10 Hitters Now in Starting Lineups

It could be difficult to keep up with the constant changes within starting lineups and easy to miss that a hitter was recently recalled from the minors and is now starting regularly or suddenly enjoying more playing time than he had been. This is especially true now as teams have been calling up their prospects and we’ll see a lot more of it as we approach the trade deadline. So let’s discuss 10 names that are seeing regular playing time now, or close to it, that you may not have even realized.

Taylor Trammell | HOU

The one-time solid prospect has really bounced around in his career, as he’s now in his sixth organization since 2019. You would be forgiven if you had no idea that Trammell has started in the outfield in eight of the Astros last nine games, let alone was even back in the Majors. The rash of injuries in Houston has resulted in semi-regular playing time, and he even started against the last lefty they faced, so he might not even be in a strict platoon.

Trammell has recorded 405 MLB PAs now and has struck out often, but has also walked at a double digit clip. Unfortunately, a .229 BABIP means his OBP is stuck well below .300, so even with above average power, he’s been quite poor offensively. He used to steal bases in the minors, but has just four in the Majors, which is partially explained by the lowly .274 OBP, and the fact he has also been caught five times.

As the Astros get healthier, he’s going to certainly be one of the odd men out and it’s very possible that other names like Chas McCormick back from the IL cut into his playing time right now if he hits a slump. For now though, he’s got some power and his strong walk rate gives his value a massive boost in OBP leagues. He’s worth a stopgap in such formats.

Joey Loperfido | TOR

The Blue Jays have dealt with their own injury issues, which has led them to recall Loperfido earlier this month. He has started every game against a right-handed starter since, so is pretty clear on the strong side of a platoon while the Jays await the return of their injured names.

You might remember Loperfido from last year when he posted a 37.1% HR/FB rate at Triple-A, hitting 13 home runs over 189 PAs and posting a .296 ISO and .393 wOBA. Unfortunately, the power failed to translate after his recall to the Majors, as he posted just an 8.2% HR/FB rate and .136 ISO between the Astros and Jays.

This season, his power was curiously still gone, even at Triple-A, as he posted just an 8.8% HR/FB rate and .144 ISO there. Everything else looked good though, but the sudden loss of that much power is baffling. He did post a career best strikeout rate, so perhaps he made some conscious effort to cut down on his swing after he disappointed during his first taste of MLB action. Whatever the reason, if he’s not hitting for power, he’s far less appealing to fantasy leaguers, though he does still have some speed.

The Jays might as well keep giving him strong side PAs until they get healthier given their alternatives, and perhaps fantasy owners get lucky and he suddenly rediscovers his power stroke. I’m just not holding my breath.

Will Wagner | TOR

Wagner is in a similar situation as Loperfido in Toronto, earning playing time due to injuries and serving on the strong side of a platoon for the most part. Wagner makes pretty good contact and is willing to take a walk, making him a fair batting average and OBP play.

The power, though, has been middling and he has yet to homer this year over 107 PAs. Since he doesn’t steal bases either, he’s not exactly a fantasy league target. He’s also hitting just .239 right now even with a .319 BABIP, so his value lies solely in AL-Only formats that use OBP instead of batting average. He’s the rare name that even with semi-regular playing time, doesn’t do enough in the power and stolen base categories to accrue much fantasy value.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. | ATL

You really want to root for a guy named Nacho. At the very least, don’t look at his name if you’re hungry because it’ll surely put you in the mood for tortilla chips doused in cheese sauce. The eighth best prospect in the Braves system is playing every day at third base while Austin Riley is on the IL.

He’s shown excellent plate discipline throughout his minor league career, with double digit walk rates, strikeout rates in the mid-teens and single digit SwStk% marks. He has also posted strong BABIP marks, suggesting he won’t hamper your batting average or OBP.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much power in his bat and although he has posted a 15.4% HR/FB rate once along with a .167 ISO, it has come with underwhelming HardHit% and maxEV marks. Don’t count on him to contribute in home runs.

