Author: Jon Becker

Position Player Playing Time Changes: July 28, 2026

by Jon Becker

July 28, 2026

The last two weeks have brought plenty of projected playing time changes for hitters, and there should be even more next week after the trade deadline, with plenty of plate appearances opening up for selling teams. Here’s the latest.

Significant Playing Time Changes, Hitters, 7/14 to 7/28

Name	Team	Positions	Old PT %	New PT %	PT Change	Old PA	New PA	PA Change	Reason
Tommy White	ATH	1B, 3B, DH	3%	40%	37%	9	100	91	Injury-ravaged A’s have a lot of PT available
Brady House	WSN	3B	30%	67%	37%	86	168	82	Curtis Mead trade opens up 3B audition
Javier Báez	DET	SS, CF	14%	45%	31%	40	113	73	Nearing return from IL
Brian Serven	ATH	C	3%	32%	29%	9	80	71	Backup C with Langeliers out
Christian Encarnacion-Strand	BAL	3B, 1B	3%	32%	29%	9	80	71	Hot hitting should keep him in lineup
Dane Myers	CIN	CF, RF	22%	51%	29%	63	128	65	Back from the IL and playing plenty
Petey Halpin	CLE	CF, LF	7%	33%	26%	20	83	63	Stays on roster with Ramírez and Angél Martínez back
Harry Ford	WSN	C	8%	33%	25%	23	83	60	Short side of catching platoon since call-up
Spencer Jones	NYY	RF, LF, DH, CF	9%	33%	24%	26	83	57	Will get a good look with Bellinger out, barring trades
Luis Rengifo	SDP	3B, 2B, DH	10%	31%	21%	29	78	49	Has hit well since joining Padres
Elias Díaz	TEX	C	14%	35%	21%	40	88	48	Starting catcher with Jansen, Kyle Higashioka both hurt
Tyler Locklear	ARI	1B	22%	43%	21%	63	108	45	Starting 1B as the Diamondbacks continue to figure out the solution there
Luis Robert Jr.	NYM	CF, DH	56%	81%	25%	160	203	43	Back from IL + playing daily
Jonah Heim	ATH	C, DH, 1B	50%	72%	22%	143	180	37	Starting C with Langeliers out
José Ramírez	CLE	3B, DH	70%	94%	24%	200	236	36	Back from the IL
Tristan Gray	MIN	SS, 2B, 3B	53%	33%	-20%	151	83	-68	Optioned to minors
Will Smith	LAD	C, DH	54%	34%	-20%	154	85	-69	Not making progress from neck strain
Miguel Andujar	SDP	DH, 3B, LF	48%	26%	-22%	137	65	-72	Fractured wrist
Daniel Schneemann	CLE	3B, CF, 2B, LF, RF, SS	61%	40%	-21%	174	100	-74	Optioned to minors
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer	ATH	3B, 2B, DH, SS	58%	35%	-23%	165	88	-77	The injury you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy
Drew Millas	WSN	C	34%	7%	-27%	97	18	-79	Finger surgery
Harrison Bader	SFG	CF	56%	28%	-28%	160	70	-90	Plantar fasciitis setback
Addison Barger	TOR	RF, 3B	39%	0%	-39%	111	0	-111	Season-ending elbow surgery
Spencer Steer	CIN	1B, LF, RF, CF, 2B, DH, 3B	75%	37%	-38%	214	93	-121	Sprained wrist, timeline unclear
Kahlil Watson	CLE	CF, LF, RF, DH	54%	13%	-41%	154	33	-121	Optioned to minors
Cody Bellinger	NYY	LF, RF, CF, 1B	90%	52%	-38%	257	130	-127	Hamstring strain, out 4-6 weeks
Juan Soto	NYM	LF, DH	96%	58%	-38%	274	145	-129	Calf strain, worse than the last but he’s confident he’ll be back this year
Kyle Teel	CHW	C, DH	73%	26%	-47%	208	65	-143	Badly sprained ankle
Shea Langeliers	ATH	C, DH	90%	0%	-90%	257	0	-257	Season-ending meniscus surgery

Pitcher Playing Time Changes: July 24, 2026

by Jon Becker

July 24, 2026

Below are the latest notable playing time projection changes for pitchers for the last two weeks, starting with starters and moving onto relievers in the second table.

