Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis: AL 07/12

American League Lineup analysis is back for one more first-half recap. This article will help you stay up to date on the ever-changing lineups from the American League with notes on injuries, playing time changes, hot streaks, and more. The five hottest hitters in the AL over the past two weeks have been Byron Buxton, Brent Rooker, Yordan Alvarez, George Springer, and Jose Miranda. Keep reading for the latest news and notes from all 15 American League teams.

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

• Ben Rice is batting in elite lineup spots
  • Rice has been batting leadoff for most of the past week and hit cleanup in the lineup on Wednesday
  • Since being promoted from Triple-A, Rice has already hit five home runs and has a wRC+ over 150 so far
  • Rice is a must-add in all formats and can be an elite asset at the catcher position despite not playing catcher for the Yankees
• Anthony Volpe has moved down in the lineup
  • The past month has been a real struggle for Volpe who has cooled off significantly after his fast start
  • Since June 9, Volpe is batting under .180 and has not hit a home run since May 16
  • Volpe’s abysmal stretch should place him on your fantasy bench although he is not a drop candidate
• Austin Wells is moving up in the lineup
  • Wells is getting more playing time lately over Jose Trevino and has been batting sixth in the lineup
  • Wells continues to be one of my favorite buys in keeper and dynasty leagues and is quietly posting excellent underlying numbers
  • He has a great walk rate, strong line drive rates, solid quality of contact. Moving up in the lineup should provide better RBI opportunities for him as well

Boston Red Sox

• David Hamilton is heading to the bench against lefties
  • Hamilton continues to bat second in the lineup against righties despite cooling off
  • He has not hit a home run since June 24 and is batting under .200 since June 13
  • The good news for fantasy managers is that Hamilton is still stealing bases, but his struggles at the plate could continue to result in less playing time moving forward
  • Nick Yorke is swinging a hot bat in Triple-A and could find himself in the Major Leagues at some point in the second half
• Masataka Yoshida is heating up
  • After a slow start to the season, Yoshida is batting over .300 since June 24
  • Digging into Yoshida’s profile, he is not doing much different outside of seeing his BABIP increase significantly
  • He has just three homers and zero stolen bases this season and is not worth rostering in most fantasy formats

Tampa Bay Rays

• Taylor Walls is back in as the starting shortstop
  • The Rays continue to search for answers since losing Wander Franco and are giving Walls another chance
  • Walls is primarily batting ninth in the lineup
  • Walls does not provide much fantasy upside and has a wRC+ under 50 on the season. He is not worth rostering in any fantasy leagues
• Jose Siri is losing playing time
  • Siri has been on the bench against two righties this past week and could continue to lose time based on his offensive struggles
  • Since June 22, Siri is batting under .175 with a strikeout rate of just under 40%
  • He has plus power and speed but is not consistent enough to roster on your fantasy teams
• Josh Lowe has been struggling this season
  • Lowe was one of the bigger breakouts last season but has not put together the same numbers this season
  • He continues to bat third in the lineup against righties but is sitting against all lefties at this point
  • Lowe should see some positive regression to both his home run rate and BABIP but is not a must-roster player in shallow leagues

Toronto Blue Jays

• Addison Barger was optioned back to Triple-A
  • Finding success at the Major League level continues to be elusive for Barger who will try to regain his timing back in Triple-A again
  • Ernie Clement is serving as the everyday third baseman with Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the IL
  • Clement has plus contact skills but lacks much fantasy upside elsewhere. He is not worth adding
• Spencer Horwitz continues to bat toward the top of Toronto’s lineup
  • Horwitz has been excellent since his promotion from Triple-A with an average well over .300 and a double-digit barrel rate
  • What makes things even better is that Horwitz is walking more than he is striking out which adds value in OBP leagues
  • He is starting to get more playing time against lefties as well and is handling them well in a small sample size

Baltimore Orioles

• Colton Cowser has lost his starting lineup spot
  • Cowswer was an early season favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award but is now serving in more of a bench role for Baltimore
  • Despite five home runs, Cowswer is batting under .200 since the start of June. His barrel rate is still over 11% during that span and his BABIP sits below .200
  • Now is a good opportunity to acquire Cowser in dynasty leagues
• Heston Kjerstad is playing against most righties
  • Kjerstad remains on the bench against lefties but he is playing more often now batting sixth in the lineup
  • Since being recalled on June 24, Kjerstad is batting over .350 with three home runs
  • His strikeout rate is high and the BABIP is due for serious regression, but the power is legit for Kjerstad moving forward
• Ryan Mountcastle is moving down in the lineup
  • Mountcastle is still batting third in the lineup against lefties but has been batting seventh against righties this week
  • Mountcastle has just one home run since June 8 and is not producing much for fantasy managers
  • In addition, Mountcastle owns just a 104 wRC+ against righties compared to 148 against lefties

