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.
To track all the latest changes around the league, visit our MLB batting order changes and MLB playing time changes pages. For today's lineups, head to our MLB Daily Lineups page.
Atlanta Braves
– The Braves have suddenly recommitted to Marcell Ozuna in the designated hitter spot, handing him nine straight starts and 12 starts across the last 13 contests. He's put up a .981 OPS with five home runs during that stretch. With the DH slot no longer available, Sean Murphy has started only five of the last 12 tilts and none of the last four versus right-handed pitching. Drake Baldwin's playing time has dipped, too, with four starts over the last eight games, although he's started all but one game against righties since the All-Star break.
– Michael Harris slashed a pitiful .210/.234/.317 with six home runs in the first half, but he's done his best to make up for it with a robust .398/.413/.732 batting line and nine long balls in the second half. As a result, he's been up in the No. 5 spot for nine of the last 11 games against right-handers (and he hit sixth in the other two). Harris had been the team's regular No.
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.
To track all the latest changes around the league, visit our MLB batting order changes and MLB playing time changes pages. For today's lineups, head to our MLB Daily Lineups page.
Atlanta Braves
– The Braves have suddenly recommitted to Marcell Ozuna in the designated hitter spot, handing him nine straight starts and 12 starts across the last 13 contests. He's put up a .981 OPS with five home runs during that stretch. With the DH slot no longer available, Sean Murphy has started only five of the last 12 tilts and none of the last four versus right-handed pitching. Drake Baldwin's playing time has dipped, too, with four starts over the last eight games, although he's started all but one game against righties since the All-Star break.
– Michael Harris slashed a pitiful .210/.234/.317 with six home runs in the first half, but he's done his best to make up for it with a robust .398/.413/.732 batting line and nine long balls in the second half. As a result, he's been up in the No. 5 spot for nine of the last 11 games against right-handers (and he hit sixth in the other two). Harris had been the team's regular No. 8 hitter versus righties as recently as late July.
Miami Marlins
– The left-handed-hitting Troy Johnston has netted starts 11 of the last 14 times the Marlins have faced a right-handed hurler. He's split his time between first base (seven starts) and right field (four starts) but could see more action in the outfield now that Kyle Stowers (oblique) will be sidelined for a bit. The righty-swinging Eric Wagaman has seen his playing time dip since Johnstone arrived, as he's been in the lineup just four times over the last 12 tilts versus righties.
– With Stowers shelved, Jakob Marsee was up in the two hole for the Marlins on Saturday versus a right-hander. He then didn't start Sunday against a lefty but came off the bench to deliver a go-ahead, two-run homer in the ninth inning, and on Monday he was in the three spot versus a southpaw. Marsee has looked like a league-winning waiver-wire add thus far with a 1.222 OPS with four homers and six steals in 18 contests.
New York Mets
– Mark Vientos has started two of the last three games and homered Sunday. Prior to that, he had been on the bench for four consecutive games and five of the previous six contests. Brett Baty has been in the lineup for six of those nine tilts, and Ronny Mauricio has started five games during that stretch. Those three will continue to fight it out for at-bats, but Baty seems to be at the top of the heap, mostly because of his glove but also because he has a .958 OPS in August.
– The struggling Mets have mixed up the top three in their batting order in hopes of jumpstarting their offense, with Francisco Lindor moving back up to his old leadoff spot, Juan Soto inching up to second and Brandon Nimmo sliding into the third spot for the last seven contests. Nimmo had been the team's leadoff man for the previous month but will now handle more of an RBI spot.
Philadelphia Phillies
– Alec Bohm returned from the IL on Sunday in the cleanup spot and homered in his first game back in action. Nick Castellanos hit fifth because J.T. Realmuto had a day off and Brandon Marsh also sat out because they were facing a lefty. On Monday, Castellanos was down in the No. 7 spot, which is the first time he's hit there since Opening Day.
– Harrison Bader has been in the lineup for seven of the past 10 contests, which includes three starts against right-handed pitching. He's handled center field while Marsh slides to left field in those games versus righties, and it's possible Bader eats into Max Kepler's playing time down the stretch. Kepler has been out of the lineup just once against a righty in the second half, but his season-long offensive struggles have continued with a post-break OPS of just .596.
