The Major League Baseball schedule for Week 13 presents some quirks due to the FIFA World Cup. Some of these will affect American League clubs. The Kansas City Royals will take Saturday off instead of a traditional Monday or Thursday travel day. The three-game set between Minnesota and Texas starts Monday and wraps up on Thursday, with Wednesday as an off day. The Athletics and Angels will play seven games this week, while every other club will play six. All seven games for the Athletics are in Sacramento, following six games in Vegas. Athletics hitters and their opponents should put up plenty of runs. Here are my American League lineup analysis and observations, along with news and notes on all 15 teams for fantasy baseball managers to review before setting weekly lineups.
More great Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire | Weekly SP Rankings | Pitching Streamers | Two-Start Pitchers | Lineup Analysis | MLB Injury Report | Rookie Report | Advanced Stats | Under the Radar | Overvalued & Undervalued | Bullpen Report
AL Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis
Athletics
The Athletics placed outfielder Brent Rooker on the IL with a knee injury. Rooker has struggled this year, but the timing still hits hard given the Athletics’ schedule. The team activated Rookie of the Year runner-up Jacob Wilson and utilityman Max Muncy. The club optioned Darell Harnaiz to the Minors to make room for Muncy. The Athletics will face six right-handed starters this week. Rookie Henry Bolte has struggled of late, so Lawrence Butler could get regular starts in center field. He could serve as a useful streamer. All regular players remain must-starts, including Zack Gelof, who enters the weekend with a 16-game hitting streak. Gelof has ranked as a borderline top-50 fantasy hitter over the past month and is eligible at three positions.
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore starts a West Coast trip Tuesday, playing six games against right-handed starters. Most regular Orioles hitters are left-handed or switch-hitters, while the bench is right-handed. The Orioles haven’t faced a lefty starter since June 3, so the regular lineup should stay intact. Leody Taveras and Colton Cowser will start most of the time in the outfield alongside Taylor Ward. Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo should play nearly every day between catcher and the designated hitter slot. Tyler O’Neill and Blaze Alexander may start two or three games, but it will not be enough for weekly league consideration.
Boston Red Sox
Boston also plays six games, starting Tuesday, all against right-handed starters. The main difference is that the Red Sox play at home on Thursday and travel to Seattle on Friday. The lineup may feature a couple of extra bench players on Thursday. Aside from that, they mirror the Orioles by having only right-handed hitters on the bench. Two of Boston’s bench bats are catchers, which further limits their platooning options. I do not expect any Red Sox bench player to earn more than two starts this week. Mickey Gasper has led off and served as DH in Boston’s last two games. Jarren Duran has hit fifth while Masataka Yoshida sat. Gasper and Yoshida both hold wRC+ marks in the 80s, making neither player an exciting start despite the favorable schedule.
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox made several roster moves this week. The most impactful one was promoting Braden Montgomery to the Major Leagues. Montgomery has played right field in all five games since his call-up and batted fifth or sixth each time. He stands as the only switch-hitter in Chicago’s lineup outside of their two catchers. Chicago will face three lefties and three righties this week. They usually platoon, so several players may lose playing time. Sam Antonacci, Andrew Benintendi, and Colson Montgomery could each miss a game or two. Everson Pereira recently returned from the IL and could earn a couple of outfield starts this week.
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers on Saturday but paid a heavy price. Jose Ramirez fractured his hamate bone and will miss an extended period. Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez also left the game with injuries, which currently appear less severe. Managers cannot replace Ramirez’s production, but some multi-eligible players who qualify at third base could fill the gap. Fantasy managers should monitor news about DeLauter and Martinez before Tuesday’s game. The Guardians expect to face one left-hander and five righties this week. They may make at least one roster move to replace Martinez, but Daniel Schneemann should see the largest increase in playing time among current roster members.
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers will finish their current road trip on Wednesday. After taking Thursday off, they will host the White Sox for a weekend series. The Tigers should face only one left-handed starting pitcher throughout the week. Because Detroit heavily relies on platooning, this week’s schedule benefits left-handed hitters like Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith. Both players should see more at-bats and could be considered for weekly fantasy lineups. Zach McKinstry is likely to start most of the week and offers extra value with his ability to cover multiple positions. He has already started games at five different spots for Detroit in June. Detroit acquired former Twins and Dodgers outfielder James Outman earlier this week. Outman should handle most of the work in center field, but he is not a strong fantasy option this week.
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros have platooned both center and right field lately. For fantasy or DFS players, prioritize Joey Loperfido when Houston faces righties. He typically plays left field and hits sixth or seventh. Taylor Trammell offers some value in center and the eighth spot. Against lefties, Brice Matthews is the left fielder, batting eighth, while Jake Meyers gets the nod in center and bats higher in the order. Jose Altuve has mostly settled into the five-hole behind Jeremy Pena, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker, and Isaac Paredes. Altuve did lead off when the team gave Jeremy Pena a blow on Wednesday. Houston has an off day on Thursday despite playing at home all week. They will face two left-handed starting pitchers and four right-handers.
