Lineup Analysis (5/27/22)

American League

Angels

Luis Rengifo (.295/.380/.386 with 1 HR and 1 SB) has started seven straight and even hit leadoff on Thursday. He has played three times in the outfield so far.

• I can’t figure out why Jared Walsh (vs RHP) and Matt Duffy (vs LHP) are in a first base platoon. Marsh has been better against lefties than Duffy.

Tyler Wade doesn’t face lefties.

Astros

• Over the last three games, Jose Siri (.693 OPS), Chas McCormick (.689 OPS), and Mauricio Dubón (.592 OPS) have each started in center field.

Athletics

Tony Kemp (.615 OPS vs RHP, .535 OPS vs LHP) has sat against three of the last four lefties. He looks to be in a platoon with Sheldon Neuse facing the lefties. This is another platoon that doesn’t make sense because Neuse has a .490 OPS versus lefties and .674 OPS against righties.

Christian Bethancourt 베탄코트 (vs LHP) and Seth Brown (vs RHP) are in a first base platoon.

Kevin Smith (.594 OPS with 2 HR and 3 SB) has started 12 of the last 13 games at third base.

Blue Jays

Santiago Espinal (.283/.340/.414 with 2 HR and 3 SB) has batted second for three straight games.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (.221/.279/.321 with 2 HR and 2 SB) has only started in five of the last nine games while hitting at the bottom of the order.

Guardians

Andrés Giménez and Steven Kwan start against righties while Oscar Mercado and one of Ernie Clement or Oscar Gonzalez face lefties.

Amed Rosario (.238/.287/.293 with 0 HR and 3 SB) has batted second for six straight games and has played six games in the outfield.

Mariners

Kyle Lewis is off the IL and is batting seventh as the DH.

Taylor Trammell, who has been on the minor IL most of the season (13 PA in AAA), has started against the last three righties. Dylan Moore (.691 OPS vs LHP) started against the lefty and has pinch-hit for Trammell in all three of Trammell’s starts.

Orioles

• Since Tyler Nevin was demoted to AAA, Rougned Odor (.830 OPS, 2 HR over the last two weeks) has started five straight at second base.

Adley Rutschman (.250/.318/.350) has started five straight since this promotion with two being as the DH.

Rangers

Mitch Garver (.212/.288/.413 with 6 HR) has been the DH for seven straight games.

Brad Miller (vs RHP) and Charlie Culberson (vs LHP) remain in a platoon.

Nathaniel Lowe has only started once against the last five lefties.

Andy Ibáñez has only started in three of the last six games.

Rays

• I’ve gone into detail about this lineup’s design in this article.

Harold Ramirez (.295/.336/.400 with 2 HR and 1 SB) has started eight straight.

Red Sox

Franchy Cordero (vs RHP) and Bobby Dalbec (vs LHP) are still in a first base platoon.

Jackie Bradley Jr. (vs RHP) and Christian Arroyo (vs LHP) are in a right-field platoon.

Royals

Bobby Witt Jr. (.223/.263/.408 with 5 HR, 6 SB) has hit third in eight of the last nine games.

Hunter Dozier (.265/.321/.449, 5 HR, 1 SB) has hit cleanup for seven of the last eight games.

Emmanuel Rivera (.224/.286/.483, 3 HR) has started eight of the last nine.

Tigers

Willi Castro has cooled off over the past week (.105/.191/.105) and has moved to the back of the lineup.

Daz Cameron (.260/.298/.375 with 2 HR and 5 SB in AAA) has started four of the last five games.

Twins

Gilberto Celestino (.324/.398/.378 in 85 PA) has started in seven of the last eight games.

• Since returning from the IL, Trevor Larnach has started in only three of the last five games.

Jose Miranda (.164/.200/.284) has started in only six of the last ten games.

Gio Urshela (.325/.404/.500 with 2 HR over the past 2 weeks) has started in seven of the last eight games.

White Sox

Gavin Sheets (.205 OPS vs LHP, .681 OPS vs RHP) doesn’t face lefties.

Leury García, Josh Harrison, and Adam Engel are not playing enough to be fantasy relevant. Only two of the three can start.

Yankees

Miguel Andújar (.294/.294/.294, 1 SB) is starting in the place of Giancarlo Stanton.

• Because of injuries, Marwin Gonzalez (.220/.286/.280, 0 HR, 0 SB) has started in eight of the last nine games.

National League

Braves

• Injuries have this lineup in constant flux.

• Monitor the lineup spots for Ozzie Albies (.687 OPS) and Dansby Swanson (.775 OPS). They’ve hit first and second over the last two games and could remain there when others get healthy.

