Lineup Lowdown: National 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.

Atlanta Braves

– Getting back together with an old girlfriend rarely works out, and that theory proved true with the Braves and Eddie Rosario, with the outfielder getting designated for assignment and subsequently released over the weekend. Adam Duvall has drawn four starts in left field and Ramon Laureano has picked up four starts since Rosario was cut loose. However, with Michael Harris (hamstring) poised to return Wednesday, the Braves will go with a Kelenic-Harris-Jorge Soler outfield most days, with Duvall and perhaps Laureano mixed in versus lefties in left field.

– Nacho Alvarez was sent down after a rough start to his major-league career, and since then Whit Merrifield has made 13 straight starts at second base. He's batted ninth 10 times and eighth three times, picking up a couple stolen bases. Merrifield should continue to see everyday reps at the keystone while Ozzie Albies (wrist) is sidelined.

Miami Marlins

– Xavier Edwards has assumed everyday leadoff duties since Jazz Chisholm was traded and has been a difference-maker in fantasy leagues, hitting .350 with 10 stolen bases and 10 runs scored in 15 contests out of the leadoff spot. The young switch-hitter's quality of contact has been predictably poor with just a 27 percent hard-hit rate, but his 12.7 percent walk rate and 17.6 percent strikeout rate will play.

– Jonah Bride has become an everyday guy following the Marlins' fire sale, making 16 consecutive starts. He's been occupying a prime position in the lineup, too, hitting either third or fourth in each of the last 13 contests. Over those 16 tilts, Bride is slashing .264/.391/.509 with four long balls and 10 RBI.

New York Mets

– I assumed Jesse Winker would play everyday against righties after the Mets traded for him, but that hasn't been the case, as he's been on the bench in four of 12 games versus right-handers (and didn't start any of the club's three contests against lefties). That equals out to him starting just over half of the games with his new team, a rate that figures to go down when Starling Marte (knee) returns later this week.

– Brandon Nimmo missed the first two games of July with a forehead laceration as a result of a hotel room fall. While he was cleared of a potential concussion, he's slashed just .192/.298/.308 in 34 games since the incident. He and the Mets have given no indication that he's dealing with any lingering physical issue, so the timing of the slump could just be coincidental. Nimmo hasn't budged from the two hole aside from a couple games batting second, although he has sat out two of the last four tilts versus southpaws.

Philadelphia Phillies

– Austin Hays was getting everyday reps after being acquired by the Phillies via trade but went down with a strained hamstring last week. Since then, Brandon Marsh has shifted back to left field for four games versus righties and sat out the game against a lefty, with Weston Wilson filling in. Johan Rojas regained his center field foothold for four contests and got one day off. Rojas offers enough from a speed perspective that he'll be fantasy relevant while he's playing regularly again.

– J.T. Realmuto is sporting a woeful .562 OPS in 15 games since returning from knee surgery. He's been down in the No. 7 spot in the Phillies' lineup for the last two contests, which is the lowest he's batted this season. A rebound will probably come, but keep in mind that he's a catcher in his mid-thirties with lots of wear on his tires trying to come back from an in-season knee surgery. It's a tough ask.

Washington Nationals

– Alex Call has started 13 of the last 14 games after the Nationals traded Jesse Winker. He batted leadoff in each of the last four contests (CJ Abrams was banged up in three of those) and in the two games prior to that (both versus lefties) hit second. Call will obviously come down from the absurd heater he's on (1.150 OPS during the aforementioned 13-game stretch), but he could still be useful in fantasy after that, especially with how aggressive the Nats have been in the running game.

– Travis Blankenhorn has been seeing regular starts at DH versus right-handed pitching, seeing his name etched into the lineup six of the last seven times in such situations. He went 3-for-28 in his 12 games at the big-league level, though, and now the Nats plan to split the DH and first base duties between Juan Yepez and recent promotion Andres Chaparro.

