Lineup Lowdown: National 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.

Atlanta Braves

– The Braves have resisted putting Austin Riley (intercostal) on the injured list so far even though he hasn't played in more than a week. It's been Zack Short filling in at third base for Riley every game to this point, with Short batting ninth most days. Short is with his third team already this season, but this is easily the most run he's received at any stop.

– Orlando Arcia was moved up to the six spot with regularity after getting off to a hot start and even saw some starts in the two hole when Ozzie Albies was hurt. He's really struggled so far in May, though, and as a result has mostly been in the bottom third of the Braves' batting order, even batting ninth once. Arcia has yet to receive a day off this season.

Miami Marlins

– Jake Burger returned to the No. 3 spot in the Marlins' lineup after making it back from the injured list earlier this month. He's looked lost at the plate since being activated, though, in going 5-for-51, and as a result has been down in the five spot for each of his last five starts versus right-handers. Josh Bell has moved from cleanup to the third spot in the batting order and Jesus Sanchez has gone from fifth to fourth.

– It has been a pretty even split at catcher between Nick Fortes and Christian Bethancourt this season, but Fortes might be inching ahead in the pecking order with starts in five of the last seven games. He did hit a home run and reached base four times in a game last week, but Fortes has otherwise been horrible in slashing just .149/.187/.241. Somehow, Bethancourt (.143/.186/.232) has been even worse.

New York Mets

– In an effort to jumpstart a lagging offense, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has flip-flopped Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, elevating the former to the leadoff spot and putting the latter in the three hole. Lindor hit leadoff plenty during his days with the Guardians but has not done so with any regularity since joining the Mets. The club has sandwiched Pete Alonso in between Lindor and Nimmo, with Starling Marte moving down to the No. 6 spot in the batting order.

– Mark Vientos was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse last week and for the first five games the Mets used him and Brett Baty in a strict platoon at third base, giving Vientos three starts against left-handers and Baty two starts versus righties. However, on Tuesday it was Vientos in there against a righty. It's possible Vientos could continue eating into Baty's playing time against right-handers. Baty is slashing only .125/.186/.150 with a 43.2 percent strikeout rate since his two-homer game back on May 3, while Vientos has hit .333/.391/.571 during his seven games in the majors this season.

Philadelphia Phillies

– Edmundo Sosa has basically been an everyday guy since Trea Turner (hamstring) went down, making 12 starts in 16 contests. The Phillies have shifted Bryson Stott over to shortstop for those other four games, with Kody Clemens making three starts at second base and Whit Merrifield handling the keystone once. Sosa is sporting a .924 OPS during this stretch, so the Phillies seem unlikely to deviate from the plan. Turner, for what it's worth, appears ahead of schedule in his recovery.

– Even with Turner on the shelf, the Phillies have sat Stott a couple times against left-handers. In fairness, they've faced a bevy of them lately (nine in their last 19 contests). Overall, Stott has started 10 of 19 tilts versus southpaws this season, so while he's not in a platoon, he's certainly been on the bench more often than his fantasy managers would like. Merrifield (six) and Sosa (three) have handled the keystone against lefties when Stott has sat. Stott has an .820 OPS versus lefties this season and a higher OPS against left-handers (.750) than right-handers (.717) in his career, so this seems to be more about just getting others work than Stott's proficiency against same-handed pitching.

Washington Nationals

– Joey Gallo returned from his shoulder injury last week and has made five straight starts at first base, including one versus a left-hander. He was even up in the cleanup spot once. There will be one fewer regular spot when Lane Thomas (knee) returns later this week, though, and Gallo is one of the candidates to lose playing time at that point. Jesse Winker – who has homered in two straight but overall has faded following a strong start – and Joey Meneses would also seem to be in jeopardy of losing starts.

– One guy who shouldn't be in danger of seeing his playing time cut is Eddie Rosario. Rosario has been one of the best hitters in baseball in May, slashing .333/.407/.708 with five home runs and five stolen bases. He's batted third three times and second three times in the Nationals' last six contests versus right-handed pitching (he did sit both times versus lefties during that span). It's been quite a turnaround for Rosario, who had a .299 OPS in April.

Chicago Cubs

– Miguel Amaya has slowly but surely taken over as the Cubs' primary catcher. The 25-year-old has started seven of the last nine contests and 11 of the previous 16 tilts behind the dish. Unfortunately, Amaya is still trying to find his footing offensively, as he has just a .528 OPS on the season and a .396 OPS so far in May. Yan Gomes, though, has been even worse, with a .479 OPS and an ugly 39.7 percent strikeout rate.