Brewers

Tyrone Taylor (.275/.318/.525 with 3 HR and 1 SB over the last two weeks) has started in 11 of the last 12 games.

• The last two times the team has faced a lefty starter, Rowdy Tellez (.670 OPS vs LHP, .860 OPS vs RHP) did not start.

Cardinals

• With Nolan Gorman (.732 OPS) taking over at second, Brendan Donovan (.310/.444/.466, 1 HR, 1 SB) has moved to the outfield (5 G in OF).

Albert Pujols still only faces lefties.

Cubs

Christopher Morel (.313/.405/.563, 2 HR, 2 SB) has led off for three games.

Alfonso Rivas (.227/.348/.360, 2 HR, 1 SB) is still only starting against righties.

Frank Schwindel has started 15 straight and is hitting .271/.307/.542 with 4 HR during that time.

Rafael Ortega’s (.219/.317/.305, 1 HR, 3 SB) playing time might be coming to an end if Morel permanently joins Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ in the outfield.

Diamondbacks

Jake McCarthy (.576 OPS in MLB, 1.199 OPS with 5 HR and 7SB in AAA) has started six straight in the outfield.

David Peralta (vs RHP) and Jordan Luplow (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

Dodgers

Edwin Ríos (.832 OPS, 5 HR) has started five straight at DH. I wonder if Rios is slowly taking over Justin Turner’s (.628 OPS, 4 HR) spot in the lineup.

Giants

Thairo Estrada (.694 OPS) is still playing every day with Tommy La Stella being the DH against righties.

Evan Longoria has not started against the last two righties (.200 OPS vs RHP in 2022).

Darin Ruf 러프 (.691 OPS) and Wilmer Flores (.746 OPS) have moved to full-time roles with Brandon Belt on the IL again.

Marlins

• Injuries have the lineup all over the place and Joey Wendle and Jazz Chisholm Jr. should return to the lineup soon. When this group is all healthy, Brian Anderson (.794 OPS) plays some outfield and Jesús Sánchez (.154/.214/.277 in May) sits against lefties.

• Check in on Bryan De La Cruz’s playing time (started in six of last nine) since he’s hitting better than every other outfielder (.757 OPS)

Mets

• No changes.

Nationals

Keibert Ruiz (.722 OPS) has hit second in four of the last five games.

Lane Thomas (.576 OPS) has started eight of the last 10 games.

• For the past week, Dee Strange-Gordon (vs RHP) and Alcides Escobar (vs LHP) have been in a platoon.

Padres

Wil Myers (.585 OPS) has settled into hitting fifth.

• In the 10 games since joining the team, Robinson Canó (.438 OPS) has started six times.

Trent Grisham (vs RHP) and José Azocar (vs LHP) are in a center-field platoon. In 2021 in AAA, Azocar hit .289/.308/.447 with 17 stolen bases. He has two steals this season.

Luke Voit (.643 OPS, 2 HR) has only started in seven of the last 10 games.

Phillies

J.T. Realmuto (.680 OPS, 3 HR, 3 SB) has been moved down to batting seventh.

Odúbel Herrera (vs RHP) and Roman Quinn (vs LHP) are in an outfield platoon.

Bryson Stott (vs RHP) and Johan Camargo (vs LHP) are in a shortstop platoon.

Pirates

Cal Mitchell has started two games since being called up from AAA where he was hitting .306/.362/.500 with 5 HR and 6 SB.

Michael Chavis (.807 OPS, 4 HR) has started in eight of the last nine games.

Rodolfo Castro (.220/.319/.268, 2 SB) has started 13 straight games.

Reds

Matt Reynolds (.674 OPS, 2 SB) has started four straight while batting ninth.

Aristides Aquino has started four of five games and is hitting .385/.385/1.000 with 2 HR during that time.

Rockies

• After starting 10 straight games, Yonathan Daza (.839 OPS, 0 HR, 0 SB) has just started in three of the last six. If in the lineup he usually bats second.

• Since being promoted from AAA, Brian Serven (.333/.333/.733, 2 HR) has started four of eight games at catcher.





Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.

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Edwinmember
1 year ago

Hey Jeff – Great stuff as always. One comment – I think you mean Jared Walsh platooning at 1B instead of Marsh (I did a double-take on that looking for some Marsh 1B eligibility!). Thanks for your hard work!

elsicilian
1 year ago
Reply to  Edwin

You sure it’s Jared Walsh not Tyler Wade or Brandon Marsh or Taylor Ward? I watch the Angels most days and it’s nearly impossible to keep these generic, three syllable names straight!