Week 19 will be a busy one on the fantasy baseball front. Six American League teams are scheduled for seven games this week. That includes a day game on Monday for fantasy baseball managers to navigate. The Major League Baseball trade deadline is also fast approaching. Several big names may be on the move, and many other trades will have major implications. I don’t want to get too far in the weeds by speculating on who could get dealt, so let’s focus instead on recent lineup changes and roster moves that have already taken place. This information should help you optimize your lineups heading into what is sure to be an interesting week. Here is my American League lineup analysis for Week 19.
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
Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis for Week 19 – American League
Athletics
The Athletics activated slugger Nick Kurtz from the Injured List. He has hit second behind Jacob Wilson in both of his games since being recalled. Unfortunately, that is about where the good news ends for the Athletics. The breakout season for catcher Shea Langeliers looks to be over due to a torn meniscus. Jonah Heim has hit fourth and third in the last two games and could be a serviceable replacement in two-catcher leagues. The Athletics also placed Joshua Kuroda-Grauer on the IL with an injury that we won’t talk about. Tommy White has been playing third base in JKG’s absence and has been hitting anywhere from fifth to seventh. However, Zack Gelof could be returning this week, so keep an eye on that situation. This week, the Athletics host seven games, four of which will come against left-handed starting pitchers.
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore lost both of its catchers to injuries last week. The Orioles placed Adley Rutschman on the IL with a wrist injury, while Samuel Basallo is on the IL with a shoulder issue. Hopefully neither player is out beyond next week. Baltimore has made some lineup adjustments in recent days. Dylan Beavers is leading off against right-handed starting pitchers, while Taylor Ward has been hitting cleanup. Ward has still been leading off versus lefties, with Tyler O’Neill in the cleanup spot. The issue for fantasy managers relates to the fact that neither Beavers nor O’Neill suits up much against same-handed pitchers. That makes both difficult to trust in weekly leagues. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has been a better bet lately. He has started seven straight games, hitting as high as fifth in the lineup. Baltimore is off on Thursday and will face four right-handed starters and two left-handers this week.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox traded for infielder Curtis Mead over the weekend. I would assume that Mead will start at second base over Anthony Seigler, but Mead doesn’t exactly profile as a leadoff hitter, which is where Seigler has hit lately. Seigler hasn’t exactly been bad at the plate either, with a 112 wRC+. Both he and Mead are below average defenders. Mead could be the team’s primary DH against lefties. Romy Gonzalez has also gotten some work at second base lately. The good news for fantasy managers is that Boston has a seven-game week and faces three left-handed starting pitchers. Still, I don’t know how confident I would be to start Mead this week. My guess is that he will make five starts somewhere in the middle of the lineup.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox placed catcher Kyle Teel on the Injured List with an ankle injury. They have given a 6-12 week timeframe for Teel to return. Fantasy managers can drop Teel at this point. Drew Romo and Edgar Quero will platoon, barring Chicago acquiring a catcher via trade. Shortstop Colson Montgomery has been dealing with a nagging shin injury that has caused him to miss two games over the past week. Hopefully he is back in the lineup for Monday’s contest. The White Sox will play seven games this week, with five coming against right-handed starting pitchers. Chicago is quite fond of platooning when facing a left-hander. Sam Antonacci, Andrew Benintendi, and Tristan Peters are the players most likely to sit a game or two in Week 19.
Cleveland Guardians
Perennial All-Star and fantasy stud Jose Ramirez is back in the Cleveland Guardians lineup. Ramirez missed nearly six weeks due to a fractured hamate bone. He is hitting second between Steven Kwan and Chase DeLauter on most nights. Cleveland also activated Angel Martinez from the IL. Martinez led off against a lefty on Friday, then hit fifth and sixth over the weekend versus two right-handed starters. Brayan Rocchio has stuck so far in the cleanup spot, with Travis Bazzana hitting behind him. Kyle Manzardo has been dropped to the lower half of the order and should hit seventh when everyone is healthy. Daniel Schneemann and Kahlil Watson have been optioned to the Minors to make room for Ramirez and Martinez. Cleveland will be off on Thursday. They will face two lefties and four righties this week.
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers activated second baseman Gleyber Torres from the IL early last week. Torres usually hits second or third against right-handed starting pitchers and led off against a lefty in his only start against them. Detroit faces three left-handers in Week 19, assuming the Athletics don’t trade or demote Jeffrey Springs by Friday. Colt Keith has led off in three straight games when the Tigers have faced a right-hander. The problem is that he is not playing versus left-handers. I would not recommend starting him this week despite the allure of a leadoff spot. The same goes for Kerry Carpenter. It is a shame because Carpenter hitting in Sutter Health Park could lead to fireworks. However, he is probably only starting one of Detroit’s three weekend games in Sacramento.
Houston Astros
Christian Walker has been dropped to sixth in Houston’s order against right-handed starting pitchers. He should still hit fifth versus lefties for what it’s worth, but he has really fallen off after a fast start to the season. LaMonte Wade Jr. has been hitting fifth against right-handers, behind Jose Altuve. The top of the lineup has been on fire. Jeremy Pena is among the leaders in fantasy dollars earned per game, while Yordan Alvarez has been the American League’s top earner for the season. Houston will be off on Thursday and is scheduled to face four right-handed starters among their six Week 19 outings. Most of their regulars should get five or six starts this week.
