Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for the Week of April 20

I am back with the latest edition of my Lineup Analysis column for fantasy baseball. Before I get into the latest lineup machinations for all 30 MLB teams, I want to touch on next week’s schedule. There are a couple of scheduling quirks that fantasy baseball managers will have to note.

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First, Monday, April 20 is Patriots’ Day. That means the Boston Red Sox will play at 11:00 AM on the East Coast, hosting the Detroit Tigers. This is not ideal for leagues where all players lock for the week at the first pitch of the first game. If you are in such a league, you will have to set your lineups early Monday morning. All other games that day start at 6:10 PM EST or later.

Another noteworthy tidbit is that the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres will play in Mexico City next weekend. It is only a two-game set, so each team plays only five games in Week 5. However, I would not discount the offensive damage these teams can do in their five games. There have been a combined 63 runs and 22 (!) home runs in the four previous MLB games played there. When you factor in that Arizona hosts the Chicago White Sox and San Diego travels to Coors Field before next weekend’s clash, Diamondbacks and Padres hitters remain viable fantasy options even in a five-game week.

The rest of the Week 5 schedule is rather standard. Eight teams are scheduled to play on all seven days. There are 10 games on Monday and nine on Thursday. Aside from Arizona and San Diego, all teams play on each of the other five days. Now let’s take a look at how each team’s lineup is likely to look over the coming week.

Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 5

American League

Athletics

The Athletics have reversed course once again on their leadoff spot. Jeff McNeil has now led off in three straight games, all against right-handed pitching. This is a coveted role since he hits before Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, and Tyler Soderstrom. The Athletics are off Thursday and should face five righties this week. That makes McNeil a viable option, especially with his multi-eligibility. I mentioned Carlos Cortes last week, and he has been sticking in the sixth spot, even versus righties. Lawrence Butler has been dropped to seventh or eighth in four straight outings. Austin Wynns and Langeliers keep trading starts behind the plate, even though the Athletics have faced four straight right-handed starters. Langeliers has been the DH in each of Wynns’ starts.

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore finally faced left-handed starters this week, leading to several lineup changes. Taylor Ward moved to the leadoff spot, with Gunnar Henderson shifting to second in the order. Johnathan Rodriguez replaced Dylan Beavers and batted cleanup, though this swap offers little upside for fantasy managers. Colton Cowser was benched for both games against lefties, directly reflecting the platoon strategy. Samuel Basallo started one of the two games—this was likely scheduling-related, as he remains the full-time catcher while Adley Rutschman is sidelined. Jeremiah Jackson consistently hit sixth against lefty starters and is producing at the plate. With three more lefties on the schedule in Week 5, expect these lineup patterns to continue, making Jackson a viable daily league or streaming option until Jackson Holliday returns.

Boston Red Sox

Boston has bumped Trevor Story from sixth to fourth in the lineup amid a recent hot stretch. Caleb Durbin takes the biggest hit, dropping from second to either seventh or eighth, resulting in fewer opportunities to score runs and rack up counting stats. Andruw Monasterio has hit second in each of Boston’s last two games against left-handed starting pitchers. However, there isn’t much to grab onto for fantasy purposes outside of DFS, and even that may be a stretch. Boston faces Max Fried and Trevor Rogers in their seven games this week, making offensive production tougher for these hitters. Connor Wong has started three straight games behind the plate and currently seems to have a leg up on Carlos Narvaez.

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox traded infielder Lenyn Sosa to Toronto and lost outfielder Dustin Harris to Houston via waivers. To fill these roster spots, they activated outfielder Everson Pereira and recalled outfield prospect Sam Antonacci from AAA. Pereira has batted fourth or fifth in all four games he’s played. Antonacci has hit fifth or sixth against righties, ninth in his only game against a left-handed starter. The White Sox are expected to face just one lefty this week, with an off day on Monday. Andrew Benintendi should see more leadoff opportunities. Benintendi has led off in three straight starts against right-handers. Meanwhile, Chase Meidroth has dropped in the order, hitting eighth and seventh in his last two starts.

Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians activated outfielder George Valera from the Injured List. Valera has started four of five games since his return, all hitting fifth against right-handed starters. Given Cleveland’s frequent platooning, Valera likely won’t start much against lefties, but that shouldn’t impact him in Week 5 with five righties and only one lefty on the schedule. The Guardians are off Thursday. This schedule should benefit Kyle Manzardo and Bo Naylor, who are expected to get most starts. Angel Martinez, who started only two of the last four games after a strong stretch, now projects as a daily play versus lefties rather than a must-start in weekly leagues.

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers finally faced some left-handed starting pitchers this week, prompting several lineup changes. Jahmai Jones made his first starts of the season, batting third both times, and is an excellent daily league and DFS target against lefties. Matt Vierling started each game against a lefty, hitting second, sixth, and fifth. Gleyber Torres has led off all three games with left-handed starters, while Kevin McGonigle has hit second or third. Neither Kerry Carpenter nor Colt Keith has started when Detroit faces a lefty, but both should be relatively safe options this week, as the team has no days off and only encounters two left-handed starters. The Tigers placed utilityman Zach McKinstry on the Injured List this week and recalled Hao-Yu Lee from the Minors.

Houston Astros

Jose Altuve has reclaimed leadoff duties with Jeremy Pena currently on the Injured List. The Astros kept Carlos Correa in the third spot on Saturday and dropped Isaac Paredes to fifth, as Paredes has struggled to start the season. With Joey Loperfido expected to go on the IL due to a quad injury, I would imagine Dustin Harris will be called up in a corresponding move. The Astros remain short on left-handed bats and outfield options, with Taylor Trammell serving as the current starting center fielder and only lefty besides Yordan Alvarez on the active roster. Trammell is a career .181 hitter in the Major Leagues with a 35 percent strikeout rate over 500 plate appearances. Houston plays six games this week and faces two lefties.

Kansas City Royals

The top of Kansas City’s lineup is set in stone, with the top three hitters starting every game so far. Salvador Perez earned his first day off Saturday. The bottom half, however, changes with matchups. Against a lefty, expect Jonathan India, Starling Marte, and Lane Thomas to replace Michael Massey, Jac Caglianone, and Kyle Isbel. Carter Jensen dropped from fifth to eighth the last time the Royals faced a left-hander and sometimes sits against lefties. Kansas City has Thursday off at home and will likely face two left-handed starters on Friday and Saturday.

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels should face four left-handed starters in six games in Week 5. That makes Nolan Schanuel a bit riskier of a fantasy option than most weeks. Schanuel has started three of six games this year when the Angels faced a lefty. In those starts, he hit fifth or sixth rather than his usual third spot. Infielder Oswald Peraza will likely drop in the lineup now that Jorge Soler has served his suspension. Still, Peraza has been hot lately and could be worth adding where available. Vaughn Grissom is also intriguing in deeper weekly formats. He’s started four straight games against lefties, batting fifth three times.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins faced four lefties this week, which seems par for the course. Through 21 games, they have now faced 13 left-handed starters. Minnesota continued its platooning approach: Trevor Larnach and Tristan Gray sat three out of four times against left-handers, and Kody Clemens and James Outman did not start any of the four games. Oddly, Matt Wallner has avoided the same fate. He has started 19 of 21 games, despite being a career .176 hitter against lefties and a defensive liability. Wallner also sports a 42 percent strikeout rate this season. But hey, what do I know? With the Twins likely facing only one lefty in Week 5, Wallner might hit three home runs. Austin Martin is not a recommended fantasy start this week, given Minnesota’s schedule.

New York Yankees

I mentioned last week that Ben Rice was likely to only get five starts considering New York’s lefty-heavy schedule this week. Sure enough, he sat on both Monday and Tuesday. The good news is that he started against lefties on both Thursday and Saturday. Even better is that he homered in each game. The Yankees should face three more left-handed starting pitchers in Week 5. Hopefully Rice can stick in the lineup, but fantasy managers should start him regardless. Amed Rosario continues to start at third base against lefties in place of Ryan McMahon. Neither is likely to move the needle much this week. Trent Grisham earned his first two starts of the year versus lefty starters this week, as the Randal Grichuk experiment is off to a rough start. I would start Grisham despite New York’s upcoming schedule.

