Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for the Week of May 25

The Week 10 Major League Baseball schedule is somewhat like that of this past week in terms of games played. The biggest difference is that Monday is Memorial Day, which means lots of day baseball. Seven of the 13 games scheduled for Monday will start before 6:00 PM EST. Most of the start times throughout the day are staggered, so make sure you have the latest lineup information before setting weekly lineups. With that in mind, here is my fantasy baseball lineup analysis column for Week 10. Below are news and notes from all 30 MLB teams on recent lineup changes and configurations. Not only can these help with weekly decisions, but they can also hopefully help you find a hidden gem or two on the waiver wire.

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Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 10

American League

Athletics

I’m not sure how often I’ve mentioned a change at the leadoff spot for the Athletics already this season, but it feels like a lot. This week, it was Carlos Cortes’ turn. Cortes started all five games the Athletics played against right-handed starters. The Athletics are facing five righties and one lefty again in Week 10, so we could see more of the same. Since shortstop Jacob Wilson went down with an injury, Darell Hernaiz has shifted from third base to short, with Zack Gelof moving from center field to third base. The recently-promoted Henry Bolte has started nine of the team’s last 11 games in center field. This has sent former starter Lawrence Butler to the bench. Butler has started just one of the last six games despite the Athletics facing five right-handed starters in that stretch.

Baltimore Orioles

Jackson Holliday has finally made his long-awaited 2026 debut. However, his usage has not yet been what many fantasy baseball managers expected. Holliday has hit seventh and ninth in his two starts and has not started either of Baltimore’s two games versus left-handed starters. Hopefully, this is temporary because the Orioles will face three left-handers this week. Baltimore has been extremely platoon-heavy, so it will be a mixed bag for anyone outside their current top four hitters. Taylor Ward, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Pete Alonso should play six or seven games. The rest of the hitters will likely start between three and five games each.

Boston Red Sox

Jarren Duran is partying like it’s 2024, at least from a usage standpoint. Duran has started and led off in every game Boston has played this month. Now if only he can get his batting average above the Mendoza Line… The Red Sox are one of four teams that have Monday off. The others are Atlanta, Detroit, and the Los Angeles Angels. After that, Boston will face four righties and two lefties. Mickey Gasper continues to get most of the DH work versus right-handed starters. He started three of four games in that role this past week. Gasper batted second in the lineup in all three games. Andruw Monasterio was the DH in both games this week versus left-handed starting pitchers. He batted fifth on both occasions. I would expect the same usage for Boston’s DH duo in Week 10.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox will have seven home games this week. They will be facing right-handed starting pitchers in five of them. Chicago’s lineup versus righties has been consistent lately. Sam Antonacci leads off and is followed by Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi usually gets bumped up if one of the players above is given a day off. Jarred Kelenic, Tristan Peters, and that day’s starting catcher make up the bottom third. Drew Romo and Edgar Quero have been splitting the catching duties evenly of late. Antonacci and Peters are the most likely regulars to be benched in the team’s two games versus lefties this week. Randal Grichuk, Derek Hill, and Luisangel Acuna will probably start in both of those games.

Cleveland Guardians

I mentioned last week that Cleveland had moved longtime leadoff man Steven Kwan out of that lineup spot. They have mostly been going with a platoon of Daniel Schneemann versus righties and Angel Martinez against lefties. But on Saturday, they put Travis Bazzana in that position. This would be a massive boost for his fantasy value moving forward. Bazzana has already been a top-100 fantasy hitter since being called up from Triple-A four weeks ago. He has exhibited patience at the plate and speed on the basepaths. Despite Cleveland facing four righties and two lefties this past week, Rhys Hoskins has made five starts, while Kyle Manzardo has started just twice. The Guardians only face one left-handed starting pitcher in Week 10, so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues.

