In Some Depth: Schwarber's Gotta Play

There are only something like seven weeks left in the major league season. That's crazy.

Without any further ado...

Cubs 2B/SS/LF
In the mix: Addison Russell, Starlin Castro, Chris Coghlan, Kyle Schwarber

A few years ago, who would have thought that Chris Coghlan would be able to knock Starlin Castro from the Cubs' lineup? Yet that is what happened last week in Chicago when Miguel Montero's return at catcher forced Kyle Schwarber to the outfield, Coghlan to second base, Addison Russell to short, and Castro to the bench. The move is not too surprising in a 2015 context - Castro has been by far the worst batter on the Cubs' lineup (60 OPS+), and his -0.8 fWAR is second-worst among qualified batters in the National League. Coghlan, on the other hand, has been surprisingly effective, already reaching double digits in home runs and steals while posting a 16.8 percent K-rate (oddly tied with Castro for second-best on the team). Schwarber should start regularly in left, while Montero should revert to the timeshare with David Ross we witnessed prior to the most recent DL stint.

­­Rockies LF
In the mix: Kyle Parker, Brandon Barnes
Next: Drew Stubbs, Ben Paulsen
On the DL: Corey Dickerson

Corey Dickerson is back on the disabled list for the third time this season, so the Rockies are rolling with a platoon of Kyle Parker and Brandon Barnes. Both men are right-handed batters, but Parker has been playing primarily against right-handed starters while Barnes has been limited to starts against lefties. Neither light the world on fire, but both are accumulating at-bats on a regular basis and get to frequently play at Coors Field. Drew Stubbs occasionally appears, but he only has five starts since the All-Star break. Ben Paulsen could be a factor later this season if Justin Morneau returns to first base, but Morneau's return from a concussion remains a huge question mark.

Cardinals LF
Starter: Stephen Piscotty
Next: Brandon Moss, Peter Bourjos
On the DL: Matt Holliday, Jon Jay
In the minors: Tommy Pham

Stephen Piscotty appears to be the main man with Matt Holliday out for the next while. Piscotty has started every game since Holliday went down with the quad injury in late-July, and he has slashed .324/.375/.459 over that 10-game stretch. Brandon Moss could conceivably see a bit of action at the position, but the Cards appear to be set with him holding down the fort at first base. Jon Jay might not beat Holliday back from the DL, and it is not clear if the Cardinals would surrender an outfield spot to Jay at the expense of one of their young guys if said young guy is hitting well.

Braves 1B
Starter: Nick Swisher
Next: Joey Terdoslavich, Adonis Garcia
On the DL: Freddie Freeman (oblique)

The Braves might have acquired Nick Swisher as part of a salary dump, but he arrived in town with a regular role in hand. Freddie Freeman's placement on the disabled list has opened up a source for regular playing time for the ex-Indian/Yankee/White Sox/Athletic, and he has started his first two games with the organization. Obviously Swisher was in a terrible funk before the trade, and he has slashed a cool .205/.274/.323 since the start of the 2014 season. However, there are no other logical threats to his playing time. Joey Terdoslavich was Freeman's first replacement. and he could also be in the mix for a few starts per week. Adonis Garcia could shift over from third base if/when Hector Olivera arrives. And of course Freeman should be back at some point in the not-too-distant future (though it is very much TBD at this point).

Astros 1B
In the mix: Luis Valbuena, Chris Carter, Marwin Gonzalez
In the minors: Jonathan Singleton

Jed Lowrie's return from the disabled list earlier in the month caused a log-jam of sorts on the left side of the Astros' infield, forcing Luis Valbuena to look right. Valbuena has moved to first base in place of the still-slumping Chris Carter. Carter and Valbuena have had strikingly similar seasons - a lot of boom and little contact, but Valbuena has been significantly better with the K's (22 percent K-rate to Carter's 33 percent). Valbuena has also swung a hotter bat of late, so he should have the edge at first base on a nightly basis. The recently-optioned Jon Singleton should return in September, but he has yet to do much in his several cups of coffee in the majors.

Yankees 2B
In the mix: Brendan Ryan, Stephen Drew
In the minors: Rob Refsnyder

Prospect Rob Refsnyder could not budge Stephen Drew from the Yankees' starting second base role earlier this season, but it looks like Brendan Ryan might be able to. Drew has been below replacement level for 325 plate appearances this season, ranking as the second-worst second baseman in the AL behind Omar Infante. However, it was not until the similarly-light hitting Brendan Ryan returned from the disabled list that Drew began to sit on a more regular basis. Refsnyder has been in a mini-funk (.232/.309/.391) since his demotion back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he had a .387 OBP in 81 games before his promotion. He should be back in September.

Red Sox No. 2

Rusney Castillo has finally taken advantage of his regular playing time that has resulted from the Shane Victorino trade. He has an .819 OPS, one home run, and two steals over his last 10 starts, and that production has helped him shoot up to No. 2 in the Red Sox's order. He should hold onto that spot at least until Dustin Pedroia returns.

Orioles No. 2

Gerardo Parra has been a regular lineup fixture since being traded from the Brewers to the Orioles at the deadline. That is a change from Milwaukee, where he had to share time with Khris Davis and Carlos Gomez. He has hit second every day of his young Oriole career, and hitting between Manny Machado and Adam Jones is a definite upgrade over his previous placement in Milwaukee.

Royals No. 6

Mike Moustakas spent 91 games hitting second for the Royals, but Ben Zobrist's arrival, paired with Moustakas' sudden fall back to earth, has resulted in a fall to the sixth spot in the lineup. That's not a horrible, horrible place to be, but it means fewer at-bats and likely fewer opportunities to score runs (he's being protected by Alex Rios, late-season Salvador Perez, and Omar Infante.

Milwaukee No. 1

The dual departures of Carlos Gomez and Gerardo Parra, combined with the .287 OBP of Jean Segura, has opened the door for Scooter Gennett to lead off for the Milwaukee Brewers. He too has a sub-.300 OBP on the season, but he is slashing a more respectable .280/.316/.446 in 168 at-bats since his recall from Triple-A Colorado Springs in mid-June.

Dodgers No. 1 – Jimmy Rollins

Quick – name the Dodger's most appropriate leadoff hitter. Joc Pederson? Nope – he was removed after posting a .239 OBP in July. Yaisel Puig? Has just seven games under his belt from the leadoff perch, and he has been stuck in a season-long funk. Howie Kendrick? Nope (and now he is hurt) Jimmy Rollins? There you go. Rollins is slashing .311/.354/.467 since he replaced Pederson as the Dodgers' leadoff man in the final days of July. However, he may have to stave off the freshly recalled Jose Peraza (and possibly Corey Seager in September).