Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis: AL 08/02

The Trade Deadline is now in the rear-view mirror. The deadline always brings plenty of action that shakes up lineups and changes fantasy outlooks for several key players. This season was no different.

To help fantasy managers keep up with the latest changes, this article breaks down all of the impacts from this year’s deadline. Which prospects can fantasy managers expect to see? Who is now hitting in a worse home ballpark? Who profiles to lose playing time? This article answers all of those questions for American League teams.

The five hottest hitters over the past two weeks in the AL have been: Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Jarren Duran, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and George Springer. The five coldest hitters over the past two weeks have been: JP Crawford, Lawrence Butler, Cam Smith, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Willi Castro. Keep reading for the latest news and notes from all 15 lineups around the American League.

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

• Ryan McMahon has come over to play third base
  • The Yankees found their answer at third base when they went out and acquired Ryan McMahon last weekend
  • McMahon could platoon against lefties but has been playing everyday and batting seventh in the lineup
  • With Colorado, McMahon was batting .217 with 16 homers. Yankee Stadium should be a paradise for his left-handed swing. McMahon is going to strike out a lot, but he is worth adding if you need help at third base
• The Yankees solidified their right-handed platoon bats
  • The Yankees made it a point to scoop up just about every right-handed bench bat available. The team acquired Amed Rosario, Austin Slater, and Jose Caballero at this year’s deadline
  • At the very least, Rosario, Slater, and the already there Paul Goldschmidt figure to play on the short side of a platoon with several regulars
  • The most obvious pairings are Slater with Trent Grisham, Goldschmidt with a mix of Ben Rice against lefties and Giancarlo Stanton against righties, and Rosario with McMahon. Austin Wells and Jasson Dominguez could also be at risk of losing playing time
• Aaron Judge is not expected to be on the IL for long
  • Judge is dealing with an arm injury that landed him on the IL, but he is expected to return to the lineup and DH when first eligible
  • Judge returning as the DH throws a wrench into the Yankees’ lineup as that spot has been exclusively used for Giancarlo Stanton since he has been back
  • Due to Stanton’s inability to play the field much, fantasy managers should expect the majority of his playing time to disappear. He is a candidate to take a few starts in left field over Jasson Dominguez as well

Boston Red Sox

• Marcelo Mayer is on the IL with a wrist injury
  • Mayer landed on the IL July 24 and remains without a firm timetable to return
  • With Mayer out, Ceddanne Rafaela has been primarily playing second base with Masataka Yoshida serving as the DH
  • Yoshida is batting .239 with one home run in 13 games this season. He is not worth rostering in fantasy
• Roman Anthony has moved into the leadoff spot
  • Boston has shifted around the top of their lineup recently, with Anthony moving up and Jarren Duran moving down to third
  • Both players are still in excellent run-producing positions in the lineup
  • His two homers and two stolen bases are a bit disappointing for fantasy managers, but Anthony is batting .317 since the All-Star Break and should see the home runs start to come in bunches down the stretch
• Carlos Narvaez has moved down to sixth in the lineup
  • Narvaez’s surprise season had him batting fourth for the majority of the year, but his recent struggles at the plate have shifted him down
  • He is batting just .143 since the All-Star Break and only .197 in July as a whole
  • With Narvaez struggling, 2024 breakout Connor Wong could start to see increased playing time behind the plate

Tampa Bay Rays

• Brandon Lowe is back from the IL
  • Lowe was activated from the IL prior to Wednesday’s game
  • With Ha-Seong Kim back on the IL, no regulars were at risk of losing playing time with Lowe coming back. He has slotted back into the second spot in the lineup
  • Lowe has been excellent this season with 19 home runs and a .275 batting average. The average is probably due for a bit of regression in the second half, but he remains a strong fantasy asset for the remainder of the season
• Jose Caballero was traded to the Yankees
  • Caballero was dealt to the Yankees after serving as a utility infielder for the Rays this season
  • While Caballero was not playing everyday, his departure does solidify Taylor Walls as the starting shortstop while Kim is on the IL
  • Walls is batting just .225 on the season and does not offer much in terms of fantasy upside

