Lineup Analysis (5/6/22)

American League

Angels

• David Fletcher (.487 OPS) and Tyler Wade (.648 OPS) are splitting time at second with Andrew Velazquez (.392 OPS) at shortstop.

• Brandan Marsh is hitting just .216/.216/.378 over the past two weeks, has been moved down the lineup, and sometimes to the bench.

Astros

• Since Jose Altuve came off the IL, Chas McCormick (.719) is no longer batting leadoff and splitting time with Jose Siri (.574 OPS).

Athletics

• Jed Lowrie (.568 OPS) has hit third in five of the last six games.

• Sheldon Neuse (.813 OPS) continues to bat second.

• Since coming off the IL, Kevin Smith (.620 OPS) has started in four of five games.

Blue Jays

• Raimel Tapia (.510 OPS), Bradley Zimmer (.298), and Vinny Capra (.200 OPS) are splitting one outfield spot and sometimes start when someone else takes a day off.

Guardians

• Andrés Giménez is on a heater. He’s started seven straight games and is hitting .344/.349/.547 with 2 HR and 1 SB on the season.

• Richie Palacios (vs RHP) and Oscar Mercado (vs LHP) are in an outfield platoon.

Mariners

• Jarred Kelenic (vs RHP) and Dylan Moore (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

Orioles

• Rougned Odor has started six straight at second base.

Rangers

• More of a mess than in the past.

• Kole Calhoun (vs RHP) and Eli White (vs LHP) are in an outfield platoon.

• Andy Ibáñez is on a little hot streak (.348/.423/.478 with 1 HR and 2 SB over the last two weeks) and started five of the last six.

• Charlie Culberson (.576 OPS) only starts against lefties at third base. His replacement varies.

Rays

• Over the last 10 days, here are the number of games the “regulars” have started (two games against lefties):

Yandy Díaz: 9
Wander Franco: 9
Manuel Margot: 9
Randy Arozarena: 9
Brandon Lowe: 9
Taylor Walls: 9
Kevin Kiermaier: 7
Brett Phillips: 5
Harold Ramirez: 5
Isaac Paredes: 3

Looks like there are six regulars who can be rostered.

Red Sox

• Jackie Bradley Jr. (vs RHP) and Christian Arroyo (vs LHP) are in an outfield platoon.

• Bobby Dalbec (.444 OPS) has started only three of the last six games with Franchy Cordero (.536 OPS) starting in his place.

Royals

• Edward Olivares (.902 OPS, 2 SB) has led off the last three games, one against a lefty. Kyle Isbel (.481 OPS) did not play in any of those games.

• Ryan O’Hearn has started two straight at first base.

• Hunter Dozier has started in only three of the last seven games.

Tigers

• Over the last seven days, Akil Baddoo is hitting .375/.500/.375 and was batting leadoff on Thursday. (Ed. note: I didn’t make him put this in here!)

• Austin Meadows (.747 OPS) is not sitting against lefties.

Twins

• What a mess, but the regulars seem to have kept their spots.

• Trevor Larnach (.786 OPS), Nick Gordon (.613 OPS), and Gilberto Celestino (.708 OPS) are sharing one outfield spot.

• Jose Miranda (preseason top-100 prospect) has started three straight games at first base.

• Luis Arraez and Carlos Correa are both out, so even more changes are on the way.

White Sox

• Gavin Sheets (.578 OPS) has started seven of eight games.

• Josh Harrison has started seven straight games while posting a .754 OPS over the last seven days.

• Yoán Moncada is expected off the IL on Monday so Jake Burger’s (.653 OPS) playing time might dry up.

Yankees

• Jose Trevino (vs RHP) and Kyle Higashioka (vs LHP) are in a catcher platoon.

• With everyone healthy, one of the stars sits every game.

• Gleyber Torres is hitting .278/.290/.528 with 2 HR over the past two weeks.

National League

Braves

• Travis Demeritte has started nine of 10 while hitting .303/.368/.545 with 2 HR on the season.

• Ronald Acuña Jr. has yet to start three days in a row and is hitting .200/.286/.240 so far.

Brewers

• Lorenzo Cain has started in seven of the last 10 games while hitting .385/.529/.385 over the past week.

• Luis Urías is off the IL and led off on Thursday.

Cardinals

• Juan Yepez has started his first two games and is batting fifth. He was hitting .279/.323/.651 with 9 HR in AAA. He’s been taking time away from Dylan Carlson.

• Andrew Knizner has not been a batting average drag compared to most catchers (.250/.341/.389 with 1 HR) and gets about three starts a week.

Cubs

• Alfonso Rivas might only be starting against righties (one instance) but has led off the last three games while hitting .333/.438/.481 with 1 HR on the season.

• Jason Heyward (vs RHP) and Michael Hermosillo (vs LHP) are still in a platoon.

Diamondbacks

• A nightmare, at least there aren’t many fantasy-relevant players.

• Nick Ahmed has found a power stroke with three home runs in nine games.

• Ketel Marte is down from the third spot to the sixth while hitting .174/.252/.315 with 1 SB and 1 HR.

• Pavin Smith has started six of seven and is hitting .268/.354/.451 with 3 HR on the season.

Dodgers

• Steady with the only change being Will Smith (.762 OPS) hitting cleanup when starting.

Giants

• While already confusing, the team is expected to have several players (Belt, Longoria, La Stella, and Wade) come off the IL this weekend with Mike Yastrzemski just coming back. The only person I’d expect to keep their full-time role is Brandon Crawford. The two players who could see their value take the biggest hit are Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada.

Marlins

• Jesús Sánchez (vs RHP) and Bryan De La Cruz (vs LHP) remain in a platoon.

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. has sat against four of the six lefties. For his career, he has a .677 OPS versus LHP and .774 versus RHP. The difference is even larger this year (1.107 vs .439).

• Garrett Cooper and Jon Berti normally only start against lefties. The only obvious player that heads to the bench in their place is Joey Wendle.

Mets

• Dominic Smith (.590 OPS), J.D. Davis (.725 OPS), Travis Jankowski (.728 OPS), and Luis Guillorme (.769 OPS) are battling for one lineup spot. Sometimes one or more starts if a regular needs a break.

Nationals

• Yadiel Hernandez (.917 OPS) has started nine of the last ten and is hitting either fourth or fifth.

• Victor Robles has started six straight while hitting .355/.400/.484 over the last two weeks.

• Maikel Franco (.720 OPS) has started every game this year.

• Alcides Escobar (.480 OPS) is losing playing time to Lucius Fox (.195 OPS)

Padres

• Matt Beaty (.309 OPS) has started six of seven with Wil Myers on the IL.

Phillies

• Alec Bohm (.793 OPS) has moved up into the top two lineup spots over the last two games.

• Odúbel Herrera (1.058 OPS) has been on fire since joining the team.

Pirates

• Ben Gamel (vs RHP) and Jake Marisnick (vs LHP) are in a platoon.

• Michael Chavis (.782 OPS) has been sitting against some righties with Josh VanMeter (.496 OPS) playing instead.

• Rookie Jack Suwinski (.400 OPS) has started seven of the last eight games.

Reds

• It’s a mess with several injuries (i.e. India, Naquin, Votto).

• Brandon Drury (.777 OPS, 4 HR) has started seven straight games.

• Since coming off the IL, Mike Moustakas has started six straight while hitting .400/.455/.600 during that stretch.

Rockies

• Sam Hilliard (vs RHP) and Yonathan Daza (vs LHP) are in an outfield platoon.