Washington Nationals
– Dylan Crews finally returned from the IL last week after missing nearly three months with an oblique strain. He batted second against a lefty in his first game back before hitting seventh twice and fifth once versus righties. With Crews back in right field for three of four games (he was the DH for the other contest), Daylen Lile has shifted over to left field for three of those contests and James Wood has been the DH twice and had one day off. Josh Bell is now the everyday first baseman after Nathaniel Lowe was cut loose, allowing the Nationals to rotate some of their outfielders in the DH slot.
– Paul DeJong has started nine of the last 12 tilts and has batted either third or fourth in all of his starts. He's sporting a 1.049 OPS with five home runs so far in August and has made starts at every infield position during that stretch, having played first base Sunday for the first time in his pro career.
Chicago Cubs
– In 15 games so far in August, Ian Happ has batted either sixth or seventh in nine of them. This is after he batted leadoff in every one of his starts through July 10. Happ is among a handful of Cubs players scuffling offensively, having slashed just .198/.320/.349 since July 1. Another guy who's struggled is Kyle Tucker, and manager Craig Counsell plans to give him a reset for a few days. That should free up starts in the short term for Owen Caissie, who started just one of the first four games after being recalled.
– It had seemed like the Cubs would lessen Carson Kelly's workload a bit after Miguel Amaya returned from the IL, but Amaya got hurt in his first game back and went back on the IL. Kelly has started four of five games since then and 16 of the last 21 tilts. He has batted either fourth or fifth in all but one of those 16 starts (and he hit sixth in that other game).
Cincinnati Reds
– Miguel Andujar started nine straight games for the Reds before a day off Monday, and the last eight of those starts he's occupied the cleanup spot. Andujar has turned himself into an elite contact hitter and he's upped the power since arriving in Cincinnati, clubbing three home runs and a couple doubles in 13 contests. With Andujar settling into an everyday role (mostly at DH), Austin Hays and Gavin Lux have both been absent from the lineup three times over the aforementioned 10-game span.
– Also losing reps has been Matt McLain, who is slumping again with a .232/.291/.310 batting line since July 1. He's been absent from the lineup four times across the last eight contests, and he was all the way down in the No. 9 spot Monday. Lux is picking up starts at second base versus righties in McLain's stead, while Santiago Espinal has been at the keystone each of the last two times the Reds have faced a southpaw.
Milwaukee Brewers
– Andrew Vaughn has held down first base for each of the past 22 games for the Brewers, and he hasn't hit lower than fifth in the last 21 of those contests. He's sporting a .989 OPS and has clubbed nine home runs in 32 games since linking up with Milwaukee. Rhys Hoskins was having a fine season when he went down with a sprained thumb in early July, but, given how Vaughn has performed, it's difficult to see him not being an everyday player after Hoskins returns, and Christian Yelich is already filling the DH spot. Hoskins could be a couple weeks away still, so circumstances might change by the time the Brewers have to make those tough decisions.
– Caleb Durbin looks to be regaining his grip on the third-base job. The rookie infielder has started at the hot corner in seven of the last eight games, which includes four starts against five right-handed pitchers. That had been preceded by a stretch where Durbin made only two starts in a seven-game span, with Anthony Seigler getting the call at third base against righties most of those days. Durbin was up in the two hole versus a righty Monday, though that came when normal No. 2 hitter Isaac Collins had a day off.
Pittsburgh Pirates
– Jack Suwinski has started 10 of the last 12 tilts versus right-handed pitching. He's batting only .188 over that span but has an .803 OPS thanks to two home runs, two doubles and six walks. Suwinski was mostly stealing playing time from Andrew McCutchen initially, with Bryan Reynolds being used at DH those days, but more recently Suwinski has started in center field after Oneil Cruz went down with a concussion.
– The switch-hitting Ronny Simon has started three of five contests (two in right field, one in left field) since Cruz was hurt and has batted leadoff in each of those starts. A waiver claim by the Pirates in June, Simon has a career 11 percent walk rate, 18.3 percent strikeout rate and .372 on-base percentage at the Triple-A level, theoretically making him a potential leadoff hitter. However, he's already in his fifth organization and hasn't done anything yet at the big-league level, so the leash will be short.
St. Louis Cardinals
– Between Nolan Arenado (shoulder) being sidelined and Brendon Donovan (groin) joining him on the IL, Thomas Saggese has seen his name penciled into the lineup for 10 consecutive contests. The rookie infielder is batting .289 over that stretch, but nine of his 11 hits have been singles and he also has a 9:0 K:BB. Saggese has made quality contact this season with a 47.6 percent hard-hit rate and 90.7 mph average exit velocity, so perhaps some more extra-base pop will come if he continues to get reps.
