Fantasy Baseball Lineup Lowdown: American League Trends

The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: we're looking for trends which could help identify players that might be undervalued or overvalued. Who is playing more/less? Who is moving up/down? This week, we will be focusing on players from the American League.

Trending Up

Dominic Canzone, OF, Seattle Mariners

For the first two months of the season, Canzone rarely escaped the bottom third of the Mariners' batting order, and the left-handed batter never started versus lefty pitching. Now, he's a middle-of-the-order bat who plays against everyone.

Canzone has occupied the No. 3 spot in the Seattle lineup for each of his last six starts, and in his start before that he hit cleanup versus a lefty. The 28-year-old didn't start any of the Mariners' first 20 games against southpaws this season but has been in the lineup four of the last five times they've faced a left-hander. It's only a 29-plate appearance sample, but Canzone boasts a .994 OPS with two home runs and a 6:7 BB:K against lefty hurlers this season. Canzone did not have an OPS lower than .787 in any of the first three months this season and is slashing .291/.365/.593 since June 1. The only downside with Canzone right now is he's nursing a nagging hamstring issue that's left him limited to designated hitter duty and has led to some extra days off.

Henry Bolte, OF, Sacramento Athletics

Bolte is sporting an impressive .373 on-base percentage through his first 49 major-league games. Lately, Bolte and his robust OBP have seen some time in the leadoff spot for the Athletics.

Though he batted leadoff once back on June 4, that was the only time through June 23 that the rookie outfielder had hit higher than fifth in the batting order. He then started in that slot for seven straight tilts in late June and once again last week. Bolte ranks first in all of baseball in terms of sprint speed, and he's also put up a healthy 47.8 percent hard-hit rate along with an elite 76.8 mph bat speed. The tools with Bolte are in abundance, but unfortunately his 64.9 percent groundball rate is also the highest in all of baseball. If the 22-year-old is able to add a little loft to his swing without sacrificing elsewhere, look out.

Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees

It's partly due to necessity because of injuries to some of the Yankees' other position players, but Dominguez has been a consistent presence in the middle of the team's batting order of late.

Dominguez started 18 straight contests for the Yanks before a day off Tuesday, and across the last 12 starts he has not batted lower than fifth. The production on the whole for Dominguez doesn't jump off the page, but he has shown some encouraging signs. He's cut his strikeout rate to 21 percent after he entered the year with a career 26.8 percent mark, and he's done so while upping his launch angle to a career-high 14 degrees and improving his pull-air rate from 12.6 percent to 19.5 percent year-over-year. The switch hitter has also held his own against lefties (.268/.302/.439) after coming into the year with a lowly .186/.276/.254 batting line versus southpaws.

Kahlil Watson, OF, Cleveland Guardians

A former failed Marlins shortstop prospect, Watson is now playing a key role as an outfielder for the Guardians.

Watson was summoned from Triple-A Columbus by the Guardians in mid-June and batted eighth in his first major-league start. However, over his last nine starts Watson has batted fifth three times, fourth four times and second twice (as well as seventh once). The .233/.258/.333 batting line thus far isn't anything to write home about, but Watson has provided some fantasy juice with six stolen bases, one home run and nine RBI across his first 18 contests. A 35.5 percent strikeout rate for Watson is worrisome, and given his 29.5 percent strikeout rate in the minors, it doesn't come as a surprise. Watson has started 16 and appeared in all 18 games since being called up, and he should continue to get regular reps at least until Angel Martinez (foot) returns.

Quick Hits: Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has started seven straight games (three apiece at second and third base and one at shortstop) since being called up … The Tigers have slotted Zach McKinstry into their lineup for every game since June 20 … LaMonte Wade has started three straight games versus righties since coming off the IL … Taylor Trammell has been in the lineup 10 of the last 12 times the Astros have faced a right-hander … The Angels have handed Josh Lowe 11 starts in a row since he was recalled … Denzer Guzman has hit second or third in his last eight starts … The Twins have put Ryan Kreidler in the lineup eight times in a row … Victor Robles has started seven of the past eight tilts for Seattle … Victor Mesa has started 10 times across the Rays' past 12 contests … The Rangers have rolled with Nicky Lopez in the lineup seven times in a row and in 16 of the past 17 games … Sean Keys has seen his name written into Toronto's lineup for seven consecutive games, but his playing time could drop with George Springer back in tow.

Trending Down

Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox

Duran went deep in Sunday's win over the Angels, snapping a 15-game homerless streak during which he had gone just 4-for-50 at the plate. He delivered the long ball from the No. 7 spot in the Boston lineup, which was the third game in a row that he's occupied that slot. He hit there again in his team's last contest Tuesday.

Prior to his four-start stretch batting seventh, Duran had spent his previous 16 starts hitting fifth. Before that, he hit leadoff for 35 consecutive games. It hasn't been just hitting lower in the batting order, either, as Duran has been out of the lineup entirely for three of his team's past 12 tilts. His last off day before that came in late April. Duran has piled up 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases this season, but he ranks 147th among 150 qualifiers with a .201 batting average and 148th with a .261 on-base percentage.

Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals

Perez ranks even lower than Jarren Duran on the aforementioned list in terms of OBP (149th, at .254), and he's not much higher in average (143rd, at .211). The poor first half has often been costing the 36-year-old a spot in the middle of the Royals' lineup lately.

Perez went deep in Monday's blowout win over the Phillies, giving him 11 homers for the season. It's a respectable total but well off the pace he set the previous two seasons. More concerning, though, is that Perez's quality of contact has really taken a nosedive. He's experienced major year-over-year dips in hard-hit rate (46.7 percent to 42.2 percent), barrel rate (14.8 percent to 9.5 percent) and average exit velocity (90 mph to 89 mph). Perez hit third against a lefty Monday, but his last five starts against righties have come from the No. 6 spot in the batting order. Prior to this season, he hadn't hit that low since 2018. I know better than to doubt Perez's ability to rebound, but you can defy Father Time only for so long.

Steven Kwan, OF, Cleveland Guardians

On one hand, it's a surprise the Guardians are in the playoff hunt again despite Kwan's horrendous season. On the other hand, this is kind of what the Guardians do.

Through May 15, all of Kwan's starts this season had come from his usual leadoff spot. He was then moved down to the sixth spot and then the seven spot. In Kwan's last six starts, he has been situated in the No. 9 spot in the lineup. Might he be due for another look higher in the order? It's a 13-game sample, but Kwan has a hit in 11 of those contests and is sporting a .293/.356/.415 batting line with a 4:4 K:BB over that span.

Luke Keaschall, 2B/OF, Minnesota Twins

Expectations for Keaschall were high coming into the season after his impressive 49-game showing in 2025. The Twins clearly shared those high hopes, sticking Keaschall in the No. 3 spot in their batting order for the first several weeks of the season.

Unfortunately, Keaschall's placement in the batting order has been trending steadily downward since then. The 23-year-old has occupied the No. 9 slot in the lineup for six of his past nine starts, and he's also been moved from second base to right field during that stretch after his defense at the keystone floundered. Keaschall has kept his fantasy value afloat with a respectable batting average and 12 stolen bases, and he has shown signs of life of late with a couple home runs already in July.

Quick Hits: Leody Taveras has trended toward becoming a short-side platoon player lately, starting four of the last five contests versus lefties but only two of the last five tilts against right-handers … Following a stretch of 13 starts in 16 games versus right-handed hurlers, Joey Loperfido has since been dispatched to Triple-A Sugar Land … Jonny DeLuca has started only five of the past 12 games for the Rays .. Tampa Bay has started Nick Fortes at catcher just one time across its last four contests and two times over its past seven games.