Only two National League teams are in store for a seven-game week. But that hardly means there is a lack of analysis on the horizon. Now that the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared on the trading front, several squads have lineups that look a lot different than their previous iterations. As a result of last week’s flurry of activity, several players have seen a shift in their fantasy baseball value over the past seven days. Below I will highlight the relevant trades and related roster moves along with injury information and lineup analysis for all 15 National League teams.
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NL Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 21
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona acquired former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar at the trade deadline. Nootbaar started all five games the Diamondbacks played against right-handed starters last week. He has hit fifth in three straight starts, and I would expect the same this week. Geraldo Perdomo has led off Arizona’s last four games, hitting in front of Corbin Carroll. Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte have remained in the third and fourth spots in the order. Max Kepler has only started two of the last four games against right-handed starters. I might ride with him for another week if you lack alternatives based on Arizona facing five right-handed starters this week. But his days as a regular contributor may be numbered. The Diamondbacks are off on Thursday before heading out on the road.
Atlanta Braves
Sadly, but predictably, Lane Thomas started just two of six total games for Atlanta last week. He will start against left-handed starting pitchers, but starts against righties will be few and far between. The Braves will only face two left-handers among their six games this week. They are off on Thursday. Thomas will only start two or three games barring anything unforeseen. Dominic Smith has only started three of six games against right-handed starters and didn’t do himself any favors by striking out four times on Sunday. Atlanta released shortstop Jorge Mateo over the weekend. It appears that they are content to go with Jim Jarvis leading a platoon including Ha-Seong Kim. Jarvis has one home run and no stolen bases in over 100 plate appearances so fantasy managers can look elsewhere for production at shortstop.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs received outfielder Tyrone Taylor in a trade with the New York Mets. Taylor has started four of six games since coming to Chicago. Three of those starts have come in center field, with MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong operating as the team’s DH. This could be maintenance, but it does raise a few eyebrows considering his defensive prowess. Maybe Craig Counsell wants to make sure that PCA is at full strength for his upcoming matchup against Miles Mikolas on Wednesday. Mikolas is one of five right-handed starting pitchers the Cubs will face in Week 21. Chicago is off on Monday after scoring 44 runs while going 6-1 last week. All of their regulars should be in fantasy lineups.
Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati traded away Nathaniel Lowe to Cleveland and recalled outfielder Hector Rodriguez from the Minor Leagues. Rodriguez has started all four of Cincinnati’s games against right-handed starting pitchers since his callup. He has hit sixth twice and seventh twice. Rodriguez is currently in a three-man rotation with Noelvi Marte and Dane Myers for starts in center field and right field. Rodriguez should lead that rotation from a playing time perspective this week. The Reds will face six consecutive right-handed starting pitchers following an off day on Monday. TJ Friedl and Ivan Johnson are in no rotation or platoon of any kind. Friedl hasn’t started a game since August 1, while Johnson’s last start came on July 29. Ke’Bryan Hayes has earned regular starts at third base while Eugenio Suarez has occupied the DH slot over the past week.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are on the road for six games this week, but don’t tell that to Jake McCarthy. McCarthy went 9-for-14 with two home runs and two stolen bases in the team’s most recent road series in St. Louis. He has been one of the best fantasy values of the season. TJ Rumfield was bumped up to the three-spot on Sunday after batting fourth or fifth for the past month. Colorado traded Brenton Doyle to the Chicago White Sox and recalled Jordan Beck from the Minors. Beck never got out of the gate this season but did hit 16 homers and steal 19 bases last year. He’s still only 25 years old and plays half his games in Coors Field. There are worse options available on the waiver wire.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are home for a seven-game week as they look to get out of their collective offensive funk. Los Angeles is 1-8 in their last nine games and has scored just 29 runs in those nine games. Of course, that isn’t going to stop us from starting our Dodger hitters, nor should it. The most notable exception could be third baseman Max Muncy. The Dodgers are only facing three right-handed starting pitchers in Week 21. Muncy has started three of the last six games when a left-handed starter has been on the mound and has batted seventh or eighth each time. He is probably only looking at four or five starts this week. That may be enough to warrant starting depending on your alternatives, but it also may not.
Miami Marlins
I would be lying if I told you I knew exactly what Miami’s batting order would look like on a given night. Six of their players have played in each of the last three games. Four of them hit in a different spot in the lineup in all three games, while the other two hit in two different spots. Outside of Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards, and Kyle Stowers, I think we have to bank on the playing time and hope for the best. Heriberto Hernandez continues to earn most of the starts in left field regardless of who is on the mound. Following the trade of Liam Hicks to Tampa Bay, the Marlins called up Agustin Ramirez. Ramirez was a fantasy darling last year, but is stuck behind Joe Mack for the time being.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers placed rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt on the Injured List with a hamstring injury. Before Pratt was called up, David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz were getting most of the starts on the left side of Milwaukee’s infield. However, Ortiz missed Sunday’s game after leaving Saturday’s tilt with neck tightness. The Brewers called up Ji Hwan Bae to replace Pratt on the roster, and he could be thrust right into action if Ortiz continues to miss time. Neither Bae nor Hamilton would be the safest starts in weekly leagues considering Milwaukee faces three left-handed starting pitchers. The good news is the Brewers play seven games total, so there may be enough meat on the bone for them to reward fantasy managers. Christian Yelich is in a similar boat. He was dropped to sixth and then seventh in the order last week and is not starting against lefties.
