Lineup Lowdown: American League

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

– The timing of Ramon Urias' ankle sprain couldn't have been worse. He had made 16 straight starts at third base and was slashing .319/.411/.660 with four home runs and 15 RBI over that stretch. Now, he'll be out at least until mid-September and it's possible Jordan Westburg (hand) could beat him back. In theory, Coby Mayo should now have a clear opening to playing time. However, he's started only one of three games at the hot corner since Urias went down, with Emmanuel Rivera getting the call in the other two.

– From July 28 to Aug. 30, each of Gunnar Henderson's starts came from the No. 3 spot in the Orioles' lineup. However, in each of the last three games versus right-handed pitching, manager Brandon Hyde has reverted to his previous setup with Henderson at leadoff. That has meant Ryan O'Hearn sliding up from the fifth slot to third and Colton Cowser shifting from leadoff down to fifth. Austin Slater continues to bat leadoff versus lefties.

Boston Red Sox

– Triston Casas swung a hot bat initially upon his return from the injured list and batted either third or fourth in his first 12 contests versus righties. He's since fallen into a mini-funk, and as a result was moved down to the five spot before receiving a day off Tuesday, his first since his activation.

– David Hamilton will be sidelined likely for the remainder of the regular season after suffering a fractured finger. In five games since Hamilton went down, the Red Sox have used Romy Gonzalez twice and Mickey Gasper, Nick Sogard and Connor Wong (in his first ever start at the position) once apiece at second base. Enmanuel Valdez is also an option at the keystone, and Ceddanne Rafaela is a possible solution there once Trevor Story (shoulder) returns. Rafaela hasn't played much second base over the last few seasons, though, so it's unclear what the Red Sox' appetite will be for putting him there.

New York Yankees

– Anthony Rizzo (forearm) returned from a lengthy absence over the weekend and was thrown right into the lineup at first base and in the seventh spot in the batting order. Rizzo should be the everyday guy at first base the rest of the way, but there wouldn't appear to be much room for him to move up in the batting order. Ben Rice was sent back to the minors to accommodate Rizzo's return.

– Just a few weeks ago, Alex Verdugo was being used as the Yankees' primary leadoff hitter. It didn't provide the jumpstart manager Aaron Boone had hoped for, and in four of the last six contests Verdugo has batted ninth. (He hit eighth in the other two.) It does not appear, however, that Boone is ready to veer away from Verdugo as a regular anytime soon. Jasson Dominguez is looming at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as an exciting alternative in left field, but he was not among the club's initial September roster expansion call-ups.

Tampa Bay Rays

– Jose Caballero has continued serving as an everyday player even after Junior Caminero arrived to soak up all the playing time at third base. Caballero has started nine of the last 10 contests for the Rays, playing shortstop five times, second base three times and third base once over that stretch. He leads the AL with his 37 steals this season.

– Dylan Carlson has been in the Rays' lineup just eight times across the last 16 contests. Prior to that, he had started 10 times in a 14-game stretch. It hasn't helped that the Rays have faced only two lefties during the former span, as the switch-hitting Carlson is much better from the right side of the plate. It also hasn't helped that he's gone just 3-for-31 with 12 strikeouts across his last nine tilts.

Toronto Blue Jays

– Addison Barger has become an everyday guy over the last couple weeks, seeing his name penciled into the Blue Jays' lineup 16 times across the last 17 contests. That includes three starts in four games versus lefties for the left-handed batter. Barger has responded with an .839 OPS and four home runs during the stretch, and he's hit either fifth (six times) or fourth (once) seven times over the last eight games. He's split time between third base (nine starts) and right field (seven starts) over his 16 starts, with the slumping George Springer either serving as the DH or getting a day off when Barger is in right.

– Daulton Varsho has been a little banged up with a shoulder issue, but when he's been on the field he's been elevated to a prime position in the lineup, batting second in 20 of his last 21 starts (and he hit leadoff in the other one). The outfielder finished August with an .830 OPS, which is his highest of any month this season.

Chicago White Sox

– The White Sox scooped up Jacob Amaya off waivers from the Astros and have handed him five straight starts at shortstop. That's been due in part to Brooks Baldwin's nagging hand injury, but Amaya is an option to get reps at the expense of Nicky Lopez once Baldwin is ready to go. Amaya has batted ninth in each of his five starts.

– Lenyn Sosa was recalled following the team's trade deadline moves and has started 25 of 31 games since then. He's sporting a dreadful .377 OPS over that stretch, though, and has been out of the lineup each of the last two times the White Sox have faced a righty. Sosa is only 24 and has put up good numbers in the upper minors, but he might be running out of chances even on a club lacking options.

Cleveland Guardians

– Andres Gimenez began the season as the Guardians' No. 2 hitter against right-handed pitching, but from late June to late August he mostly batted sixth versus righties. Of late, though, manager Stephen Vogt has reverted to Gimenez in the two hole against right-handers, sticking him there for each of the last eight games in such situations. It seems to be just for the sake of shaking things up, as Gimenez hasn't had even an .700 OPS since May.

– Kyle Manzardo is back in the big leagues and has made three straight starts in the DH spot, clubbing his first two major-league homers in the first of those starts. Manzardo has yet to do much in his limited chances with the Guardians, but he's had another great year in the minors and could get a shot to run with the DH job down the stretch, at least against righties.

Detroit Tigers

– Parker Meadows is sticking in the leadoff spot versus right-handed pitching, making 13 straight starts in such situations. The 24-year-old is slashing .298/.344/.491 with one homer and two stolen bases over that span. Perhaps most importantly, Meadows' strikeout rate during the stretch is just 14.8 percent. That's a massive improvement for a guy who had lots of swing-and-miss issues last year and especially early on this season.

