Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis: Bench Ohtani?!

We have a rather full week ahead of us for Week 9 of the 2026 Major League Baseball season. This coming Monday in particular is one of the busiest of the year. The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals are the only teams idle on Monday. None of the 14 games played that day starts before 6:40 PM EST. That should give fantasy baseball managers access to lineup information before lock. Seven games will be played on Thursday. In total, 12 teams are in for a seven-game week. The other 18 will play six games. Let’s dive into some MLB lineup analysis to see if we can find some players who can provide value this week.

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Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 9

American League

Athletics

The Athletics made several roster moves this week. They placed starting shortstop Jacob Wilson on the Injured List and called up outfielder Henry Bolte. Bolte has played center field and hit fifth or sixth in all four games so far. Lawrence Butler has shifted to right field, which has left Carlos Cortes on the outside looking in. Cortes has only started one of the team’s last three games despite all three being against right-handed starters. The A’s will play seven games on the road this week. Six of them are scheduled to be against righties. I would give Cortes another week to see if he can earn a few more starts. He does still have a 149 wRC+ versus righties this year. Butler (62 wRC+) may be at greater risk long-term.

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore placed outfielder Dylan Beavers on the Injured List this week. So far, the biggest beneficiary has been Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill has started five straight games in the outfield for the Orioles. He had only started seven of the team’s previous 16 games since returning from the IL. O’Neill has been hitting fifth against lefties and sixth versus right-handers. Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser have been sharing center field duties, with Taveras holding a slight playing time edge. The same holds true for Jeremiah Jackson and Blaze Alexander at second base. Coby Mayo has been the team’s designated hitter in their last two contests versus left-handed starters, while Weston Wilson has manned the hot corner. The Orioles are off Thursday and will face four righties and two lefties in Week 9.

Boston Red Sox

The biggest development from a lineup perspective in Boston this week is the insertion of catcher/designated hitter Mickey Gasper as the team’s number-two hitter. He has hit there in four straight games against right-handed starting pitchers. Gasper was in the Minors two weeks ago and is a 30-year-old with a career batting average of .169 in 150 MLB plate appearances. So it is hard to say how long this experiment will last. But it has worked so far, as he is hitting .381 since being called up. He is worth a look in two-catcher leagues. Boston placed Trevor Story on the IL this week and replaced him on the roster with veteran Nick Sogard. Sogard should back up Andruw Monasterio as the team’s primary shortstop for now. The Red Sox play six games this week, with four of them being against right-handed starters.

Chicago White Sox

Chicago’s lineup card versus right-handed starting pitchers has been the same all week, save for a minor injury that Andrew Benintendi was dealing with. With the White Sox facing five righties in six Week 9 games, expect more of the same. Chicago usually features seven left-handed bats (including switch-hitting catcher Drew Romo) in this alignment. They will platoon quite a bit when a lefty is on the mound. Sam Antonacci and Colson Montgomery are candidates to sit out, as are Romo and outfielder Tristan Peters. Chase Meidroth usually gets bumped up to the leadoff spot, with Randal Grichuk cleaning up. Edgar Quero catches and bats fifth, while Luisangel Acuna bats eighth.

Cleveland Guardians

Steven Kwan was dropped from the leadoff spot to the sixth spot in the batting order on Saturday. He has struggled to do much of anything at the plate this year, so this may be more than just a one-game move. Daniel Schneemann led off and played center field. Schneemann has started at four different positions on the diamond in the last two weeks. He is a viable chess piece for fantasy managers and would gain some value if he could stick in the leadoff spot. Angel Martinez is a candidate to lead off when the Guardians face a left-handed starter. Travis Bazzana has worked his way up to the fifth spot against righties. Cleveland has a seven-game week with five of those games scheduled against right-handed starters. Bazzana could be in for a big week.