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals placed star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. on the IL with a back injury. Back injuries can be tricky, and the Royals have nothing to play for, so Witt may be out longer than the 10-day minimum. The timing is poor for fantasy managers because Kansas City plays three games in Colorado this coming weekend. Andrew Velazquez and Tyler Tolbert have been splitting time at short while hitting at the bottom of the lineup. Neither player is a viable fantasy option. With Witt out, Lane Thomas has been bumped up from the cleanup spot to the two-hole. Salvador Perez and Jac Caglianone have been alternating between the third and fourth spots in the batting order. The Royals will face five right-handers and one lefty this week. They are off on Monday.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are home for six games in Week 19, with an off day on Thursday. They are scheduled to face five right-handed starters and one left-hander. Nolan Schanuel and Vaughn Grissom have been alternating between hitting third and fifth depending on the handedness of the opposing team’s starting pitcher. Schanuel has been hitting third against righties, while Grissom has hit third versus lefties. Grissom continues to get most of the work ahead of Oswald Peraza at second base, while making the occasional start at third or first base. Jo Adell had three home runs last week. Perhaps that will enable him to crack the top half of the lineup. Los Angeles has been using a Wade Meckler and Jose Siri platoon in left field, but there is little impact for fantasy purposes there.
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota activated Byron Buxton from the IL early last week. They optioned Tristan Gray to the Minors in a corresponding roster move. The Twins have a bit of an odd Week 19 schedule. They are off on Monday despite not traveling between home games on Sunday and Tuesday. Then they have no off day between Thursday’s home game and Friday’s contest in Seattle. Their game on Thursday is also the only one in which they will face a left-handed starting pitcher this week. Trevor Larnach will almost certainly sit that game, but it wouldn’t shock me if Buxton or Ryan Jeffers got that day off as well despite a left-hander being on the mound. Brooks Lee could get bumped up if either player sits, for those in daily or DFS leagues.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees placed Cody Bellinger on the Injured List with a hamstring injury. They have called up Spencer Jones to replace Bellinger on the roster. I would expect Jones and Max Schuemann to platoon while Bellinger is sidelined. New York benched Jazz Chisholm in two of three games versus lefties over the weekend. The Yankees face three lefties in Week 19, including two to start the week. On the bright side, the Yankees play seven games, so I would expect Chisholm to start at least five times. Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario have been sharing leadoff duties against left-handed starters. Goldschmidt is more likely than Rosario to start against righties, thus he has more value in weekly formats. Trent Grisham will continue to lead off versus right-handed starting pitchers.
Seattle Mariners
Second baseman Cole Young has led off four straight games in which the Seattle Mariners faced a right-handed starter. It looked like that stretch began because of J.P. Crawford’s injury. However, Young remained in the leadoff spot when Crawford returned on Saturday following a four-game absence. Young has shown some pop and has solid contact rates. Just keep in mind that Seattle faces three left-handers among their seven games this week, so Young’s time will be split between hitting leadoff and sixth in the lineup. Randy Arozarena led off two games against lefties this past week, but those instances occurred during Crawford’s hiatus. Luke Raley is unlikely to start any of the three games versus left-handers. Dominic Canzone may have finally shed the dreaded platoon role. He started both games this week in which Seattle encountered a lefty.
Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay is home for six games this week following an off day on Monday. The Rays should get an equal amount of left- and right-handed starting pitchers against them. This will create a conundrum for many fantasy managers. Tampa loves to platoon at multiple positions. Ben Williamson, Jonny DeLuca, and Ryan Vilade are likely to start against left-handers, but sit against righties. The opposite is true for Victor Mesa Jr. and Richie Palacios. Jonathan Aranda, Cedric Mullins, and Taylor Walls are also at risk of missing at least one start when a left-hander is on the mound. Walls has missed the last four games overall due to a finger injury. Williamson has started all four, and would benefit the most if the injury to Walls were to linger beyond Monday.
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers placed third baseman Josh Jung on the IL over the weekend with a calf strain. Jung has been an excellent source of batting average, which will be tough to replace at this stage of the season. Texas recalled Josh Smith from the Minors, and he should get the bulk of the work at third base while Jung is out. Ezequiel Duran has been hitting third in Jung’s stead. Corey Seager could return later this week, which may bump Duran back down in the lineup a bit. Still, the super-utility player does a little bit of everything and should continue to reward fantasy managers who jumped on board early. The Rangers are in line for a full slate of games in Week 19. Five of those outings will come against right-handed starting pitchers.
Toronto Blue Jays
I wish I could forecast what Toronto’s lineup will look like this week. But they tweaked their lineup over the weekend in several places. The Blue Jays went with lefty Nathan Lukes in the leadoff spot. Ernie Clement had led off 12 of 14 contests but hit sixth and seventh on Saturday and Sunday. Kazuma Okamato hit third on Friday and Saturday, but sixth on Sunday even though Toronto faced a left-hander. The Blue Jays also called Johendrick Pinango back up this week to platoon in the outfield against right-handers. Pinango has hit fifth, first, and seventh in three starts, so your guess here is as good as mine as to where he slots in during his four expected starts. Toronto will bookend their six games this week by facing left-handed starting pitchers on Monday and Sunday.
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!
