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

– Colton Cowser went through a stretch with just one start in six games, but he's since been in the lineup for six straight, with four of those coming against righties and two versus lefties. Heston Kjerstad was unavailable for a couple of those contests due to a concussion, but Kjerstad was back Saturday and has started just one of three. Cowser has also picked it up at the plate, going 6-for-18 with one homer and two steals in his last five tilts.

– In the Orioles' last eight contests against right-handed pitching, Ryan Mountcastle has batted sixth three times, seventh four times and been out of the lineup once. Prior to that, he hadn't hit lower than cleanup since all the way back on May 23. Mountcastle has always been better against lefties, but his splits have been more extreme in 2024, as he has an .859 OPS versus southpaws and just a .692 OPS against righties.

Boston Red Sox

– David Hamilton has seen his name on the lineup card nine times across the last 13 contests, which includes a pair of starts versus southpaws. Hamilton continues to bat in the two hole regularly against righties, occupying the spot each of the last eight times Boston has faced a right-hander. He hit ninth once and eighth once in his two starts versus southpaws.

– Masataka Yoshida still hasn't made a start in the outfield this season, playing a total of just one inning in the field. He's been in the lineup 29 times in 34 games since returning from the injured list, although he has sat out two of the last three times versus left-handers. Yoshida's .701 OPS is awfully light for a full-time designated hitter, although his .759 OPS against righties is more palatable, and he has an .803 OPS with two homers and 12 RBI in his first 15 games this month.

New York Yankees

– The Yankees have finally moved the slumping Alex Verdugo down in the lineup against righties, shifting him from cleanup to sixth in three straight games. Verdugo is 4-for-42 across his last 11 contests and is batting .196/.244/.292 since June 1. He has flipped lineup spots with Austin Wells, whose production has been the reverse of Verdugo's, with the catcher slashing .247/.361/.494 with six homers since the start of June after he entered the month with a .598 OPS. Between the prime lineup spot and increased playing time with Jose Trevino (quad) out, Wells' stock is up.

– The Yanks have, for the most part, stuck with DJ LeMahieu as their everyday third baseman, although they've veered away from him more of late in benching the veteran three times in the last nine games. LeMahieu is slashing an embarrassing .181/.276/.228 since returning from a foot injury in late May, and it seems like a foregone conclusion at this point that the team will acquire third base help from outside the organization at the trade deadline. He did finally pop his first home run of the season Monday.

Tampa Bay Rays

– The Rays put Yandy Diaz on the restricted list this past weekend, saying only that he was away from the club for a personal matter and offering no timeline for his return. With Diaz unavailable, the Rays have used Isaac Paredes at first base for five straight tilts, with Jose Caballero drawing starts at third base in their three games versus righties and Amed Rosario and Curtis Mead playing there against the two lefties.

– Richie Palacios has been up in the leadoff spot in the three games sans Diaz versus righties, with Amed Rosario playing there against southpaws. Palacios' playing time the last few weeks has mostly been hit-or-miss with 11 starts over the past 20 contests, but he's been in there for 11 of 13 versus righties. Nine of those 10 starts have come at second base, as 11 of Brandon Lowe's 13 starts during that span have been out of the DH slot.

Toronto Blue Jays

– Since the calendar flipped to July, Danny Jansen has started eight of 17 contests, with six of them coming at catcher and the other two at DH. Alejandro Kirk has been in the lineup 10 times over that span. Jansen has managed a lowly .429 OPS since the beginning of June and is also a likely trade candidate as an impending free agent. Kirk has been better this month with a .739 OPS and could see his playing time rise even more if Jansen is indeed dealt.

– Bo Bichette aggravated his calf injury in the first game back from the All-Star break and was placed on the IL, where he's expected to remain for several weeks after being diagnosed with a moderate strain. Leo Jimenez has handled shortstop for each of the last seven games Bichette has missed and should continue to be the guy there for now. However, Isiah Kiner-Falefa (knee) seems likely to be used there when he returns, which will probably be well before Bichette.

