Fantasy Baseball AL Lineup Analysis 05/10

We are back to talk about the latest news and notes from American League lineups. In case you missed it, you can check out last week’s National League article here. Shifting our focus to the AL, there is plenty to talk about. Injuries to several big names like Jazz Chisholm and Triston Casas are shaking up the fantasy community. With everything going on, it can be a lot to keep up with. Do not worry, this article has you covered. The five hottest hitters in the American League over the past two weeks have been: Jorge Polanco, Aaron Judge, Rafael Devers, Ryan O’Hearn, and Cal Raleigh. 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

• Jazz Chisholm is on the IL with a strained oblique
  • Chisholm landed on the IL on April 30 and is expected to miss four to six weeks with this high-grade strain
  • With Chisholm out of the lineup, Jorbit Vivas has been filling in at second base and batting ninth in the lineup
  • Vivas has not shown much offensive upside, and DJ LeMahieu is expected to take over now that he has completed his rehab assignment
• Jasson Dominguez has lost his starting role [Editor’s Note: Of course Dominguez popped three homers last night. This likely buys him more time in the lineup.]
  • Dominguez is still getting plenty of playing time, but it is not as consistent as it was earlier in the season
  • He has been rotating in and out of the lineup, primarily splitting time with Trent Grisham
  • Grisham has simply been too good to keep on the bench. He is playing center field and batting leadoff for the Yankees. He is up to 10 homers on the year and should be rostered in all 14+ team leagues
• Cody Bellinger is heating up
  • Bellinger’s New York tenure got off to a slow start but he has been figuring things out offensively as of late
  • Since April 25, Bellinger is slashing .286/.380/.571 with more walks than strikeouts. He is hitting the ball hard, in the air, and to his pull side. This is perfect for Yankee Stadium
  • He is now up to five homers and four steals. He should reach the 20/20 threshold and be a reliable fantasy asset for managers this year

Boston Red Sox

• Triston Casas is likely out for the year with a knee injury
  • Casas suffered a devastating injury in the game on May 2, rupturing his patellar tendon. He will miss the remainder of 2025
  • In his place, the team has been giving additional playing time to Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro. The team also signed Anthony Rizzo, who should project to take over as the primary first baseman at some point
  • The ideal move for the team is moving Rafael Devers to first base and opening up room for either Marcelo Mayer or Roman Anthony. Unfortunately, Devers seems reluctant to make this move putting the team at a disadvantage
• Connor Wong is splitting time at catcher
  • Wong is losing playing time at catcher. He has been on the bench three times this past week
  • In his place, Carlos Narvaez has been getting additional playing time. Narvaez is batting .222 with three homers this year and does not have an extensive history of producing offensively
  • Neither player is worth rostering in fantasy at this point

Tampa Bay Rays

• Christopher Morel seems to have lost his starting job
  • The Rays have faced a plethora of lefties in the past week, so making any true determinations about their lineup is incredibly difficult
  • Morel remains in the lineup batting second against lefties, but was on the bench against both righties the team faced this past week in favor of Travis Jankowski
  • Morel has continued to struggle with strikeouts this season, and it is unlikely he will ever hit enough to maintain an everyday role
• The two lefties “safest” from platoons appear to be Kameron Misner and Jonathan Aranda
  • To be clear, both are still seeing time on the bench against lefties, but not all lefties
  • Aranda has been batting fourth in the Rays’ lineup and has continued to swing a hot bat all year. He should be rostered in all leagues
  • Misner is batting higher in the lineup against righties than lefties and has slowed down offensively. He is batting just .121 since April 26, with strikeouts being the biggest issue. He is a fine drop in shallow leagues