– Meadows' elevated spot in the lineup has come in part at the expense of Colt Keith. Keith spent the bulk of his time from late June to mid August hitting second and occasionally third, but he's been in a mini slump lately and has inched down to the fourth and fifth spot. The return of Riley Greene from the IL last month also contributed to Keith moving down in the batting order.

Kansas City Royals

– The Royals were dealt a massive blow last week when Vinnie Pasquantino was lost for the season with a fractured thumb. The club is going to have to piece it together at first base the rest of the way, and in the five contests post-Pasquantino it has used Salvador Perez at first base three times and Nick Loftin (who has since been optioned back to Triple-A Omaha) and Yuli Gurriel once apiece. While Perez is likely to play first base quite a bit, which will allow Kansas City to use Freddy Fermin more often, he's not going to be moved off catcher full-time. Gurriel, 40, started two straight games (one at first base, one at DH) after being acquired via trade but then aggravated a hamstring injury Monday (though he's expected to avoid the IL).

– Kansas City claimed veteran outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off waivers and Pham has started in right field and hit leadoff in each of the last three contests. Hunter Renfroe (hamstring) has some limited experience at first base, so he could be another option there when he's back from the IL if the Royals want to keep Pham in right field.

Minnesota Twins

– Manager Rocco Baldelli has used 130 different batting orders in 138 games this season, but one spot that's been more or less locked down in the second half is Trevor Larnach in the two hole versus right-handers. Larnach has been in the two spot against righties for 23 of his 27 starts since the All-Star break, and in three of the four others he's either hit leadoff or third. The 27-year-old is sporting an .804 OPS versus righties and an .873 OPS in the second half.

– Brooks Lee has made three straight starts at shortstop since coming off the IL, pushing Willi Castro to center field, while Edouard Julien had started 10 straight at second base before sitting Tuesday. With Byron Buxton (hip) due back this weekend and Castro a shoo-in to play everyday somewhere, Julien and/or Lee face the prospect of losing some reps.

Houston Astros

– The Astros signed Jason Heyward after he was cut loose by the Dodgers and have given him three starts in right field in four games versus righties. Meanwhile, Ben Gamel has been one of Houston's best hitters since being claimed off waivers a couple weeks ago and has started 10 straight tilts. Kyle Tucker (shin) is finally due back soon, so there's only going to be one spot for Heyward and Gamel in short order, and that's not even factoring in days when Yordan Alvarez plays the outfield.

– The Astros' first base carousel has landed back on Jon Singleton five times out of the last nine contests against right-handers, and he started at DH in one of those other games. Zach Dezenzo is still getting some reps there, particularly against lefties, having started there each of the last five times they've faced a southpaw. Singleton does have an .839 OPS in 20 games since the beginning of August.

Los Angeles Angels

– Anthony Rendon has batted fourth for the Angels in each of the last six contests, because when you have a chance to hit a guy who is homerless in 222 plate appearances cleanup, you gotta do it. Rendon has managed to stay healthy enough to start 13 of the last 14 games, which is a feat in and of itself, but he's slashing a sickly .200/.327/.275 over that span.

– Taylor Ward has been the leadoff man for 17 games in a row, and former leadoff hitter Nolan Schanuel has hit third in each of his last 15 starts. Perhaps the timing is coincidental, but Ward has an .856 OPS with three homers since the move. However, he also has a 19:1 K:BB over that stretch. Meanwhile, Schanuel has a .362 on-base percentage with zero home runs and a 10:6 K:BB from the three spot. Kinda seems like they should be flip-flopped, no?

Oakland Athletics

– Daz Cameron has been an everyday player for the Athletics since Miguel Andujar went down with a season-ending core muscle injury. Cameron has started seven of the last eight contests, with all but one of those starts coming in left field. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old has gone just 4-for-29 with a 40 percent strikeout rate during that time. Colby Thomas has slowed down a bit lately at Triple-A Las Vegas and is not on the 40-man roster, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get a shot soon.

– Jacob Wilson has been down in the No. 9 spot for the A's in his five games back off the IL and hasn't gotten cooking yet at the plate. Still, there's certainly room for him to move up in the order and I maintain faith that he is likely to be a batting average asset down the stretch. 

Seattle Mariners

– With J.P. Crawford back from the IL, Victor Robles has shifted from the Mariners' leadoff spot all the way down to their No. 9 spot for four of the last five contests. After hitting a bit of a lull in early to mid August, Robles has picked it back up offensively of late, slashing .395/.415/.553 with one homer and five stolen bases across his last eight games. With the magnitude of Seattle's offensive troubles, it wouldn't seem it can afford to put one of its best hitters right now at the bottom of the lineup. (Robles did hit leadoff during an off day for Crawford over the weekend.)

– Julio Rodriguez is back to playing center field everyday after an ankle injury had limited him to DH duty for a while. In the nine games since DH has been opened back up, the Mariners have used Mitch Haniger there four times and Mitch Garver there twice, along with a few others once.

Texas Rangers

– It looked during his big June like Wyatt Langford was ready to take off. He slashed .309/.368/.526 with three homers, 22 RBI and six steals that month, resulting in a move up to the cleanup spot for 21 games in a row from July 7 to Aug. 5. Unfortunately, Langford has hit just .224/.304/.361 since July 1 and he's been down in the seven spot for the Rangers in 10 of his last 13 starts.

– Josh Smith has crashed in the second half with just a .567 OPS following his surprising .861 first-half OPS. While that has meant more days off lately — he's been on the bench six times in the last 16 contests, including each of the last three times the Rangers have faced a lefty — he has not been dropped in the batting order, as 14 of Smith's last 15 starts have come from the three spot (and he hit second in the other one).