This is a relatively light week from a scheduling standpoint. Only four American League teams will play seven games in Week 21. Yet, 10 of the 15 teams are in action on Monday. There are no day games for fantasy baseball managers to navigate either on Monday or Friday. That means most lineup information should be readily available before we are required to lock in our lineups. With that in mind, let’s get to this week’s fantasy baseball lineup analysis for the American League. Below you will find the latest news on injuries, roster moves, and lineup changes that will help you make the most of both your rosters and starting lineups.
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Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 21 – American League
Athletics
The Athletics have only faced four right-handed starting pitchers in their last 14 games. They will face four righties among their six Week 21 games. The big news is the team placed Nick Kurtz on the Injured List due to his lingering thumb injury. Henry Bolte has been leading off against left-handed starters, but I would expect Lawrence Butler to handle the honors when the Athletics face a righty. Jonah Heim continues to hit in a prime lineup spot, as he and Tyler Soderstrom usually alternate between the third and fourth spots in the batting order depending on the opposing pitcher’s handedness. All six games will be played in Sacramento this week, around an off day on Thursday. The prominent Athletic hitters should provide fantasy managers with some solid stats.
Baltimore Orioles
Jackson Holliday has batted third in three consecutive games for Baltimore, while Tyler O’Neill has hit cleanup. O’Neill’s rise in the batting order is particularly interesting because all three games were against right-handed starters. Gunnar Henderson led off all three, with Dylan Beavers hitting fifth. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Coby Mayo have been splitting time at third base. Neither player has had a huge fantasy impact, but Mayo’s name is much easier to type. The Orioles got Carlos Narvaez from Boston in the Adley Rutschman trade last week. Narvaez has started five of six games since arriving in Baltimore. However, he is 2-for-15 and is hitting ninth. Hopefully Samuel Basallo can return before the end of the month. The Orioles will face five right-handed starting pitchers this week and are off on Thursday.
Boston Red Sox
Adley Rutschman should come off the IL and make his Red Sox debut sometime this week. It wouldn’t shock me if Boston had Rutschman start lower in the batting order than we saw him hit in Baltimore. Boston’s offense has been red-hot, and they may not want to change that dynamic too much. Hitting lower in the order would also take some pressure off Rutschman. Nick Sogard has led off in six straight games versus right-handed starters. He is a solid streaming option this week, as Boston will face seven righties, some of whom are of very questionable caliber. This would also be a good week to stream Masataka Yoshida, provided he can overcome the illness that has caused him to miss the last two games.
Chicago White Sox
Chase Meidroth indeed had a solid week at the plate as predicted last week. However, the Chicago second baseman missed Sunday’s contest due to a wrist injury. It sounds like a minor issue, but the White Sox do not play until Tuesday, so make sure he is healthy enough for you to start this week. The White Sox face two left-handed starting pitchers, and both of them are in Chicago’s first series of the week. Chicago is a team that platoons three or four players, so fantasy managers in leagues with the option to swap hitters in and out over the weekend will have to take note. Newly acquired Brenton Doyle could be a decent streamer early in the week, but will probably be on the bench over the weekend. The same goes for Randal Grichuk and Luisangel Acuna.
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians acquired Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe at the deadline. Adell has started five of six games and hit anywhere from second through fifth, while Lowe has exclusively played against righties and is batting cleanup. Lowe is platooning at first base with Rhys Hoskins after the team sent Kyle Manzardo to the Minors. Cleveland also demoted Gabriel Arias, who the Mets quickly scooped up via waivers. The Guardians called up Angel Genao, who has already started multiple games at both second and third base. His primary position in the Minor Leagues has been shortstop. The switch-hitting 22-year-old has had excellent contact rates throughout the Minors. However, he has batted ninth in all five starts, which limits his contributions to the counting categories that fantasy managers covet.
Detroit Tigers
Detroit is one of the few teams whose regular starting lineup wasn’t affected much by the trade deadline. Javier Baez is the only player who has not started each of Detroit’s last six games. That may change a bit in Week 21 since the Tigers are facing three left-handed starting pitchers. We could see Hao-Yu Lee earn a few starts at the expense of Colt Keith. Ben Malgeri could also start multiple games in the outfield, most likely taking Zach McKinstry’s spot. James Outman hasn’t started a single game in August despite Detroit facing seven right-handed starting pitchers this month. He could very well be on the chopping block when either Kerry Carpenter or Matt Vierling are ready to return. The Tigers are off on Monday and are home for six games this week.
Houston Astros
Houston acquired Daulton Varsho at the trade deadline to provide some balance and improve their outfield. Varsho has started all six games in center field, though he has hit as low as seventh over the weekend. The acquisition of Varsho has rendered LaMonte Wade Jr. a nonfactor. Wade started just two of Houston’s last seven games even though six of those were against right-handed pitchers. Fantasy managers who had been streaming Wade can find better options on the waiver wire. Taylor Trammell has hit as high as fifth on three separate occasions over the past week. The Astros face five righties in six games this week and are off on Thursday. Houston called up Jake Meyers, and he may be Trammell’s platoonmate in the outfield going forward.