Seattle Mariners

Brendan Donovan missed Saturday’s game due to a hip injury. It feels like he is dealing with bumps and bruises every day, but that may just be me projecting since I have him in my high-stakes league. As long as he is good to go by Monday, I would roll him out in weekly leagues. Seattle plays six games and should face four right-handed starting pitchers. Donovan hits lower in the lineup against lefties, but he at least plays. That is more than we can say for Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone. Rob Refsnyder should start and lead off in the two games where Seattle will go against a left-hander. He is little more than a daily league or DFS play in those individual games.

Tampa Bay Rays

Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero have settled into the top two spots in Tampa’s lineup against right-handed starting pitchers. Personally, I would prefer a more patient hitter directly behind the speedster. Caminero has a career walk rate of 6 percent against right-handers. Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Diaz, and Jake Fraley are the next three hitters up against righties. Expect the top of the lineup to remain intact for the vast majority of Week 5. Tampa is slated to face five right-handed starting pitchers among its six games played. The Rays are off on Thursday. Richie Palacios and Taylor Walls are playing second and shortstop most of the time versus right-handed starters, with Ben Williamson spelling each on occasion.

Texas Rangers

Texas has bumped Josh Jung up in the lineup based on his recent hot streak at the plate. Jung has 16 hits, including nine extra-base hits, in his last 10 games. The Rangers’ third baseman is a streaky hitter, so ride the wave as long as you can. Texas starts a lengthy homestand following Monday’s off day. They are expected to only face one left-handed starting pitcher this week. That means Joc Pederson, Evan Carter, and Josh Smith are relatively safe fantasy starting options. None of them have been particularly effective offensively thus far, but they should at least earn four or five starts. Ezequiel Duran is playing the super utility role for the Rangers. He has started nine of the last 11 games at four different positions. Duran can be a valuable chess piece depending on your league’s positional eligibility requirements.

Toronto Blue Jays

Daulton Varsho is dealing with a quad injury, which caused him to miss Saturday’s game. However, he reportedly will not undergo imaging, so he should avoid joining the rest of Toronto’s MASH unit. Ernie Clement, Davis Schneider, and Nathan Lukes have each started two games in the leadoff spot in place of the injured George Springer. Lukes looks like the safest bet among the three to stick there, at least against right-handed starting pitchers. The Blue Jays recently recalled Eloy Jimenez from the Minor Leagues and acquired infielder Lenyn Sosa. Both former White Sox players have operated in the five-hole in the lineup multiple times this week. Andres Gimenez has been bumped up to the sixth spot in recent days. He has arguably been Toronto’s best hitter this season, so that should stick for a while.

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks got Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back this weekend. He hit fourth in his season debut and should continue to hit in the middle of Arizona’s order. As alluded to last week, Arizona did, in fact, place starting catcher Gabriel Moreno on the Injured List. They recalled Aramis Garcia from the Minors, but Adrian Del Castillo and Brian McCann have been sharing the catching duties. Ketel Marte has been dealing with an injury that has limited him to designated hitter duty over the past few days. As a result, Del Castillo has seen his playing time limited. Jose Fernandez has been starting at first base, with Ildemaro Vargas playing second base. Alek Thomas, Jorge Barrosa, and Tim Tawa have rotated between left and center field, as well as the bottom two lineup spots.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves should be in for a solid offensive week in Week 5. Not only do they have no off days, but they face the Washington Nationals. Unfortunately, they do not face Miles Mikolas, but the rest of the staff hasn’t been good either. Washington has allowed 134 runs so far this season. Houston is the only other Major League team that has allowed more than 109. Atlanta should face six right-handers before facing Jesus Luzardo next Sunday. Fantasy managers should continue to ride Dominic Smith until the wheels fall off. Smith enters the weekend with 16 RBI in just 50 plate appearances. I would also start Mike Yastrzemski this week, given the Braves’ favorable upcoming schedule.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs will also play a full seven-game slate this week. They should be in line to face five right-handers and two left-handers. Nico Hoerner has been on a tear, and he should continue to lead the charge in the top spot. Moises Ballesteros has also been hot and is on the right side of the designated hitter platoon. Seiya Suzuki has been the DH and five-hitter against lefties and the right fielder and three-hitter against righties. With Suzuki back and most of the Cubs clicking offensively, Pete Crow-Armstrong has been dropped to the eighth hole against both right and left-handed starting pitchers. Fantasy managers will just have to remain patient and wait for PCA to turn it around.