Toronto Blue Jays

• Andres Gimenez slid down in the lineup and is now on the IL
  • The Jays’ hope that Gimenez would solidify their lineup has not worked out as they hoped
  • Gimenez is batting just .195 with three home runs on the season. The lone bright spot for fantasy managers this season has been his nine stolen bases
  • Part of the issue for Gimenez has been BABIP (.220 on the season), but he does not hit the ball hard and has a tendency to hit a lot of ground balls. The move down in the lineup negatively impacts his fantasy value, and he is a fine drop with the move to the IL
  • Ernie Clement is the most likely candidate to see additional playing time at second base
• Addison Barger is getting more consistent playing time at third base
  • Credit to the Jays, who are giving Barger another shot to play nearly every day
  • He is batting sixth or seventh in the lineup most games and is on the strong side of a platoon with Ernie Clement
  • Honestly, everything in Barger’s profile points to a breakout. He is hitting the ball hard, pulling it in the air, and has made major strides in the whiff and chase department. Hopefully, the Jays give Barger a long enough leash to see his improvements translate to results on the field
• Alan Roden was optioned to Triple-A
  • A fantastic Spring Training added some fuel to the Roden hype train this year, but he fell flat on his face during his first stint at the Major League level
  • Roden hit just .178 with one homer and underwhelming batted ball data. He is an easy drop anywhere he was rostered
  • In his place, Nathan Lukes has been seeing most of the playing time, although recently promoted Jonatan Clase figures to work his way into the mix as well

Baltimore Orioles

• Coby Mayo’s stay in the Major Leagues was short-lived
  • Mayo played in just four games before being sent back to Triple-A, with Tyler O’Neill returning from the IL
  • The sample size was incredibly small, but Mayo continued to struggle with strikeouts at the Major League level
  • O’Neill hit sixth in his return to the lineup and will resume his role as the starting right fielder
• Jordan Westburg is also on the IL
  • Not only did the Orioles lose Ramon Urias, but they have also lost Wesburg
  • Westburg is dealing with a hamstring injury, although he is not expected to miss an extended period of time
  • With Westburg also out, Ramon Laureano is getting more consistent playing time in the outfield
• Jackson Holliday is moving up in the lineup
  • Stuck at the bottom for most of the season, injuries have paved the path for Holliday to move up to sixth in the Orioles’ lineup
  • Notably, Holliday also tweaked his swing after a conversation with his dad and has been performing much better
  • Since April 23, Holliday is slashing .353/.436/.529 while hitting the ball harder and getting it in the air more. Fantasy managers should remember that this was once considered to be a generational prospect

AL West

Houston Astros

• Jake Meyers is moving up in the lineup
  • This is not the first time that Meyers has flashed fantasy-relevance. His hot streak has him moving up to sixth in Houston’s lineup
  • Digging into his profile, Meyers’ willingness to run more often instantly gives him more fantasy value. He is up to seven steals already
  • While Meyers is unlikely to ever hit 20 homers, his hit tool is showing improvements early this season. Both his contact rate and chase rate have improved by nearly five percent. He is worth an add if you need help in the outfield
• Yordan Alvarez is on the IL
  • Alvarez is dealing with a hand injury but is expected to rejoin the lineup on May 13 when first eligible to
  • With Alvarez out of the lineup, Zach Dezenzo has seen his playing time increase. He is playing left field and batting seventh in the lineup
  • Dezenzo has posted strong barrel rates in limited Major League opportunities dating back to last season. The issue is that with Alvarez nearing a return already, there is no spot in the lineup for him moving forward
• The one potential option for Dezenzo to stay in the lineup is Cam Smith
  • Smith is seeing most of the playing time in right field still, but has been on the bench more frequently in the past week
  • Smith’s struggles have continued in his first Major League season, and he is now losing playing time
  • Since April 22, Smith has just 31 plate appearances and is slashing .154/.290/.231. He is a fine drop in redraft formats and could wind up back in Triple-A at some point

