Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis: AL 05/24

American League lineup analysis is back for this week. This article breaks down all of the latest trends, news, and notes from around the American League to help keep fantasy managers up to date. As always, there is plenty to talk about. The five hottest American League batters over the past two weeks have been Kody Clemens, Rafael Devers, Jose Ramirez, Taylor Ward, and Aaron Judge. On the flip side, the five coldest qualified hitters over the past two weeks have been: Kristian Campbell, Luis Robert Jr., Gabriel Arias, Trevor Story, and Ty France. Keep reading for the latest news and notes from all 15 American League lineups.

Please note that this article was written the day before publication. I will do my best to update the article with any relevant information from the previous night’s games.

Fantasy Baseball Lineup Takeaways

AL East

New York Yankees

• Oswaldo Cabrera is going to miss the remainder of the season with a fractured ankle
  • With Jazz Chisholm on the IL, Cabrera was continuing to get the majority of starts at third base
  • With Cabrera now out for the year, the team has now shifted to a timeshare between Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas
  • Neither player is playing particularly well offensively and are unlikely to maintain a starting role once Chisholm returns from the IL
• Ben Rice has seen a significant reduction to his playing time
  • Rice was one of the more popular adds after he started the season on fire. He has now only been in the lineup for half of the games in the past week
  • After his hot start, Rice is slashing juts .226/.288/.453 since the start of May. His playing time only figures to get more crowded whenever Giancarlo Stanton returns
  • In his place, the Yankees are giving both Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez everyday playing time in the outfield and DH
• Cody Bellinger has shaken off his slow start
  • Bellinger in Yankee Stadium always seemed too perfect not to work out. This has certainly been the case as of late
  • Since May 4, Bellinger is slashing .386/.453/.719 with five home runs. He has continued to bat third in the lineup right behind Aaron Judge which provides him with plenty of RBI opportunities
  • While the high batting average is unsustainable, the power in Bellinger’s profile looks legit. His pulled-air% ranks amongst the best in baseball which bodes especially well for his home games in Yankee Stadium

Boston Red Sox

• Nick Sogard has been serving as the team’s everyday first baseman
  • Sogard has bene batting sixth in the lineup, but his stay as the team’s everyday first baseman will likely be short lived
  • The team has been having Kristian Campbell work on his defense at first base with the anticipation that Marcelo Mayer will come up and take over at second base
  • The Red Sox also acquired Ryan Noda from the Angels who could factor into the playing time mix
• Speaking of Kristian Campbell, he got a mental reset this week
  • It has been tough sledding for Campbell at the plate recently and he got a couple of days off to try and reset
  • After a fantastic start, Campbell is batting just .094 since the start of May. While BABIP is partially to blame, Campbell is hitting far too many ground balls which makes many think he is still dealing with some lingering effects of the rib injury he suffered
  • If Campbell gets anymore time off, David Hamilton appears to be first in line to see additional playing time
• Trevor Story is sliding down in the lineup
  • Story’s 2025 season got off to a fantastic start, but there was always red flags pointing to regression to his success
  • Story was batting fourth or fifth for most of the season, but moved down to sixth at the start of May and is now batting seventh in the lineup
  • He is batting just .167 with one homer since the start of May. His underlying metrics point to a solid power/speed player but the batting average should remain fairly low moving forward

Tampa Bay Rays

• Josh Lowe is back from the IL
  • Lowe returned to the Rays’ lineup on May 15 after dealing with an oblique injury earlier this season
  • He has been batting second in the lineup most games although he does move down when the team has kept him in against lefties. The sample size is small, but he is making significantly more contact early on this year which bodes well for his 2025 outlook
  • With Lowe returning to the lineup, Christopher Morel has moved onto the short side of a platoon
• Junior Caminero is sitting against righties more often
  • Caminero landed in my third base busts article this off-season and has been a disappointment for fantasy managers given his hefty draft price
  • He has been on the bench against two righties in the past week with Curtis Mead and Taylor Walls looking for ways to get into the lineup
  • Caminero is batting just .230 on the season and .180 since the start of May. A high ground ball rate continues to limit his production offensively
• Jose Caballero is playing everyday in a super utility role
  • Part of Caminero sitting more often is due to the team’s desire to keep Caballero in the lineup
  • Caballero has made starts at shortstop, third base, center field, and right field in the past week. He has also been batting all over the lineup. Lower against righties, second against lefties
  • Caballero does not do a ton for fantasy managers, but he does steal a ton of bases. He is up to 15 already this season and is worth picking up if you are looking for a boost to your stolen bases from a guy with plenty of positional versatility