Significant Remaining Playing Time Changes, SP, 7/10 to 7/24

Name	Team	Old % of Team’s Remaining GS	New % of Team’s Remaining GS	Change	Old Remaining GS	New Remaining GS	Change	Reason
Zac Thornton	NYM	4%	13%	9%	2	8	6	Looking like a rotation mainstay
Randy Dobnak	KCR	4%	12%	8%	2	7	5	Has taken SP5 and run with it
Ronel Blanco	HOU	4%	11%	7%	2	7	5	Back from Tommy John rehab
JP Sears	SDP	7%	13%	6%	4	8	4	Vásquez in bullpen should have him holding onto his spot
Gabriel Hughes	COL	3%	9%	6%	2	5	3	Has looked good in his first few starts
Jacob Lopez	ATH	5%	10%	5%	3	6	3	Back to rotation with J.T. Ginn out for a bit with a blister
Jack Perkins	ATH	10%	15%	5%	6	9	3	Hasn’t been particularly good but will hold onto spot with Ginn out
Carson Whisenhunt	SFG	5%	10%	5%	3	6	3	Expected to replace Trevor McDonald (elbow strain) in rotation
Mick Abel	MIN	5%	0%	-5%	3	0	-3	Unlikely to make it back this year
Randy Vásquez	SDP	14%	8%	-6%	8	5	-3	Has worked out of bullpen since IL activation
Hurston Waldrep	ATL	10%	4%	-6%	6	2	-4	Struggling with command since option to the minors
Brandon Woodruff	MIL	6%	0%	-6%	4	0	-4	Season-ending shoulder capsule surgery
Garrett Crochet	BOS	8%	2%	-6%	5	1	-4	Timeline for a return still very unclear if he’s back at all this year
Shohei Ohtani	LAD	15%	9%	-6%	9	5	-4	Knee injury, Dodgers will certainly slow-play and think about October
Tanner Gordon	COL	15%	8%	-7%	9	5	-4	Moved to bullpen
Kodai Senga	NYM	10%	3%	-7%	6	2	-4	Thornton’s emergence and his own struggles make a rotation return highly unlikely
Zac Gallen	ARI	18%	8%	-10%	11	5	-6	Elbow inflammation
Stephen Kolek	KCR	17%	2%	-15%	10	1	-9	Flexor strain
Aaron Civale	CHC	17%	1%	-16%	10	1	-9	Working out of bullpen since acquisition from A’s

Significant Remaining Playing Time Changes, RP, 7/10 to 7/24

Name	Team	Old Remaining RP IP	New Remaining RP IP	Change	Reason
Alex McFarlane	PHI	5	19	14	Welcome to the big leagues!
Max Kranick	WSN	7	20	13	Back from the IL as the Nationals try to find any reliever with any semblance of consistency
Bennett Sousa	HOU	15	22	7	Back from the IL
Hayden Wesneski	HOU	6	13	7	Nearing IL return, bullpen looks like easiest fit right now
Hoby Milner	CHC	8	15	7	Should be back fairly soon from appendectomy
Kai-Wei Teng	HOU	14	20	6	Back from the IL and pitching out of the bullpen
DL Hall	MIL	13	18	5	Nearing IL return
Keegan Akin	BAL	11	0	-11	Season-ending elbow surgery
Brad Keller	PHI	24	0	-24	Season-ending elbow surgery

Position Player Playing Time Changes: July 14, 2026

by Jon Becker

July 14, 2026

We’ve reached the not-actually-halfway-but-people-call-it-that-because-of-the-All-Star-Break point of the season! Here are notable projected position player playing time changes for the last two weeks as we enter the second “half” on Thursday.