– Victor Scott has been shelved with a sprained ankle, and in the two contests since he went down, Nathan Church was called up and has made two consecutive starts in center field. If the Cardinals continue to lean to Church in center field versus righties while Scott is out, it could mean bad news for Jordan Walker, as Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar are locked into starting spots. Walker has started 10 of the past 12 games but sat out versus a righty Monday for the second time across the last four tilts and fourth time over the past 10 contests.
Arizona Diamondbacks
– Tyler Locklear started 16 straight games at first base but was on the bench Monday in favor of Pavin Smith in Smith's first game back from the IL. Locklear is sporting just a .585 OPS with a 34.8 percent strikeout rate early on with the Diamondbacks, but he could still receive the lion's share of starts at first base as the club looks to see whether they can count on him heading into 2026.
– At catcher, the Diamondbacks have used James McCann and Jose Herrera four times apiece and Adrian Del Castillo twice over the last 10 contests. It would make some sense for the club to get a longer look at Del Castillo at catcher, but with Gabriel Moreno (finger) due back soon, it looks like that won't happen. Del Castillo could still be in the mix for reps at DH, but now the club has Smith back to soak up most of the at-bats there.
Colorado Rockies
– Kyle Karros has taken over at the hot corner since the departure of Ryan McMahon, starting 10 of 11 contests at third base. He batted eighth in his major-league debut but has peaked in the five spot and has hit sixth in four of his last five starts. Karros has yet to homer but has a 7:7 K:BB, which lines up with his reputation as a prospect. He does boast a 46.2 percent hard-hit rate in the early going.
– Ryan Ritter has started four straight games since returning from the IL, with the first of those coming at shortstop and the last three coming at second base. Adael Amador was sent back down in a corresponding move, and that, combined with Thairo Estrada (hamstring) being out for the season, clears the deck for Ritter to settle in as the Rockies' everyday second baseman. The 24-year-old hasn't done much yet in the majors, but Ritter showed some pop and speed in the minors, including a 20-20 season in 2023.
Los Angeles Dodgers
– Max Muncy is hurt again and is expected to miss the next few weeks with a strained oblique. Between that and the continued absences of Tommy Edman (ankle) and Hyeseong Kim (shoulder), the left-handed-hitting Alex Freeland has started 12 of the last 13 contests versus righties. Unfortunately, Freeland has managed just one extra-base hit (a double) and is striking out at a 33.3 percent clip thus far.
– The aforementioned injuries have also meant more reps for Miguel Rojas, who has been in the lineup for four of the past five tilts. Rojas has been good against left-handed pitching this season with a .794 OPS and five home runs, but he's sporting just a .582 OPS with only one home run versus right-handers in five more plate appearances.
San Diego Padres
– Ramon Laureano has been mashing since joining the Padres, collecting a 1.012 OPS with four home runs over 16 contests. He has started all but one game in left field since arriving in San Diego, and he was up in the cleanup spot against a left-hander on Monday. That was with Jackson Merrill (ankle) sitting out, but it was Laureano and not Xander Bogaerts — who is often elevated to the four hole versus lefties — moving up.
– All nine of the left-handed-hitting Ryan O'Hearn's starts with the Padres have come against right-handed pitching, and unfortunately for him, the Friars have faced four lefties across their last six tilts. O'Hearn actually has an .880 OPS against southpaws versus an .817 OPS versus righties this season, and both of his home runs since joining San Diego have come off lefties. However, it doesn't appear at this point that he'll escape a large-side platoon role.
San Francisco Giants
– Heliot Ramos has been the Giants' leadoff man against lefties for much of this season, but he's hit atop the batting order versus most righties, too, for the last several weeks. The 25-year-old has been in the leadoff spot for all but two games since July 23, and you have to go back to July 3 to find the last time he didn't bat either first or second. Ramos had dramatic splits last season with a 1.189 OPS against lefties and .673 OPS versus righties, but this year it's been virtually even (.753 OPS versus lefties, .746 OPS against righties).
– Christian Koss has started five straight games since Matt Chapman (hand) went down. Three of those came at second base, with Casey Schmitt shifting over to third those days, and the other two came at third when Schmitt was banged up. Koss sports a 105 OPS+, but with very little power or speed, it's not a fantasy-friendly skill set. Tyler Fitzgerald is more appealing from that perspective, and he has started three straight contests, but Fitzgerald has regressed majorly both at the major- (.616 OPS) and minor-league (.690 OPS) levels in 2025.