Toronto Blue Jays

• Hopefully you listened last week and picked up Addison Barger
  • Barger has been on fire for Toronto and is starting to shift up the lineup
  • Since May 7, Barger is slashing an incredible .360/.418/.600 with a. .240 ISO
  • Sure, Barger’s numbers will not stay up at that level, but he should start seeing more luck in the home run department and is turning into a very reliable fantasy asset. Go get him now
• Daulton Varsho has shot up in the lineup
  • Varsho did not start his season until April 29 due to injury, but is already up to seven home runs on the year
  • He has moved up to third in Toronto’s lineup as they look for a spark offensively
  • From a fantasy perspective, the power is great but there is not much of a reason to buy into the Varsho hype. He is still striking out way too much and is batting just .215. I am not buying this breakout
• Anthony Santander has been dealing with a hip injury
  • Santander missed back to back games last Friday and Saturday, returned to the lineup on Sunday for three games, and then was absent from the lineup on Thursday
  • Hip injury or not, Santander’s season has been a major disappointment. He has just six home runs and is batting under .200
  • If Santander is forced to miss extended time, Jonatan Clase appears most likely to see his playing time increase

Baltimore Orioles

• Tyler O’Neill is on the IL with a shoulder injury
  • O’Neill has played in just 24 games this season due to injury and his first season in Baltimore has been disappointing. He owns a .188 average and has hit just two home runs
  • With O’Neill out of the lineup, Ramon Laureano has been getting consistent playing time and batting fourth in the lineup
  • Laureano has been on fire at the plate and has hit three home runs since May 7. He quietly has a 140 wRC+ on the season and is worth an add in deep leagues while he continues to get consistent playing time
• Jackson Holliday is batting leadoff
  • Holliday seems to finally be putting everything together offensively and is being rewarded with a move up in the lineup
  • Since the start of May, Holliday is slashing .292/.329/.528. He is hitting the ball hard, barreling the ball up more, and getting the ball in the air more. This breakout seems legit and he should be rostered in 100% of fantasy leagues
  • The move up in Baltimore’s lineup should result in more run scoring opportunities. Gunnar Henderson has shifted to third in the lineup with Holliday batting first
• Adley Rutschman is starting to turn things around
  • Rutschman moved to second in the lineup and is finally showing signs of life offensively
  • Since May 11, Rutschman is batting .278/.316/.500
  • The underlying data never suggested that Rutschman’s 2025 season should be going as poorly as it has. He is still hitting the ball hard and posting strong plate discipline numbers. His BABIP is still only .233 on the season and that should continue to improve as the season moves along

AL West

Houston Astros

• Victor Caratini is getting more consistent playing time
  • With the team keeping Yainer Diaz’s bat in the lineup more at DH, Caratini has been getting more playing time at catcher
  • He is playing the majority of days and batting sixth in the lineup
  • Caratini is quietly in the midst of a career season for Houston. He has already hit three homers with a 137 wRC+. He is a sneaky add in two-catcher leagues
• Isaac Paredes has been on fire offensively
  • Paredes has shifted up from third to second in the lineup and is off to a great start in his first season in Houston
  • Since May 13, Paredes has hit six home runs with a strikeout rate of under 10%
  • Pulled fly balls continue to be the name of the game for Paredes which is perfect for Houston’s stadium. He is also barreling the ball up more often which is an excellent sign. He is a great third base option for fantasy managers this season
• Brendan Rodgers has lost his starting role
  • Rodgers was given ample opportunity by Houston to prove deserving of the everyday second base job but struggled to the tune of a .198 average and a 54 wRC+
  • Not that he was rostered in many fantasy leagues, but he is a fine player to drop at this point
  • With Rodgers playing less, Jose Altuve is seeing more time at second base allowing Mauricio Dubon and Chas McCormick to get some more playing time in the outfield

Los Angeles Angels

• Luis Rengifo has moved down to eighth in the lineup
  • Rengifo entered the year with high expectations but has been largely disappointing for fantasy managers
  • After batting sixth or seventh most of the season, he has slid down in the order with Matthew Lugo moving up ahead of him. Rengifo’s slash line is down to .221/.258/.286 and one home run
  • Rengifo has not started losing playing time yet, but is a fine player to drop in fantasy leagues
• Zach Neto continues to post breakout numbers
  • Neto’s 2025 season got off to a delayed start due to injury, but he is quickly making up for lost time
  • He is up to eight homers and eight stolen bases while batting .283 on the year
  • Neto has made big improvements to his chase rate this year helping to improve his batting average and his batted ball data is incredible. This breakout looks legit
• Matthew Lugo is drawing the majority of starts in center field
  • After struggling in Triple-A to start the season, Lugo has hit three home runs in just 11 games to start the season in the Major Leagues
  • While the power output has been impressive, Lugo’s plate discipline makes it unlikely his success continues
  • Lugo has a chase and whiff rate both over 40% and has yet to work a walk at the Major League level. He is not worth picking up

