Fantasy Baseball Lineup Analysis: NL 09/08

This will be the second to last National League lineup analysis of the season. With only a couple of weeks left in the season many fantasy leagues are approaching their championship week. To help fantasy managers achieve their goals, this article dives into the latest changes from National League lineups that fantasy managers need to know. The five hottest hitters in the NL over the past two weeks have been Paul Goldschmidt, Mookie Betts, Dansby Swanson, Eugenio Suarez, and Mark Vientos. Keep reading for news and notes on all 15 lineups across the National League.

Please note that this article is finalized the day prior to publication. I will do my best to update the information as it comes in later that night.

Fantasy Baseball Lineup Takeaways: NL Edition

National League East

Philadelphia Phillies

• Austin Hays is back on the IL
  • Hays is on the IL this time with a kidney infection that will keep him sidelined
  • With Hays out of the lineup, Johan Rojas and Weston Wilson are the two players seeing their playing time increase in the outfield
  • Rojas has good speed but neither one is going to play enough to produce reliable fantasy production
• Alec Bohm is now on the IL
  • The team avoided putting Bohm on the IL all week after he injured his hand with a swing but has since decided an IL stint is necessary
  • It remains to be seen if this injury will have any lingering effect as the season moves along
  • With Bohm out, the team has been splitting time between Kody Clemens and Edmundo Sosa at third base
  • Bohm is in the midst of a career season although he has not hit a home run since August 15
  • Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott have slid up a spot in the lineup with Bohm out
• Kyle Schwarber continues to crush Schwarbombs
  • Schwarber has hit five home runs this past week bringing his season total up to 33
  • Fantasy managers have been pleasantly surprised by Schwarber’s batting average this season while still getting the power that makes him such a great fantasy asset

Miami Marlins

• Xavier Edwards is back from the IL
  • Edwards returned to Miami’s lineup on Tuesday and has jumped right back into the leadoff spot
  • Since being recalled from Triple-A, Edwards has been a great fantasy asset producing a strong batting average and elite stolen base numbers
  • His batted ball data is a red flag moving forward, but the speed is undeniable. He holds fantasy value, just temper your expectations
• David Hensley is out of a lineup spot
  • With Edwards back, Connor Norby is now serving as the full-time third baseman
  • Norby has continued to produce strong offensive numbers for Miami and should be rostered in 12+ team leagues
  • Jonah Bride has shifted to first base full-time, bumping Hensley out of a lineup spot
  • Norby continues to bat in the upper third of the lineup even with Edwards back
• Kyle Stowers has slid down in the lineup
  • Stowers had been batting in the middle of the lineup for a while but with the return of Edwards, he has slid down
  • Stowers continues to receive regular playing time since being acquired from Baltimore but is not doing much to secure an everyday role in 2025
  • Since August 20, Stowers is batting just .204 with a strikeout rate of over 36%. He is not worth rostering in fantasy

Atlanta Braves

• Ramon Laureano is losing playing time
  • Laureano had an excellent month of August and took over the third outfield spot for Atlanta
  • This past week, the team has been giving Jarred Kelenic additional playing time in favor of Laureano
  • Kelenic is batting just .185 since August 20 and has not worked a walk since August 17. He is not worth holding onto even in keeper leagues
  • Without consistent playing time, Laureano is a fine drop as well
• Whit Merrifield has been batting higher in the lineup
  • Since joining the Braves, Merrifield has been batting toward the bottom of the order, but that is starting to change
  • In addition to getting some leadoff opportunities, Merrifield has been batting sixth on occasion
  • His offensive performance has not changed much recently and he remains a player that you do not need to roster
  • He has been dealing with a head injury after being hit by a pitch with Luke Williams stepping into the lineup this week
• Cavan Biggio was acquired
  • The Braves continue to add depth to their injured infield, picking up Biggio from the Dodgers
  • The Braves will mark Biggio’s third team of the season
  • He figures to rotate into the playing time mix at second base and third base for Merrifield and Gio Urshela but is not worth rostering in fantasy

Washington Nationals

• CJ Abrams has moved down in the lineup
  • Abrams has served as the team’s leadoff batter for much of the season but that is now changing
  • This past week, Abrams has been batting sixth or seventh in most games
  • The 18 homers and 28 steals on the season are nice for fantasy managers, but Abrams is slashing just .176/.234/.294 since the start of August and might not be as big of a star as many proclaimed him earlier this season
  • Abrams has hit leadoff twice at the end of this week signaling this move is not permanent
• Keibert Ruiz is also moving down the lineup
  • Ruiz has hit all over the lineup this year as the team has tried to get him going in a variety of spots
  • Recently, he had been batting fourth or fifth in Washington’s lineup but is now hitting eighth for the Nationals
  • He is batting just .204 since August 20 and owns a 70 wRC+ on the season. He no longer seems likely to become a top-end catcher for fantasy managers
• James Wood has been as advertised
  • Wood has been great since being promoted from Triple-A with five homers, 12 steals, and a .274 batting average
  • After a fast start, Wood’s numbers have come down a bit recently but he still holds as much upside as any player in baseball
  • The team has been batting him fourth or second in the lineup most games