Los Angeles Angels

• Jo Adell had lost his starting job
  • Even with extended playing time and a strong finish to 2024, things have just continued not to work out for Adell at the Major League level
  • Adell is batting just .184 with four homers and a -0.5 WAR
  • Gustavo Campero was been getting additional playing time in his place. Campero seemingly came out of nowhere this year and was batting .333 with seven steals in Triple-A. Campero injured his ankle in the game on Thursday and is now on the IL, making it likely for Adell to maintain his starting spot
• Yoan Moncada is back from the IL
  • Moncada landed on the IL back on April 9 but returned to the Angels’ lineup on Tuesday
  • Since returning, Moncada has been batting sixth in the lineup and is playing third base
  • Notably, Moncada has two home runs since returning, which are his first two home runs since 2023. He is hitting the ball hard in a small sample size, but fantasy managers should proceed with caution prior to buying in
• Kyren Paris has shifted to the outfield with Mike Trout on the IL
  • Mike Trout suffered a knee contusion that landed him on the IL back on May 1. He remains without a firm timetable for a return
  • In his place, Kyren Paris has jumped back into the lineup and is playing center field
  • The strikeouts caught up to Paris after a fast start to the season. He is batting just .109 since April 16 and .217 since the start of May. He is not worth picking up
• Jorge Soler was scratched from the Angels’ lineup on Friday due to a groin injury
  • The severity of the injury remains to be seen
  • If Soler is forced to miss extended time, recently promoted Matthew Lugo could be in line for regular playing time

Texas Rangers

• Evan Carter is up from Triple-A
  • Evan Carter was called up from Triple-A prior to Tuesday’s game. To make room for him on the Major League roster, Leody Taveras was DFA’d
  • Carter seems to be locked into an everyday role since being promoted and has been batting seventh in most games.
  • Carter was not exactly playing well in Triple-A this year with a .221 batting average. His 2023 success makes him somebody to pay attention to, but fantasy baseball managers should not be rushing to pick him up
• Jake Burger is down in Triple-A
  • The Jake Burger signing has been a disaster, and now the team has sent him to Triple-A to reset
  • After hitting 29 homers with Miami last season, Burger hit just three with a .190 batting average through the team’s first 30 games. His stay in Triple-A is not expected to be a long one, but it is still discouraging to say the least
  • With Burger out of the lineup, Josh Smith has taken over as the primary first baseman and has been batting leadoff in the lineup
• Josh Jung has moved down to the bottom of the lineup
  • After starting the season batting sixth, Josh Jung has been moved to ninth in the lineup
  • The surprising part is that Jung has not even been playing poorly. Since April 23, Jung owns a .269/.333/.423 slash with a 117 wRC+
  • Jung is barreling the ball up at a high rate and hitting it hard while showing off major improvements to his contact rate. Despite the move down in the lineup, he could be a nice buy-low for fantasy managers

Athletics

• Jacob Wilson has moved to the top of the lineup
  • Wilson has been fantastic to start the season and is batting .357 with a strikeout rate of just 4.7%
  • The move to the top of the lineup should result in more run-scoring opportunities. Wilson has just one home run since April 4 and power should not be expected to be part of his game moving forward. However, he will provide plenty of runs, a high batting average, and little to no strikeouts, which can be valuable in certain league types
  • With Wilson moving up in the lineup, Lawrence Butler has shifted back in the order
• Nick Kurtz is now batting eighth in the lineup
  • Kurtz’s Major League career has gotten off to a disappointing start
  • He is batting just .262 with a 36.8% strikeout rate and zero home runs
  • While the start to the season has been disappointing, it is important to remember that this time last year, Kurtz was still in college. There are going to be growing pains, and he still is hitting the ball incredibly hard. The Athletics should give him a fairly long leash to work through his struggles
• Luis Urias is quietly up to five home runs
  • Just when the entire fantasy community had given up on Urias, he is starting to pull people back in. He is playing every day, batting at the bottom of the Athletics’ lineup
  • Urias is posting the best contact rate of his career, and playing home games in a Triple-A stadium is helping his power play up
  • Urias is not going to be a league-winning type player, but his consistent at-bats make him valuable in deeper leagues