– The slumping Ian Happ batted fifth five times during a six-game stretch from May 7 to 13, and was all the way down in the seven spot for the other contest. He then was out of the lineup for consecutive games as a bit of a "reset." In five games since, Happ has hit fifth three times, sixth once and second once. Keep in mind, all but one of these contests with Happ mostly hitting lower in the order have been with Dansby Swanson out of the lineup and many of them have been with Nico Hoerner out. He'll surely right the ship eventually, but Happ has a .526 OPS with just one home run, two RBI and a 33 percent strikeout rate over his last 26 games.

Cincinnati Reds

– It's been quite a couple weeks for Mike Ford. He opted out of his minor-league contract with the Reds and was released, but a few days after that he re-signed on a major-league deal and he's now started 12 straight games. Ford has batted third for the Reds in seven of those tilts, including five of the last seven contests. Cincinnati has faced three lefties over that 11-game stretch, too, with Ford sliding down to the six spot twice and the seven spot once those days. The 31-year-old has just a .441 OPS so far, though, so he'll need to pick it up in a hurry if he wants to keep getting regular at-bats. Nick Martini was recalled Tuesday and is a potential alternative.

– TJ Friedl's return from a fractured wrist was, unfortunately, very brief, as he then went down with a fractured thumb. Friedl was in the leadoff spot for five of six contests before getting hurt again. In eight games since then, Will Benson has batted leadoff five times against righties, Jonathan India has been there twice versus lefties and Jacob Hurtubise was there once against a right-hander. It's potentially a big boost for Benson, who had hit either eighth or ninth in four straight starts prior to that stretch, but he did return to the nine spot Tuesday. Strikeouts continue to be an issue for Benson, who has fanned at a 39 percent clip.

Milwaukee Brewers

– Joey Ortiz's playing time this season has been a little hit-or-miss. He sat out four straight games at the beginning of May, but since then he's started 13 of 15 contests, including nine straight. Ortiz has even been up in the No. 3 spot in the batting order a couple times against lefties, and he's mostly hit sixth lately versus righties. In 14 games this month, Ortiz is slashing .326/.420/.721 with four home runs.

– It had seemed like Jackson Chourio could be tracking toward a demotion to Triple-A Nashville when he was out of the lineup for four games in a row. However, since then he's started nine straight and he's showing some signs of life at the plate in going 6-for-19 with a homer over his previous six contests.

Pittsburgh Pirates

– Nick Gonzales has assumed everyday second baseman duties since being recalled on May 9, starting 10 of 11 games (he did play third base one of those days while Alika Williams handled the keystone). He's batted fifth in seven of those starts, including each of the last five tilts. The former No. 7 overall pick had been crushing the ball at Triple-A Indianapolis (1.039 OPS) and is off to a solid start with the Bucs with a .768 OPS and a couple homers.

– Oneil Cruz has bounced around all over the Pirates' lineup this season, but he hasn't batted lower than cleanup in his 11 starts (over 12 games) since Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) went down, with nine of those starts coming from the three spot. While he's scuffled over the past week, Cruz has been really good in May overall with an .883 OPS and four long balls. He's also cut his strikeout rate from 37.2 percent in April down to a digestible 27.4 percent in May.

St. Louis Cardinals

– There was a stretch back from April 12 to 20 where Alec Burleson didn't start a single game. Since then, he's started all but one contest versus right-handed pitching, and he's drawn a couple starts versus lefties, as well. The 25-year-old has been in the lineup for 12 of the Cardinals' previous 13 games and is slashing .409/.422/.705 with three home runs and two stolen bases over that span. Each of his last seven starts have come from the fifth spot in the batting order.

– Dylan Carlson started two straight games versus southpaws and was in the lineup for four of five contests after coming off the IL earlier this month. Since then, he's started just one of 10 games, and in that contest he was in right field while Mike Siani continued to hold down center field. Siani has been in the lineup for 12 of the last 13 games, including twice versus lefties. He's played excellent defense in center field and is slashing .342/.357/.439 in May. With Tommy Edman's (wrist) return nowhere in sight, it looks like Siani will have center field to himself for a while longer.

Arizona Diamondbacks

– He still hasn't started a single game against a left-hander this season, but Joc Pederson has been elevated to the third spot in the Diamondbacks' lineup each of the last nine times they've gone up against righties. He had mostly hit fifth previously but has essentially swapped spots with Lourdes Gurriel. After posting a .927 OPS in April, Pederson has ramped it up to a 1.017 OPS so far in May. Interestingly, though, his K:BB has gone from 13:13 in April to 19:2 in May. We'll see if the added aggressiveness eventually backfires, but he's playable even in three-outfielder leagues right now especially while he's batting third.