Significant Playing Time Changes, Hitters, 6/30 to 7/14

Name	Team	Position	Old PT %	New PT %	PT Change	Old PA	New PA	PA Change	Reason
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer	ATH	2B, SS, 3B	14%	58%	44%	40	165	125	Litany of injuries open more playing time, plus he’s hitting well
Ryan Jeffers	MIN	C, DH	34%	73%	39%	97	208	111	Back from the IL
Esmerlyn Valdez	PIT	RF, DH, LF	27%	65%	38%	77	185	108	The Magician is a key cog in the lineup now
LaMonte Wade Jr.	HOU	LF, RF, 1B	14%	46%	32%	40	131	91	Returned from IL and starting every day against RHP
Luis Lara	MIL	RF, CF	3%	35%	32%	9	100	91	Called up to the majors and deserves to play semi-regularly, but OF is crowded
Tim Tawa	ARI	1B, 2B, CF, LF	8%	39%	31%	23	111	88	Getting a crack at 1B with Smith DFA’d
Munetaka Murakami	CHW	1B, DH	65%	91%	26%	185	260	74	Back from the IL
Jim Jarvis	ATL	SS, 3B, 2B	3%	28%	25%	9	80	71	Starting SS with Kim injured
Ryan Waldschmidt	ARI	CF, LF	23%	48%	25%	66	137	71	With Tawa getting 1B time, more OF time open
Ke’Bryan Hayes	CIN	3B	25%	48%	23%	71	137	66	Back from the IL
Alan Roden	MIN	RF, LF, DH	25%	47%	22%	71	134	63	Called up to replace Byron Buxton on the roster
Jonah Heim	ATH	C, DH, 1B	30%	50%	20%	86	143	57	Will do some filling in at 1B with Kurtz out
Ronald Acuña Jr.	ATL	RF, DH	67%	87%	20%	191	248	57	Nearing IL return
Kahlil Watson	CLE	LF, RF, CF, DH	34%	54%	20%	97	154	57	Ingle’s option makes him a surefire regular for now
Colby Thomas	ATH	RF, LF, CF	25%	45%	20%	71	128	57	Gelof injury makes him a more regular OF
Victor Caratini	MIN	C, DH, 1B	72%	52%	-20%	205	148	-57	Jeffers return cuts into C time
Samad Taylor	SDP	LF, CF, RF, 2B	59%	39%	-20%	168	111	-57	Oblique strain, he hopes mild
Nick Kurtz	ATH	1B	94%	72%	-22%	268	205	-63	Thumb sprain, timeline unclear but hopefully won’t be too long
Mark Vientos	NYM	1B, DH, 3B	54%	30%	-24%	154	86	-68	Fractured hand
Joey Loperfido	HOU	LF, CF, RF	52%	27%	-25%	148	77	-71	Optioned to minors
Ha-seong Kim	ATL	SS	70%	44%	-26%	200	125	-74	Finger inflammation; on rehab assignment but it’s unclear how much PT will be available to him when back
Cooper Ingle	CLE	LF, DH, C	41%	14%	-27%	117	40	-77	Optioned to minors
Kameron Misner	KCR	CF	33%	5%	-28%	94	14	-80	Optioned to minors
Matt Chapman	SFG	3B	95%	66%	-29%	271	188	-83	Strained abdominal muscle
Max Muncy	ATH	3B, SS, 2B	65%	16%	-49%	185	46	-140	Optioned to minors
Pavin Smith	ARI	1B, DH, RF	52%	1%	-51%	148	3	-145	DFA’d
Konnor Griffin	PIT	SS, DH	89%	33%	-56%	254	94	-160	Finger injury will keep him out ~2 months

Pitcher Playing Time Changes: July 10, 2026

by Jon Becker

July 10, 2026

After a week off for the holiday, I’m back with notable pitcher playing time changes for the last two weeks for starters and relievers. Here are the tables:

