A few scheduling quirks caused by the FIFA World Cup will affect National League clubs. The St. Louis Cardinals are off on Saturday instead of the more traditional Monday or Thursday travel day. A similar scenario takes place in Philadelphia. The Phillies and New York Mets are off Friday. The three-game sets for both series will begin on Thursday and end on Sunday. All 15 National League teams will play six games in Week 13. Below is my National League lineup analysis for the upcoming week. It contains observations on recent lineup trends and personnel moves for fantasy baseball managers to consider before setting weekly lineups.
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NL Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 13
Arizona Diamondbacks
Catcher Gabriel Moreno continues to bat third and remains the primary catcher, starting 11 of Arizona’s last 12 games. Adrian Del Castillo has only started once in June and is now the backup catcher, while Aramis Garcia was designated for assignment earlier this week. Moreno has eight hits and a stolen base over his last six games, with four of those hits going for extra bases, including two home runs. The Diamondbacks activated Jordan Lawlar from the 60-day Injured List on Friday. Lawlar is expected to share left and center field duties with Ryan Waldschmidt and Tommy Troy in a three-man rotation. LuJames Groover and Pavin Smith are set to alternate at first base and designated hitter, with Arizona facing three left-handed starters and three right-handed starters this week. I am projecting both Groover and Smith to make four starts each.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves placed Ronald Acuna Jr. on the Injured List with a hamstring injury for the second time this season. Atlanta called up Rowdy Tellez to replace Acuna on the roster, but Tellez has yet to start in three games and will remain a bench bat, except for occasional spot starts. Mauricio Dubon shifted to left field and has led off in two of three games since Acuna’s injury. Mike Yastrzemski is now the primary right fielder versus right-handers, while Eli White plays right field against lefties. Ha-Seong Kim and Jorge Mateo have each rotated at shortstop, starting two of three games. With three left-handed and three right-handed starters on the schedule this week, fantasy managers still face lineup uncertainty. Of these players, Dubon is the only one I feel confident will earn five or more starts this week.
Chicago Cubs
Over in Chicago, the Cubs are home for the week and should only face one left-handed starting pitcher. Their regulars are solid starts across all formats, as they do not platoon much. While Chicago had used either Moises Ballesteros or Michael Conforto in the two-spot, that has changed recently. Alex Bregman now hits second, ahead of Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ. Ballesteros has hit seventh in his last two starts, and Conforto batted eighth on Wednesday. Ballesteros appears to have reclaimed the primary DH role from Conforto, but we have already seen this balance of power shift numerous times. The Cubs activated Matt Shaw from the IL earlier this week, but seem content to keep him on the bench for now.
Cincinnati Reds
I’m not sure if Cincinnati has completely given up on Blake Dunn as their preferred leadoff hitter. But they are definitely exploring their options. The Reds have used four different leadoff hitters in the past four games. Most recently, Edwin Arroyo filled that spot on Saturday against a right-hander, though he hadn’t started the previous two games. This suggests Saturday’s lineup may not indicate a permanent change, especially since the team managed only three hits. The Reds are scheduled to face five right-handed starters this week. Regardless of who leads off, we should see plenty of JJ Bleday and Nathaniel Lowe. The duo will likely be hitting second and fourth, respectively. Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, and Eugenio Suarez round out the middle of the order.
Colorado Rockies
Jake McCarthy has missed four starts in a row due to illness. Meanwhile, Ezequiel Tovar has been scratched twice after hurting himself on a foul ball. I doubt either injury lingers into Week 13, but just make sure both are ready to go by Monday. Willi Castro has been hitting first or second all week. Some of that may be attributed to McCarthy being out, but Castro’s spot as a starter is secure. He has started in four different positions in the field this week. Cole Carrigg has made five straight starts in center field after Colorado placed Tyler Freeman on the 7-day IL. Freeman was hit in the head by a Jacob Misiorowski fastball last weekend. It is not yet clear when Freeman will return to action. The Rockies will only face one left-handed starting pitcher this week.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed starting catcher Will Smith on the Injured List this week. Dalton Rushing is stepping in as the primary catcher, with Chuckie Robinson likely to start only against left-handed pitchers. Los Angeles will see two lefties during a six-game homestand, which starts Monday and includes a Thursday off day. The star-studded top of the lineup remains intact, but the Dodgers are rotating at the bottom third based on matchups. Ryan Ward and Alex Freeland currently start at left field and second base when the Dodgers are facing a right-handed starter. That duo will give way to Alex Call and Miguel Rojas when a lefty takes the rubber. Call only led off on Friday because Shohei Ohtani missed the game with knee inflammation.
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins faced nothing but right-handed starters this past week. The result was a consistent starting lineup. Catcher Joe Mack and left fielder Heriberto Hernandez were the only players who sat out multiple games this week, but each still earned four starts. I would expect more of the same this week, as Miami only faces one lefty. If anything, Hernandez would probably start that game as well, given his career splits. It is hard to trust most of the Marlins’ bats outside of their top four hitters, but the volume should at least be there. Miami has been moving Kyle Stowers around in an effort to keep all of its regular bats in the lineup. Stowers has started games at both corner outfield spots as well as first base and DH in the past week.
