Lineup Lowdown: American League

The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: We're looking for trends which could help identify players who might be undervalued or overvalued. Who is playing more/less? Who is moving up/down? We'll be doing a deep dive into one league each week as we navigate the lineup landscape.

Baltimore Orioles

-- The surging Gunnar Henderson has found himself batting leadoff in each of his last five starts against right-handed pitching (it was slated to be six in a row Sunday before he was scratched with a stomach bug). Henderson has finally caught fire in June, sporting a .364/.391/.727 batting line with five home runs, 12 RBI and two stolen bases across 12 contests. He's done it by being more aggressive at the plate, trading in some walks for more hard contact. Fantasy managers will take the swap.

-- Suddenly playing a prominent role for the Orioles has been Ryan O'Hearn, who has batted cleanup for each of the club's last six games against right-handers and who has started nine straight versus righties. O'Hearn has split his starts over the six-game stretch between first base and right field as Ryan Mountcastle tries to overcome a bout with vertigo. There's still theoretically a spot for O'Hearn in the lineup once Mountcastle returns, as he and Anthony Santander can rotate between right field and designated hitter. That's if he stays hot, of course, but the 29-year-old's track record says the 1.115 OPS he's put up over his last 20 games is due to come to a screeching halt at some point (duh).

Boston Red Sox

-- Adam Duvall returned from the injured list on June 9 and since then he's started seven games, with six of them coming in center field (he also had one start at DH). He batted fifth in the first four of those contests before moving up to cleanup the next three times out. Also noteworthy is that one of the games he didn't start was the second leg of a doubleheader. The biggest loser in playing time since Duvall's return has been Jarren Duran, who has made just four starts since June 9 (two in center field and two in left field). Masataka Yoshida has also, somewhat surprisingly, been on the bench for three contests over that span, but he's simply not going to be benched regularly. Duran, while he has picked it up across his last handful of tilts, sports just a .691 OPS since the start of May.

-- Enmanuel Valdez stopped hitting enough to make up for his poor glove at second base, which resulted in a demotion earlier this month. The move has resulted in Christian Arroyo becoming an everyday player again, as he's started all of the last 10 games at the keystone. While Arroyo does offer a steadier glove, he's hit even less post-hamstring injury than pre-injury, going just 6-for-34 at the dish. The Red Sox' situation at shortstop also remains shaky. Manager Alex Cora has pulled Enrique Hernandez from regular duty there again after briefly re-committing to him, with Pablo Reyes handling four of the last five starts at the position. Boston will get Trevor Story (elbow) back eventually, but he won't be able to play short until August.

New York Yankees

-- The struggling Yankees have landed on Jake Bauers as their leadoff hitter of late, giving him five straight starts in the spot. Bauers has been shifting back-and-forth between left and right field as the Yanks try to get healthy in their outfield. Helping Bauers' bid for playing time has been the club somehow facing just one left-handed starter since May 14. The lack of lefties on the schedule has also opened up playing time for Billy McKinney, who has made 10 straight starts. They've both seemingly leap-frogged Willie Calhoun, who has been in the lineup for just one of the last five tilts. All three players are in jeopardy of losing playing time with Harrison Bader (hamstring) due back Tuesday and Giancarlo Stanton seemingly available for outfield duty soon.

-- Since returning from the injured list, Josh Donaldson has started 10 of 14 games (eight at third base, two at DH). DJ LeMahieu has been in the lineup for nine games over that span (six at third base, two at second base and one at first base). Donaldson has clubbed five homers during the stretch, but is hitting just .162 because he only has one hit otherwise. Meanwhile, LeMahieu has a .537 OPS with an uncharacteristic 33.3 percent strikeout rate over the same span. They could continue to eat into each others' playing time, although Stanton working his way into outfield duty would free up more at-bats.

Tampa Bay Rays

-- Jose Siri is sporting just a .158/.200/.368 batting line and a 43 percent strikeout rate so far in June and, seemingly as a result, has been out of the lineup seven times in 17. It's been a tad surprising to see because of how much the Rays value defense and Siri's defense in center field is superb. Manuel Margot is pretty darn good with the glove himself, though, and he's heated up at the dish this month with an .819 OPS. Margot has made seven starts in center field in June and another five in right.

-- Speaking of how much the Rays value defense, Taylor Walls continues to be an everyday player even as he's cratered at the plate. Walls has started 17 of the last 18 contests even as he is batting an anemic .125/.246/.179 over that span. Ten of those starts have come at second base as he's been the primary fill-in for the injured Brandon Lowe (back). Walls anchoring second base has also meant steadier playing time for Isaac Paredes, who has just one fewer start than Walls over the aforementioned stretch.

Toronto Blue Jays

-- It's been a renaissance season for Whit Merrifield, who played his way up to the second spot in the Blue Jays' batting order for three straight games before receiving a day off Monday, which was his first day of rest since May 25. He's batted .346/.421/.410 with four stolen bases over that stretch. Whatever modest power Merrifield had has pretty much evaporated, but the 34-year-old is back to being one of the best sources in baseball of batting average and stolen bases. If he retains the two spot in the lineup, his runs scored potential also skyrockets.