Kansas City Royals
Vinnie Pasquantino left Saturday’s game with a hand injury, and the severity remains unknown. Fantasy managers should monitor updates before Monday’s game. Kansas City will face three left-handed starters early in the week. For bi-weekly change leagues, consider sitting Pasquantino on Monday if his injury lingers. You can always plug him back in on Friday. The Royals called up former first-round pick Kameron Misner after putting Kyle Isbel on the Injured List. Misner, Jac Caglianone, and Michael Massey are at risk of sitting out one or two games when a left-handed starter is on the mound. Lane Thomas stands as the most likely beneficiary of the lefty-heavy schedule, but he remains more of a deep league option than a regular starter.
Los Angeles Angels
Vaughn Grissom and Adam Frazier suffered injuries late last week, prompting the Angels to place them on the IL before Monday’s game. The Angels called up Denzer Guzman and Trey Mancini as replacements. Mancini made a fantasy impact years ago but hadn’t played in the Majors since 2023 before Monday. I don’t mind a speculative short-term add of either in deep leagues, given the Angels’ favorable schedule this week. They play seven games, including four in Sacramento. Los Angeles will also face three left-handed starters, which could benefit both players. However, I expect the Angels to mix and match Guzman and Mancini with Nolan Schanuel, Oswald Peraza, and Nick Madrigal. This scenario likely means all those players will start anywhere from three to five games this week at first, second, and third base.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins have been in all their platooning glory, having faced three lefties in their last six games. That does not figure to be the case in Week 13. Minnesota will see only one left-handed starter, with that game coming on Monday. Trevor Larnach, Victor Caratini, and Tristan Gray should all earn a handful of starts. Larnach stands as the only one among the three who hits high in the lineup. He has led off in three of his last four starts against right-handed starters. Royce Lewis has taken over as Minnesota’s primary first baseman since last week’s call-up. While Lewis has shown potential before but faltered, his expanded playing time now creates an opportunity to add position eligibility, making him a speculative roster consideration.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees placed Trent Grisham on the Injured List and activated Jasson Dominguez this week. Dominguez played right field and hit second on Saturday, but his lineup spot over the next seven days remains uncertain. New York plays three left-handers in its six games. The Yankees face a lefty on Sunday, June 13, which could offer clues for Dominguez’s place in the everyday lineup. Spencer Jones has not started either game when New York faced a lefty so far. In those games, Jose Caballero has played right field while Anthony Volpe has played shortstop, with Spencer Jones sitting. Expect that alignment in at least two of the next three games against lefties this week.
Seattle Mariners
Randy Arozarena injured his hamstring on Friday and missed Saturday’s contest. With Seattle being off on Monday and being on the West Coast, it may be difficult to get a read on this situation before weekly lineups lock. Fantasy managers should use their discretion. Cole Young has been leading off versus right-handers with J.P. Crawford sidelined. He has 12 hits across seven games in the leadoff spot. The Mariners begin a six-game homestand on Tuesday. They will face three right-handed starters versus Baltimore, and then three left-handers against Boston. Seattle usually platoons Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone with Victor Robles and Rob Refsnyder, so it is not an ideal situation for fantasy managers. I suppose the glass-half-full view is that the decision is an easier one if you can swap out players on Friday.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays called up Austin Slater from the Minor Leagues last week. Slater is the quintessential platoon player, which makes him the perfect fit in Tampa Bay. Slater, Ben Williamson, and Ryan Vilade all started four straight games this past week in which Tampa Bay faced a lefty. The Rays will face three more left-handers this week. I prefer all three players as daily league starters rather than in weekly formats. They will primarily split starts with Victor Mesa Jr. and Richie Palacios. Tampa Bay may also have Chandler Simpson and/or Cedric Mullins sit out a game or two when a left-handed starter is on the mound. Mullins hit third in Saturday’s lineup, with Yandy Diaz leading off and Simpson hitting fifth. This shift would increase Mullins’ fantasy value when Tampa Bay faces right-handers if it holds. Mullins has been hitting sixth or seventh most of the season.
Texas Rangers
Corey Seager was involved in a collision on Thursday and has missed the past two games. He should be back by Sunday, but we can never be too sure with Seager. The good news is that Texas will square off against six righties in Week 13. As long as Seager is ready by Monday, fantasy managers should start him with confidence. Texas placed Evan Carter on the IL and recalled Cody Freeman. Freeman played second base on Saturday, but that game was against a left-hander. Ezequiel Duran and Nicky Lopez should start mostly every day this week, with Freeman on the bench. Duran has made starts at four different positions over the past five days. Joc Pederson has cooled off after a hot couple of weeks, but he will still likely lead off for the time being.
Toronto Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. missed Saturday’s contest due to a lower back issue. It is hard not to wonder if this ailment may explain Guerrero’s struggles, particularly in the power department. Toronto activated catcher Alejandro Kirk earlier this week. Kirk will get most of the work behind the plate, but Brandon Valenzuela may have earned a seat at the table with his play during Kirk’s absence. The Blue Jays also placed Daulton Varsho on the Injured List and recalled Davis Schneider. Schneider and Myles Straw are likely to platoon with Jesus Sanchez, Yohendrick Pinango, and Nathan Lukes in the outfield. Toronto faces three lefties and three righties this week, so this is another situation where all five players involved might start three or four games. My guess is that Schneider and Lukes earn the most starts out of that quintet in Week 13.
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