New York Mets
After trading Tyrone Taylor, the New York Mets called up former hot prospect Cristian Pache. New York also claimed former Guardian Gabriel Arias off waivers. I don’t think either player moves the needle, but with the Mets playing out the string and still giving the player formerly known as Jorge Polanco regular starts, it may be worth giving either Pache or Arias a chance to see what they can do. Brett Baty has made starts at six different positions, including DH, over the past two weeks. He’s had a rough season at the plate, but is eligible just about everywhere, which might be of benefit to some fantasy managers. New York is off on Thursday and is scheduled to face four right-handed starters and two left-handers.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies traded for perennial batting leader Luis Arraez last week. Arraez has hit cleanup and started all six games at second base since his arrival. Beyond what Arraez brings, his acquisition is about to cause a very interesting ripple effect for several Phillies hitters. With Arraez at the keystone, Bryson Stott has moved to third base. Alec Bohm has shifted to first, and Bryce Harper has gone to the outfield. All three players are likely to gain new positional eligibility in very short order. That can be quite the asset as we approach the dog days of summer. Philadelphia will play in the Field of Dreams game on Thursday, so they are off on Friday. Keep that in mind if you play in a league where you can swap hitters out for the weekend.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates finally put an end to the Marcell Ozuna experiment, releasing the 35-year-old last week. Pittsburgh called up switch-hitting outfielder Ronny Simon, and he has started four straight contests. Simon even hit second against a left-handed starter on Sunday. Since returning to the lineup last Sunday, Spencer Horwitz has started six of eight games, batting fifth in five of those outings. He is likely to remain there, at least when the Pirates face a right-handed starter. This week, Pittsburgh will face four right-handers and two lefties. Endy Rodriguez has missed each of the last two games as he is dealing with a hip injury. Considering the Pirates are off on Monday, fantasy managers may want to lock in a reinforcement in the event Rodriguez’s absence continues into Week 21.
San Diego Padres
San Diego signed Austin Hays after he was released by the Chicago White Sox earlier in the week. Hays immediately homered in his first at-bat as a pinch hitter on Sunday. Hays has always hit lefties well and is presumably going to replace Gavin Sheets whenever the Padres encounter a left-handed starting pitcher. The Padres will face two lefties this week among their six games. They are off on Thursday. San Diego shifts their batting order in a few spots when opposing a southpaw. Luis Rengifo has hit second in five straight starts versus lefties. Xander Bogaerts has batted sixth in three straight, while Jake Cronenworth has hit eighth or ninth. Cronenworth has hit second versus righties, while Bogaerts is regularly hitting eighth. Rengifo has been the wild card but generally bats sixth versus right-handed starters.
San Francisco Giants
The lineup in San Francisco looks a bit different without Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos. Bryce Eldridge and Jung Hoo Lee are manning the top two lineup spots in the Giants batting order. Willy Adames and Rafael Devers follow them. Osleivis Basabe is the team’s new second baseman. Basabe has been hot at the plate and has recently batted fifth in three of the last four games. Recent callup Eddys Leonard has earned three of five starts in left field and is hitting seventh or eighth. San Francisco acquired Buddy Kennedy in a deal with Seattle before the deadline. Kennedy could threaten Christian Koss for playing time at third base if Koss continues to struggle. Having said that, neither Kennedy nor Koss belongs anywhere near a starting fantasy baseball lineup. San Francisco is home for six games this week and will face five right-handed starters.
St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis sent Lars Nootbaar to Arizona and claimed Everson Pereira off waivers from the White Sox. Pereira has some pop but strikes out a ton. He is only likely to start against lefties, and at the bottom of the lineup at that. Because of that, Pereira is more of a daily league or DFS play than anything. With Pereira in the fold, St. Louis designated Nelson Velazquez for assignment. Catcher Jimmy Crooks has batted fifth in two straight games in which the Cardinals faced a right-handed starter. I don’t think that is enough to get Crooks over the hump as an option in two-catcher leagues, but he could be worth paying attention to in the event this continues. The Cardinals are off on Thursday and will face an equal number of lefties and righties this week.
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals traded away Luis Garcia Jr. and lost James Wood to an oblique injury. They called up Abimelec Ortiz and Andrew Pinckney, though only Ortiz is getting regular playing time. Ortiz is playing first base and batting second against right-handed starters but is not playing against left-handers. Andres Chaparro starts when a left-hander faces the Nationals. CJ Abrams has been leading off against righties and has been hitting cleanup versus lefties. Dylan Crews has been leading off when a left-hander is on the mound. That makes Crews an interesting option in Week 21. After an off day on Monday, Washington will go up against three left-handed starters this week. Outside of Abrams and Crews, there aren’t many Nationals players who are guaranteed to start more than three or four games.
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