AL West

Houston Astros

• Jon Singleton is back in the lineup as the everyday first baseman
  • Singleton got the first crack at extended playing time after the release of Jose Abreu and is now getting another chance to prove himself
  • He has been batting fifth or sixth in the lineup and has two homers with an average over .300 since June 30
  • Chas McCormick has moved back into a bench role as a result of this switch
• Jeremy Pena is moving up in the lineup
  • After an extended slump, Pena has been swinging the bat well for Houston and has homered twice since the start of July
  • One of Pena’s biggest flaws has been a low barrel rate, but this rate has been over 10% since the start of July and he is pulling the ball more. Both of which are good signs
  • Jake Meyers has slid down to seventh in the lineup as a result of Pena moving up

Los Angeles Angels

• Anthony Rendon is back from the IL
  • Rendon’s first IL stint of the year was a lengthy one, but he returned to the lineup last Monday
  • Rendon has been batting leadoff since returning which resulted in Miguel Sano being DFA’d
  • Although Rendon is well past his prime, he is showing off excellent contact rates and is at least worth keeping an eye on
• Luis Rengifo is on the IL
  • Rengifo has been excellent for fantasy managers since stepping into an everyday role but is now sidelined with wrist inflammation
  • This injury is expected to keep Rengifo out through the All-Star Break
  • With Rengifo out of the lineup, the team promoted Keston Hiura from Triple-A
  • He hit 12 home runs in 19 games with the Angels organization in Triple-A before his promotion but was still striking out nearly 30% of the time. He is not worth adding and is currently splitting playing time with Kevin Pillar
• Logan O’Hoppe is a top catching option for fantasy managers
  • O’Hoppe is on pace for 28 home runs this season and is batting .330 since the start of June
  • He is not going to steal many bases, but O’Hoppe is going to provide fantasy managers with elite four-category production from the catcher spot
  • He is a player worth buying high on in dynasty formats and is generating tons of playing time at the catcher position

Texas Rangers

• Wyatt Langford is sliding up in the lineup
  • Langford’s excellent stretch of performances has continued and the Rangers are now counting on him to produce from the clean-up spot in the lineup
  • Although his season-long numbers look mediocre, Langford is batting over .300 with four homers and six steals since June 9
  • Batting behind Corey Seager and Marcus Semien should provide elite RBI opportunities
  • Adolis Garcia has slid down to fifth in the lineup with Langford moving up
• Marcus Semien is showing signs of life
  • From May 18 through July 3, Semien hit just .174/.264/.252 with only two home runs
  • The Rangers have stuck with him in the leadoff spot and he seems to finally be breaking out of his slump
  • He has hit safely in six of seven games and should be a reliable fantasy asset moving forward. His .247 season-long BABIP is due for serious positive regression

Oakland Athletics

• Tyler Soderstrom is on the IL
  • Soderstrom was playing everyday for Oakland but is now sidelined with a bone bruise on his wrist
  • In his place, Seth Brown was recalled from Triple-A and figures to get the majority of the playing time at first base
  • Soderstrom is a great buy in keeper/dynasty leagues and should see his luck improve once he returns to the lineup
• Zack Gelof is moving back up in the lineup
  • Gelof has looked much more like the player we saw last year lately with five homers since June 18
  • The issue remains an incredibly high strikeout rate that is bound to cause prolonged slumps
  • Now is a good time to try and sell Gelof in dynasty formats while he is producing offensively
• Lawrence Butler is batting cleanup for Oakland
  • Butler’s move up in the lineup has been deserved thanks to his strong offensive performances
  • Since being recalled on June 18, Butler is slashing .255/.276/.472 but has been on fire since the calendar flipped to July
  • He has three homers and two steals with insane barrel rates
  • The strikeouts are always going to be a concern but fantasy managers should ride Butler while he is hot and producing at the plate

Seattle Mariners

• Dominic Canzone is on the IL
  • Canzone landed on the IL with a groin injury opening the door for playing time in left field
  • The team recalled Jonatan Clase from Triple-A but it appears Dylan Moore is getting the first crack at playing time batting toward the bottom of the lineup
  • The two are likely to split playing time making neither one worth rostering
• Mitch Garver has been batting second in the lineup recently
  • The Mariners are looking for a spark and giving Garver a chance to bat second is an attempt to generate one
  • Garver has not been playing particularly well this season batting under .200 on the year as a whole
  • He has two homers since the start of July and 12 on the season but is not a reliable fantasy option
• Jorge Polanco is batting seventh in the lineup
  • Polanco has continued to struggle since returning from the IL batting just .235 and has yet to hit a home run
  • Strikeouts continue to be a major area of concern for Polanco who is striking out nearly 40% of the time since returning to the lineup
  • He is not worth rostering in fantasy and could start to see his playing time decrease if his struggles continue