Chicago Cubs

– Cody Bellinger has yet to play the field since coming back from his fractured finger in late July, making all 12 of his starts since then in the DH slot. While Bellinger's hitting is unaffected, he's still not able to grip a ball at 100 percent and it's not clear when he might be ready to play the field again. As a result of Bellinger's situation, Pete Crow-Armstrong has been in center field for all 14 games since Bellinger's activation and has started all but one game there since July 10, the day before Bellinger's IL stint began. The 22-year-old has begun to find his footing offensively, collecting an .881 OPS with a homer and five steals across his last 55 plate appearances. Between that and his elite glove, Crow-Armstrong could see at least close to everyday playing time even after Bellinger is cleared to play defense.

– The player whose playing time has been most negatively affected by Bellinger's inability to play the field has been Mike Tauchman. Tauchman missed a month of action with an injury of his own from mid-June to mid-July, but before that he had been the team's regular leadoff man versus right-handers. Since Bellinger returned to the lineup, Tauchman has started just three of 13 contests.

Cincinnati Reds

– Ty France didn't start the first two games after being acquired by the Reds but has been in the lineup for 11 of 12 contests since then (seven versus righties, four versus lefties). He's played first base in nine of those starts and was the DH in the other two. Over that span, Will Benson has been in the lineup just twice, although he was away on paternity leave for three of those contests.

– #DadStrength? In 33 games since returning from paternity leave, Tyler Stephenson has clubbed nine home runs, while putting up an .872 OPS. Four of those long balls have come over his past nine contests. As a result of the hot streak, Stephenson has batted third for the Reds in each of his last six starts. The three spot had been occupied almost exclusively by either Jeimer Candelario or Spencer Steer since late May, but Candelario has mostly hit sixth lately, while Steer has batted fourth or fifth.

Milwaukee Brewers

– Wunderkind Jackson Chourio has batted either first (against lefties) or second (against righties) in each of the Brewers' last 12 tilts. He's also only started in left field since July 10. While he had a hitless series against the Reds over the weekend, Chourio has slashed .317/.363/.508 with nine home runs and nine stolen bases over 55 games since the beginning of June. He entered that month with just a .581 OPS.

– Garrett Mitchell started just four of the first nine games upon his activation from the IL in early July but did play three of four times against righties. Since then, he's started 21 of 26 contests, which includes him being in the lineup every time they've faced a right-hander and four times when they've gone up against a lefty. Three of his last five starts against righties have come from the third spot in the batting order.

Pittsburgh Pirates

– Joey Bart has slugged his way into the Pirates' cleanup spot, occupying the slot for each of his last seven starts. Bart has started 13 of the last 14 games, even netting four starts at DH during that span as the Pirates look to keep his bat in the lineup. He boasts an .868 OPS with two home runs since being moved to the cleanup spot.

– Isiah Kiner-Falefa has made 10 straight starts since joining the Pirates via trade, with eight of those eight coming at second base and the other two being at shortstop when Oneil Cruz was battling an illness. IKF has even hit leadoff in four of those starts, filling the spot typically occupied by Andrew McCutchen, who has been out of the lineup for three of the last four contests. Nick Gonzales (groin) is due back soon, but Kiner-Falefa will probably be in the lineup most days, whether it's primarily as a second baseman or a superutility player.

St. Louis Cardinals

– The Cardinals summoned Jordan Walker from Triple-A Memphis on Monday, almost four months after they had optioned him there. Walker didn't hit well at Memphis on the whole but had heated up lately with a 1.087 OPS with five home runs over his last 16 contests. The initial plan seems to be to mainly use Walker in right field against left-handed pitching, although it's hard to believe he won't be mixed in versus righties, too, especially with Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman struggling and Victor Scott playing regularly in center field (he's started eight of the last nine tilts).

– Speaking of Gorman, he went through a stretch where he made just three starts over 12 games. The Cards did face a lot of lefties during that span, but Gorman sat out twice versus five righties, too. He then followed that up with five straight starts before returning to the bench Monday. Gorman did reach base seven times during the five-game stretch, so perhaps it's the start of something, but his playing time situation certainly appears tenuous.

Arizona Diamondbacks

– Jake McCarthy has played his way into a near-everyday role, having started 15 of the last 17 games while bouncing around to all three outfield spots. McCarthy is slashing a truly absurd .448/.467/.741 with three home runs, 17 RBI and four stolen bases over that stretch and batted as high as second four times. The casualty from McCarthy's emergence has been Alek Thomas, who has been in the lineup for just eight of those 17 tilts.