Seattle Mariners

• Dylan Moore is back from the IL
  • Moore returned to Seattle’s lineup on Tuesday and has been batting in the back half of the lineup
  • When healthy, Moore has been excellent this season both for Seattle and fantasy managers. Even if his batting average experiences regression, he still has power and speed to contribute
  • With Moore back, Jorge Polanco is DHing more consistently with Luke Raley on the IL
• The Mariners claimed Leody Taveras off waivers from Texas
  • With Seattle in need of a third outfielder, Taveras will step right into an everyday role. He hit seventh in the lineup in his debt on Wednesday
  • With regular playing time, Taveras has upside in the stolen base department. He stole 23 bases last year and has already stolen seven this year. He does not have much offensive upside elsewhere and is only worth rostering in AL-only leagues
• Ben Williamson is getting run as the everyday third baseman
  • Ben Williamson is playing every day and batting at the bottom of Seattle’s lineup
  • Through his first 78 plate appearances, Williamson’s production has been mediocre with just one homer and a .253 batting average
  • Williamson’s best tools are his contact skills and speed. Unfortunately, he is chasing pitches over 36% of the time resulting in more weak contact and limiting his power potential. He is not a player worth targeting outside of deep leagues

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

• A move to center field seems to have revived Javier Baez
  • Since moving to center field on April 21, Baez is slashing .372/.413/.674 with three home runs
  • Baez’s glory days are still likely behind him, but this move seems to have brought his energy back to life
  • Baez’s barrel rate and launch angle are both up. However, his plate discipline remains atrocious. Fantasy managers should not expect his strong batting average to continue, although he is an intriguing option in deeper leagues
• Kerry Carpenter is batting leadoff against righties
  •  Carpenter started the season batting second in most games, but has slid into the leadoff spot as of late
  • Perhaps the more notable news is that Carpenter has been getting occasional starts against lefties, as Detroit is realizing his bat is too valuable to take out of the lineup
  • He is performing well against lefties this year with a 111 wRC+ and continues to crush righties as usual. He is a great fantasy option
• Trey Sweeney is hot offensively
  •  The young shortstop got off to a slow start to the season, but the Tigers stuck with him, and he is rewarding their patience
  • Since April 26, Sweeney is slashing 342/.444/.526
  • On the season as a whole, there is a lot to like in Sweeney’s profile. He is patient at the plate, has decent barrel rates, and has a good feel for getting to his pull side. If he can elevate the ball more (which he is doing lately), the home run totals could increase significantly

Kansas City Royals

• Hunter Renfroe seems to have lost his everyday role
  • Renfroe’s Kansas City tenure continues to be a disappointing one as he owns just a 19 wRC+ through the first 27 games
  • With Renfroe moving to the bench, Freddy Fermin has seen his playing time increase significantly
  • Fermin has been batting toward the bottom of the lineup when starting. Fermin represents a high-floor, low-ceiling option for fantasy managers at catcher
• Maikel Garcia’s hot start has continued
  • Those skeptical of Garcia’s hot start pointed to his fast start last year, but this season feels different
  • Garcia is up to four homers and nine stolen bases already while keeping his batting average over .300
  • Even with some regression likely to his BABIP, Garcia’s ability to lift the ball more this year and find the barrel more consistently make this hot start believable. He has 15/30 upside
• Drew Waters is producing quietly
  • Nobody is paying much attention, but since April 20, Waters is slashing .327/.373/.509 while striking out less than 20% of the time
  • He has been batting seventh in the Royals lineup and playing every day
  • While the success has been nice to see, Waters continues to post lackluster batted ball dat,a and he is still posting poor chase and contact rates. This is not a hot streak fantasy managers should be buying