Texas Rangers

• Evan Carter landed on the IL with a quad injury
  • Carter played in just 11 games after being recalled from Triple-A before landing on the IL
  • Carter was not playing particularly well following his call up slashing .182/.270/.273 and will now miss a couple of weeks. He is a fine drop in shallow formats
  • With Carter out, Sam Haggerty has been getting everyday playing time in center field batting ninth. Haggerty owns a career wRC+ of 95 and does not offer much in terms of fantasy appeal
• Josh Jung has moved up in the lineup
  • With Corey Seager out, the Rangers have shifted Jung up to third. He was previously batting in the back half of the lineup
  • In the last article, Jung was identified as a prime buy-low candidate and he has been red hot since. He is slashing .357/.372/.643 with four homers over that span
  • Jung’s chase rate continues to be a yellow flag but the increase to his power should be expected to continue throughout the season
• Jake Burger has been playing everyday since coming back up from Triple-A
  • At the time of his demotion, the team stated it would not be a long stay in the Minor Leagues for Burger. This was accurate as Burger played in just six games before being recalled
  • Since coming back up, Burger has been batting seventh in the lineup most games. When fully healthy, Burger’s return to the lineup will likely push Josh Smith back into a super utility role
  • Burger has already hit three home runs since returning and is showing flashes of becoming the player many drafted him to be. There is significant power upside and appeal here and he is worth grabbing in any leagues he was dropped in

Athletics

• JJ Bleday was optioned to Triple-A
  • Bleday had moved down to the bottom of the lineup and was batting just .175 on the month prior to being demoted
  • The team called up prospect Denzel Clarke who figures to get most of the playing time in center field
  •  Clarke has shown off solid power and speed throughout his professional career but was yet to hit a home run this year with ground balls being an issue. He is worth a spec add in deep leagues but is not a must-add player
• The home runs are starting to come for Nick Kurtz
  • Kurtz joined the Major League team with sky-high expectations and has largely been viewed as a disappointment by fantasy managers
  • He continues to play everyday and has been batting sixth in the lineup. He has hit four home runs since May 13
  • The power was always going to come along but his plate discipline is still suspect. The good news is that he is making significantly more contact as of late and should still be viewed highly by dynasty managers
• Miguel Andujar has been swinging a hot bat
  • Andujar has been batting fifth in the Athletics lineup and has taken over as the primary third baseman for the team
  • Despite not getting a lot of attention from the fantasy community, Andujar is quietly batting over .300 with three home runs on the season. He has hit safely in nine straight games and 11/12
  • Andujar’s batted ball data looks underwhelming and his BABIP is likely to regress as the season moves along. He holds value in deeper leagues where his consistent playing time can be valuable

Seattle Mariners

• Julio Rodriguez has been heating up offensively
  • Rodriguez got off to a slow start in 2025 but has hit four home runs since May 6 and is batting .288 over that time frame
  • Plate discipline and contact skills continue to be a concern but Rodriguez should start to see more luck in the BABIP department which should lead to better results
  • He was absent from the lineup on Thursday due to a back injury. This situation is worth monitoring moving forward
• Jorge Polanco has cooled way off offensively
  • Polanco got off to a scorching start, but the month of May has been a struggle
  • He continues to bat second in the lineup but is slashing just .164/.246/.255 since April 30 with only one home run
  • Fantasy managers should not be surprised to see Polanco slide down in the lineup if his struggles continue. He is a fine drop in shallow leagues, but should be held in all 14+ team formats

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

• Parker Meadows is beginning a rehab assignment
  • Meadows has been out all year with a nerve issue and his return to the lineup does not seem imminent
  • When Meadows does eventually return, it is likely that he will eat into Javier Baez’s playing time. If Baez is still swinging a hot bat, the team could use him in a super-utility role or reduce Colt Keith’s playing time
  • Meadows is a sneaky stash option for fantasy managers. Fantasy managers should remember that he slashed .296/.340/.500 with six homers and five steals over the final two months of the season last year
• Gleyber Torres left Thursday’s game with a right leg injury
  • The injury happened following Torres’ swing and the severity of the injury remains unknown
  • If Torres is forced to miss extended time, Colt Keith would likely see more playing time at second base with Akil Baddoo or Justyn-Henry Malloy getting more playing time
  • Torres has been a reliable presence in the Tigers’ lineup this season batting .277 with five homers and four stolen bases
• Jake Rogers is back from the IL
  • The team activated Rogers prior to Tuesday’s game but he seems to be behind Dillon Dingler on the depth chart
  • Rogers’ return will no doubt impact Dingler’s playing time, but the team continues to use Dingler as the primary catcher
  • Dingler is batting .297 with four home runs on the season. He is definitely over performing in the batting average department, but should see his home run totals tick up a bit as the season moves along