Significant Remaining Projected Playing Time Changes, SP, 6/26 to 7/10

Name	Team	Old % of Team’s Remaining GS	New % of Team’s Remaining GS	% Change	Old Remaining GS	New Remaining GS	GS Change	Reason
Jake Bennett	BOS	5%	13%	8%	4	9	5	Holding onto Early’s rotation spot
Luinder Avila	KCR	7%	13%	6%	5	9	4	Ragans/Bubic injuries solidify his spot
Hunter Greene	CIN	13%	18%	5%	9	13	4	Back from the IL
Cole Ragans	KCR	6%	0%	-6%	4	0	-4	UCL surgery might wipe out 2027 too
Kris Bubic	KCR	14%	8%	-6%	10	6	-4	Rehab assignment put on hold
Cristian Javier	HOU	14%	8%	-6%	10	6	-4	Working out of the bullpen for now
Chris Bassitt	BAL	15%	9%	-6%	11	6	-5	Back surgery pushes return back
Connelly Early	BOS	15%	8%	-7%	11	6	-5	Elbow inflammation
Rhett Lowder	CIN	14%	7%	-7%	10	5	-5	Moved to bullpen, is Triple-A next?
Patrick Corbin	TOR	13%	5%	-8%	9	4	-5	Moved to bullpen
Carlos Rodón	NYY	19%	10%	-9%	13	7	-6	Elbow inflammation
Brandon Woodruff	MIL	16%	6%	-10%	11	4	-7	New shoulder injury, return this season unclear

Significant Remaining Projected Playing Time Changes, RP, 6/26 to 7/10

Name	Team	Old Remaining RP IP	New Remaining RP IP	Chg	Reason
Jordan Romano	COL	10	34	24	Has taken over as closer(!) since contract selected from minors
Jason Foley	SFG	12	30	18	Nearing IL return
Jovani Morán	BOS	18	29	12	Back from IL and important in the middle innings
Wilber Dotel	PIT	17	28	11	Nearing IL return
Mark Leiter Jr.	ATH	23	33	10	Back from IL and could quickly move up the trust tree in that mess of a bullpen
Austin Warren	NYM	31	9	-22	Strained forearm
Jalen Beeks	TEX	27	0	-27	Season-ending flexor tendon surgery
Anthony Banda	MIN	34	0	-34	Season-ending lat surgery

Position Player Playing Time Changes: June 30, 2026

by Jon Becker

June 30, 2026

We’re officially past the halfway point of the 2026 season! Here’s the latest significant playing time changes for hitters for the past two weeks, with remaining plate appearances prorated to 78 remaining games per team, on average.

Significant Playing Time Changes, Hitters, 6/14 to 6/30

Name	Team	Positions	Old PT%	New PT %	PT Change	Old PA	New PA	PA Change	Reason
Cooper Ingle	CLE	C, LF, DH	4%	41%	37%	13	138	134	Called up to try to help banged-up offense
Jake Cronenworth	SDP	2B, SS, 1B, DH	49%	85%	36%	165	286	131	Back from IL
Kahlil Watson	CLE	RF, LF	2%	34%	32%	7	115	116	Hitting well in first taste of the big leagues
Cameron Cauley	TEX	CF, 3B, SS	4%	34%	30%	13	115	109	Called up, and could stick around thanks to versatility
Denzer Guzman	LAA	3B, SS	33%	62%	29%	111	209	105	Grabbing strong hold of 3B job
Heliot Ramos	SFG	LF, DH	60%	87%	27%	202	293	98	Back from IL
Endy Rodríguez	PIT	C, 1B	28%	53%	25%	94	179	91	Getting more and more of the reps at C
Max Kepler	ARI	LF, DH, RF	36%	57%	21%	121	192	76	Back from suspension, should be everyday guy against RHP
Graham Pauley	MIA	3B, 1B, DH	17%	37%	20%	57	125	73	Called up, took 3B from Norby
Jase Bowen	SDP	RF, LF, CF	42%	21%	-21%	142	71	-76	Has settled into bench/defense/pinch running role
Carlos Cortes	ATH	RF, DH, LF	60%	38%	-22%	202	128	-80	Losing playing time to hot-hitting Jonah Heim
Jeremiah Jackson	BAL	2B, 3B, RF	35%	12%	-23%	118	40	-83	Optioned to minors
Josh Smith	TEX	2B, SS, 3B, 1B	61%	38%	-23%	206	128	-83	Optioned to minors
Connor Norby	MIA	1B, 3B, DH	68%	45%	-23%	229	152	-83	Optioned to minors
Edgar Quero	CHW	C, DH	43%	19%	-24%	145	64	-87	Optioned to minors
Jordan Lawlar	ARI	CF, LF, DH	72%	48%	-24%	243	162	-87	Hamstring strain just when he got back from IL
Marcelo Mayer	BOS	SS, 2B	69%	41%	-28%	233	138	-102	Stress reaction in forearm
Angel Martínez	CLE	LF, RF, CF, 3B, SS, 2B	81%	50%	-31%	273	169	-113	More clarity on injury timeframe, out 4-6 weeks
Wenceel Pérez	DET	RF, CF	55%	23%	-32%	185	78	-116	Orbital fracture
Mickey Gasper	BOS	C, DH, 1B	44%	12%	-32%	148	40	-116	Optioned to minors
Marcus Semien	NYM	2B	91%	50%	-41%	307	169	-149	Grade 3 hip flexor strain, out 4-6 weeks at minimum