Chicago White Sox

• Chase Meidroth is leading off
  • Meidroth spent some time on the IL following his promotion from Triple-A, but is back now and leading off
  • Meidroth’s fantasy value is league-dependent. He profiles nicely in points leagues where his excellent contact skills and patience at the plate can accumulate points
  • In standard formats, Meidroth has good speed but lacks any real power upside, limiting his ceiling
• Josh Rojas is back from the IL
  • In all honesty, I forgot Rojas was even on the White Sox, but he returned to the lineup last Sunday
  • Since returning, Rojas has been shifting between second base and third base and playing only against right-handed pitchers
  • His return to the team resulted in Bobby Dalbec being DFA’d
• Miguel Vargas is now batting second for the White Sox
  • Vargas seems to be reclaiming some fantasy relevance and is moving up in the White Sox order
  • The former top prospect has been red hot offensively, slashing .360/.448/.540 since April 23
  • Vargas has always shown off strong contact skills and plate discipline, but his inability to barrel the ball gives pause for concern. He is worth an add if you need corner infield help

Minnesota Twins

• Royce Lewis is back from the IL
  •  How long he stays healthy is the question fantasy managers need to ask themselves. For now, Lewis is healthy and batting seventh in Minnesota’s lineup
  • After a hot start to last season, Lewis struggled mightily down the stretch. His true value is definitely a hot debate in the fantasy community, although there is no denying his ceiling
  • With Lewis returning to the lineup, Brooks Lee has shifted over to second base, and Eduoard Julien was sent back to Triple-A
• Willi Castro is also back in the lineup and off the IL
  •  Castro joined Lewis in returning to the Twins lineup on Tuesday and has been batting toward the bottom of the order
  • With Matt Wallner still on the IL, Castro has been playing every day in the outfield
  • Castro has plus speed but is limited offensively elsewhere. He is likely to fall back into a super-utility role once the Twins get healthy
• Is this the year of Byron Buxton?
  • Buxton’s career has largely felt like a disappointment due to the injuries he has suffered throughout his career, but he has managed to stay healthy this season
  • Buxton is batting at the top of Minnesota’s lineup and is already up to nine homers and seven stolen bases. His full-season pace is 38 home runs and 29 stolen bases. This is the kind of production dynasty managers dreamed about with Buxton at the beginning of his career
  • Buxton’s power is sustainable so long as he can stay healthy. As far as his batting average, this is bound to experience regression as his BABIP comes down. His chase rate ranks in the 39th percentile and and his whiff rate is in the seventh percentile. Now may be a good time to sell high in dynasty leagues before injuries strike again

Cleveland Guardians

• Daniel Schneeman is seeing more playing time
  • Schneeman has been used in a utility role for most of the season, but has started getting more consistent starts
  • He is batting second in the lineup against righties and is batting .286 with five home runs in just 80 plate appearances
  • Notably, Schneeman is hitting the ball much harder than last year and barreling it up at an extremely high rate. His pull percentage is also up. While I am not fully buying this power outbreak, there are a lot of positive signs that could elevate his fantasy value for the remainder of 2025
  • Brayan Rocchio is the primary player losing playing time
• Nolan Jones has slid down to the bottom of the lineup
  • Jones had been batting second for Cleveland, but with Schneeman playing well, the team has slid Jones down to eighth
  • Even following a trade back to Cleveland, Jones has still looked like a shell of the 2023 version he flashed in Colorado. He is batting just .163 with two home runs this year
  • Even though Jones should probably see his home run luck start to improve, he strikes out too much and is not playing against lefties. He is not worth holding onto in fantasy
• Carlos Santana is riding a hot streak
  • Santana’s age-39 season got off to a slow start, but he is proving once again that he is not finished yet
  • Since April 27, Santana is batting .324/.439/.529. He is walking more than he is striking out during that time frame
  • Even at 39, Santana is still useful in OBP leagues. He is never going to hit for a great batting average, but he has some pop and continues to bat in the middle of Cleveland’s lineup, which should provide him with plenty of RBI chances.