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers placed slugger Kerry Carpenter on the IL this week and recalled infielder Gage Workman. Workman has started three of four games versus righties since being called up and has hit seventh, fifth, and sixth. He has been playing second and third base, while Colt Keith has been the team’s designated hitter in three of his last four starts. Detroit has a full week but faces only four righties. That makes Keith and, to a lesser degree, Workman tough players to start in weekly leagues. Catcher Dillon Dingler has hit second in the lineup in three of Detroit’s last four games. Dingler has gone a bit under the radar with some of the torrid starts that other catchers have gotten off to. However, he is currently a top-eight fantasy catcher in 5 x 5 leagues.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros may have suffered yet another injury blow, as Jose Altuve left Saturday’s game with an injury to his left side. The 36-year-old is a candidate for the Injured List. Six other Astro hitters are currently on the IL, including several starters. If Altuve is out and Jeremy Pena cannot return from his injury this week, Brice Matthews could get some starts at the leadoff spot for Houston. Matthews has been a bit better at making contact at the plate, but he still strikes out a lot. Braden Shewmake could be an option if Pena remains out. Shewmake had a nine-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday. Houston will play six games this week and should face five right-handed starting pitchers.

Kansas City Royals

Vinnie Pasquantino has been dropped to the sixth spot in Kansas City’s lineup in their last two games versus left-handed starters. It is a less-than-ideal development for the slugging first baseman. Worse yet, veteran outfielder Lane Thomas has taken his place. Thomas doesn’t even usually start against righties, making him only an option in DFS and daily leagues. The Royals play six games this week with an off day on Thursday. They will face two lefties in their first series and should face all righties next weekend. Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone, and Michael Massey have all sat in the team’s last two games against left-handed starters. If your league allows mid-week switches, you may want to sit those players for the first half of Week 9.

Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels will play a seven-game week and should face two left-handed starting pitchers. They have been shaking up their lineup in recent days. Vaughn Grissom has started three straight games as the team’s leadoff hitter. Zach Neto dropped to sixth in two of the games and third in the other. I would be lying if I said I watched the Angels religiously, but this strikes me as odd because Grissom is hitting .163 in May. He does draw walks, which is the only reason I can think of as to why he got the nod over Oswald Peraza. The emergence of both Grissom and Peraza has effectively relegated Yoan Moncada to a part-time role. The Angels activated starting catcher Logan O’Hoppe from the Injured List this week. He has batted eighth in each of his first two games since his return.

Minnesota Twins

Byron Buxton has missed three straight games while tending to a hip injury. Buxton has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball, so fantasy managers are hoping for a speedy recovery. That hasn’t exactly been Buxton’s calling card, so we will have to hope for the best. Austin Martin has led off in all three games and continues to get on base at a high clip. Brooks Lee has hit second in four straight games with Buxton and Trevor Larnach dealing with injuries. Larnach did return to action on Saturday and hit cleanup. Minnesota optioned Matt Wallner to the Minors this week and called up Ryan Kreidler. I take no personal joy in this move, but it’s nice to know that my eyes still work. The Twins should face five righties and one lefty this week.

New York Yankees

Soon after the New York Yankees announced that Jose Caballero would remain the team’s starting shortstop instead of the returning Anthony Volpe, Caballero fractured his finger. New York placed Caballero on the Injured List and called up Volpe. Aaron Boone has stated that Caballero will not lose his starting spot, and he should be back later this month. Volpe is not a recommended fantasy option, even in the short term. New York has no off days this week and is scheduled to face five right-handed starters. That means we should see plenty of Trent Grisham, Spencer Jones, and Ryan McMahon. McMahon is the one among the three who is most likely to be replaced when the team faces a lefty.

