Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis: AL 09/13

The fantasy baseball playoffs are in full swing. All season, the fantasy baseball lineup analysis articles have been written with the goal of assisting fantasy managers in staying up to date with the latest news, notes, changes, and trends. For the last time this season, below is the American League lineup analysis to help you win your leagues.

The five hottest hitters over the past two weeks in the AL have been: Byron Buxton, Aaron Judge, Kyle Manzardo, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackson Holliday. The five coldest hitters over the past two weeks have been: Brooks Lee, Salvador Perez, Ceddanne Rafaela, Alex Bregman, and Ben Rice. Keep reading for the latest news and notes from all 15 lineups around the American League.

Fantasy Baseball Lineup Takeaways

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.

AL East

New York Yankees

Paul Goldschmidt has lost all of his playing time
- Goldschmidt is getting into the lineup against lefties, but is no longer playing against righties
- Instead, Austin Wells is playing catcher every day and batting seventh in the lineup
- On the season, Wells is batting .214 with 21 home runs. 20+ homers from a catcher are always valuable, even though his batting average is a bit disappointing
Austin Slater is back from the IL
- Slater’s return to the team does not impact the normal starting lineup, but it does add another platoon
- With Slater back and entering the lineup against lefties, Trent Grisham is back to platooning and sitting against lefties
- Grisham has been excellent this season for the Yankees, setting a career high in home runs with 30. He should continue to hold value throughout the season
Anthony Volpe could sit more often down the stretch
- Reports out of the Yankees are that Volpe is battling through a partially torn labrum, although he is not expected to land on the IL
- Volpe was held out of the lineup on Wednesday and Thursday and could continue to see more off days as the season moves along
- If Volpe is forced to miss time, Jose Caballero appears most likely to see his playing time increase down the stretch

Boston Red Sox

Roman Anthony is on the IL with an oblique injury
- With Anthony out of the lineup, Nate Eaton is getting a chance to play more consistently
- In 27 games this season, Eaton is batting .245 with zero home runs and four stolen bases
- He has been batting seventh or eighth in the lineup most nights and is not worth adding in any fantasy league
Second base is a revolving door
- The team’s preferred option appears to be Romy Gonzalez, who has been batting fifth, but he is dealing with a minor injury that kept him out of the lineup on Wednesday
- Gonzalez is also shifting to first base in place of Nathaniel Lowe against lefties. This is giving Nick Sogard a chance to play more between the outfield and second base
- Sogard has played in 53 Major League games in his career with zero home runs. He is batting .253 in 22 games this season and holds little fantasy value
Masataka Yoshida has been moving around in the lineup
- With Anthony out of the lineup, the Sox have been shifting players around to help fill the void. One of those is Yoshida
- Yoshida is primarily batting fifth or sixth in the lineup, but hit leadoff two times this past week. The move to the leadoff spot would certainly lead to more run-scoring opportunities
- In 40 games this season, Yoshida is batting .241 with two homers and two stolen bases. He is not the worst fantasy option, but he lacks upside

Tampa Bay Rays

Richie Palacios has been getting regular playing time
- After spending the majority of 2025 on the IL, Palacios has appeared in only eight games but has already hit a home run and added two stolen bases
- Palacios has mostly been playing first base and batting seventh in the lineup
- In terms of fantasy value, Palacios does not offer a ton of upside and is sitting against lefties. He has the most upside in the stolen base department, but is not worth a look outside of deep leagues
Chandler Simpson has cooled off
- The issue with Simpson’s profile is that it is dependent on him getting on base. If he is not hitting for average, then he is not stealing bases, and is not producing for fantasy managers
- Since August 25, Simpson is batting just .167 and has not walked or gotten an extra base hit
- Simpson continues to bat leadoff for Tampa, but fantasy baseball managers should be aware that his fantasy value is always capped
Carson Williams is striking out a lot
- The Rays are giving Williams a chance to prove himself at the end of this season, but a 41% strikeout rate is not going to stick
- The power and speed combination present in his profile is incredibly enticing, but it is difficult to project him hitting enough to maintain an everyday role
- For now, he is batting eighth or ninth in the lineup while playing over Tristan Gray most nights