Kansas City Royals

• Michael Massey has slid down in the lineup
  • Massey continues to serve as the team’s everyday second baseman but has shifted down to eighth in the lineup
  • Massey’s average is down at .207 on the season and he has only two home runs on the season
  • He has flashed power in the past but does not have much fantasy relevance. The team could look to upgrade this position as the season moves along, or shift Jonathan India over to second base and acquire a DH
• Cavan Biggio and Mark Canha are splitting time
  • Biggio was given some run by the Royals against right-handed pitching, but his .172 batting average on the season is not enough to keep him in the lineup on a regular basis
  • Canha, who was on the short side of the platoon, has been seeing more playing time lately and batting fifth in the lineup
  • Canha offers more offensive upside but is now 36 and does not hold much fantasy value. Neither player is worth rostering at this point
• Kyle Isbel has been swinging a hot bat
  • Isbel’s calling card is his glove as he already has three OAA in center field. He has been batting at the bottom of Kansas City’s lineup throughout the season
  • Lately, this glove-first outfielder has been making more noise offensively. He is slashing 364/.370/.636 since the start of May
  • Digging into his profile, there is nothing drastically different. His batted ball data has been slightly better (but still underwhelming). He is pulling the ball a bit more but there is not a lot to buy this as a sign of a breakout. Instead, Isbel’s profile is just simply somebody who can provide value in deep leagues thanks to his consistent playing time

Chicago White Sox

• The team optioned both Tim Elko and Andrew Vaughn to Triple-A
  • Both Elko and Vaughn were playing everyday in the White Sox’s lineup and will now go down to Triple-A following disappointing results
  • The two players likely to take over playing time were just activated from the IL
  • Mike Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi both returned to the lineup on Friday and will play everyday. Benintendi has the most fantasy appeal of the two
• Joshua Palacios is playing as the everyday right fielder
  • Even with Austin Slater back off the IL, Palacios continues to get the majority of playing time in right field
  • Palacios owns a career 78 wRC+ and is batting just .216 in his first 36 games this season
  • Even with consistent playing time, Palacios is not worth rostering in fantasy

Minnesota Twins

• Carlos Correa is on the IL with a concussion
  • Correa is not expected to miss significant time, and there is a chance he could return as early as this weekend
  • With Correa out of the lineup, Brooks Lee has shifted over from second base to shortstop, and Kody Clemens has been playing on the strong side of a platoon at second base
  • Clemens was recently acquired from Philadelphia and has been batting fifth in the lineup most games. Clemens is slashing .318/.388/.682 since being acquired by the Twins. It would not be surprising if the Twins find ways to keep his bat in the lineup even once Correa returns, potentially over Willi Castro who has been batting eighth in the lineup
• Byron Buxton is also on the IL with a concussion
  • Buxton and Correa collided but it seems Buxton got the worse end of things. He is expected to remain on the IL for longer than Correa
  • With Buxton out of the lineup, DeShawn Keirsey Jr has been filling in out in center field and batting toward the bottom of the lineup
  • Keirsey is batting just .113 through 39 games. Despite plus speed, he is not worth picking up for fantasy managers
• Ryan Jeffers is batting toward the top of the lineup
  • Jeffers had been batting sixth or seventh in the lineup early on in the season but has moved up in the lineup and has been batting first or second
  • With Correa and Buxton injured, the team has made it a point to keep Jeffers’ bat in the lineup recently rotating him between catcher and DH
  • Jeffers feels consistently overlooked in the fantasy community, but he is slashing .296/.387/.444 since the start of May. He is a reliable option for fantasy baseball managers

Cleveland Guardians

• Lane Thomas is back from the IL
  • Thomas has not appeared in a game since April 19 but returned to the Guardians’ lineup on Thursday and hit second
  • Seeing how the playing time shakes out here will be interesting. Thomas got the start on Thursday but also owns a -11 wRC+ on the season
  • Angel Martinez appears most likely to be impacted by Thomas’ return although he is batting .289 on the season and could see additional playing time at second base moving forward
• Daniel Schneeman has shifted down in Cleveland’s lineup
  • Schneeman was batting second for most of the season but has been hitting sixth more recently
  • After a hot stretch at the beginning of May, Schneeman is batting just .205/.295/.282 since May 7. His batted ball data has been atrocious during that timeframe and his barrel rate has started to experience regression
  • Do not be surprised if Schneeman starts to lose playing time as the season moves along. Especially now with Lane Thomas back in the fold