo at the plate lately, but the former hasn't exactly set the world on fire with a .625 OPS since Mateo returned. Jordan Westburg is also a much better defender at third base than second base, but he's seen more time at the keystone of late with six of his last nine starts coming there.

– It was looking at the beginning of the month like Austin Hays might be recapturing an everyday role when he made three straight starts versus right-handed pitching. That was short-lived, however, as he's started only eight of 20 contests since then (he did miss a few with injury). Hays sports a .977 OPS in June, but with six of those eight starts coming against lefties, you could argue he's being deployed properly. Meanwhile, Cedric Mullins might be getting back on track. He's started 15 during the aforementioned 20-game span and has a .909 OPS across his last 11 tilts. Baltimore added another option to their outfield this week in recalling Heston Kjerstad.

Boston Red Sox

– Masataka Yoshida returned from his thumb injury a couple weeks ago and has been in the lineup for 11 of 14 contests, including a couple versus left-handers. He still has not started a game in the outfield all season, seeing a total of just one inning in left field. Yoshida is just 6-for-37 at the dish since being activated and could see his playing time slip if he doesn't get going. The Red Sox have Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Tyler O'Neill and Wilyer Abreu as outfield options and Rafaela and David Hamilton at shortstop, so someone is going to have to sit.

– The Red Sox have given Dominic Smith a surprisingly long leash at first base and he's finally rewarded them with some production, having collected an .813 OPS so far in June. Dating back to May 13, Smith has started 33 of 40 contests, and he's now the only true first baseman on the roster after Garrett Cooper was released and Bobby Dalbec was optioned. Triston Casas (ribs) is progressing but doesn't appear close to a return.

New York Yankees

– The Yankees have lost Anthony Rizzo to a fractured right forearm, an injury which is expected to sideline him until late August. They made a fairly aggressive promotion as a means to replace him, bringing up Ben Rice after he had just 11 games of experience at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The left-handed-hitting Rice has started five of seven since being promoted, with three of them coming against southpaws. However, the Yankees traded for J.D. Davis over the weekend and plan to give him starts at first versus lefties.

– Another regular was lost when Giancarlo Stanton suffered a hamstring strain, which is expected to cost him a month of action. The biggest beneficiary of playing time while Stanton is shelved will likely be Trent Grisham, who should see regular reps in center field while Aaron Judge slides into the DH spot. Davis is also an option at DH, but most of his playing time will be against lefties and, again, he's expected at first base those days.

Tampa Bay Rays

– Brandon Lowe has been the Rays' regular No. 2 hitter against right-handed pitching, having made seven straight starts there before missing three starts with a fractured pinky toe. Lowe will attempt to play through the injury rather than go on the IL, although it's certainly possible it will be too painful and he'll require some down time. If that happens, Richie Palacios and Jose Caballero would be due for an uptick in playing time at second base.

– After splitting starts right down the middle with Alex Jackson over a 20-game stretch, Ben Rortvedt has assumed a larger share of work behind the dish of late with eight starts across the previous 10 tilts. He's been lauded for his defense all season and during the recent stretch has contributed offensively, as well, with a 1.007 OPS and a couple homers.

Toronto Blue Jays

– Manager John Schneider admitted over the weekend, unsurprisingly, that his ideal lineup includes George Springer as his leadoff hitter. Springer, though, hasn't hit leadoff since May 17, as Schneider had little choice but to demote him from that role following a woeful .196/.271/.288 start. Unfortunately, Springer has been virtually the same hitter since the demotion, slashing .178/.288/.271. He's been even worse (.137/.203/.206) in June. Springer did hit cleanup once this past weekend, but otherwise has spent the last five weeks in the Nos. 5-7 slots.

– In Springer's old leadoff role has mostly been Davis Schneider and more recently Spencer Horwitz and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but Bo Bichette hit there Tuesday in his return from the IL. Kiner-Falefa returned to third base with Bichette back in action and also was demoted down to the No. 8 spot in the batting order. Ernie Clement and Addison Barger shared duties at the hot corner when IKF slid over to short, but their reps will be sparse now.