Pitcher Playing Time Changes: June 26, 2026

by Jon Becker

June 26, 2026

Below are the latest significant projected playing time swings for starting pitchers over the past week; we’re skipping relief pitchers this week with nothing of note to share there.

Significant Projected Playing Time Changes, SP, 6/19 to 6/26

Name	Team	Old % of Team’s Remaining GS	New % of Team’s Remaining GS	% Change	Old Remaining GS	New Remaining GS	GS Change	Reason
David Peterson	CHC	6%	15%	9%	5	12	7	Will get starts for Cubs after being bullpen/bulk guy in Queens
Brandon Pfaadt	ARI	8%	14%	6%	6	11	5	Nearing call-up as he gets fully stretched out in minors
Mike Paredes	MIN	4%	10%	6%	3	8	5	Mick Abel injury creates longer leash
JP Sears	SDP	1%	6%	5%	1	5	4	Pitched well in first start in Lucas Giolito’s stead
Ian Seymour	TBR	7%	12%	5%	6	10	4	Being part of a near-no-no helps a lot!
Reynaldo López	ATL	4%	9%	5%	3	7	4	Going three innings/60 pitches in return to rotation and will evaluate from there
Jack Leiter	TEX	17%	12%	-5%	14	10	-4	Surgery for loose bodies in ankle
Lucas Giolito	SDP	14%	8%	-6%	11	6	-5	Elbow inflammation
Adrian Houser	SFG	15%	8%	-7%	12	6	-6	Moved to bullpen
Mick Abel	MIN	12%	5%	-7%	10	4	-6	Arthroscopic elbow surgery, timeline unclear
Ryne Nelson	ARI	16%	6%	-10%	13	5	-8	Moved to 60-day IL with elbow strain

Pitcher Playing Time Changes: June 19, 2026

by Jon Becker

June 19, 2026

Last week didn’t have significant projection changes worth reporting, but we’re back this week with news aplenty. The relief pitcher table now looks different; instead of showing percent change, which can over-inflate minute projection changes in actual innings, I’m now calculating remaining innings pitched and selecting for significant swings there.