Toronto Blue Jays

• Alejandro Kirk is out with a concussion
  • Concussions are difficult to put a timetable on for a return, but Kirk should not be out of the lineup for an extended time
  • In his absence, Tyler Heineman has been serving as the primary catcher and is batting eighth in the lineup
  • Heineman is no more than a backup catcher and is not worth a look in fantasy
• Joey Loperfido has been swinging a hot bat
  • Acquired by the Astros at last year’s deadline, Loperfido seems to finally be settling in with Toronto
  • With injuries to Daulton Varsho and Anthony Santander, Loperfido is serving as the everyday left fielder, primarily batting seventh in the lineup
  • On the season, he is batting .396 with three home runs. He is due for serious regression in his BABIP, but the improvements to his chase rate bode well for sustained success
• Vladdy is red hot coming out of the break
  • The first half always seemed a bit unlucky for Vladimir Guerrero Jr, but he is quickly changing that narrative in the second half
  • Since the break, Vladdy is slashing .407/.500/.667 with three home runs. He is also walking more than he is striking out
  • Vladdy is the elite of the elite at first base and should continue to see an uptick in his home run rate throughout the second half

Baltimore Orioles

• Adley Rutschman is back from the IL
  • Rutschman returned to the Orioles’ lineup on Monday and has been serving as the primary catcher while batting fourth in the lineup
  • His return has pushed Alex Jackson back into a bench role
  • Rutschman’s 2025 season has been largely disappointing, but the underlying numbers suggest he was unlucky in the first half. He should see more success in the second half, and is a strong buy-low option
• Coby Mayo is finding his way into the lineup with more regularity
  • Mayo has started four games in the past week, and the trades of Ramon Urias, Ryan O’Hearn, and Ramon Laureano should only open up more playing time for him
  • Encouragingly for fantasy managers, the results are starting to look like what many saw in Mayo as a prospect
  • Since July 10, Mayo is striking out less than 10% of the time, walking more, barreling the ball up consistently, and he has two home runs. He could be a game-changing bat in the second half
• The Orioles traded away two everyday players
  • Both Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano were sent packing at this year’s deadline
  • The immediate fall out is likely the reinstatement of Ryan Mountcastle from the IL. He has been rehabbing in Triple-A from a hamstring injury suffered at the end of May
  • The other spot could go to Dylan Carlson, but the more entertaining move would be a promotion of prospect Dylan Beavers to the Major League level. Fantasy managers should watch for his promotion

AL West

Houston Astros

• The infield injuries continue to pile up, with Isaac Paredes landing on the IL
  • The Astros are now missing the entire left side of their infield with both Jeremy Pena and Paredes on the IL
  • With Paredes out, Zach Short had been seeing additional playing time, but that will now certainly go to Carlos Correa
  • Correa rejoins the Astros and figures to insert himself right back into the middle of their lineup
• Jacob Melton is back from the IL
  • Melton returned to the Astros’ lineup on Monday and has been batting fifth against righties
  • The Astros are likely to continue platooning Melton, who is batting .206 through his first 13 Major League games
  • There is significant power and speed upside, but his hit tool is a major concern. Melton is striking out over 37% of the time at the Major League level this season. Chas McCormick slots back into a shot-side platoon role moving forward
• Jesus Sanchez was acquired from Miami
  • The most obvious spot for Sanchez to jump into Houston’s lineup would be in place of Taylor Trammell
  • Trammell had been batting leadoff on the strong side of a platoon and was batting .344 since the All Star Break
  • Sanchez was batting .256 with 10 homers and nine stolen bases in Miami. He has the power and speed to be intriguing for fantasy and will get a boost in value following this trade. He is an underrated fantasy asset

Los Angeles Angels

• Jorge Soler is out with back inflammation
  • The Angels lost both Soler and the likely backup to Soler in Chris Taylor, both to the IL
  • With both players out of the lineup, Gustavo Campero is back up from Triple-A and serving as the everyday right fielder
  • Campero is batting just .159 in 22 Major League games this season and is not worth paying attention to in fantasy
• Christian Moore has begun a rehab assignment
  • Moore’s return to the lineup will likely occur early next week and presents an interesting dilemma, especially following the acquisition of Oswald Peraza
  • Moore is primarily a second baseman which is currently filled by Luis Rengifo. Rengifo has been disappointing this season, but is hitting .292 since the All-Star Break
  • The other option is to keep Moore in Triple-A after he struggled, batting .189 through his first 18 Major League games. Moore is a better dynasty asset than a redraft player, as there is still plenty of work to do with his hit tool

Texas Rangers

• Joc Pederson is back from the IL
  • Pederson was activated off the IL last Saturday and has taken over as the primary DH
  • Pederson will continue to play as part of a platoon sitting against lefties, and is batting seventh in the lineup in most games
  • In 50 games this season, Pederson has just two homers and a .120 average. He is not worth adding in fantasy
• Josh Jung is back after a reset down in Triple-A
  • Jung played just eight games in Triple-A before rejoining the Major League team
  • In nine games since returning, Jung is batting .367 with two home runs. He has been batting eighth in the lineup in most games
  • Jung’s issue is not potential or power, but rather keeping his strikeout rate in check. He is still striking out over 30% of the time since returning and is now dealing with some calf soreness
• Adolis Garcia was not traded
  • Instead of selling off any pieces, the Rangers decided to add at the deadline, keeping Garcia in Texas
  • Garcia has been struggling since the All-Star Break, batting .180, and is just hitting .227 on the season
  • Garcia has been a bit unlucky this season, but is clearly regressing from where he stood a couple of years ago. He is a fine but unexciting fantasy asset