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have traded Christian Encarnacion-Strand and sent Noelvi Marte to the Minors. RIP to all dynasty baseball managers from two years ago. The team recalled Rece Hinds, and he has gotten most of the work in right field this week. Cincinnati is like Houston in that they are devoid of left-handed bats. Leadoff hitter TJ Friedl is the only regular lefty, and he has been brutal thus far. He is hitting .137 and has yet to record an extra-base hit. Will Benson and Nathaniel Lowe are the only other lefty bats on the roster. They have each started just five of the team’s last 12 games despite 11 of those contests coming against right-handed starting pitchers. Cincinnati is most likely facing four righties and two lefties in Week 5.

Colorado Rockies

Edouard Julien has remained the leadoff hitter for the Colorado Rockies. However, his fast start has come to an abrupt halt. We will have to monitor to see how much rope the team gives him. On the bright side, it’s not like Colorado has a bunch of obviously better options. Willi Castro has missed three straight games with a hand injury. He had only started two of the previous four games anyway, as Julien is starting at second base and Kyle Karros is starting at third. TJ Rumfield has hit third in the order in three consecutive games. That has not led to much production. But like Julien, he should remain there for at least the next few games to see if something clicks. The Rockies get a full seven-game week and should face two left-handed pitchers this week.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Andy Pages has now hit in the third spot in each of the last two games that Will Smith has missed. Naturally, Pages has gone 1-for-8 with no extra-base hits or RBI in those games, but this is still a positive sign. We know what we are getting from the rest of the Dodger lineup. Backup catcher Dalton Rushing has started six games this year and has five home runs. The Dodgers will play all seven games in Week 5. You certainly don’t need me to tell you to start your Dodgers but start your Dodgers. They should bookend the week facing left-handers, with five righties from Tuesday through Saturday.

Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins should get a boost from the expected return of Kyle Stowers on Sunday. Stowers flashed elite power metrics last season in his first real taste of full-time action in the Major Leagues. He may get a maintenance day, just coming off an injury. But I would start him wherever I have him this week. I’m curious to see if Jakob Marsee remains the team’s leadoff hitter or if the Marlins drop him behind Stowers and possibly even Otto Lopez or Liam Hicks. Miami is scheduled to face five right-handed starting pitchers and one lefty around a Thursday travel day. Their left-handed bats should be solid this week. The most notable exception could be third baseman Graham Pauley, who is dealing with an oblique injury. Javier Sanoja would start in Pauley’s place if he is sidelined.

Milwaukee Brewers

Christian Yelich is the latest Milwaukee Brewer hitter to land on the Injured List, joining Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn. Sal Frelick has been leading off against right-handed starters, with Brice Turang manning the third spot. Gary Sanchez is becoming a full-time player with Milwaukee dealing with so many injuries. He has started five straight games and has hit fourth in all of them. Only one of those starts has come at catcher, as William Contreras is the team’s iron man behind the plate. Jake Bauers has still been hitting fifth against righties, but is not starting versus lefties. Milwaukee is off Monday before playing six straight to close the week. They have the dubious distinction of facing Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes on consecutive nights in the middle of the week.