Detroit Tigers

Kevin McGonigle, Dillon Dingler, and Riley Greene were the only Detroit Tigers to play in all five of their games this past week. In fact, none of the three have missed a start since May 4. Dingler’s usage and role are among the very best for fantasy purposes at the catcher position. Matt Vierling has graduated into a nearly everyday role with Kerry Carpenter still on the Injured List. He has been the team’s leadoff hitter versus left-handed starters. Detroit faces two lefties this week. Hao-Yu Lee, Jahmai Jones, and Zack Short have each started at least one game against a right-handed starting pitcher this week. That is outside the norm, as Detroit is a heavy platoon team. However, this uptick feels more like a byproduct of their injury issues than an expansion of their roles.

Houston Astros

Houston got two of their starters back this week. Shortstop Jeremy Pena has led off all five games since his return, while center fielder Jake Meyers has started three of four. Meyers has hit either fifth or seventh in all three games. Yordan Alvarez left Saturday’s game with back spasms. The team has already announced he will not play Sunday, but insists this was a planned day off for the slugger. Houston has a full seven-game schedule in Week 10, so fantasy managers will need to monitor this situation closely. If we know for sure Alvarez is playing Monday or Tuesday, he is a must-start in all formats. Braden Shewmake slid over to second base to replace the injured Jose Altuve and will gain 2B eligibility soon, depending on your league’s thresholds.

Kansas City Royals

I noted last week that Vinnie Pasquantino was dropped to the sixth spot versus left-handed starting pitchers. Somehow, it got worse this week. Pasquantino hit seventh on Tuesday and didn’t even start on Wednesday. On the flip side, Jac Caglianone has started two consecutive games versus left-handers. It is worth noting that Lane Thomas missed one of those games due to injury. But hopefully, this is an encouraging sign for Caglianone going forward. The Royals are off Thursday and will face one left-handed starter in each of their two series this week. Hopefully, they can find a way to get Pasquantino and Caglianone a handful of starts. Kansas City designated Elias Diaz for assignment and called up Tyler Tolbert. Tolbert is simply a pinch runner extraordinaire.

Los Angeles Angels

Zach Neto is back in the leadoff spot for the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels will face five right-handed starters and one lefty in Week 10. That means we should see a lineup with Neto, Mike Trout, Nolan Schanuel, and Jorge Soler occupying the top four spots on most occasions. Los Angeles made two roster moves this week that impact the lower half of the order. They placed Yoan Moncada on the Injured List and optioned outfielder Josh Lowe to the Minor Leagues. They have recalled Donovan Walton and Wade Meckler to replace Moncada and Lowe on the roster. Both are left-handed hitters, so they should be in the lineup for Los Angeles most nights. Watson hit ninth in both of his starts, while Meckler has hit sixth. Notably, Vaughn Grissom has not started either game after starting 10 of the previous 12 contests.

Minnesota Twins

Starting catcher Ryan Jeffers suffered a fractured hamate bone this week. It is a brutal blow for fantasy managers, as Jeffers was having a solid season. Victor Caratini should get most of the work behind the plate for the foreseeable future. The veteran has double-digit pop and carries first base eligibility, so you could certainly do worse in two-catcher leagues. Minnesota optioned third baseman Royce Lewis to the Minors this week. Lewis is still just 26 years old, but it feels like he may never live up to his potential. Brooks Lee has shifted to third base since Lewis’ demotion, with Ryan Kreidler playing shortstop. Minnesota will play a seven-game week and face six right-handed starting pitchers. That means Trevor Larnach, Kody Clemens, and James Outman should see plenty of action.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees activated Jose Caballero from the Injured List after the minimum 10-day stay. However, instead of sending Anthony Volpe back down to the Minors, it was Spencer Jones who was sent down. There has been talk of Volpe getting some work at second base while Caballero remains New York’s primary shortstop. I doubt that will occur anytime soon, but if you can afford the roster spot, I would try to hold onto Volpe for a little while longer just in case. Meanwhile, the Yankees have made a concerted effort to get Paul Goldschmidt more at-bats. He has started five of the last seven games despite only one of those games being against a left-handed starter. New York faces three lefties and three righties in Week 10, so the 38-year-old should see plenty of playing time.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle promoted top prospect Colt Emerson to the Majors after placing Brendan Donovan on the Injured List last weekend. Emerson has started all six games since being called up, albeit at or near the bottom of the lineup. Shortstop J.P. Crawford is handling most of the work in the leadoff spot in Donovan’s absence. The Mariners activated outfielder Victor Robles from the IL this week. He is most likely to be on the short side of a platoon in right field with Luke Raley. Robles and Rob Refsnyder will be on the outside looking in for most of this upcoming week. Seattle faces just one left-handed starting pitcher among their six games. Raley and Dominic Canzone will get most of the starts in right field and designated hitter, respectively.