On the other hand, he does own some speed, as he swiped 26 bases in the minors last year and was only caught three times. Given a respectable OBP, that could result in a handful of steals for fantasy owners, though he might not have much time with Riley expected to be activated when first eligible in about a week.

Andrew Vaughn | MIL

Who would have guessed that the White Sox former top prospect and ranked 13th overall, would get demoted to the minors by the second worst team in baseball, get traded for a guy with a perfectly average 100 ERA-, and then end up as his new team’s fifth place hitter?!

Given his former prospect status, Vaughn has been a massive disappointment offensively. He was slapped with a 55/70 Hit grade, but sports a career .249 batting average and .285 BABIP, and given 50/60 Game and 60/60 Raw Power scores, but has posted just an 11.5% HR/FB rate and .161 ISO. What happened?! You always hear about players perhaps needing a change of scenery to unlock their potential, and this is a perfect type of player to follow to see if it ended up being true for him.

The seeds for more power output are there. His HardHit% is consistently in the mid-to-high 40% range, his maxEV has been over 110 MPH every year, with a high of 115 MPH, and his Barrel% sits at a career best 12.8% this season. How has the power output not already been significantly better?! He has never been a big pull fly ball guy, which has likely held his power back a bit, but he’s sitting at a career best this year, though that’s still right around league average. Perhaps the Brewers could get him to pull his flies more.

Overall, I still like the skill set and profile and he’s definitely still young enough to suddenly break out. Right now, there’s nothing to indicate any sort of breakout is actually imminent, but usually there aren’t flashing lights that it’s coming, it just does. Oh, and the Brewers home park has been meaningfully better for right-handed home runs than where he had played in Chicago, so that could help his results as well.

Adrian Del Castillo | ARI

The top prospect was ranked second best in the Dbacks org and 44th overall, and although he’s a catcher, has been their started DH in the three games since his recall. That’s ideal for fantasy owners as you’ll be able to slot him into catcher, but he’ll be playing more often than average.

Del Castillo has consistently posted double digit walk rates in the minors, though he wasn’t able to hold onto his strikeout rate gain from last year. He’s been a fly ball hitter, posting a big 47.9% mark in the minors this year, which will really help him get to his power and contribute in home runs. His power has been inconsistent though and his HardHit% and maxEV don’t inspire a whole lot of confidence. But, the results have been there most of the time, with HR/FB rates over 20%, while he has posted a .308 ISO in the minors this year.

He is certainly worth starting in two-catcher leagues, particularly if yours uses OBP, while he’s starting at DH regularly. The projections aren’t very enthusiastic, but the bar is pretty low from the catcher slot.

Rowdy Tellez | TEX

He’s baaaaaack. Tellez has joined his fifth organization since 2021 as fantasy owners continue hoping he delivers anything close to the 35 homers he did back in 2022. Tellez was just recalled from the minors after being picked up by the Rangers and looks to be the starting first baseman on the strong side of a platoon while Jake Burger is sidelined on the IL.

At this point, we know what to expect here. With a 40%+ FB% and solid Statcast metrics, he’s going to hit home runs. He’s also going to crush your batting average, despite not striking out as often as you might expect given his power. What’s killed his average is a low BABIP, which stands at just .256 for his career. He doesn’t walk at an above average clip, so he doesn’t even get any boost in OBP leagues. It essentially makes him a one category guy, with the potential to also contribute in RBI.

That’s enough to make him worth rostering in AL-Only leagues as any additional home runs are always, even if they come with little else. His new home park is also dramatically better for left-handed home runs, and overall run scoring, so he’s in a much better situation.

Kyle Higashioka | TEX

We’re sticking with the Rangers, where we find that Higashioka is head-scratchingly earning DH PAs. The veteran catcher sports a .296 wOBA, which seems like a level you want to keep far away from the DH slot, but somehow, some way, he’s getting his name written into the spot when he’s not catching.

