Fantasy Baseball News and Notes from NL Lineups: 08/25

Back at it with National League lineups. There is plenty to catch up on from the last 10 days of baseball. The five hottest hitters in the National League over that time period have been: Marcell Ozuna, Mookie Betts, DJ Stewart, Bryce Harper, and Tyrone Taylor.

Disclaimer: This article is written the day before publishing. Not all statistics will be 100% accurate from the night before. I will do my best to update any important news or notes that come through at the last second. Keep reading to stay up to date on the latest trends from all 15 National League teams and check out the latest AL lineup article here.

More great fantasy baseball advice and analysis: Waiver Wire & FAAB Recommendations | Daily MLB Injury Report | MLB DFS Picks | Line-up Analysis | Dynasty Rankings and Strategy | MLB Bullpen Updates | MLB Player Props | Prospect Rankings & Analysis | Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

Fantasy Baseball Lineup Takeaways: NL Edition

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies

• Brandon Marsh is back from the IL
  • Marsh has been on the bench against both lefties the team has faced since returning while batting toward the bottom of the lineup against both righties
  • He figures to continue platooning for much of the season with Johan Rojas who is losing the most playing time with Marsh’s return.
  • Rojas is not worth holding onto and Marsh is only a viable option in deeper leagues with his current playing time situation
• Jake Cave has been playing extremely well
  • Cave is batting at the bottom of the lineup against righties and sitting against lefties
  • Cave has three home runs with an average of over .400 since August 16. His average exit velocity since his most recent promotion on July 21 is over 90 mph
  • Edmundo Sosa is on the short side of the platoon with Cave
• Bryce Harper is putting those mid-season concerns to rest with his phenomenal play in August
  • He is now up to seven home runs since the start of the month with a .324/.410/.676 slash
  • The home runs were always going to start coming in bunches as his underlying metrics never shifted from his career-long statistics
  • The most encouraging part of his recent success is his increased launch angle. After returning from injury, Harper was hitting more ground balls than ever before, but this is no longer the case. Harper is healthy and back to being a fantasy star

Miami Marlins

• Avisail Garcia was placed on the IL
  • With Garcia on the IL, there are more at-bats for the Marlins young outfielders
  • Bryan De La Cruz (who has been struggling) was seeing his playing time decrease should be able to hold onto his starting spot
  • De La Cruz has been batting sixth in the lineup despite batting under .200 since August 3. His hard-hit rates and barrel rates remain high with the only change being a low BABIP. Now might be your chance to pick him up if some people move on too quickly
• Joey Wendle continues to platoon at shortstop with Jon Berti
  • Wendle has a zero wRC+ since the start of August with zero home runs and Berti has not been much better
  • The team could give Xavier Edwards a chance to come up and play shortstop although many are skeptical of his defensive abilities there
  • Edwards is batting over .400 at Triple-A since August 1 and has elite speed that could make him intriguing from a fantasy perspective
• Jake Burger is in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak
  • Burger has settled in nicely in Miami’s lineup batting fourth and hitting for a high average
  • He is making more contact and striking out less during his current hot streak
  • The home run totals have slowed down, but he is still hitting the ball extremely hard and should see his home run luck improve as the season winds down. He is a strong fantasy option moving forward

Atlanta Braves

• Nicky Lopez is the primary second baseman with Ozzie Albies on the IL
  • Lopez is batting ninth in the lineup with Vaughn Grissom rotating in against lefties
  • He is batting over .400 since joining Atlanta although everything in his profile looks exactly the same except a high BABIP
  • Lopez is not worth targeting even with Albies out
  • Grissom’s inability to crack the lineup over Lopez speaks to how the Braves view him. Best-case scenario for his future value is a trade during the off-season
• Eddie Rosario is moving up to sixth in the lineup
  • Rosario is batting over .400 with four home runs since August 11
  • Although the BABIP is unsustainable, it is encouraging to see Rosario striking out less with better chase and contact rates than he was posting early this season
  • He is worth a look if you need help in the outfield
• Sean Murphy is slumping at the plate
  • Now in addition to playing less, Murphy is struggling to hit, making rostering a second catcher for his managers essential
  • His average exit velocity has taken a bit of a hit and his average launch angle has dropped a significant amount lately

Washington Nationals

• Keibert Ruiz continues to bat fourth in the lineup
  • Ruiz is in the midst of an underrated season at the plate and is batting over .300 with four home runs since the start of August
  • His plate discipline and contact skills have always been elite but the power has ticked up this season
  • He is a strong add in leagues where you are looking for catcher help (maybe if you have Sean Murphy)
• Ildemaro Vargas is not platooning anymore
  • He is playing every day batting seventh or eighth and getting consistent run in the Nationals’ lineup
  • After a hot week or two early in August, Vargas has slowed back down a the plate and lacks the track record of success that makes me believe he is worth rostering in fantasy
  • The team recently promoted former top prospect Carter Kieboom from Triple-A who could see his playing time increase over Jake Alu or Vargas.
• Stone Garrett suffered an unfortunate injury
  • Garrett will likely miss the remainder of the season with a fractured fibula putting an end to his exciting second-half
  • The combination of Alex Call and Blake Rutherford is likely to see their playing time increase as a result of this injury
  • Neither player is worth rostering