Tampa Bay Rays

I mentioned last week that I expected the Tampa Bay Rays to call up a left-handed bat to replace injured outfielder Jake Fraley. That turned out not to be the case. They didn’t even call up an outfielder. Instead, it was Carson Williams who got the call. Since then, right-handed infielder Ben Williamson went down with a back injury. The Rays called up recently-acquired lefty infielder Oliver Dunn to replace Williamson. Tampa Bay will play six games this week, with five of them versus right-handed starters. Even though the Rays love to platoon, Jonny DeLuca should get most of the work in right field since the team doesn’t have any true outfielders on its bench. Second baseman Richie Palacios has nine hits and three stolen bases in his last seven games and should get plenty of opportunities to keep up that momentum this week.

Texas Rangers

Texas placed shortstop Corey Seager on the Injured List this week with a back injury. Michael Helman has replaced Seager on the roster, but utilityman Ezequiel Duran has taken over as the team’s interim shortstop. Duran has hit anywhere from fourth through seventh over the past six games. That same statement holds true for first baseman Jake Burger. Both players have been hot and should get plenty of work in Week 10. Texas begins a seven-game homestand on Monday. Six of those games will be against right-handed starters, but the Rangers don’t have a lefty bat off the bench that will threaten the playing time of either Duran or Burger. The righty-heavy schedule should ensure that Joc Pederson, Evan Carter, and Alejandro Osuna are close to full-time players for Texas this week.

Toronto Blue Jays

Center fielder Daulton Varsho has hit second or third in Toronto’s last five ball games. Like Texas, Toronto will also play seven games this week, with six of them being against right-handed starting pitchers. Varsho should continue to hit in the upper third of the lineup most of the time. Their upcoming schedule also means Yohendrick Pinango and Jesus Sanchez will get most of the work at the corner outfield spots for the Blue Jays. They have mostly been hitting towards the middle of the lineup versus righties. Andres Gimenez will get the nod at shortstop and hit near the bottom of the order. Toronto’s upcoming schedule means that Lenyn Sosa, Davis Schneider, and Myles Straw are unlikely to play much.

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona placed left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the IL this week with a hamstring injury. Gurriel missed the first three weeks of the season following last season’s ACL tear. The team promoted Tommy Troy from the Minors, while Tim Tawa played left field on Saturday night. Both are right-handed hitters, and the Diamondbacks will face an all-right-handed group of starting pitchers in Week 10. This is a situation for fantasy baseball managers to avoid. Adrian Del Castillo makes for an interesting option in two-catcher leagues this week. He should be Arizona’s starting designated hitter most nights, and can also spell Gabriel Moreno behind the plate. Jose Fernandez will lose the most playing time based on the team’s upcoming schedule.

Atlanta Braves

Monday will be a travel day for Atlanta before they begin a six-game road trip in Boston and Cincinnati. The Braves will face three left-handed starters versus the Red Sox and one more against the Reds. Because of their schedule, Dominic Smith and Mike Yastrzemski should not be in fantasy lineups this week. Neither player has started any game versus a left-hander since May 2. Mauricio Dubon will play left field most of the time this week while Ha-Seong Kim plays shortstop. My guess is that the DH spot versus lefties is likely to be occupied by Ronald Acuna Jr., with Eli White playing right field. White was activated from the Injured List on Wednesday but has yet to start since then, as the Braves have only faced right-handed starters.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs rested struggling Ian Happ on Saturday. In doing so, they moved Nico Hoerner down to the cleanup spot and inserted Pete Crow-Armstrong into the leadoff role. This feels like a temporary situation, especially considering the Cubs mustered just three singles while getting shut out on Saturday. Still, it may be worth monitoring because Craig Counsell is not shy about switching things up. Just ask Michael Conforto and Moises Ballesteros. Conforto has started five of Chicago’s last seven games after being a ghost for the first six weeks of the season. He seems to have supplanted Ballesteros as the team’s primary DH versus righties. The Cubs will face six right-handed starters and one left-hander this week, so we will see if that continues.

Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati activated Eugenio Suarez from the Injured List, but third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes was sent to the IL with a back injury. The Reds will most likely have Suarez and Sal Stewart split time at third base while Hayes is out. Cincinnati will face three lefties and three righties this week. That makes Nate Lowe a tough player for fantasy managers to justify starting in weekly formats. Lowe has not started a game against a left-handed starting pitcher since April. I would not expect him to start more than one such game in Week 10. Right-handed outfielder Blake Dunn has earned four straight starts, including three in a row versus righties. I’m not sure how long that lasts, but Dunn can be a sneaky streamer in deeper leagues this week.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies lost three different outfielders to the Injured List this week. Mickey Moniak, Brenton Doyle, and Jordan Beck are all out with various ailments. Moniak’s absence is most impactful for fantasy managers, as Doyle and Beck were only playing regularly versus left-handed starting pitchers. Jake McCarthy, Tyler Freeman, and Troy Johnston should make up Colorado’s starting outfield for most of the week. Chad Stevens, Sterlin Thompson, and Braxton Fulford have been recalled from Triple-A to replace the trio of injured Rockies. Stevens and Thompson are the most likely to make a short-term impact. McCarthy has also taken back the leadoff spot versus righties from the struggling Eduoard Julien. Julien has not started in three straight games, even though two were against right-handers. Willi Castro has been leading off against left-handed starting pitchers. Colorado will face four righties and a pair of lefties in Week 10.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani hit (and homered) the last time he pitched because, of course, he did after I suggested benching him last week. Lesson learned, I suppose. Max Muncy missed Saturday’s game after being hit by a pitch the night before. It sounds like a minor injury, but the team announced that they will activate Kike Hernandez off the IL on Monday and give him the start at third base. Muncy should be back Tuesday, but may only start four games this week. The Dodgers are off on Thursday and face two left-handed starting pitchers. Hyeseong Kim is the only other hitter I would expect to sit when a lefty is on the mound. All other Dodger regulars should get at least five starts barring anything unforeseen.

Miami Marlins

The Marlins are on the road for six games, and all will be against right-handed starting pitchers. Liam Hicks will continue to start every day, be it at DH, first base, or behind the plate. Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie should start in center and right field, respectively. Right-handers Connor Norby and Javier Sanoja will probably miss out on a start or two each. Miami recalled left-handed hitting third baseman Graham Pauley, who replaced Sanoja in Saturday’s starting lineup. Christopher Morel, Heriberto Hernandez, and Esteury Ruiz will be relegated to the bench since the Marlins will not face any lefties. Joe Mack has now started 15 of 19 games as Miami’s catcher since replacing Agustin Ramirez on the active roster. Mack will continue to get the lion’s share of the work this week.

Milwaukee Brewers

Andrew Vaughn started eight of Milwaukee’s first 10 games after being activated from the Injured List earlier this month. However, he has seen a significant dip in playing time this week. Vaughn has only started three of the last six contests, including just one of four versus right-handed starting pitchers. Instead, left-handed hitting Jake Bauers has started all six games, splitting time between first base and left field. Both Bauers and Vaughn have started the last two games, with Garrett Mitchell out due to a back injury. But Bauers should have the playing time edge over Vaughn in Week 10 if Mitchell returns. The Brewers are only facing one left-handed starting pitcher during their upcoming six-game week. The return of Vaughn and the emergence of Bauers have rendered Gary Sanchez irrelevant in fantasy. The veteran catcher has started just five of the last 16 games.