Chicago White Sox

– After not batting higher than fifth since mid-April, Andrew Benintendi has been up in the two hole each of the White Sox's last three games versus right-handers. Benintendi does have a .738 OPS since coming off the IL, which, sadly, is more than a 200-point improvement from where he had been. Benintendi basically flipped lineup spots with Andrew Vaughn, who hit fifth in each of the last three contests against righties prior to a day off Tuesday. The demotion for Vaughn coincides with his best stretch of the season, as he's put up an .859 OPS with six home runs across his last 26 games.

– Lenyn Sosa has started all but two games at third base since being promoted at the beginning of June. While the right-handed batter has put up a robust .907 OPS against left-handed pitching, righties have held him to a lowly .439 OPS. Sosa still figures to receive everyday reps until Yoan Moncada (adductor) is ready, which is expected to be around the All-Star break. At that point, he could get an opportunity at second base, where Nicky Lopez offers a nice glove but continues to be one of the worst-hitting regulars in baseball.

Cleveland Guardians

– Whether it's inevitable regression, an overexposure or a combination of the two, David Fry has finally shown chinks in the armor this month with just a .602 OPS. He was carrying an eye-popping 1.114 OPS coming into June. While the 28-year-old has been truly special against left-handers (1.189 OPS), he's been more pedestrian versus righties (.775 OPS).

– It's possible the Guardians will stay away from using Fry as a catcher to protect his elbow, as they have done in his last two starts. If that happens, it could be a reprieve for Bo Naylor, whose playing time has mostly been sporadic over the last several weeks. He did have a stretch earlier this month with five straight starts, and while it's a limited sample, the 24-year-old has put up an .840 OPS in his last nine contests.

Detroit Tigers

– Colt Keith has found his name penciled into the No. 2 spot in the Tigers' lineup for each of the last five games against right-handed hurlers. Although he got off to a rough start in June, Keith has slashed .359/.390/.590 with a couple home runs and one stolen base in his last 10 contests. He's reached base eight times in his five games out of the second spot, so Keith figures to stay put for now, at least against right-handed pitching.

– Justyn-Henry Malloy started each of the first seven games upon his promotion to the big leagues, but he's seen his playing time dip a bit since then, starting nine of the next 13 tilts. Malloy – who has started 14 of 16 games at DH (he played left field in the two others) – has picked up just one hit across his last seven contests and struck out at a 45.8-percent clip during that stretch.

Kansas City Royals

– The Royals got Michael Massey back from the injured list Monday, but had him in the DH spot. That's where he'll play regularly for now, as he's not quite ready to play second base as he returns from a back injury. Maikel Garcia has shifted over to second base for the first time this season and that might be his spot for a while, at least against right-handed pitching. CJ Alexander was summoned from the minors Monday and thrown into the lineup at third base for two straight tilts.

– Speaking of DH, that's where most of Nelson Velazquez's starts have come from this season, but with Massey now holding down that spot and Velazquez slumping to a .122/.240/.171 line in June, the latter was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Monday as part of the team's frenzy of transactions. When Massey is ready to return to the keystone, the DH spot could be handled mostly by one of the team's catchers as the Royals look to get both Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin in the lineup. Fermin has started 10 of the last 16 contests and has an .848 OPS with three long balls over that span.

Minnesota Twins

– Austin Martin has become a regular against right-handers lately, making six straight starts in such situations. He's done so at three different positions, playing center field (twice), left field (thrice) and second base (once). The 25-year-old has been swinging a hot bat during his most recent stint in the majors, sporting a 1.020 OPS with a couple stolen bases in eight games. There's very little power to speak of with Martin and he's been bolted down to the nine spot in the lineup, but a multi-position guy with speed has value.

– Alex Kirilloff's demotion and then placement on the IL has created a clearer path to everyday at-bats for Carlos Santana. The 38-year-old followed a stretch where he sat out seven of 19 games with one where he was on the lineup card 11 times in a 12-game stretch. The uptick in playing time coincides with a 1.025 OPS and four dingers in June for the switch-hitter. Santana hit fifth three games in a row before ticking down to sixth Tuesday. It was the first time all season he's batted that highly for more than one contest at a time.

Houston Astros

– The continued absence of Kyle Tucker (shin) has meant a move up in the batting order for Yainer Diaz. Diaz was batting ninth as recently as May 31, but in each of the last eight contests he's been the Astros' cleanup hitter. Following a woeful .472 OPS in May, Diaz is sporting a .935 mark with four home runs in his first 15 June tilts. Five of his last 10 starts have come at DH as Houston seeks to keep his bat in the lineup.