Toronto Blue Jays

Bo Bichette is on the IL
- Bichette landed on the IL with a knee injury and does not have a firm timetable to return
- With Bichette out of the lineup, Ernie Clement has been playing shortstop. He has been batting seventh in the lineup
- In 140 games this season, Clement is batting .278 with nine home runs. He is a high-floor asset with very little fantasy ceiling
Joey Loperfido is back up from Triple-A
- Loperfido was recalled prior to Tuesday’s game and has been in the lineup for two of three games since returning
- With Loperfido back, he fills the hole in the lineup vacated by Bichette and has been playing left field and batting eighth
- Loperfido has proven useful when in the lineup this season with a .342 batting average and three homers. He is worth adding in deep leagues where you need a boost for the final stretch
Alejandro Kirk is struggling offensively
- Kirk has been solid for the majority of the season, batting .289 with 12 homers in 117 games this season and a 117 wRC+
- He has cooled off as of late and is batting just .225 since August 25, although his walk rate continues to be excellent
- The Jays are giving him a few extra days off down the stretch to make sure he is ready for the playoffs, but he remains a strong fantasy option at catcher

Baltimore Orioles

Tyler O’Neill is returning to the lineup
- O’Neill has been on the IL with a wrist injury since early August, but will return to the lineup this weekend
- With O’Neill returning, it seems likely that Jeremiah Jackson and Dylan Beavers could find themselves in a platoon
- Beavers is the more attractive fantasy option, but Jackson has continued to produce while batting at the top of the lineup
Jackson Holliday does not get much attention, but is quietly producing
- In 135 games this season, Holliday is quietly up to 17 homers and 15 stolen bases. He is batting .250
- Settling into the leadoff role also gives Holliday upside in the run-scoring department, and he is still only 21 years old
- Holliday has been inconsistent this season, but is slashing .366/.500/.634 since August 28 and should be a prime breakout candidate in 2026

AL West

Houston Astros

Jake Meyers is back from the IL
- Meyers returned to the lineup on Saturday, and he has been serving as the primary center fielder since returning
- Injuries have limited Meyers to 93 games this season, but he has performed well, batting .301 with three homers when healthy
- With Meyers back, Taylor Trammell and Cam Smith are both in bench roles
Yainer Diaz is turning it on to end the season
- Diaz has primarily been a disappointment for fantasy managers this season, but is turning things around late
- Since August 17, Diaz is slashing .282/.320/.451 and is now up to 19 homers on the season
- He continues to bat all over the back half of the lineup and serves as the team’s everyday catcher
Jose Altuve has shifted to fourth in the lineup
- Altuve had been batting third in the lineup for most of the season, but has started to move back to fourth this week
- The adjustment to the lineup comes as Altuve has entered a mini-slump with just two hits in his last 33 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should not be overly concerned with this recent slump
- With Altuve batting fourth, Yordan Alvarez is batting second in the lineup with Carlos Correa batting third. Alvarez is batting .449 with three home runs since returning from the IL on August 26

Los Angeles Angels

Logan O’Hoppe is out with a concussion
- O’Hoppe landed on the IL prior to Monday’s game and will miss an undetermined amount of time
- With O’Hoppe out of the lineup, Sebastian Rivero was promoted from Triple-A and is drawing the majority of starts over Travis d’Arnaud
- In 68 games at Triple-A, Rivero was batting .264 with nine home runs. He does not have a ton of fantasy upside and is not worth adding
Oswald Peraza is getting a chance to play first base
- With Nolan Schanuel still on the IL, Peraza is getting a chance to play every day
- He has been batting sixth or seventh in the lineup and rotating around the infield. He is primarily playing first base
- Peraza has appeared in 24 games since joining the Angels. He is batting .228 with one homer and three stolen bases. It seems unlikely that he will ever live up to the expectations set as a prospect
Mike Trout has moved into the leadoff role
- The Angels have shifted Trout from third to second, and now up to first in the lineup
- So far this season, Trout has appeared in 116 games, which is his most since 2022 and only the second time in the last six seasons he has hit 100+ games played. He is batting .235 with 21 homers and two stolen bases
- After a rough August, Trout has found his swing down the stretch. Since August 31, he is slashing .306/.435/.472 with a 155 wRC+