Significant Remaining Projected Playing Time Changes, SP, 6/5 to 6/19

Name	Team	Old Remaining GS %	New Remaining GS %	% Chg	Old GS	New GS	Chg	Reason
Martín Pérez	ATL	8%	14%	6%	4	8	3	Stronger hold on rotation spot with Strider out
Eury Pérez	MIA	9%	15%	6%	5	8	3	Nearing IL return
Shane Drohan	MIL	2%	8%	6%	1	4	3	Pitching like he should stick in the rotation at least a little longer, but Woodruff and Henderson loom
Ian Seymour	TBR	2%	7%	5%	1	4	3	Getting some bulk chances with Matz in bullpen
Cole Ragans	KCR	15%	10%	-5%	8	5	-3	Continued uncertainty with arm injury
Andrew Painter	PHI	16%	11%	-5%	9	6	-3	Optioned to minors
Spencer Strider	ATL	17%	7%	-10%	9	4	-5	Elbow inflammation, already on 60-day IL
Quinn Priester	MIL	10%	0%	-10%	5	0	-5	Nerve decompression surgery
Chase Dollander	COL	10%	0%	-10%	5	0	-5	UCL surgery soon
Steven Matz	TBR	15%	4%	-11%	8	2	-6	Moved to bullpen
Jack Kochanowicz	LAA	13%	0%	-13%	7	0	-7	Tommy John surgery

Significant Remaining Projected Playing Time Changes, RP, 6/5 to 6/19

Name	Team	Old Remaining RP IP	New Remaining RP IP	Chg	Reason
Joel Kuhnel	MIL	8	32	24	Has gotten hit around since joining Brewers, but big stuff uptick
Steven Matz	TBR	5	26	21	Moved to bullpen
Kyle Backhus	PHI	9	24	15	Nearing return from IL
Matt Gage	SFG	14	29	15	Back from IL
Keider Montero	DET	9	23	14	Moved to bullpen with Justin Verlander’s return impending
Reiver Sanmartin	SFG	10	23	13	Back from IL
Drew Sommers	DET	19	30	11	Quickly becoming an important part of the bullpen mix
Simeon Woods Richardson	TOR	15	26	11	Two scoreless outings since joining Blue Jays
Victor Vodnik	COL	23	33	10	Back from IL but hasn’t yet looked sharp enough for closing opportunities
Mason Barnett	ATH	22	32	10	The A’s keep spinning the closer wheel and it may have landed on Barnett for now
Tommy Nance	TOR	17	27	10	Back from IL
Cooper Criswell	SEA	30	20	-10	Won’t return until after All-Star Break
Matt Brash	SEA	34	23	-11	Won’t return until after All-Star Break
Jovani Morán	BOS	29	17	-11	Elbow inflammation
Shane Drohan	MIL	32	18	-14	Probably sticking in rotation
Brenan Hanifee	DET	30	15	-15	Optioned to minors
Brian Fitzpatrick	MIL	28	0	-28	UCL sprain, still working out course of action but return this season seems improbable
Drew Pomeranz	LAA	32	0	-32	Released

Position Player Playing Time Changes: June 16, 2026

by Jon Becker

June 16, 2026

Welcome back once again to Position Player Playing Time Changes. As a refresher, the table now includes new columns to better detail the percent changes. League-wide, the 30 teams average 90 remaining games, so the remaining plate appearances are right-sized to that number.

