All-Stars have been named, some of them unsurprising, some of them names we didn't expect before the 2025 campaign began. Of course, there are also players who were All-Stars last year that won't be there in 2025. Change is the only constant, as they say. To that end, you need not sit on the same Sorare MLB lineup. Even if you're happy with your lineup, maybe there are tweaks to be made. Maybe some guys have been better than you may have realized, and maybe you have been holding on to somebody waiting for a turnaround that doesn't seem likely to come. These are my upgrades, holds and downgrades for your Sorare MLB lineups. Get yourself some fireworks in your lineup for the 4th of July.
The number in parentheses represents each player's last limited card sale price as of 7/2.
Upgrades
Logan Gilbert, SEA ($6.86): In some ways, Gilbert is working his way back from missing time to start the season with injury. His performance, though, has been quite good all in all. Gilbert may only have one start with over 30.0 Sorare points, but he doesn't have any under 15.0 Sorare points. His K/BB rate remains elite, and his swinging strike rate is 18.8 percent. No other starter is above 17.6, and that guy is Tarik Skubal.
Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS ($3.97): When the Red Sox were making room for their burgeoning prospects, Rafaela was able to keep his role. Yes, it's partially because of his elite fielding, but he also has nine homers, two triples and 11 stolen bases. He has four games with double-digit Sorare points over the last two weeks. What I find encouraging beyond his counting stats is his improvement in his plate discipline. His K/BB rate has improved by 150 percent from last season to this season.
Liam Hicks, MIA ($3.37): Hicks, a Rule 5 pickup for the Marlins, has been quite the find. The rookie has hit .272/.361/.422 as a catcher. Now, Hicks is a lefty, and he can't hit southpaws at all, but he has an .838 OPS versus righties. Notably, the 26-year-old only has a 19.3-percent chase rate, one of the best numbers in MLB. Catchers do sometimes take longer to develop, and we seem to be seeing that with Hicks this season.
Holds
Jarren Duran, BOS ($5.87): Duran's power is down, and it seems like it will stay down. In fact, Duran's 21 homers from last year may prove anomalous. That said, another thing is also pretty clear: the speed-related elements of Duran's game remain as strong as ever. Duran's sprint speed is 26.5 feet per second, tops among MLB regulars. That's helped him tally nine triples and 15 stolen bases. Duran hasn't had a lot of big games as of late, but he's had several with 5.0 or more Sorare points. Don't expect what Duran to repeat what he did last season, but there's still plenty to like.
Jacob deGrom, TEX ($4.64): So, it turns out this deGrom guy is really good! He has a 2.13 ERA through 17 starts, and his arm remains excellent. His average fastball averages 97.3 mph, top 10 among starting pitchers. Now, deGrom isn't quite the pitcher he used to be. He's no longer an elite strikeout pitcher. On the other hand, he hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start since the middle of April. The reason deGrom is a hold, of course, is his health history. He's already made more starts this season than he has since the 2019 campaign.
Jasson Dominguez, NYY ($3.75): Dominguez hits the ball hard. The problem is making something out of that hard contact at this early stage of his career. He was a vaunted prospect, and this is his age-22 season, so I believe in the brightness of his future. The fact a whopping 50.0 percent of his hits have qualified as "hard" according to Statcast plays a role in that as well. That's up there with Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez. And yet, with Dominguez, his 12 stolen bases in 72 games stick out the most. He only has six homers, and he's only slugged .387. How do you slug at that level when you hit the ball so hard? Well, eventually, I'm betting on him figuring it out and improving on that front. It just would appear he isn't there yet at this point in his career.
Downgrades
Jackson Chourio, MIL ($7.33): Now halfway through this season, I think we can call this a sophomore slump from Chourio. Yes, he has still gotten some counting stats, which can net you Sorare points, but his production has dropped and his discipline at the plate has diminished. His walk rate has dropped all the way to 4.3 percent, which is a big reason why he has a sub-.300 OBP. On top of that, his chase rate has soared to 42.2 percent. That is Julio Rodriguez-esque, and Julio is a cautionary tale when it comes to promising young players plateauing and regressing.
Kerry Carpenter, DET ($3.48): This is partially due to the fact that Carpenter hit the IL with a hamstring issue recently. That came after back-to-back games with homers and over 15.0 Sorare points, so why the concern beyond the injury to his leg muscle? Carpenter's K/BB rate has dropped by 60 percent. He's walked seven times in 78 games. Seven! Even when Carpenter returns, that lack of discipline is a concern.
Brady Singer, MIL ($3.15): Singer's move to Cincinnati isn't working out great thus far. His ERA has gone from 3.71 last year to 4.36 this year. It's not just that the Reds have a hitter-friendly park, either, as he has a 4.66 ERA on the road. He even had a start with negative Sorare points, which is rare for a pitcher. The issue is that the ball is being hit in the air and with a lot of power. Singer's groundball rate is a mere 34.9 percent, and his line-drive rate is 22.9 percent. That kind of profile is a recipe for disaster.