– Gabriel Moreno went down with an adductor strain in early August and is expected to be shelved for several weeks. If there's a silver lining, it's that the injury gave the Diamondbacks an excuse to give a look to Adrian Del Castillo, who had mashed at Triple-A Reno and who has now hit the ground running in the majors, reaching base nine times and driving in five runs in his first four games. Del Castillo has started four of seven games, with Jose Herrera getting the other three starts. The former isn't known for his defensive chops, so that kind of split might be the best he can hope for, but that could be enough for fantasy value given the offensive upside.

Colorado Rockies

– You're not going to believe this, but Kris Bryant has returned to the IL with more back problems. Bryant had been splitting his time between right field and DH, making eight starts at the former spot and five starts at the latter spot since coming off the IL in late July. Charlie Blackmon should be the regular DH versus righties, which had already pretty much been the case even when Bryant was healthy. Jake Cave has started every game against a righty since June 15, but with Bryant out his playing time should be secure even after Nolan Jones (back) returns, which should be soon. Jordan Beck replaced Bryant on the roster and could see some reps.

– Brenton Doyle has been all over the Rockies' batting order during his breakout season, quite literally, as he's made at least four starts in every spot of the lineup. Of late he's been the No. 3 hitter, with each of his last 14 starts coming from that slot. Doyle's production month-to-month has been up-and-down, and he's followed his monster July (1.194 OPS, 11 home runs) with a slow start to August (.593 OPS). Doyle, Elly De La Cruz, Shohei Ohtani, Jazz Chisholm, Jose Ramirez, Bobby Witt and Francisco Lindor are the only players to already clear the 20-20 threshold.

Los Angeles Dodgers

– The Dodgers brought Mookie Betts back from the IL on Monday, and they brought him back as a right fielder. The plan is to leave him there rather than move him around, so the fallout is that Jason Heyward is now a reserve and Miguel Rojas is a full-timer at shortstop. Betts will bat second, as the Dodgers want to leave Shohei Ohtani at leadoff and split up his and Freddie Freeman's left-handed bats.

– In center field, Kevin Kiermaier has received five of the last seven starts there over Andy Pages, though Pages did make two additional starts during that span in right. It could be a moot point relatively soon, as Tommy Edman (wrist, ankle) should be back from the IL before long, and the team plans to use him mostly in center field.

San Diego Padres

– I'm wondering whether manager Mike Shildt might be considering flip-flopping Jake Cronenworth and Jackson Merrill in the batting order, elevating Merrill to the three spot and dropping Cronenworth to sixth. Merrill is slashing .296/.324/.579 with 14 homers and six stolen bases in 60 games since June 1, and he has an 1.137 OPS so far in August while seemingly delivering a big hit every night. Cronenworth isn't having a bad season, and Merrill is just 21 and there's an element of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but moving up three slots sure would be nice for his counting-stat outlook.

– After it had looked like Kyle Higashioka might be running away with the Padres' starting catcher job when he made six starts in an eight-game stretch, he's now back to basically splitting the duties with Luis Campusano, with Higashioka making seven starts and Campusano five starts in the last 12 tilts. Campusano helped his case with an .870 OPS in an injury-shortened July, but Higashioka is still hitting with an .823 OPS since the start of that month.

San Francisco Giants

– Tyler Fitzgerald has become the Giants' primary leadoff man since Jorge Soler was traded to the Braves. Seven of his last nine starts have come from the top of the batting order, and he's been there a total of nine times in 14 contests since the trade. (LaMonte Wade hit there the other five times.) After a shocking 1.239 OPS in July, Fitzgerald has followed it up with a .989 OPS so far in August.

– Jerar Encarnacion was plucked from the Mexican League in May, tore up Triple-A pitching for six weeks and is now a regular for the Giants, starting 10 of 12 games since being called up. The 26-year-old has played the outfield five times and been the DH on five occasions, although five of his last six starts have come at DH. He batted fifth against a lefty on Monday, which is the highest he's appeared in the batting order since arriving in San Francisco.