Significant Projected Remaining Playing Time Changes, 6/9 to 6/16

Name	Team	Positions	Old PT	New PT	PT Change	Old PA	New PA	PA Change	Reason
Braden Montgomery	CHW	RF	13%	76%	63%	51	296	245	Making a big impact since his call up and looking like he’ll stick around
Cooper Pratt	MIL	SS	7%	70%	63%	27	272	245	Getting the call to the majors a couple months after big extension
Blaze Jordan	STL	3B, 1B	1%	47%	46%	4	183	179	Starting 3B with Gorman demoted in first taste of the majors
Gabriel Rincones Jr.	PHI	RF	5%	51%	46%	19	198	179	Will get plenty of run against RHP unless and until the Phillies trade for someone
Cole Carrigg	COL	CF, SS	6%	46%	40%	23	179	156	Three homers already, versatility could keep him around even when injured OFs come back
Kameron Misner	KCR	CF	2%	33%	31%	8	128	121	Starting CF against RHP with Isbel out
Samad Taylor	SDP	LF, CF, RF, 2B	26%	54%	28%	101	210	109	One of the very, very few Padres actually producing
Will Wagner	SDP	2B, 3B, DH, LF	5%	32%	27%	19	124	105	Ditto the Taylor note
Tyler Callihan	PIT	RF, LF, 3B, 2B	23%	47%	24%	89	183	93	Filling in for Cruz in OF and hitting like he belongs
Jordan Lawlar	ARI	CF, LF, DH	48%	72%	24%	187	280	93	Back from the IL
James Outman	DET	CF, RF	5%	26%	21%	19	101	82	From waiver wire to semi-starting CF in Detroit, for now
Miguel Andujar	SDP	DH, 3B, LF	71%	51%	-20%	276	198	-78	Strained hamstring
Vinnie Pasquantino	KCR	1B, DH	92%	68%	-24%	358	264	-93	Fractured hamate
José Ramírez	CLE	3B, DH	97%	71%	-26%	377	276	-101	Fractured hamate
Oneil Cruz	PIT	CF, DH	85%	59%	-26%	331	229	-101	Multiple finger fractures
Joey Ortiz	MIL	SS, 3B	76%	45%	-31%	296	175	-121	Playing time is uncertain with Pratt coming up
Bryce Johnson	SDP	LF, RF, CF	33%	1%	-32%	128	4	-124	DFA’d + outrighted
Nolan Gorman	STL	3B, DH, 1B	75%	43%	-32%	292	167	-124	Demoted to minors
Ryan Waldschmidt	ARI	CF, LF	64%	29%	-35%	249	113	-136	Demoted to minors
Kyle Isbel	KCR	CF	74%	38%	-36%	288	148	-140	Grade 3 plantar fascia tear, out a while
Adolis García	PHI	RF	86%	21%	-65%	334	82	-253	Torn lat, return this season uncertain

Position Player Playing Time Changes: June 9, 2026

by Jon Becker

June 9, 2026

Welcome to this week’s iteration of Position Player Playing Time Changes. As with last Friday’s post for pitchers, I added some new columns to better contextualize the percent changes. Since each team has, on average, 96 games remaining, the rest-of-season remaining plate appearance totals are pegged to that number, in addition to showing the percentages as usual. That should help you better wrap your head around the impact of the changes.