Chicago White Sox

– The White Sox promoted Brooks Baldwin for the start of the second half, installing him as their second baseman for five straight games. Baldwin can also play shortstop, third base and the outfield, but it would appear the plan is for him to settle in at the keystone for now. Lenyn Sosa and Nicky Lopez had been seeing the bulk of the action at second base, but the former was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte and the latter is now seeing increased reps at shortstop while Paul DeJong plays more third base.

– Another new infielder was added to the mix with Nick Senzel signed following his release from the Nationals. He drew two starts at third base over the weekend but has been in the lineup just once in the last four contests. Senzel could man the hot corner when/if DeJong is dealt, although he might just be keeping that seat warm for Yoan Moncada (adductor), who had begun a rehab assignment. Moncada has since been pulled off his rehab assignment with some soreness but could still be back not long after the trade deadline, and the White Sox' roster figures to look very different at that point.

Cleveland Guardians

– The Guardians have been committed to Angel Martinez as an everyday player since he was recalled on July 4, giving him 16 straight starts, with all of them coming from the two spot in the lineup. Most of Martinez's starts (10) have come in center field, but he's also made two starts in left field and one apiece at second base, third base, right field and DH over that stretch.

– Also becoming an everyday player in a super utility role has been Daniel Schneemann. He's seen his name on the lineup card for all but one of the last 13 tilts, starting games at shortstop (six), right field (three) and third base (three) during that span. The guy most directly affected by Schneemann's emergence, especially of late, has been former everyday shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who has started just three of the last eight tilts.

Detroit Tigers

– Wenceel Perez has been out of the lineup just four times since June 9. Perez has posted just a .662 OPS since the beginning of May, but he looks to remain the everyday right fielder at least until Kerry Carpenter (back) is ready. Even after that, the Tigers might prefer to mostly keep Carpenter at DH to protect his health.

– Occupying that DH spot 10 times this month has been Justyn-Henry Malloy, who has also drawn three starts in left field in July. Malloy has hit second three times and third three times in his last six starts and boasts a 1.057 OPS with five home runs and 12 RBI over his last 15 tilts. He cranked his first major-league grand slam Sunday in Toronto and then followed it up with another long ball Monday.

Kansas City Royals

– The Royals have been rolling with Adam Frazier as their leadoff man, sticking him there for eight straight games before a day off Tuesday. All nine of Frazier's starts since coming off the IL have been out of the leadoff spot. He's been the DH three times, played third base twice, right field once, left field once and second base twice during that span. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old hasn't provided the spark Kansas City hoped for, going just 5-for-33 at the dish this month.

– Michael Massey has been out of the lineup versus a right-hander for three of the last nine contests, which I have to assume is a preventative measure to keep his back healthy. I like Massey's bat, but he hasn't been great this month (.500 OPS) and the extra days off don't help his outlook.

Minnesota Twins

– The Twins' infield was hit with another injury over the weekend as Carlos Correa (heel) joined Royce Lewis (groin) and Jose Miranda (back) on the IL. The fallout has been Willi Castro shifting from second base over to shortstop and Edouard Julien being recalled to play second versus righties. Julien batted only .233 during his time at Triple-A St. Paul, but he did get on base at a .400 clip while hitting five homers and stealing four bases in 35 games. The hope seems to be that Correa won't be out too long, but it's no guarantee. Julien is worth scooping back up in deeper leagues in the meantime.

– With the lineup missing several key contributors, Byron Buxton was back up in the No. 3 spot for two contests and then hit cleanup before a day off Tuesday. This is after he didn't bat higher than sixth during a three-plus week stretch from June 16 to July 10. Buxton has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last month, slashing .388/.440/.836 with seven home runs and 17 RBI across 18 games.