New York Mets

The Mets have made all sorts of roster moves this week. They placed Jorge Polanco and Jared Young on the Injured List and sent Ronny Mauricio to AAA. In corresponding moves, they have called up catcher Hayden Senger as well as outfielders MJ Melendez and Tommy Pham. Melendez has started three straight games at DH, hitting eighth, sixth, and fifth. Rookie Carson Benge has been upgraded to leadoff hitter over the past two games as the team looks to jolt its struggling offense. Fantasy managers should add him wherever available. The Mets are off Monday before starting a lengthy homestand. They should only face one left-handed starter this week. Melendez could be worth streaming in deeper fantasy baseball leagues this week. Just keep in mind that Juan Soto should return from injury by next weekend.

Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia has faced four consecutive left-handed starting pitchers, but their first three hitters will always remain the same. The biggest change was that Edmundo Sosa started all four contests, including two games as the team’s number five hitter. The Phillies play seven games in Week 5. However, only two of them will likely be against left-handers. That means fantasy managers can ignore Sosa in weekly formats. The schedule should give Brandon Marsh and Bryston Stott a boost. Stott sat in favor of Sosa for the last three games. Marsh played in two of three but hit eighth and ninth in those outings. Marsh and Stott could hit as high as fourth and fifth, respectively, when Philadelphia faces a right-handed starter. Adolis Garcia could also fit there, though I expect him to hit sixth versus righties.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The top of Pittsburgh’s lineup has continued to mash, and the team is averaging over five runs per game. Their left-handed hitters are doing most of the damage, although Marcell Ozuna is finally getting in on the act. The Pirates play six games this week and should face five right-handed starters and one left-hander. Continue to roll with the usual suspects, including Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds, and Ryan O’Hearn. Konnor Griffin and Spencer Horwitz are decent options as well. Griffin has struggled out of the gate, but Pittsburgh will live with the growing pains, and so should fantasy managers. Nick Gonzales and Nick Yorke have each started four of six games but have little to show for it from a fantasy standpoint.

San Diego Padres

The Padres should face all right-handed starting pitchers this week. That means their lineups should be straightforward. Ramon Laureano should be followed by Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Gavin Sheets. Sheets began the year as the primary first baseman but has gotten multiple starts in left field and at designated hitter recently. Ty France has started five of the last six games at first base. As a result, whatever value Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos have has taken a hit. Each has started just two of San Diego’s last five games. Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano continue to split time behind the plate for the Padres. Campusano has been more productive so far but has started just nine of 21 games.

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants placed Harrison Bader and Jared Oliva on the Injured List this week. Replacing them in the outfield and on the roster are Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan. Gilbert has made four straight starts in center field, while Brennan has split left field duties with Heliot Ramos. San Francisco has tweaked the order of the 3-6 hitters a couple of times this week, but the players remain steady. It is usually Matt Chapman, then Rafael Devers, Casey Schmitt, and Jung Hoo Lee hitting behind Willy Adames and Luis Arraez. The Giants faced nothing but right-handers this week and are scheduled to do so again in Week 5. Daniel Susac started three of the last six games at catcher after starting just two of the first 15. Patrick Bailey’s time could be numbered.

St. Louis Cardinals

If you account for two games that Masyn Winn has missed due to injury, the top six hitters in the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup versus right-handed starting pitchers have been the same dating back two weeks. I mention that because the Cardinals will exclusively face right-handers in Week 5. That is good news for Nolan Gorman, who has held down the fifth spot in the order against righties. You could certainly do worse than hit behind Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker. The pair has combined for a .383 on-base percentage. Winn and Nathan Church should remain in the everyday starting lineup as well this week. Ramon Urias, Jose Fermin, and Thomas Saggese will be relegated to the bench.

Washington Nationals

Washington’s lineups have been all over the place, except for James Wood leading off. Brady House, Daylen Lile, and Luis Garcia Jr. hit in three different spots in the order between Wednesday and Friday. Jose Tena batted third on Saturday after hitting eighth on Friday. The good news is Washington plays seven games this week, so most of their regulars are in play. Garcia’s value could take a hit, however. Curtis Mead continues to bat second and play first base against lefties, while Garcia either sits or hits at the bottom of the lineup. He is probably looking at five starts, with four of them hitting near the top of the lineup. I would not downgrade Wood, Lile, or CJ Abrams. All have been solid against left-handed pitching so far this season.