-- Danny Jansen on Monday made his fifth start in seven contests since returning from the injured list and with Alejandro Kirk (hand) landing on the IL with an injury himself, his usage rate could rise even more. Jansen entered play Monday with three homers since being activated and he's now up to nine bombs this season over just 152 plate appearances. He's gone deep 35 times in 605 plate appearances since the start of the 2021 campaign. Unfortunately, part of the reason his plate appearance total has been so low during that time is he's constantly banged up.

Chicago White Sox

-- Jake Burger had already made six straight starts when Yoan Moncada (back) went back on the IL and that streak is up to 12 and counting. Things are seemingly pointing to another extended absence for Moncada, giving Burger some leash as the everyday third baseman. Burger entered play Monday with a 36.1 strikeout rate and 1.6 percent walk rate since the start of May. In June, the strikeout rate has ballooned to 44.4 percent. He's going to need to hit some dingers to be useful and, thankfully, he has with five this month to push his season total to 16.

-- Seven of Eloy Jimenez's 10 starts after he returned from an appendectomy came in right field. Then he missed four games with a calf injury and all six of his starts since rejoining the lineup were at DH. Burger having to play third base and not be the DH has kind of forced manager Pedro Grifol's hand, but it's painfully obvious at this point that Jimenez needs to be a full-time DH.

Cleveland Guardians

-- The Guardians opted to shake up their catching situation this past weekend, as they designated Mike Zunino for assignment and summoned Bo Naylor from Triple-A Columbus. The left-handed-hitting Naylor didn't start Saturday versus a lefty before catching and batting eighth Sunday against a righty. The hope here is that Naylor at least plays against all right-handers, but it wouldn't shock me if Cam Gallagher still sees some action versus righties. Cleveland is still carrying three catchers, so Naylor could conceivably see some action at DH. However, that would mean Josh Bell or Naylor's big brother, Josh, sitting out.

-- Will Brennan is no longer a platoon bat, having started all 16 of Cleveland's games so far this month, with four of those coming against southpaws. The 25-year-old is sporting a .350/.381/.533 batting line with two home runs and two stolen bases in June, although all of that production has come off right-handers. Still, Brennan is playing his way back into consideration in five-outfielder leagues.

Detroit Tigers

-- Kerry Carpenter has started 10 of 11 games since returning from the injured list, with his lone time sitting out being the only time the Tigers have faced a left-hander. After batting fifth in his first game back, Carpenter has been in the third spot in the lineup for each of his last nine contests. The left-handed batter entered play Monday with a .948 OPS since returning and his barrel rate on the season sits at a healthy 13.2 percent. Carpenter isn't going to play against lefties and there's probably too much swing-and-miss to hit for a decent average, but the power is there and he should have some RBI opportunities if he sticks in the three spot.

-- Andy Ibanez has been penciled into the lineup in seven of the last eight games and was even elevated to the cleanup spot for Monday's contest. He entered play Monday having reached base 13 times in the first six games during that span, which included a couple dingers. Ibanez is 30 and his track record in the big leagues has been lackluster, but his batted-ball data says he's been unlucky. Among players with at least 100 batted ball events, Ibanez has the highest gap in baseball between his xwOBA (.361) and wOBA (.297).

Kansas City Royals

-- Maikel Garcia has started to find his footing at the big-league level. The young infielder entered play Monday batting .301/.350/.425 with one home run and five stolen bases across his last 80 plate appearances. He's started 14 of the last 15 games and has inched his way up in the batting order, even batting cleanup Sunday. Garcia has mostly been the everyday third baseman, but has played some shortstop when Bobby Witt gets a DH day and also a little second base, although not for a while.

-- The Royals summoned Samad Taylor from Triple-A Omaha this past Friday and, after sitting out the first game, he's started three straight (two in left field, one at second base). Taylor has a little pop for a guy small in stature, but he stole 34 bases at Omaha before his promotion and if he makes a dent in fantasy leagues it's probably going to be with his legs. A guy with a fairly similar profile to Taylor is Dairon Blanco, who bettered Taylor with a whopping 47 steals at Omaha before his call-up last week. Blanco, though, is 30 and could take a back seat to Taylor in priority. After starting the first four games following his promotion, he's been on the bench for two of the last three tilts.

Minnesota Twins

-- Royce Lewis was on the bench for a second straight game Monday and has started just five of the last nine contests. While it's probably a tad frustrating for fantasy managers, some built in rest for the 24-year-old as he comes back from a second ACL tear probably isn't the worst thing, especially early on. Lewis homered twice in his first three games following his activation, but hasn't had a single extra-base hit since then and is striking out at a 33.9 percent clip.