Athletics

• Jacob Wilson is out with a fractured forearm
  • One of the favorites for AL Rookie of the Year will now miss an extended period of time with this injury
  • With Wilson out of the lineup and Max Muncy on the IL, Darell Hernaiz was promoted from Triple-A
  • Hernaiz owns a .205 batting average across 142 Major League plate appearances, but has a proven track record of hitting for average in the Minor Leagues
• Denzel Clarke is also out with an injury
  • Clarke landed on the IL on July 21 with a groin injury
  • With Clarke out of the lineup, Lawrence Butler has shifted back to center field, and Carlos Cortes has entered the lineup over Colby Thomas
  • Cortes was batting .322 with 17 homers in a hitter-friendly Triple-A environment. Making his Major League debut at age 28 does not bode well for his chances of becoming a reliable fantasy asset
• Nick Kurtz has been unstoppable offensively
  • With Wilson now out, Kurtz has slotted in as the favorite for AL ROY, thanks to an onslaught of home runs recently
  • Despite playing in just 70 games, Kurtz is already up to 23 homers on the season. His 600 PA pace is 48 homers
  • He has six homers since the All-Star Break and has lowered his strikeout rate during that time frame to 22.6%. Kurtz is quickly turning into an elite fantasy asset
• Miguel Andujar was traded to Cincinnati
  • Andujar had settled into an everyday role with the Athletics, which is unlikely to continue following this trade
  • Andujar was playing both left field and third base, and his playing time will now most likely go to Max Schuemann and Colby Thomas
  • Of those two, Thomas is the one with fantasy upside, but he will need to keep his strikeout rate in check to ever reach his fantasy ceiling

Seattle Mariners

• Josh Naylor has taken over at first base
  • The first big move for Seattle was acquiring Josh Naylor from Arizona
  • Naylor slots right in as the team’s everyday first baseman and has been batting fourth in the lineup since being acquired
  • While Naylor still projects to be a strong fantasy asset, he moves from the seventh most favorable hitters park for lefties to the least favorable in all of baseball
• Eugenio Suarez is back with Seattle
  • Suarez was essentially a salary dump from Seattle to Arizona prior to last season and is now back for his second stint with the team
  • Suarez was in the lineup for the game on Thursday and hit fifth. Ben Williamson was optioned to Triple-A with the trade
  • For righties, Suarez moves from the second-most-favorable hitter’s park to the least favorable hitter’s environment. Suarez posted a 137 wRC+ in Seattle back in 2022 and a 119 wRC+ in Seattle in 2023
• JP Crawford seems to have slid down in the lineup
  • With Seattle making two big additions to their lineup, Crawford appears to be the guy moving down in the lineup
  • After spending most of the season in the leadoff role, Crawford moved down to eighth on Thursday. Crawford is batting just .109 since July 18
  • Randy Arozarena has moved up into the leadoff spot and is quietly up to 21 homers and 20 steals on the season. He has 11 homers since the start of July

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

• Kerry Carpenter has returned to the lineup after an IL stint
  • Prior to landing on the IL, Carpenter had hit three home runs in five games and is picking up right where he left off
  • He has two multi-hit games, including a home ru,n since returning while batting third in the lineup on a strong side of a platoon
  • He replaces Parker Meadows, who is now on the IL with a quad injury
• Javier Baez is still serving as the primary shortstop for the Tigers
  • Baez is drawing starts in both center field and shortstop while batting in the bottom third of the lineup
  • A surprise, and controversial All-Star, Baez is coming back down to earth. He is batting just .161 since the break and .180 since the start of July
  • Baez has not walked since June 24 and should not be considered a reliable fantasy asset. Do not be surprised if Trey Sweeney is back in Detroit at some point this season
• Wenceel Perez has shifted down to sixth in the lineup
  • The return of Carpenter pushes Perez down a spot, although he continues to play every day
  • Perez’s production has been underwhelming coming out of the break with a .195/.233/.293 slash
  • While part of the issue is a low and unlucky BABIP, Perez has not hit a home run since July 4 and is not impacting the ball much. He is best viewed as a fringe fantasy asset thanks to his consistent playing time