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners placed Cal Raleigh on the IL this week. The runner-up for American League MVP hopes to be back by the end of May. He has been in an awful slump, so perhaps this respite can serve as a reset of sorts. Seattle has faced nothing but right-handed starters this past week, but that will not be the case in Week 9. The Mariners are only scheduled to face two righties in their six upcoming games. Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone have had solid weeks, but are not recommended starts this time around. Instead, Rob Refsnyder could be a sneaky start this week. He has been Seattle’s leadoff hitter whenever the team has encountered a left-handed starter. Primary leadoff man Brendan Donovan should still get most of the starts at third base this week, with Leo Rivas most likely spelling him for a game or two.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays are going to place outfielder Jake Fraley on the Injured List due to a sports hernia. Make sure he is out of all weekly lineups. We do not know who Tampa will employ to replace Fraley on the roster. The Rays love to platoon, so a left-handed bat is likely, considering there are none on their current bench. Among options currently on the roster, Jonny DeLuca is the one most likely to bridge the gap. Second baseman Richie Palacios could be an option as well, given his previous outfield experience. In that scenario, Ben Williamson would start at second base. Hunter Feduccia is getting most of the work behind the plate against right-handers in place of Nick Fortes. Tampa is scheduled to face four right-handed starters and two lefties this week.

Texas Rangers

Corey Seager has missed the last two games and is dealing with back spasms. However, the team is deeming this a minor ailment. Texas will face three left-handed starting pitchers and three righties in Week 9. I would still start Seager in all formats as long as he is in Monday’s starting lineup. Joc Pederson and Alejandro Osuna, on the other hand, not so much. Both are expected to sit whenever the Rangers face a lefty. Andrew McCutchen and Sam Haggerty should evenly split the starting gigs at DH and left field with Pederson and Osuna. I would avoid starting any of these four players in weekly formats due to their limited volume. Jake Burger has six hits in his last four games and could get a lineup bump in the three games versus lefties.

Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto placed Addison Barger back on the Injured List with an elbow injury earlier this week. Barger had only been back one game after missing over a month with an ankle injury. The good news is that this injury should only keep Barger out for a week or two. Yohendrick Pinango has been playing left field and batting second against right-handed starters since being recalled to replace Barger on the roster. Daulton Varsho and Jesus Sanchez have settled into the fifth and sixth spots behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto. That should continue for most of the upcoming week. The Blue Jays will play a full seven-game slate and will face five righties.

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona has bumped Nolan Arenado to the cleanup spot this week. The veteran had been hitting as low as seventh for most of the season. However, Arenado has been a steady contributor and has been rewarded for his efforts. Adrian Del Castillo is still operating as the primary versus right-handed starting pitchers, but has been dropped to the seventh spot in the order. Jose Fernandez has been handling most of the DH duties against lefties. He has also usually been hitting in the bottom third of the lineup. Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno have resumed playing every day following their respective returns from injuries. The Diamondbacks will play seven home games in Week 9. They are scheduled to face five right-handed starters and two left-handers.

Atlanta Braves

Atlanta made several roster moves this week. Most notably, they activated shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and placed backup catcher Sean Murphy back on the Injured List. Kim has been hitting seventh or eighth in all five starts so far. Starting catcher Drake Baldwin has been the DH versus lefties, with new backup Sandy Leon behind the plate. Mauricio Dubon has shifted to center field, replacing the injured Eli White.  Dubon and Baldwin have been sharing leadoff duties in the absence of Ronald Acuna Jr. The team recalled outfielder Jose Azocar, and he has been the team’s starting right fielder against left-handed starters. However, with the Braves expected to only face two southpaws in Week 9, Mike Yastrzemski should get the bulk of the starts in right field this week. Both players have been batting ninth over the past several days.

Chicago Cubs

After spending the last three weeks in the five or six hole, Michael Busch hit second in back-to-back games for the Chicago Cubs. Busch only has three home runs after hitting 34 a year ago. But hopefully this can provide a spark and get him back on track. Maybe Pete Crow-Armstrong can earn a similar lineup bump at some point soon. Moises Ballesteros is the player most adversely affected by Busch’s ascension in the lineup. He has only started half of Chicago’s last eight games despite the Cubs only facing one lefty in that span. Ballasteros has hit sixth or seventh in two of his last three starts. The Cubs only play six games this week, but all are at home, and five are against right-handed starting pitchers.

Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati has had a feast-or-famine offense of late. JJ Bleday, Spencer Steer, and Matt McLain have been among the league’s hottest hitters. TJ Frieldl and Nate Lowe have not, to the point where their playing time is now in question. Each player has only started two of the team’s last six games. Only two of those games were against left-handed starting pitchers. Will Benson and Dane Myers have been splitting leadoff duties depending on the handedness of that game’s starter. McLain has been thriving since being dropped towards the bottom of the lineup. The Reds may opt not to mess with that dynamic for now, since he struggled so mightily hitting second early in the year. Cincinnati will play six games this week, facing two lefties and four righties.

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies have had three different leadoff hitters in each of their last three games. Eduoard Julien is still their leadoff hitter versus right-handed starters, but he is struggling at the plate. Jake McCarthy was in that role coming out of Spring Training and could be an option if Julien can’t get it together. Mickey Moniak has been the team’s DH in three straight games versus a left-handed starter. He has hit fifth or sixth in each game. Still, this is much better than not playing at all against lefties, which had been the case for most of the season. Brenton Doyle is only starting versus lefties nowadays, which makes him a tough player to hold in weekly formats. Colorado will play seven games this week, but will only face two left-handed starting pitchers.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have been opting not to have Shohei Ohtani hit on days when he pitches. In leagues with two periods of roster moves per week, benching Ohtani for the first part of the week might not be the craziest idea. He may only bat twice between Monday and Thursday, while 40 percent of the league plays four games. Ohtani has been a mere mortal at the plate so far this season, while he is putting up Cy Young Award-caliber numbers on the mound. Mookie Betts returned to action this week and is back in his usual number two lineup slot. Will Smith has batted in each of the first five spots in the order in his last five games. Los Angeles is on the road this week and is scheduled to face one lefty among their six games.

Miami Marlins

Since Miami called up catcher Joe Mack two weeks ago, he has started 10 of 12 games behind the plate. He is hitting at the bottom of the lineup and has yet to produce much offensively, but his playing time makes him a decent option in two-catcher leagues. Liam Hicks, meanwhile, has been a top-five fantasy catcher so far in 2026. He has been splitting time between catcher, DH, and first base. Hicks has been hitting second and should continue to be a force for the foreseeable future. Connor Norby has been hitting fifth in most of his recent starts. Like Hicks, he has spent time at first base and DH, as well as third base. The Marlins are at home all week with no days off. They will face five righties and a pair of lefties this week.

Milwaukee Brewers

Christian Yelich returned after a month-long absence due to a groin strain. However, he played just one game before missing the last four due to back issues. Milwaukee has opted not to place him back on the IL, but fantasy managers may want to exercise caution if nothing changes between now and Monday night. The Brewers have used William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn, and Jake Bauers in the DH role with Yelich out. Bauers is probably the odd man out of this group once Yelich returns to full-time at-bats. Gary Sanchez has earned three starts in the last six games, all behind the plate. David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz have been forming a platoon at shortstop. Milwaukee plays six games this week, with two of those games scheduled to be against left-handed starting pitchers.

New York Mets

Rookie Carson Benge has taken over the leadoff role for the New York Mets in recent days. He hit first a few times earlier in the year before being dropped to the lower half of the lineup. Hopefully, the move will stick a bit longer this time around. New York recalled A.J. Ewing from the Minors. Ewing has been playing center field and batting eighth, though he did hit sixth on Saturday. Not all the news is good, however. Francisco Alvarez was placed on the IL and may not return until July. Luis Torrens should start most of the time and bat ninth while Alvarez is out. The Mets are on the road for seven games in Week 9. Six of those games are against right-handed starters. MJ Melendez has cooled off, but should be in New York’s starting lineup more often than not.