Texas Rangers

Corey Seager is likely done for the year
- There is still a chance that Seager returns before the end of the season, but after undergoing an appendectomy, it is unlikely
- With now Seager and Marcus Semien out of the lineup, Josh Smith has taken over at shortstop, with Cody Freeman getting a chance to play second base
- Freeman has been batting seventh against righties while moving up against lefties. He was batting .336 with 19 home runs in Triple-A and could be worth taking a shot on in deep leagues
Adolis Garcia is nearing a return to the lineup
- Garcia is currently on the IL with a quadricep injury, but is expected to return to the lineup on September 15
- In his absence, Garcia has been replaced by Michael Heiman in the lineup. He has been batting ninth
- In 22 games, Heiman is batting .255 and has already hit five home runs. His barrel rate has been strong, and he fits the mold of a high fly ball, high pull rate hitter
Jake Burger is batting fourth in the lineup
- With all of the injuries in Texas, Burger all of a sudden finds himself batting in the middle of the lineup again
- 2025 has been a disappointing year for Burger, but things have been better as of late. He has two homers since returning from the IL on September 1 and has hit safely in all but two games since returning
- In 91 games this season, he has still hit 14 homers and is batting .324 over his last 78 plate appearances. He has some upside if you are in need of a first baseman down the stretch

Athletics

JJ Bleday and Colby Thomas are platooning
- Thomas is batting in the middle of the lineup against lefties, while Bleday seems to have the edge against righties
- In 40 games this season, Thomas is batting .206 with five homers and two stolen bases. His power and speed are clear positives, but his 34.3% strikeout rate is a major red flag
- Bleday has had an up-and-down season but is batting .310 with four home runs since August 25
The A’s are adjusting their top three against lefties
- Against righties, Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, and Brent Rooker are batting in that order
- Against lefties, the team is mixing things up. In their most recent lineup, Jacob Wilson moved back up into the leadoff role against a lefty
- Since being activated off the IL on August 22, Wilson has not slowed down one bit. He is slashing .358/.294/.507 as his excellent rookie season has continued
The A’s offense is something that fans should be very excited about in 2026 and beyond
- While the A’s have still been disappointing in 2025, there is plenty of fantasy value to be had on their roster
- Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, and Jacob Wilson have solidified themselves as excellent fantasy assets and should continue to be for years to come. They get an added bonus as long as they play in Sacramento
- 2025 breakout candidate Lawrence Butler has been a bit disappointing, but still has a bright future. Butler is batting .239 on the season with 19 homers and 17 stolen bases. Even if his real-life value fluctuates, he is a strong fantasy asset

Seattle Mariners

Victor Robles and Dominic Canzone are splitting time
- Right field is a bit of a mess in terms of playing time with Robles, Canzone, and Luke Raley all drawing starts this past week
- Robles played four straight games over the weekend, making it seem to be his job to lose. He is batting .280 with five stolen bases in 20 games since returning, but has been out of the lineup each of the past two games
- Canzone and Raley have each drawn one start, but with all three players splitting time, it is difficult to find much fantasy value
Cole Young has lost his starting lineup spot
- After spending the majority of the season as the team’s starting second baseman, Young has been in the starting lineup for just one game in the past week
- Young is batting just .214 in 73 games this season and has just one hit in his last 39 plate appearances. He is not worth rostering
- In his place, Leo Rivas is drawing the majority of starts against righties, with Mitch Garver taking over the lineup spot against lefties. Neither player offers much fantasy value
Josh Naylor is once again an underrated fantasy asset in 2025
- Another season has come and (mostly) gon,e and Josh Naylor just keeps on producing for fantasy managers
- On the season, Naylor is batting .283 with 19 home runs. He is as consistent as they come and has been even better this year, thanks to his speed
- A spike in stolen base totals was far from expected, but Naylor has stolen 27 this year. He is providing five-category contributions to fantasy managers in 2025

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

Parker Meadows is flashing just like in 2024
- Meadows was activated off the IL prior to Friday’s game and has been serving as the primary center fielder since returning
- 2025 has been a lost season for Meadows due to injuries, but he is turning things around late. He has collected seven hits in five games since returning with a miniscule 5.6% strikeout rate
- He is a strong add for anybody looking to help their outfield for the final two weeks and could turn out to be a strong value in drafts come 2026
Zach McKinstry has continued as the primary shortstop
- With Meadows back in the lineup, Javier Baez has shifted out of the primary center field role. However, Zach McKinstry is still playing over him at shortstop
- McKinstry (who is dealing with a minor back injury) has been serving as the primary shortstop and batting seventh or eighth in the lineup
- Baez should see his playing time increase if McKinstry misses extended time, but he has been batting just .184 since August 15