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals activated both Bobby Witt Jr. and Kyle Isbel from the IL at the beginning of last week. Isbel essentially replaces Lane Thomas in center field, albeit hitting at the bottom of Kansas City’s lineup. Isaac Collins is the player tasked with more responsibilities in that regard. He has hit as high as fourth this week. However, his impact may be minimal this week because the Royals have one of the most unique Week 21 schedules in the Major Leagues. Kansas City is scheduled to face just one right-handed starter in six total games. Starling Marte and perhaps Tyler Tolbert are better streaming options than Collins this week. The Royals are in Los Angeles for the entire week, as they play the Dodgers and Angels in three-game sets. They are off on Thursday.
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels acquired former Chicago Cub Moises Ballesteros at last week’s trade deadline. Ballesteros has started six straight games since coming over to Los Angeles, batting either fifth or sixth in all six. Two of those games have come behind the plate, giving him 10 total games at catcher this season. The other four starts have been as the team’s designated hitter following the release of Jorge Soler. Wade Meckler has led off in four straight games, with Zach Neto moving to the cleanup spot. This is probably only going to remain the case when the Angels face a right-handed starting pitcher. Still, it gives Meckler a nice bump in expected value for fantasy purposes. The Angels will host seven games this week and are scheduled to face four right-handers in Week 21.
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota called up Kaelen Culpepper to the Big Leagues this week while sending Tristan Gray back to Triple-A. Culpepper started both games over the weekend in which the Twins faced a left-handed starting pitcher. He batted seventh on both occasions. However, Ryan Kreidler played shortstop on Sunday against a right-hander. If Culpepper does not start versus righties, he will not carry much fantasy value. Kreidler has started at three different positions since Friday and may be the better commodity. Minnesota’s off day this week comes on Friday as opposed to the traditional Thursday travel day. The Twins are hosting the Philadelphia Phillies in the Field of Dreams game on Thursday. Fantasy managers in leagues with weekend moves will want to get most Twins hitters out of their weekend lineups, as Minnesota only plays twice, while everyone else will play three games.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees added Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos at the deadline. They also called up prized prospect George Lombard Jr. from the Minor Leagues. Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, and Max Schuemann were sent down in corresponding roster moves. Garcia and Ramos have batted either third or fourth multiple times since arriving in New York. Lombard has hit anywhere from sixth to eighth in the revamped Yankees lineup. Paul Goldschmidt has only started one of the last seven games, while Jose Caballero has started just one of five. Goldschmidt will ride the pine this week as well, as all six of New York’s games are against right-handed starting pitchers. Caballero’s versatility may enable him to start multiple games, but it appears his time as an everyday player is up, at least for now.
Seattle Mariners
Seattle got some reinforcements by trading for Taylor Ward and activating Brendan Donovan from the Injured List. The Mariners released both Rob Refsnyder and Mitch Garver to make room for Ward and Donovan. Ward has led off each of Seattle’s last four games. Donovan is hitting seventh but has not started in either of the team’s two games versus left-handed starters. Cole Young is now hitting second with Ward in the fold. He is hitting directly in front of Randy Arozarena, Dominic Canzone, and Julio Rodriguez. Cal Raleigh has batted eighth in the last two against righties. The Mariners are off Monday before heading on an extended road trip which begins with six games in Week 21. They will face four right-handers and two lefties this week.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays upgraded their offense behind the plate by acquiring Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins. Hicks has started four of five games and has hit either fourth or fifth in all four. Chandler Simpson was bumped up to the three-hole on Sunday amidst a hot stretch at the plate. Simpson has no home runs and just 18 extra-base hits in over 400 at-bats this season but could rack up plenty of runs and RBI hitting behind Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda and in front of Hicks and Junior Caminero. Tampa Bay will finish their West Coast swing with three games before a Thursday travel day to head home. They will bookend their week by facing left-handed starting pitchers Monday and Sunday, with four right-handers in between.
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers didn’t make any moves at the deadline in terms of altering their everyday lineup. They did call up Jonah Bride over the weekend, but he is a 30-year-old bench bat who would be on the short side of any platoon situation. The Rangers are on the road for seven games this week. Four of those games will be against right-handed starters. Fantasy managers with Joc Pederson and Evan Carter may have some tough decisions to make. Pederson will lead off versus righties, with Carter hitting in the middle of the lineup. However, both players usually sit against left-handed starting pitchers. Four starts in good hitting environments may not be enough when compared to a player who will play six or seven games in Week 21 depending on your other options.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto traded away Daulton Varsho and acquired Josh Smith and Brett Bateman in three separate deadline deals. Smith has started at third base in four of five games, while Bateman has played center field in three straight. It is worth noting that both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer missed multiple games this week due to injuries. So, I don’t know how often Smith starts when everyone is healthy. And while Bateman led off one game and batted second in another over the weekend, he may hit lower when Guerrero and Springer are at full strength. The Blue Jays are at home for a seven-game week, but just three of those games will be against right-handed starting pitchers. Myles Straw and Davis Schneider could threaten Bateman and Nathan Lukas for starts against left-handers.
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