Milwaukee Brewers
Andrew Vaughn is hitting .366 with a 179 wRC+ this season and has started two of the last four games. Meanwhile, Sal Frelick has a 74 wRC+ and -2 defensive runs saved in the outfield and has started three of four. Good times. I wish I could explain why the Brewers don’t just play Vaughn at first base and Jake Bauers in right field every day, but obviously, I am missing something. I am going to keep playing Vaughn where I have him in all formats. If he continues to produce at a high level, we can live with reduced volume (I guess). Milwaukee will face two left-handed starting pitchers in Week 13, so hopefully Vaughn can at least get three or four starts.
New York Mets
The New York Mets activated starting catcher Francisco Alvarez from the Injured List this week. He missed a month with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Alvarez should get most of the work behind the plate, but the Mets will monitor his workload. I would imagine he starts three or four games this week. New York platooned three players in Saturday’s game, which was their first against a lefty starter since May 27. Jared Young, A.J. Ewing, and Brett Baty all hit the bench. They were replaced by Mark Vientos, Eric Wagaman, and Vidal Brujan, with Carson Benge and Bo Bichette switching primary positions to accommodate. New York will face two lefties this week, so Young, Ewing, and Baty should get most of the workload. They are all borderline starters depending on your other options.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies placed outfielder Adolis Garcia on the 60-day IL with a tear in his shoulder. Fantasy managers can safely move on from the veteran if they haven’t already. It’s not as if Garcia was earning his keep for fantasy purposes anyway. I think it is safe to say that Garcia’s best days in the fantasy scope are sadly behind him. Philadelphia acquired Derek Hill from the White Sox and also called up Gabriel Rincones Jr. to replace Garcia in the outfield. Rincones would be on the strong side of a standard platoon, and the Phillies face five righties this week. However, I would not rush to add either player at this juncture. The regulars are always must-starts, especially with their volume. None of the top six hitters in their lineup has missed more than one start since May 20.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates placed stud outfielder Oneil Cruz on the IL early this week. The timing of Cruz’s injury is unfortunate for multiple reasons, including Pittsburgh’s upcoming schedule. They will be in Sacramento and Colorado this week while facing five right-handed starters. Oh, what might have been. On the bright side, the Pirates have several other left-handed bats ready to pick up the slack. Brandon Lowe, Spencer Horwitz, and Ryan O’Hearn all have a wRC+ of 140 or better versus righties. Fire up that trio in all formats. Tyler Callihan has the makings of a solid streamer this week. He has five hits, including two home runs, in five starts versus righties since Cruz went down. Konnor Griffin has begun a rehab assignment, but I would not start him in weekly formats unless we know for sure he is returning to the Majors by Tuesday at the latest.
San Diego Padres
San Diego placed Miguel Andujar on the IL this week with a hamstring strain and designated Bryce Johnson for assignment. Will Wagner and Nick Solak were called up in corresponding moves. But it is Samad Taylor who has been balling out for the Padres. Taylor was called up following Ramon Laureano’s injury roughly 10 days ago. Taylor did not start a game until June 7, but now has nine hits in six games since then. He has driven in eight runs and added a home run and two stolen bases. The speed is real, but the prowess at the plate is probably not. Still, Taylor’s path to playing time is clear at the moment. There are worse players you could speculate on. The Padres are on the road all week and will face one left-handed starting pitcher.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants have tweaked their lineup quite a bit in recent days. Lineups late last week featured Casey Schmitt in the leadoff spot, followed by Rafael Devers, Luis Arraez, and Willy Adames. Jung-Hoo Lee batted fifth, with rookie Bryce Eldridge hitting sixth. Fast forward a week, and Arraez is now leading off with Eldridge hitting second. Schmitt, Devers, and Adames have dropped two spots, while Lee remains in the five-hole. Arraez currently has a 13-game hitting streak, while Lee’s 18-gamer was snapped on Friday. This new look lineup has only produced two runs in two games. Consider it a work in progress. San Francisco faces only one left-handed starter this week, so I would expect this experiment to continue throughout the week, barring anything disastrous.
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals sent not one, but two of their regular players to Triple-A this week. They optioned both Victor Scott II and Nolan Gorman to the Minors. I mentioned in this column two weeks ago that Scott could be on thin ice given his deficiencies at the plate. But I will admit I did not expect such swift action. St. Louis activated Nathan Church from the IL and recalled Blaze Jordan. Church has been playing center field and mostly batting ninth. Jordan will play third base and bat in the lower half of the lineup. I would expect both players to receive regular playing time for the foreseeable future. The Cardinals will only go up against one left-handed starter this week, so their everyday lineup should remain the same.
Washington Nationals
Washington feels like they’re on the verge of having a very lopsided lineup problem. James Wood, CJ Abrams, Daylen Lile, and Luis Garcia Jr. have all had good years. Wood and Abrams have been outstanding. All four players bat from the left side. Their right-handed hitters are another story. Curtis Mead is the only righty with an above-average wRC+ this season. I wonder if we will see the team bring back Brady House and/or Joey Wiemer anytime soon. I would not mind seeing Mead shift over to second base if House is called up to play third. Luckily for the Nationals, they are only expected to face one left-handed starter this week. Their lefties should continue to mash while the righties and switch-hitters can hopefully keep the offense afloat.
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