I’ve learned that rather than question Major League management about their lineup decisions, I should just act to most take advantage. So if the team thinks that Higashioka is a worthy DH, then fantasy owners should take notice.

The 35-year-old has reduced his strikeout rate and SwStk% to career bests, which has pushed both his batting average on OBP up to career highs. That’s the positive. The negative is that his power has disappeared. His HR/FB rate, ISO, maxEV, and Barrel% are all at career lows. A quick glance at Baseball Savant tells us his Bat Speed is indeed down, as is his Swing Length. That suggests that he is compensating for aging effects taking their toll by shortening up his swing to prioritize contact.

It’s not a great situation for fantasy owners since he’s still not exactly a batting average contributor, and now his formerly best fantasy contribution is gone. Still, the playing time means he’s worthy of a starting slot in deep, two-catcher leagues.

Yanquiel Fernández | COL

Holy cow, the Rockies have recalled one of their better prospects and are actually starting him?! Of course, the playing time hasn’t been consistent, as he’s started in 10 of 13 games against right-handed starters, but it means he’s become a semi-regular. The team’s fifth ranked prospect sports 60/70 Raw Power grades, which would have me intrigued on any team, and he plays in the league’s best park for left-handed offense.

Fernández has somehow managed to maintain pretty good strikeout rates, despite double digit SwStk% marks. That’s usually accomplished by swinging at everything and recording a low walk rate, but his walk rates haven’t been as low as I would have expected to confirm that’s the strategy. I’m sure it’s part of it, but I would still have expected either even lower walk rates or higher strikeout rates.

The power has been…fine, and probably a bit underwhelming given his Raw Power scores, as his HardHit% marks have been below 40% with a maxEV reaching 111 MPH this year at Triple-A. He has posted inconsistent HR/FB rates and ISO marks, but got those up to 19% and .218, respectively, this year. He doesn’t hit a high rate of fly balls though, so that could hamper his power in the Majors.

Since he doesn’t steal bases, we’re counting on the power manifesting and perhaps a batting average that won’t hurt. I don’t think the combination is enough to make him worth considering in anything outside NL-Only leagues, and it’s probably only a matter of time before the Rockies get bored and give the PAs to someone else.

Colson Montgomery | CHW

Out of everyone on this list, you were probably most aware of Montgomery. He was the White Sox’ top prospect heading into the 2024 season thanks to a .432 wOBA in the minors in 2023. But then he disappointed massively in 2024, posting just a .324 wOBA, and he was dropped to ninth on this year’s top prospect list. Now, he’s become the team’s starting shortstop, as the team might as well give him a shot given their non-competitiveness.

This year at Triple-A, Montgomery’s strikeout rate surged to a career worst, over 30% for the first time. It’s surprising for a guy who didn’t used to have strikeout issues, but that just started cropping up at Triple-A in 2024. The SwStk% isn’t out of control, so perhaps he’s taking too many called strikes.

His power has been interesting, as his HardHit% is underwhelming at sub-40%, but a maxEV of 113.8 MPH in 2024 and 115.3 MPH this season is excellent. You don’t typically see such high maxEVs paired with such mediocre HardHit% marks, which suggests he has the power in his bat, but just isn’t getting to it consistently, for whatever reason. He has still managed high teen HR/FB rates and ISO marks over .200, though, but his projections are buying power more closely resembling the HardHit%, rather than the maxEV.

He doesn’t steal many bases, and with all those strikeouts, he’ll need to deliver big power to be worthy of fantasy owners’ starting lineups, let alone the White Sox lineup. Once again, the projections aren’t optimistic, which is why I wasn’t aggressive in the bidding when he was recalled. Of course, the White Sox also sport the third lowest wRC+ in baseball, so his RBI and runs scored totals are going to be hampered, while the team won’t turn over the lineup as much, hurting his PA count.

Yes, start him in AL-Only leagues given the regular playing time, but I wouldn’t expect a whole lot outside the occasional home run.