Kansas City Royals

• Randal Grichuk was acquired from Arizona
  • The Royals desperately need a facelift in the outfield, and they will give Grichuk a go
  • Although primarily viewed as a short-side platoon player, Grichuk could serve as the everyday right fielder over MJ Melendez
  • Melendez has not fared any better in this go-around at the Major League level. He has just one hit in 13 plate appearances since being recalled from Triple-A
• Freddy Fermin was traded away to San Diego
  • Fermin was not serving as the primary catcher all season, but he was getting significant time behind the dish as of late
  • The team now has two options. The first is to move Salvador Perez to catcher full time. He is capable, but at 35 years old, that seems foolish
  • The other and more exciting option is for the team to promote Carter Jensen from Triple-A. Jensen would offer fantasy upside and has eight homers in 22 Triple-A games
• Mike Yastrzemski was acquired from the Giants
  • Yaz was starting to fall out of favor in San Francisco and will get a fresh start in Kansas City
  • As already mentioned, the Royals have been desperate for help in the outfield and get some with Yaz. Now 34, he is batting .231 with eight homers and six stolen bases this season. He is batting just .100 since the All-Star Break
  • While beneficial to the Royals, he does not offer much in terms of fantasy value. John Rave is likely to see a decrease in his playing time following this acquisition

Chicago White Sox

• The only batter to get traded out of Chicago was Austin Slater
  • In a somewhat surprising move, the White Sox decided not to trade Luis Robert Jr. and will instead keep him through this season
  • The departure of Slater opens up more consistent playing time against lefties for Michael A Taylor and could keep Kyle Teel’s bat in the lineup a bit more at DH
  • Teel is primarily playing on the strong side of a platoon and is batting .277 since being recalled from Triple-A
• The White Sox did acquire Curtis Mead from Tampa Bay
  • Mead was down in Triple-A with the Rays but has appeared in 49 Major League games this season. He owns a career .238 average with five homers through 356 plate appearances
  • Once a former top prospect, Mead has struggled to get consistent playing time at the Major League level and will now get a change of scenery following this trade
  • The White Sox already have a plethora of young players in the infield. Lenyn Sosa at second base has the highest risk of losing playing time following the Mead acquisition
• Colson Montgomery is playing well since being recalled
  • The roller coaster ride for those following Montgomery has been eventful this season, but he has settled in nicely at the Major League level
  • Since being promoted, he is batting .257 with five home runs. He is playing every day and primarily batting seventh in the lineup
  • The power is and always has been legit, but the question is how much will he hit. Right now, his 33.1% chase rate and 32.5% whiff rate paint a warning flag of strikeout issues to come

Minnesota Twins

• Byron Buxton is on the IL with a rib injury
  • Buxton could only stay healthy for so long after batting .282 in 85 games this season
  • With Buxton out of the lineup, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. could see his playing time increase
  • Keirsey had a chance to play earlier this season and hit just .115 in 64 games. He is not worth picking up
• Harrison Bader was traded to Philadelphia
  • Bader was having a solid season in Minnesota, who is now down two starting outfielders with Buxton and Bader both gone
  • The most likely outcome appears to be recently acquired James Outman stepping in as the everyday center fielder
  • Outman showed flashes with LA in 2023 but has hit just .137 in 200 plate appearances since. He is a project for Minnesota and is not a reliable fantasy asset
• Willi Castro was traded to the Cubs
  • The Twins’ teardown was as severe as they come this year. Castro had been playing every day, serving in a super utility position for the team
  • His spot in the lineup is most likely to be taken by Kody Clemens who has been playing more frequently as of late and batting in the middle of the lineup
  • He has 12 homers in just 70 games and is due for some positive regression to his .221 BABIP. He is worth an add in 12+ team leagues where he is still available

Cleveland Guardians

• Angel Martinez continues to bat second in Cleveland’s lineup
  • Martinez has put up lackluster numbers this season, slashing .243/.276/.394 with a 84 wRC+
  • Still, he continues to serve as the everyday center fielder and has been playing better since the All-Star Break
  • Since the break, Martinez is slashing .280/.357/.420. He is not producing much for fantasy managers with one homer and zero stolen bases. There is not a lot of fantasy upside here outside of consistent playing time
• Steven Kwan was not traded at this year’s deadline
  • Despite the speculation, Cleveland decided to keep the leadoff hitter in their lineup
  • Kwan has been excellent again this season with nine home runs and a .286 batting average
  • He has been playing especially well since the break, swatting three home runs. The only concerning part for fantasy managers is that the stolen bases have slowed down. Kwan has not stolen a base since June 25