-- Max Kepler has been in the Twins' starting lineup just twice in their last seven games. Yes, three of those times he's been on the bench they were facing a lefty, but he's also sat out a couple times versus righties. In 18 contests since returning from his hamstring injury, Kepler is sporting a lowly .143/.177/.204 slash and a 31.4 percent strikeout rate. While he's actually hitting the ball harder this season, he's also striking out a lot more and walking a lot less. In the five games during the aforementioned seven-game stretch when Kepler has been out of the lineup, Alex Kirilloff has been the right fielder.

Houston Astros

-- The Astros have played 10 games since Yordan Alvarez went down with a strained oblique and Yainer Diaz has been in the lineup for eight of them. He was in the eight spot in the batting order for the first of those games but has crept up since then, occupying the five hole the last two times out. Diaz entered action Monday with an impressive 14.3 percent barrel rate and he proceeded to pop a solo home run for the Astros' lone run in a loss to the Mets. We can't count on him playing regularly when Alvarez returns, but that's not going to happen for a while.

-- It had looked like Mauricio Dubon was going to reclaim an everyday role when Alvarez went down, but after starting five straight – all of them in the leadoff spot – he's been on the bench for three of the last five tilts. Perhaps manager Dusty Baker is realizing Dubon – who is 3-for-24 in his last six games – could be overexposed. Then again, if he's starting to lose faith in him it would be odd that Dubon continues to bat leadoff when he is in the lineup.

Los Angeles Angels

-- First it was Taylor Ward who sat in favor of Mickey Moniak for a bit, and now it's starting to look like Moniak could eat into Hunter Renfroe's playing time. Renfroe started five straight games after returning from a four-game paternity leave absence, but since then he's sat out two of the last four tilts. Too small of a sample to get worked up over? Perhaps, but Renfroe is sitting on a .646 OPS with just five home runs since the beginning of May. Meanwhile, while Moniak has "slowed" in June following a terrific May, he's still sporting an .886 OPS with a couple bombs this month.

-- The left side of the Angels' infield is hurting with Anthony Rendon (wrist) joining Zach Neto (oblique) on the IL. Gio Urshela normally would have been Rendon's fill-in, but he's been shelved himself with a fractured pelvis. That means Luis Rengifo at third base each of the last three games, while Andrew Velazquez was called up and given four straight starts at shortstop. I'd be more interested in Velazquez in fantasy if you're digging deep, only because his speed is the most bankable asset either player brings to the table. He was 17-for-18 in stolen base attempts for the Halos last season and is already 3-for-4 in four contests in 2023.

Oakland Athletics

-- When we discussed the AL in this space two weeks ago, Nick Allen had established himself as the Athletics' primary shortstop. He was then sent down at the beginning of Oakland's surprising seven-game winning streak (they've since lost five straight) as the A's turned to Aledmys Diaz and Kevin Smith at short. Diaz has been at short for four of the last six contests with Smith now on the shelf with a back issue. The 32-year-old has been inept at the plate even for an A this season, although he did pop his second homer Sunday.

-- You have to go back to May 3 to find the last time Ryan Noda hit lower than third in a game he started. The Rule 5 pick boasts the AL's best walk rate (18.7 percent) this season and is also putting up a 13.3 percent barrel rate and 91.2 mph average exit velocity. Nola strikes out a bunch (33.1 percent) and can't hit lefties (.705 OPS), but he's nonetheless been one of the few bright spots for the A's this season.

Seattle Mariners

-- The Mariners decided to add Mike Ford to the big-league roster rather than lose him after he opted out of his minor-league contract and he's rewarded them with four home runs in 12 games. The 30-year-old has started 10 of 11 games at DH versus right-handers since having his contract selected. Meanwhile, AJ Pollock – the guy who has started more games at DH than any other Mariner this season – has made just four starts since May 25.

-- Every one of J.P. Crawford's starts since May 10 (and he's had just one day off over that span) has come from the leadoff spot. This, despite the fact that he has a .329 on-base percentage and .685 OPS across that 33-game span. Crawford does still have a nice .351 OBP on the season and is far from the Mariners' big problem offensively, but it might be time to give someone else a look at the top of the batting order.

Texas Rangers

-- Mitch Garver started four of the Rangers' first five games upon his activation from the injured list back on June 2. Since then, though, he's been in the lineup just six times across the last 12 contests. Garver might still hit enough to be a viable second fantasy catcher even if he's only playing half the time, but the dream that he'd become the club's regular DH doesn't appear like it will come true.

-- Leody Taveras remains stuck at the bottom of the Rangers' lineup, having made 13 of his last 14 starts from the nine hole and 34 of 55 starts there overall this season (all but five have come from the eight or nine spot). Given how well Texas' lineup is clicking, that seems unlikely to change, but I feel the need to point out that Taveras is no ordinary No. 9 hitter. The 24-year-old struggled in April after making it back from an oblique strain, but he entered play Monday batting .338/.389/.561 with eight home runs and six stolen bases since the start of May.