New York Mets

The Mets promoted Nick Morabito to the Major Leagues this week, sending Austin Slater to the Minors. Morabito will vie for occasional starts in the outfield against left-handed starting pitchers. But he probably will not play much with Juan Soto, Carson Benge, and A.J. Ewing manning the outfield. Since Ewing’s debut nearly two weeks ago, he has only missed one start, while Soto and Benge have started every game. The Mets will face two left-handed starting pitchers this week, so perhaps Benge and Ewing sit out a game each while Soto shifts to the DH slot. MJ Melendez should continue to get most of the starts at DH versus righties. New York typically drops Brett Baty in their lineup versus lefties, but I would still start the third baseman in all formats this week.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are on the West Coast for six games in Week 10. All six are scheduled to be against right-handed starting pitchers. This is good news for Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott. Stott has been hot lately, while Marsh has struggled at the plate this week. Both players should be good for at least five starts, hitting in the middle of the lineup. Adolis Garcia has had a rough go of it and has seen his place in the batting order drop as a result. Garcia hit eighth on Saturday. It was the first time he had hit lower than sixth all season long. Alec Bohm has played well after a slow start to the year. He has hit third or fourth in eight straight games. Bohm should continue to hit cleanup behind Philadelphia’s regular top three hitters.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh placed Ryan O’Hearn on the Injured List this week. They also optioned Nick Yorke and Billy Cook to the Minor Leagues. The Pirates activated Jake Mangum from the IL while recalling outfielders Jhostynxon Garcia and Esmerlyn Valdez from Triple-A. Mangum has started four of six games since his return. Garcia has started four of five since his callup, while Valdez has started two straight. However, I question how much Garcia or Valdez will play this week. The Pirates should encounter seven right-handed starting pitchers in Week 10. Mangum should start in the outfield alongside Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds most of the time. Pittsburgh could opt to bench Marcell Ozuna and shift one of their starting outfielders to the DH slot if they want Garcia and/or Valdez in the lineup.

San Diego Padres

San Diego has stuck with Nick Castellanos in right field and Miguel Andujar at DH despite facing mostly right-handed starting pitchers this past week. With the Padres facing three left-handers in Week 10, both veteran hitters should remain in the everyday lineup. Gavin Sheets would normally figure in theory to miss the most time due to the uptick in left-handed pitchers. However, he has maintained his recent hot hitting and has started each of San Diego’s last two games versus left-handed starters. I would keep Sheets in my starting lineup, even if he carries a bit of risk given the schedule. Ramon Laureano has only started one of the last three games in which the Padres faced a right-handed starting pitcher. He has also not hit higher than sixth in the lineup since May 4.

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants placed Jung Hoo Lee on the Injured List due to a back injury this week. Lee had been the team’s primary leadoff hitter for the past few weeks. Willy Adames has led off each of the last two games with Lee out. Adames did not have success in the same role earlier in the season, but hopefully things will improve this time around. Injuries to Lee and left fielder Heliot Ramos have led to Casey Schmitt getting work in the outfield. Schmitt has arguably been the team’s best hitter this year. He already carries multi-position eligibility in the infield in most leagues and could soon add outfielder to that list in the coming days, depending on your league’s requirements. San Francisco is off on Thursday and will face three left-handed starting pitchers this week.

St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis placed outfielder Nathan Church on the Injured List due to a shoulder injury. The team called up Bryan Torres to replace Church. Torres has played left field and batted seventh in both games since his call-up. That should also be the case during the four games in which the Cardinals will face a right-handed starter this week. It will likely be either Thomas Saggese or Jose Fermin playing left field in the two Week 10 games where St. Louis faces a left-hander. Third baseman Nolan Gorman is the only other regular who may not start either or both of those games. Gorman has only started one of the last four games versus a left-handed starting pitcher. Saggese and Fermin could be options at the hot corner as well.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals optioned Brady House and Joey Wiemer to the Minors earlier this week. House had been the team’s everyday third baseman and had consistently been hitting third in their lineup. In the five games since demoting House, the Nationals have used Curtis Mead and Yorbit Vivas at the hot corner. Mead hit second in both games versus lefties. Vivas has started two of three games against right-handers, hitting seventh and eighth. In both of those games, Jose Tena batted third and was the team’s DH. I would add Mead before either Tena or Vivas if you need to replace House on your roster. Washington recalled Dylan Crews to replace Wiemer. The former number-two overall draft pick should be a priority add where he is available. Crews has started all five games this week, hitting fifth in the lineup on four occasions.