New York Mets

• Francisco Lindor continues to do his thing
  • There is a legitimate case that Lindor deserves to be the MVP of this season. Now, imagine saying that back in April!
  • Lindor has put the Mets on his back after a slow start and has been an elite fantasy asset
  • He is up to 30 homers, 26 stolen bases, and is batting .338 since the start of August. Lindor is dominating and deserves more recognition
• JD Martinez spent some time on the Paternity List this week
  • Martinez missed three games in the middle of last week on the Paternity List but has since returned to the lineup
  • He has been batting sixth for New York recently and continues to play every day in his age-37 season
  • He is up to 16 homers in 104 games this season although he is batting just .224 since August 20

National League Central

Chicago Cubs

• Better late than never for Dansby Swanson
  • Swanson was one of my favorite picks at shortstop this season if I missed the run on the high-end guys
  • Unfortunately, most of this season has been a disappointment, but Swanson is finally picking things up at the plate
  • Dating back to August 17, Swanson is batting .323 with five homers and five stolen bases. This is a nice boost to fantasy teams that survived his slow start
• Miguel Amaya has cooled back off
  • Amaya was red hot in the middle of August but has since come back down to earth
  • He has struggled this week and has been on the bench for two of the past four games
  • Amaya is a fine player to roster in deep two-catcher formats but is unlikely to ever be a difference-maker in fantasy leagues

St. Louis Cardinals

• Michael Siani is playing every day
  • Siani returned from the IL on Monday and has retaken the starting center field role
  • This is a bit puzzling as Victor Scott II was finally starting to settle in at the Major League level and has far more potential
  • Regardless, Siani is the clear starter right now, but his 72 wRC+ does not provide much fantasy value
• Pedro Pages has the edge on playing time at catcher
  • The injury to Willson Contreras created hope that Ivan Herrera would get an extended look at catcher
  • While Herrera is still drawing starts, Pages is getting more of the playing time batting eighth in the lineup
  • Pages is batting just .248 on the season and is not worth rostering in fantasy
• Jordan Walker is playing every day
  • Walker has been playing right field and batting seventh since returning to the Cardinals
  • Walker’s Major League numbers since August 12 continue to be alarming. He is slashing just .211/.250/.368 and those numbers look even worse without a 5/5 game
  • His batted ball data looks solid, but his plate discipline is now the biggest concern

Milwaukee Brewers

• Sal Frelick is losing playing time
  • Frelick has been locked into a strong side platoon for much of the season but has been on the bench a bit more often lately
  • Frelick is still drawing most of the starts in right field batting eighth in the lineup despite a 91 wRC+ on the season
  • Blake Perkins is receiving some of Frelick’s playing time although he is not a serious threat
• Jackson Chourio
  • That is it. Just that Jackson Chourio is an absolute stud
  • Chourio continues to bat in the top third of Milwaukee’s lineup and is dominating opposing pitchers
  • My top prospect entering the season, Chourio is slashing .323/.390/.591 since the start of August and is putting fantasy teams on his back down the stretch
• DH is a timeshare
  • The Brewers remain without a clear DH option and have been rotating a few different players in trying to get a spark
  • Jake Bauers has retaken the primary share of the playing time and has been batting all over the lineup
  • Gary Sanchez continues to mix in as well but without consistent playing time for either, they are not worth rostering

Cincinnati Reds

• Jake Fraley is back from the IL
  • Fraley returned to the Reds’ lineup on Sunday and has been playing every day since
  • Fraley’s return has pushed Will Benson to the bench
  • Fraley is batting seventh in the lineup and is up to 19 stolen bases on the year despite just 313 plate appearances
• Amed Rosario is playing every day
  • Rosario is on his third team of the season and is getting everyday playing time at DH
  • He is batting at the bottom of the lineup in favor of players like Noelvi Marte and Rece Hinds
  • Rosario is batting just .229 since joining the Reds and does not hold much fantasy value
• Ty France has been great since joining the Reds
  • France’s numbers have spiked since latching on in Cincinnati batting .300 with four homers
  • The move to Great American Ballpark is certainly a favorable one although France was showing signs of potential early this season even with Seattle
  • He is locked into an everyday role batting fifth or sixth in the lineup and is worth rostering if you need first base help