Houston Astros

– Joey Loperfido went through a stretch wrapped around the All-Star break with six straight starts against right-handed pitching, splitting that time between left field and right field. However, Loperfido has fallen into a 1-for-17 rut at the dish and was on the bench for two contests — including once versus a righty — before getting back in there Tuesday. Over that same span, Trey Cabbage has made four starts in right field, Mauricio Dubon has started five games in left field and Chas McCormick has started three games between the corner spots.

– Yainer Diaz has not had a day off since June 12, making 20 starts at catcher and 12 starts at DH over that stretch. He's hit cleanup in all but one contest since June 16 and in that other game he batted third. While Diaz is batting .322 since that former date, he's homered just once, as the power continues to evade him this season. Victor Caratini returned from the IL on Monday and started Tuesday, so perhaps with him back in the fold Diaz will be allowed to catch his breath a little more often.

Los Angeles Angels

– Picture the Bernie Sanders "I am once again asking" meme, with "the Angels to bat Zach Neto higher in the order" added to the text. Neto is having a fine sophomore season, entering Tuesday slashing .257/.310/.443 with 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases. If you exclude his rough April, he's posted a .270/.324/.481 batting line. And yet, he's batted higher than sixth just three times all season and not since June 8, when he hit fifth. Yes, Neto's splits are extreme — he has a 1.030 OPS versus lefties and .700 OPS against righties — but the way to get him to improve against right-handers is to give him more reps against them, especially on a team that's going nowhere.

– While Neto languishes toward the bottom of the batting order, Anthony Rendon has been perched atop it for each of his 11 starts since coming back from the IL. The 34-year-old also continues to look cooked, having slashed .195/.261/.244 over that stretch.

Oakland Athletics

– The Athletics made a big move in calling up top prospect Jacob Wilson from Triple-A Las Vegas for the start of the second half. Unfortunately, Wilson lasted just one game (only a few innings, actually) before landing on the IL with a strained hamstring. He'll take over at shortstop once he makes it back, but for now Max Schuemann will regain his role there. Schuemann has played well enough that he might become the regular at third base at that point, although Abraham Toro just returned from the IL.

– Lawrence Butler's hot streak has earned him an elevation from the bottom third of the batting order to the leadoff spot, where he's batted for each of his team's last seven contests. Butler swatted three home runs in his second game from the leadoff spot, kicking off a stretch of five straight tilts with multiple hits.

Seattle Mariners

– The Mariners designated Ty France for assignment Tuesday and have recalled Tyler Locklear to take over as the everyday first baseman. The 23-year-old Locklear didn't do much in his first stint with the big club but has an .887 OPS with 12 homers this season in the minors. Seattle is also a prime candidate to trade for first base help ahead of the deadline.

– Are we seeing a post-, post-, post-hype breakout from Victor Robles? The 27-year-old is batting .400/.471/.578 with one home run and seven stolen bases in 26 games since joining the Mariners. He's reached base 13 times over his last six contests and has been in the two hole for each of the last four games. While Robles' average exit velocity during his time in Seattle sits at just 84.7 mph, he already has eight barrels in 53 plate appearances. In 1,091 plate appearances from 2020-23, he totaled 19 barrels, with a season high of nine across 407 plate appearances in 2022.

Texas Rangers

– The Rangers summoned Justin Foscue from Triple-A Round Rock over the weekend and have handed him four straight starts in the DH slot. The 25-year-old gives the club more potential at the plate than Travis Jankowski, who had been seeing regular starts either at DH or in the outfield while one of the other regulars gets a day at DH. It might just be a temporary situation, however, as Josh Jung (wrist) could be back soon and at that point Josh Smith figures to be the regular DH.

– Speaking of DH, Wyatt Langford hasn't started a game there since June 27, as he has settled in not only as the Rangers' everyday left fielder but also their cleanup man. The rookie has occupied the cleanup spot for 12 straight contests, with Adolis Garcia shifting down a spot to fifth. Texas used the exact same guys in the Nos. 1-6 spots for 10 straight games prior to Corey Seager getting a day off Tuesday, with Langford and Garcia being preceded by Marcus Semien, Seager and Smith and followed by Nathaniel Lowe.