AL Central

Detroit Tigers

• Javier Baez is back from the IL
  • Baez returned to the Detroit lineup on Monday and has been batting seventh or eighth since returning
  • 2024 has looked similar to Baez’s first two seasons in Detroit and he is showing no signs of returning to his former self
  • With Baez back from the IL, Ryan Kriedler was optioned back to Triple-A
• Parker Meadows is on the IL
  • Meadows was recalled from Triple-A on July 5 and was getting the majority of playing time in center field
  • With Meadows out, Matt Vierling is likely to shift to the outfield allowing Zach McKinstry to serve as the everyday third baseman
  • McKinstry owns a wRC+ below 60 this season and is not worth rostering
  • Jace Jung is healthy again in Triple-A and could earn a promotion if he heats back up
• Colt Keith is red hot
  • Keith is batting second in Detroit’s lineup and has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball
  • After a slow start to the season, Keith is batting over .300 with five home runs since June 23
  • Not much has changed in Keith’s batted ball data but this is more so just his luck shifting from unlucky to lucky
  • Keith’s true talent level is likely somewhere in the middle of his early season production and current hot streak

Kansas City Royals

• Freddy Fermin is playing every day
  • Fermin is splitting time between DH and catcher batting in the back half of the lineup
  • Dating back to last season, Fermin has produced offensively when given a chance and could maintain this starting lineup spot
  • With consistent playing time and catcher eligibility, he is worth a look in deeper two-catcher leagues
• Maikel Garcia is losing playing time and moving down in the lineup
  • A mainstay at the top of the Royals’ lineup for the first half, Garcia’s offensive struggles have finally caught up to him
  • He has been on the bench against two righties this week and is batting eighth in some games
  • Adam Frazier who is back from the IL is also taking some plate appearances away from Garcia
• Hunter Renfroe has been playing better lately
  • Renfroe has struggled for the majority of the first half but is batting over .300 with a slug% over .500 since June 26
  • Renfroe’s BABIP has been due for positive regression for some time now although for the second season in a row, his barrel rate is down
  • He is not worth rostering in shallow leagues, but he is likely to continue receiving regular playing time

Chicago White Sox

• Gavin Sheets is rotating into the lineup on a regular basis
  • Sheets is not starting in place of one person in particular but is getting regular playing time batting fourth in the lineup
  • The White Sox seem to be making it a priority to keep Eloy Jimenez fresh as he has been on the bench twice in the past week
  • Jimenez has been a major disappointment this season as his low launch angle continues to prevent him from tapping into his raw power consistently
• Will Luis Robert be traded
  • The rumors are that the White Sox are open to moving Robert and plenty of teams are interested
  • If Robert is traded away, the combination of Gavin Sheets and Corey Julks are likely to see their playing time increase
  • Andrew Benintendi’s lineup spot could also be more safe with a Robert trade

Minnesota Twins

• Poor Royce Lewis
  • Lewis just cannot stay healthy and is on the IL again with a groin injury
  • With Lewis out, the Twins called up top prospect Brooks Lee to take his spot on the roster
  • Lee is a must-add player who is playing every day and has been red hot since being promoted to the Major Leagues
  • The team could look for ways to keep Lee up even after Lewis returns if he keeps performing like this
• Jose Miranda just keeps on hitting
  • Miranda has been one of the best hitters in baseball over the past month
  • Prior to going hitless in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday, Miranda had hit safely in 13 straight games and has turned himself into an excellent fantasy asset
  • Miranda is bound to see some regression in the coming weeks, but he still should maintain a strong batting average and plus counting stats. He should be rostered in 100% of leagues

Cleveland Guardians

• Will Brennan is back from the IL
  • Brennan returned to the Guardians’ lineup on Thursday and figures to play on the strong side of a platoon
  • Brennan figures to eat into the playing time of a variety of players with Tyler Freeman seeing the biggest decline in playing time
  • Gabriel Arias was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move
• Angel Martinez is batting second in the Guardians’ lineup
  • Martinez has been playing all over the diamond but primarily in center field lately
  • Since being recalled from Triple-A, Martinez has shown off an excellent hit tool while also walking at an elite clip
  • The quality of contact is nothing to write home about and he is not going to steal many bases, but Martinez holds fantasy value in OBP leagues
• Jhonkensy Noel is not getting regular playing time
  • Noel generated some buzz after hitting a home run in his first Major League game but is not playing enough to be worth rostering
  • Nobody in the starting lineup is struggling enough to open up an opportunity and there is a strong chance Noel finds himself back in Triple-A soon