– After sticking Corbin Carroll down in the seven or eight spot for a 10-game stretch, manager Torey Lovullo has had the reigning NL Rookie of the Year hit first or second in each of his last 13 starts (over 14 games). It's not anything Carroll is doing to earn a move back up in the batting order, as he's slashing just .160/.232/.320 over the latter span. Rather, Lovullo seems to have decided that if the team is going to go where it wants to go, they're going to have to sink or swim with Carroll as a featured member of the offense.

Colorado Rockies

– There was a 10-game stretch at the end of April and beginning of May where Charlie Blackmon either was out of the lineup (five games) or hit fifth (three games) or sixth (two games). Since then, though, he's started 10 of 12 tilts (all 10 versus righties) and been in the leadoff spot for each of those starts. The 37-year-old has been better since resuming leadoff duties with a .788 OPS, nine RBI, eight runs, one stolen base and a 3:5 K:BB.

– After collecting a .588 OPS in April, Elehuris Montero's OPS has sunk further to .572 in May. And yet, he had started six straight games heading into Tuesday and had been out of the lineup just four times since April 10. However, Kris Bryant was back from the IL Tuesday and at first base, so this could be the beginning of Montero's chances tapering off.

Los Angeles Dodgers

– Max Muncy landed on the 10-day injured list last week with an oblique strain and as a result Enrique Hernandez has made six straight starts at third base. Hernandez had been in the lineup for just three of the previous 12 contests, but it's clear that manager Dave Roberts values his glove at the hot corner. The 32-year-old homered Monday but is slashing just .216/.287/.320 on the season. That includes a .180/.263/.240 line versus right-handers.

– With James Outman back in the minors, Andy Pages has made five straight starts in center field. Pages has slowed following a red-hot start but appears poised to be the everyday center fielder for a while. Miguel Vargas was recalled and Jason Heyward returned from the IL on the same day Outman was sent down. Heyward has started three of five games since then, with Vargas drawing two starts. Vargas' skill set remains intriguing and he was killing the ball at Triple-A Oklahoma City, but it doesn't seem as though getting him regular playing time is a priority for Roberts right now.

San Diego Padres

– Jurickson Profar's incredible start to the season has resulted in a move up to the third spot in the Padres' batting order for each of the last five contests, and he reached base 10 times over that span. Profar began the season batting sixth but has worked his way into more favorable spots as he kept hitting. With Profar up in the three hole, Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts have all slid down a spot to the fourth, fifth and sixth spots, respectively. Bogaerts, though, hurt his left shoulder in the first game of a doubleheader Monday and has sat out two straight since then.

– Each of Ha-Seong Kim's last eight starts against righties have come from the nine spot in the batting order and he hasn't escaped the bottom third of the lineup since April 29. While the 28-year-old's .216/.332/.368 batting line leaves a lot to be desired, he's been just fine from a counting stats perspective with six home runs, 10 steals, 22 RBI and 25 runs. It helps, of course, that he hasn't missed a start all season.

San Francisco Giants

– The Giants' outfield has experienced a makeover with Michael Conforto going on the IL with a strained hamstring and Jung Hoo Lee needing season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Luis Matos has started seven straight games in center field since Lee went down and has been a revelation, going 10-for-30 with two home runs and a whopping 17 RBI while also making multiple highlight-reel catches in the outfield. He hit eighth in his first two starts but was all the way up in the three spot Tuesday. Matos flopped with the Giants last season and was off to a poor start this year at Triple-A Sacramento, but remember that he's just 22 and a former top prospect. Heliot Ramos has been the regular left fielder since Conforto went down with eight straight starts in left field and 10 straight starts overall. The 24-year-old has also been productive with a .780 OPS, one homer, eight RBI and one steal in 11 games.

– After Nick Ahmed was sent to the IL with a wrist injury, the Giants gave Casey Schmitt six straight starts at shortstop. However, Schmitt has since been optioned back to Sacramento and Marco Luciano has received four straight starts at short. Luciano's star has faded since he was considered one of the top prospects in the came a couple years ago, and his numbers at Sacramento prior to being recalled (.742 OPS, one home run) were underwhelming. The 22-year-old has reached base six times in his first four tilts with the big club, though, and could continue to get regular reps while Ahmed is out.