Philadelphia Phillies

Alec Bohm has finally picked up his production at the plate recently. Don Mattingly has responded by getting Bohm back into the top five of Philadelphia’s batting order. Bohm hit fifth twice and fourth twice in the club’s last four games. Adolis Garcia was dropped to sixth after spending the last month as the team’s regular cleanup hitter. The Phillies are home for six games this week. Half will be against lefties, and the other half will be against righties. Despite the relative lack of right-handed opponents, do not get cute with the team’s regular left-handed bats. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are obvious fantasy starters, but I would also start Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott, and Justin Crawford in most scenarios.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Konnor Griffin hit second in each of Pittsburgh’s last two games against left-handed starting pitchers. Griffin has three total hits in those two outings. Brandon Lowe has been dropped to the seventh spot in both games. It’s disappointing considering how good Lowe has been overall this season. But the move feels justified when looking at his numbers against left-handed pitching this year. Pittsburgh plays six games in Week 9, four of which are against right-handed starters. Fantasy managers should continue to start Lowe in all formats. The team benched Nick Gonzales for two straight games earlier this week. That was noteworthy considering Gonzales had started 21 of the team’s previous 22 games. Jared Triolo started both of those games at third base and has also earned starts at first base and right field.

San Diego Padres

Fernando Tatis Jr. has been San Diego’s second baseman since Jake Cronenworth was injured a couple of weeks back. Tatis has earned second base eligibility in many formats, which increases his fantasy allure. Now if only he could remember how to hit the ball over the fence. With Tatis playing second, Nick Castellanos has been the team’s regular right fielder, with Miguel Andujar occupying the DH position. Both veterans have provided solid production this week. Last week, it looked like Gavin Sheets may be on his last legs as a regular starter for San Diego. Fast forward to now, and he has reached base 13 times in his last five games. Sheets should continue to hold off the threat of Ty France for a while, given his recent hot streak.

San Francisco Giants

San Francisco seems to have settled on Jung Hoo Lee and Luis Arraez as their top two hitters versus right-handed starting pitchers. It’s a bit more of an old-school approach than, say, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers occupying the top two spots for the Athletics. But Lee and Arraez have produced in their own way in recent weeks. The Giants should face all righties until next Sunday, so expect more of the same this week. San Francisco placed left fielder Heliot Ramos on the IL this week, but also got center fielder Harrison Bader back. Drew Gilbert should be Ramos’s primary replacement. Casey Schmitt has been more effective than Bryce Eldridge, but the team wants to see what Eldridge can do. I would imagine they continue to split time at DH, with each getting the occasional start at first base.

St. Louis Cardinals

Like the Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals will also face five straight right-handed starters before squaring off with a lefty in next weekend’s series finale. That means that Nolan Gorman should continue to get most of the work as the team’s third baseman. He only started one of the team’s three games versus left-handed starters this past week. It might not matter in Week 9 with only one left-handed starter opposing them, but Alec Burleson has been low-key bad against lefties so far this year. He is not hitting the ball with any authority (.296 slugging percentage) or drawing walks (.246 on-base percentage). Jose Fermin could cut into Burleson’s playing time against lefties at some point.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are playing seven games this week and should face five right-handed starters and two lefties. The team leading the Major Leagues in runs scored should continue to pay dividends for fantasy managers. Hot-hitting Nats like Daylen Lile and Luis Garcia Jr. should remain in all fantasy lineups. Brady House had hit third in six straight games prior to Thursday for Washington. He hit sixth on Friday before not starting at all on Saturday. The good news is that he doubled and homered as a late-game replacement on Saturday. I would still start him next week, but I would be more confident if he were back in the three-hole by Monday evening. Nasim Nunez has been the team’s everyday second baseman but hasn’t been able to hit his way out of a paper bag. He is a punt play for those desperate for stolen bases.