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Connor Joe is back in the lineup
  • Joe seems to continually rotate in and out of the lineup throughout the season and is back in as a starter for Pittsburgh
  • He has been splitting time between right field and first base this week batting sixth or seventh most nights
  • With Joe getting more playing time, Bryan De La Cruz has moved into more of a fourth-outfielder role as his struggles in a Pittsburgh uniform have continued
• Henry Davis is getting more playing time at catcher
  • Joey Bart is on the IL with a hamstring injury opening the door for Davis to prove what he can do
  • Davis entered 2024 with high expectations, but has struggled at the Major League level this season. Davis is batting just .111 across his last 39 Major League plate appearances
  • He is getting playing time over Yasmani Grandal and batting ninth in the lineup

National League West

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Max Muncy is struggling to limit the strikeouts
  • Muncy returned to the Dodgers’ lineup back on August 19 but has been struggling at the plate recently
  • Since August 25, Muncy is batting just .160 with a strikeout rate of over 33%
  • He is locked into the seventh spot in the Dodgers’ lineup but finds most of his fantasy value in OBP leagues
• Teoscar Hernandez is dealing with an ankle injury
  • Hernandez was hit by a pitch and could land on the IL
  • The MRI and X-rays both came back clean helping to alleviate some of the concern with this situation
  • If Hernandez is forced to miss extended time, Kevin Kiermaier or Andy Pages would likely see their playing time increase

San Diego Padres

• Fernando Tatis Jr is back from the IL
  • Tatis had not played in a game since June 21 but returned to the Padres’ lineup on Monday
  • He has been batting second in the lineup since returning and playing right field. This has pushed David Peralta out of a lineup spot
  • Hopefully, your team was good enough to survive without Tatis and can welcome him back to your lineup for the final few weeks
• The team added Elias Diaz
  • Diaz spent the majority of the season with the Rockies before being released a few weeks ago
  • This now adds a third bat to the mix for playing time at catcher as he will split time with Kyle Higashioka and Luis Campusano
  • With inconsistent playing time all around, none of these players are worth rostering in fantasy

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Christian Walker is back from the IL
  • The D-Backs welcomed Walker back to the lineup for the first time since the end of July on Tuesday
  • Walker was having a strong season prior to getting injured and should be a solid fantasy asset the remainder of the season
  • With Walker returning to the lineup, Josh Bell is now going to platoon with Joc Pederson at DH
• Geraldo Perdomo was batting second in the lineup but is now back toward the bottom with Marte back
  • Perdomo had been moving up in the lineup against lefties but is now also sticking up there with righties on the mound
  • Although he does not hit for much power, Perdomo is having a solid season for Arizona. He is batting .306 since August 18
  • With Perdomo moving up in the lineup, Jake McCarthy has slid down to fifth in the lineup
• Ketel Marte is back from the IL
  • Marte’s return to the lineup has shifted some things around as he has been batting second
  • He has served as the DH for both of his first two games since returning and should return to second base soon
  • With Marte back at second, Luis Guillorme has moved back to a bench role

San Francisco Giants

• Marco Luciano is back from Triple-A
  • Luciano has had a few cracks at the Major Leagues already and will get another to end the season
  • San Francisco is trying to see if they have anything in Luciano who was a highly touted prospect but has yet to hit a Major League home run in nearly 100 plate appearances
  • Luciano has been playing second base and batting in the bottom third of the lineup since rejoining the team
• Mike Yastrzemski has moved up to the top of the lineup
  • Yaz has hit leadoff in years past for the Giants but has been batting in the back half for most of the season
  • He is batting .273 with four home runs since August 20 and the team has rewarded the strong offensive performance by moving him up
  • LaMonte Wade Jr has slid down in the lineup to fifth most games
• Matt Chapman signed a hefty contract extension
  • Good for Chapman who has had a strong first season in San Francisco and will now be with the team for potentially the rest of his career
  • Chapman is up to 22 home runs with the most surprising part being his 14 stolen bases after never stealing more than three in a season
  • He is slashing .268/.312/.451 since August 15 and is locked into the cleanup spot in San Fran’s lineup

Colorado Rockies

• Jordan Beck is getting more playing time
  • The Rockies were insistent on getting Jake Cave into the lineup for most of the season but have finally turned that lineup spot over to Beck
  • Beck is playing nearly every day and batting eighth
  • He is batting just .205 through his first 143 plate appearances although these numbers will hopefully improve with more consistent playing time
• Michael Toglia has moved up in the lineup
  • Toglia was batting sixth for most of the season but has shifted up to fourth or fifth lately
  • Very quietly, Toglia is up to 23 home runs although he is not going to hit for much of any batting average
  • He is batting just .178 with one homer since August 25 and this move up in the lineup does not alter his fantasy value