– The Astros have moved on from Jose Abreu, freeing up more at-bats at first base. Those at-bats have been split evenly between Jon Singleton and Mauricio Dubon with five starts apiece. Dubon has been an everyday player over that stretch, making additional starts in the outfield (four) and at shortstop (one). Joey Loperfido is also an option to see action at first base, but so far they've kept him in the outfield since his recall, putting the 25-year-old in left field three times and right field once. He'll likely figure more prominently in the first base picture when Tucker returns.

Los Angeles Angels

– Kevin Pillar's hot streak has predictably faded and with it so has his playing time. After collecting a 1.147 OPS in May, that number has fallen to .636 in June, and Pillar has been on the bench for all but one of the last seven tilts. On the flip side, Mickey Moniak's playing time is trending up, as he's seen his name on the lineup card 11 times across the last 12 contests. He's finally doing some hitting over that span, too, with an .894 OPS.

– It had looked like the Angels might be moving away from Willie Calhoun as a regular when they sat him in four straight games, but they've since started him six times in a seven-game span and he's been in the cleanup spot for each of those starts. Calhoun is slashing .225/.295/.254 over his last 24 contests and can't really play a position, so I can't imagine this continues. Perhaps the Halos are just waiting for Brandon Drury (illness) and Miguel Sano (knee) to be ready to go.

Oakland Athletics

– With Abraham Toro dealing with a shoulder injury and then hamstring strain that sent him to the IL, Max Schuemann went from the nine spot in the lineup to hitting at the top of the batting order five times in a six-start stretch. The 27-year-old does draw some walks but is miscast as a leadoff man, having put up a lowly .402 OPS in his last 16 games. He returned to the nine spot Tuesday, with Daz Cameron perched atop the order.

– With the A's having discarded Seth Brown, Lawrence Butler is back in the spotlight, having started six of eight games since being recalled (all in right field). He was on the bench for the two games Oakland had against a lefty over that stretch, but the left-handed-hitting Butler looks to be in line for regular reps versus righties. He's failed miserably thus far at the big-league level, but with some power and speed ability, the 23-year-old is at least worth tracking.

Seattle Mariners

– Jorge Polanco (hamstring) returned from the IL Monday and was thrown right into the fire at second base and in the two hole. He then batted sixth Tuesday. Josh Rojas had been occupying the second spot in the batting order against right-handed pitching but has found himself all the way down in the nine spot upon Polanco's return. Also notable is that the Mariners kept Ryan Bliss on the roster, at least for now, even as he's only played the two middle infield spots in pro ball and playing time there figures to now be sparse. Bliss has begun shagging flies in left field during batting practice, although it's not clear when, or if, he'd be a real option to make starts there.

– Mitch Haniger has been absent from the lineup seven times across the last 17 tilts and five times in the last 10 games. In his last start, he was down in the No. 8 spot in the Seattle lineup. Haniger was hitting .300/.382/.500 through his first 17 contests this season, but since then he's slashing a pitiful .185/.245/.272 with only three homers in 55 games. He's also not an obvious short-side platoon candidate, considering he's sporting just a .390 OPS against left-handed pitching.

Texas Rangers

– It seemed inevitable that Wyatt Langford would eventually find his footing, and that looks to have happened, as the talented youngster is sporting a .341/.383/.568 batting line with two home runs,14 RBI and five stolen bases across his previous 12 games. He's also settled in as the Rangers' everyday left fielder after previously being used at DH more times than not, having occupied left for 13 of his last 14 tilts. In the game he didn't play in left, he actually started in center field, which was the first time he's played that position since A-ball. Langford finished that contest back in left field and hasn't played center since, though, so it wouldn't appear a position change is likely.

– With Langford settling in in the outfield, the DH spot has been something of a revolving door for the Rangers. That door could be slammed shut soon enough, though, with Josh Smith likely to see the bulk of the starts there when Josh Jung (wrist) returns to action. Smith has been one of Texas' best hitters this season and June has been his best month so far with a robust 1.094 OPS, four home runs and one stolen base.