Remaining Projected Playing Time Changes, Hitters, 6/2 to 6/9

Name	Team	Positions	Old PT	New PT	PT Change	Old PA	New PA	PA Change	Reason
Taylor Trammell	HOU	CF, LF, RF	16%	65%	49%	66	270	203	Back from the IL and starting against RHP
Jimmy Crooks	STL	C, DH	12%	50%	38%	50	207	158	They called him up to play, and he’s playing
Ty France	SDP	1B, DH, 3B	45%	76%	31%	187	315	129	The only Padre who’s hitting lately
Jase Bowen	SDP	LF, RF	6%	37%	31%	25	153	129	Playing semi-regularly as they try to find a combo that works
Jacob Gonzalez	CHW	1B, 3B, 2B, SS	6%	36%	30%	25	149	124	Hitting well to start his career
Edwin Arroyo	CIN	2B, SS, 3B	25%	53%	28%	104	220	116	Hasn’t shown a lot yet but he’s up to play
Pavin Smith	ARI	1B, DH, LF	28%	55%	27%	116	228	112	Back from the IL
Tristan Gray	MIN	2B, 3B, SS, 1B	25%	51%	26%	104	212	108	Playing regularly against RHP
Samad Taylor	SDP	LF, 2B	1%	26%	25%	4	108	104	Ditto the Bowen note
Mickey Gasper	BOS	C, DH, 1B	16%	41%	25%	66	170	104	Taking significant time away from Carlos Narváez
Denzer Guzman	LAA	3B	5%	30%	25%	21	124	104	Called up to be starting 3B
Jose Altuve	HOU	2B, DH	65%	89%	24%	270	369	100	Back from the IL
Lars Nootbaar	STL	LF, RF, CF	53%	76%	23%	220	315	95	Back from the IL and hitting the ground running
Blake Dunn	CIN	CF, RF, LF	23%	45%	22%	95	187	91	Unquestioned starting CF with TJ Friedl optioned
Ryan O’Hearn	PIT	RF, 1B, DH	60%	80%	20%	249	332	83	Back from the IL
Jasson Domínguez	NYY	LF, DH	34%	54%	20%	141	224	83	Still on IL, but he’ll be important when back with Aaron Judge out
Tristan Peters	CHW	CF, RF	33%	52%	19%	137	216	79	Keeps hitting, keeps playing
Max Muncy	ATH	3B, SS, 2B	41%	59%	18%	170	245	75	Back from the IL
Gleyber Torres	DET	2B	77%	94%	17%	319	390	71	Back from the IL, lengthening that lineup big-time
LaMonte Wade Jr.	HOU	LF, 1B, DH	2%	19%	17%	8	79	71	Just placed on IL (hamstring) but showed enough when added to roster for him to play a good amount when back
Tyler Callihan	PIT	2B, 3B, LF	6%	23%	17%	25	95	71	Hitting well since call-up
Max Kepler	ARI	LF, RF	12%	28%	16%	50	116	66	Signed to one-year deal, could be on roster as soon as June 25 (PED suspension)
Trey Mancini	LAA	1B	1%	16%	15%	4	66	62	Welcome back to the bigs!
Nick Madrigal	LAA	2B	1%	16%	15%	4	66	62	Injury-ravaged Angels are getting production out of Nicky One-Bags
Kerry Carpenter	DET	DH, RF, LF	55%	70%	15%	228	290	62	Back from the IL and has been clutch so far
Wyatt Langford	TEX	LF, CF, DH	73%	88%	15%	303	365	62	Finally back with the club after injury setbacks
LuJames Groover	ARI	1B, 3B	3%	18%	15%	12	75	62	Starting 1B until Carlos Santana (on rehab) is back
Jung Hoo Lee	SFG	RF, CF, DH	68%	83%	15%	282	344	62	One of the hottest hitters in the majors now playing against LHP, too
Jhostynxon Garcia	PIT	RF, CF, LF, DH	32%	17%	-15%	133	71	-62	Optioned to minors
Rikuu Nishida	CHW	RF, 2B, LF	34%	19%	-15%	141	79	-62	Hasn’t hit well enough, hard to see him sticking around long with Everson Pereira close to returning
Harrison Bader	SFG	CF	75%	59%	-16%	311	245	-66	With Lee and Casey Schmitt hitting so well, how much will he play when he and Heliot Ramos are healthy?
Jake Cronenworth	SDP	2B, SS, 1B, 3B	67%	50%	-17%	278	207	-71	Just started ramp-up on Monday, return unclear
Konnor Griffin	PIT	SS	88%	70%	-18%	365	290	-75	Will miss more time than expected (forearm)
TJ Friedl	CIN	CF, LF	56%	35%	-21%	232	145	-87	Optioned to minors after horrid start
Darell Hernaiz	ATH	3B, 2B, SS	34%	12%	-22%	141	50	-91	Optioned to minors
Victor Scott II	STL	CF	77%	50%	-27%	319	207	-112	Optioned to minors
Pedro Pagés	STL	C	54%	20%	-34%	224	83	-141	Losing time to Crooks, as expected
Jose Fernandez	ARI	DH, 1B, 3B, SS	63%	23%	-40%	261	95	-166	Optioned to minors
Aaron Judge	NYY	RF, DH	95%	43%	-52%	394	178	-216	Fractured rib is perhaps the most consequential injury of this season so far

Pitcher Playing Time Changes: June 5, 2026

by Jon Becker

June 5, 2026

Below are the biggest notable swings in remaining projected playing time for starters and relievers for the last two weeks. To help provide additional context, I’ve added a couple columns to the starting pitcher table to illustrate the change in projected starts for the rest of the season, in addition to the percentage. Because teams have about 100 games left at the time of writing this, the percentages ironically would have been just fine for this week, but I’m introducing the widened table this week anyhow.

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