Lineup Analysis (9/18/26)

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Note 1: I’m going to focus more on available players who will help next week with little to no long-term implications.

Note 2: I’m using our starting pitcher grid from Friday morning. It will change between now and Monday, so try to keep up.

Note 3: Any noted rostership rates come from the NFBC RotoWire Online Championship, the same rates we use on the FanGraphs Player Rater. For reference, these leagues are 12-team Roto leagues with 30-man rosters (2 C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, MI, CI, 5 OF, UT, 9 P) and weekly add/drops. This rate can be compared to other rostership rates found in this article.

American League

Angels

• With three righties and three lefties on the schedule, no platoons are viable. The team starts at the Athletics, so Vaughn Grissom (35% rostered, .683 OPS) and possibly Denzer Guzman (3% rostered, .620 OPS) are in play.

Astros

• I wish someone was available with four games against the Athletics (maybe Cam Smith in super shallow leagues), but everyone is rostered. Taylor Trammell (0% rostered, .660 OPS) is the only available option, but with two lefties on the schedule, he’s off the table.

Athletics

• Six home games against five righties opens up some options. I’d focus on Donovan Walton (0% rostered, .750 OPS) and Carlos Cortes (27% rostered, .708 OPS)

Blue Jays

• Brett Bateman (40% rostered) and Andrés Giménez (56% rostered) are both available and productive in their own ways. Bateman is leading off with a .333 AVG and non-zero power and speed. Giménez has 20 SB and has even hit 9 HR.

• With the team facing three lefties, Nathan Lukes (strong-side platoon bat) is a drop.

Guardians

• No platoons to attack (vs 2 RHP, 4 LHP), so regulars Brayan Rocchio (.684 OPS, 56% rostered) and Angel Genao (.597 OPS, 32% rostered) are the only available options.

• Angel Martínez is on the IL, so Petey Halpin (.581 OPS, 10 SB) is starting in center field.

Mariners

• Not a lot here. J.P. Crawford (7% rostered, .692 OPS) is leading off and can be a volume play with some power (12 HR). Strong-side platoon bat, Lazaro Montes (35% rostered, 45% K%, 3 HR in 31 PA), could be useful in the first half of the week with three games against righties.

Orioles

• With five righties on the schedule, strong-side platoon bats Dylan Beavers (30% rostered) and Colton Cowser (17% rostered) are options. Even though Beavers leads off, his stats are disappointing (7 HR, 5 SB, .237 AVG, 330 PA). Cowser has been a little more productive with 13 HR and 10 SB with a .217 AVG in 371 PA.

Rangers

• Josh Jung (40% rostered) is a smash add for any team needing power.

Rays

• Even though they are one of two teams with seven games (Tuesday doubleheader), the team faces four righties and three lefties, so all the platoons are worthless. Everyone worth considering is universally rostered.

Red Sox

• The only regular available is Nick Sogard (9% rostered), but he doesn’t do anything.

Royals

• A bad offense has bad players. Two options I see are Michael Massey (5% rostered, 12 HR, .279 AVG) and John Rave (1% rostered, 6 HR, 7 SB in 134 PA).

Tigers

• No one seems worth it. The best available guy is Hao-Yu Lee (2% rostered). He has just 9 HR in 321 PA but has started in seven of the last 10 games.

Twins

• One option sticks out: Emmanuel Rodriguez (7% rostered). The 23-year-old started all six games since being promoted. So far, the top prospect is batting .217/.250/.478 with 1 HR.

White Sox

• Tristan Peters (54% rostered) could be an option with five righties on the schedule. The normal strong-side platoon bat has even started against two of the last three lefties. In 470 PA, he has 12 HR, 8 SB, and .273 AVG.

• Kyle Teel (44% rostered) might work as a backup catcher with 4 HR in 108 PA, though the 38% K% limits upside.

Yankees

• One of two teams with seven games next week.

• Anthony Volpe (19% rostered) is the only available regular. In 25 PA since being promoted, he is batting .348/.400/.565 with just a 4% K%.

National League

Braves

• No one; all the regulars are rostered.

Brewers

• Luis Lara (21% rostered), Joey Ortiz (10% rostered), and Cooper Pratt (55% rostered) start most of the time. Lara doesn’t do enough to be targeted, but in 238 PA, Pratt has 14 HR and a .279 AVG. Any teams needing help in both categories should be adding Pratt. Ortiz is trying to suck managers back in with eight starts in the last 10 games. He’s been balanced this season with 9 HR, 9 SB, and a .269 AVG in 391 PA.

Cardinals

• I’m surprised Leo Bernal is only 38% rostered with 3 HR and a .295 AVG in 65 PA at the catcher position. Additionally, he has not sat out since being called up.

• Nathan Church is also starting every game but has been boring with 10 HR, 10 SB, and a .252 AVG in 441 PA. Just a deep-league volume play.

Cubs

• No players to add, the good ones are already rostered.

Diamondbacks

• They will be in Colorado to start the week, so not a bad team to target. I wish there was an obvious player or two to go after. Lars Nootbaar (46% rostered) is a strong-side platoon bat and hasn’t done much, but does have a .795 OPS in September.

Dodgers

• No one is available.

Giants

• The team has several available regulars, but they’re all lacking in talent. Jonah Cox (56% rostered) is the most talented (4 HR, 13 SB, .294 AVG) of the group with 11 straight starts. If I were to add another one, it would be Christian Koss (7% rostered, 4 HR, 5 SB, .622 OPS in 190 PA).

Marlins

• Weirdly, no one.

Mets

• The only option here is Marcus Semien (24% rostered), but managers have had all season to add him and didn’t. Why should they start now? He’s down to a .629 OPS, the second-lowest value for hitters with at least 500 PA.

Nationals

• The Nats have a few studs but then a pile of crap. There are plenty of available options, but none worth rostering. I might consider adding Jacob Young (17% rostered) if a team needed stolen bases (18 SB). Just note that Young only starts about two-thirds of the time.

Padres

• I’m a little surprised by the low roster rates on Jake Cronenworth (12% rostered), Dustin Harris (14% rostered), and Luis Campusano (32% rostered) with four games in Colorado this week. Besides Campusano (.267 AVG, 8 HR), the other aren’t good enough to be rostered without a good matchup. He’s been getting a good number of starts (13 of the last 14 games), with half coming at DH over the past two weeks.

Phillies

• With only four righties on next week’s schedule, Justin Crawford (strong-side platoon bat) is a non-factor.

Pirates

• Rafael Flores Jr. at a 34% rostership rate is a crime. He’s on a full-season pace of 36 HR. Additionally, he’s getting starts at first base (three in the last seven games).

• I figured Jake Mangum (61% rostered, 23 SB, .281 AVG) might be an option, but he has been on the bench for the last two games in favor of Ronny Simon. If Mangum returns to starting, he’s a nice source of stolen bases.

Reds

• Héctor Rodríguez (64% rostered) is the best available option. So far in the majors, he has hit home runs (5) and not much else (.671 OPS). I might also consider Juan Brito (1% rostered), who, in 39 PA with the Reds, has a .968 OPS because his Contact% jumped from 69% to 82%.

Rockies

• With three more home games next, Kyle Karros (49% rostered, .779 OPS), Connor Norby (67% rostered, .852 OPS), and Adael Amador (21% rostered, .916 OPS) are in play. I’m a little surprised their roster rate wasn’t a little higher.