Kansas City Royals

Jonathan India is back from the IL
- India spent the minimum amount of time on the IL and returned to the Royals’ lineup on Tuesday
- He has gotten starts at both DH and second base since returning and is batting seventh in the lineup
- With India back, Michael Massey has moved back into a bench role
Jac Caglianone is also back from the IL
- Caglianone missed over a month with a hamstring injury but returned to the lineup on September 3
- He has jumped right back in as the everyday right fielder and has been batting in the back half of the lineup since returning. He has four hits in 26 plate appearances through his first nine games back
- With Caglianone back in the lineup, Nick Loftin has moved back into a bench role
Carter Jensen is not getting much playing time
- The Royals’ top hitting prospect was a part of the team’s September call-ups, but is not playing every day
- Since being recalled, Jensen has played in just five games. He is 1/8 to start his Major League career
- Jensen has significant fantasy appeal and is likely Kansas City’s catcher of the future. For now, though, he is not worth rostering in fantasy

Chicago White Sox

Miguel Vargas is back from the IL
- Vargas returned to the White Sox lineup on Wednesday and has been playing third base, batting fifth or sixth since returning
- Although his production has been underwhelming, he has still hit 14 homers and has done enough to secure his everyday lineup spot in 2026
- With Vargas returning to the lineup, Curtis Mead is the most likely candidate to see his playing time decrease
Andrew Benintendi has moved into a platoon
- When healthy, Benintendi has had the opportunity to play every day for the majority of the season, but that is changing
- He has been out of the lineup for the last two games against lefties, with Michael Taylor and others getting a chance to play
- Benintendi has hit 19 home runs in 110 games this season and is batting .349 since August 20. His production holds fantasy value as long as he continues to play regularly
Colson Montgomery continues to hit for power
- Montgomery’s Minor League performance was inconsistent, but that has not stopped him from hitting for incredible power at the Major League level
- In only 55 games, Montgomery has already hit 18 home runs. His full-season pace would be north of 50 home runs
- Montgomery’s hit tool remains a concern, but there is 30-homer upside over a full season, which will prove to be useful for fantasy managers

Minnesota Twins

Royce Lewis is moving back up in the lineup
- After spending some time batting in the bottom third, Lewis has been batting fifth or sixth in the lineup this past week
- The move up in the lineup comes as Lewis has heated up at the plate. He is batting .276 with four homers since August 27
- Overall, the 2025 season has been disappointing as Lewis has appeared in just 90 games. The upside is still present in his profile, although he is a risky and streaky option for fantasy baseball managers
Austin Martin is getting everyday playing time
- Martin has jumped into the lineup in favor of James Outman recently and has been batting second
- The former top prospect has appeared in 36 games for the Twins this season and is batting .290 with one homer and six stolen bases
- Martin holds sneaky value in OBP leagues, and his favorable spot in the lineup is ideal for scoring runs. The upside here is not significant (as he has limited power), but he does have plus speed and good contact skills
Ryan Jeffers is out with a concussion
- Jeffers was placed on the IL on September 4 and does not have a firm timetable for a return
- With Jeffers out of the lineup, Mickey Gasper and Jhonny Pereda are splitting time
- Neither Gasper nor Pereda holds much fantasy value, especially while splitting time, and should not be rostered
Brooks Lee has moved down in the lineup
- Lee was spending some time batting third in the lineup, but has since moved down to the bottom third
- Lee has gotten extended playing time in 2025, appearing in 125 games for Minnesota. In those, he is batting .238 with 14 homers and three stolen bases
- The move down in the lineup hurts Lee’s fantasy value, and his production has been underwhelming as of late. Since August 25, he has been slashing .164/.217/.236

Cleveland Guardians

George Valera is getting regular playing time
- The former top prospect has dealt with a load of injuries over the past few seasons, but is now up with the Major League team
- Although he is not labeled as a starter on Roster Resource, Valera is getting regular playing time between the outfield and DH and is batting second in the lineup
- Through seven games, he is batting .176. H has significant power upside in his profile, but his suspect hit tool could limit his production
Kyle Manzardo is finishing the season on a strong note
- Although Manzardo has been inconsistent this year, he has managed to hit 26 home runs in 126 games for the Guardians
- He has become a mainstay in the middle of their lineup and should continue improving as he grows more comfortable at the Major League level
- Since August 26, Manzardo is slashing .313/.411/.646

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