New York Mets

• Jeff McNeil has really turned things around at the plate
  • McNeil has hit safely in 15 of 16 games with two home runs and two stolen bases over that period
  • After the flurry of deadline moves, McNeil is batting third in New York’s lineup
  • He will never be much of a power hitter, but he is back to providing elite average for your fantasy teams
• Daniel Vogelbach is seeing his playing time increase
  • Vogelbach is batting fifth and is in the lineup on a consistent basis against righties
  • He is known for having massive power and has four home runs since August 12
  • If you are playing in an OBP league and are looking for power from the first base position, he is worth a look in deep leagues
• Mark Vientos is on the IL
  • With Vientos landing on the IL, Jonathan Arauz is getting most of the playing time at third base
  • The Mets figure to give a chance to either Brett Baty or Ronny Mauricio to come back up at some point later this season and get regular playing time
  • Arauz, who is batting toward the bottom of the lineup, is not worth adding in any format

NL Central

Chicago Cubs

• Seiya Suzuki is picking things up at the plate
  • After appearing to be in jeopardy of losing his starting job at the beginning of August, Suzuki has looked like a completely different hitter
  • He is batting well over .300 with a strikeout rate below ten percent since August 9
  • Suzuki is also tapping into his power with four home runs during that period. He is a strong fantasy option for the remainder of the season and has moved up to fifth or sixth in Chicago’s lineup
• There is plenty of speculation of the Cubs potentially promoting Pete Crow-Armstrong for the stretch run
  • If the Cubs go through with this (which I am more skeptical of), this would take the most playing time away from Mike Tauchman who continues to bat leadoff for the team against righties
  • Tauchman has been in a bit of a slump at the plate recently, but still provides Chicago with strong defense
  • If promoted, PCA offers a lot of upside for fantasy managers with plus power and speed

St. Louis Cardinals

• Masyn Winn is up from Triple-A
  • Winn is the Cardinals’ top prospect and was playing exceptionally well in Triple-A before his promotion
  • So far, Winn has not had much success in a small sample with the most alarming issue being an extremely low exit velocity
  • I do not anticipate Winn’s Minor League power translating to the Major Leagues, but he does profile to be a reliable source of speed and is worth a look in 14+ team leagues. He is batting ninth in the lineup
• Lars Nootbaar has joined Dylan Carlson on the IL with an abdomen contusion
  • With both outfielders on the IL, the Cardinals are giving additional playing time to Richie Palacios who is batting seventh or eighth in the lineup against righties
  • Palacios has never been able to put it all together since reaching the upper levels of the Minor Leagues but he has strong plate discipline
  • He is not somebody I am prioritizing picking up
• Alec Burleson is batting second and playing consistently against righties
  • Burleson is primarily playing left field while continuing to sit against lefties
  • He has hit for solid power in the Minor Leagues and has dealt with some poor BABIP luck this season
  • As long as he continues to get consistent at-bats, he is worth a look in 15+ team leagues

Milwaukee Brewers

• Sal Frelick is dealing with a hamstring injury
  • Frelick has not appeared in a game since last Saturday
  • The Brewers continue to refer to the injury as a day-to-day issue, but if Frelick is forced to miss extended time, Joey Wiemer would be in line to see additional playing time
• Rowdy Tellez is back from the IL
  • Tellez played and hit fifth in the lineup in each of his first two games off the IL, but has not played in the following two
  • Tellez was in the midst of a disappointing season before landing on the IL and appears to have lost his starting job
  • Even though his return is likely in a limited capacity, it could impact the playing time of Mark Canha who was getting most of the at-bats at DH prior to Frelick’s injury
• Tyrone Taylor continues to swing an extremely hot bat
  • Taylor continues to bat ninth in the lineup most nights despite his sustained run of success
  • Since the start of August, Taylor is striking out less than ten percent of the time with an average of over .300
  • The BABIP is likely unsustainable, but Taylor is a strong add if you need help in the outfield
  • If his success continues, it will likely keep top prospect Jackson Chourio in the Minor Leagues for the remainder of this season

Cincinnati Reds

• Noelvi Marte is up with the Major League team
  • Marte hit seventh in each of his first two games before moving up to the leadoff spot-on Wednesday
  • He has already stolen two bases although there are multiple red flags to his profile. He is hitting a ton of ground balls and striking out a lot in a very small sample
  • Marte is one of my favorite prospects in baseball, but I am not rushing to add him at this point
  • Stuart Fairchild (who is now on the IL) lost his playing time with Marte’s promotion
• Elly De La Cruz continues to be an elite fantasy asset despite an incredibly high strikeout rate
  • De La Cruz hits plenty of home runs and steals tons of bases to be fantasy-relevant although there are concerns over his ability to make consistent contact
  • His overall season-long wRC+ is actually under the league average although he is in no danger of losing playing time
• Joey Votto is on the IL
  • With Votto out, Nick Martini or Nick Senzel profile to see additional playing time
  • Martini has been having a solid season in Triple-A, but at 33 years old it is fair to question his upside
  • He is not worth adding

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Ji Hwan Bae is back from the IL
  • Bae has slotted right back into the leadoff spot in Pittsburgh’s lineup against righties and appears to be starting most games against lefties
  • After getting off to a fast start in the stolen base department this season, Bae really struggled before getting injured
  • He is not somebody to target adding
  • His return to the lineup is taking playing time away from Jack Suwinski who has been struggling (batting under .100) since the start of August. Suwinski is not worth holding onto
• Henry Davis is on the IL
  • With Davis out, Josh Palacios is getting a chance to start in right field and bat fifth in the lineup
  • Palacios has never had much success at the Major League level although he is hitting the ball extremely hard in a small sample size
  • I am not adding Palacios, but he is worth keeping an eye on in deep leagues
• Connor Joe is getting another chance as the starting first baseman
  • Joe is batting fourth in the lineup and playing over Alfonso Rivas although the two might be in more of a platoon than anything
  • Joe is batting just under .300 since the start of August although we have seen him go through hot streaks like this before
  • I am not adding Joe anywhere and Rivas should not be rostered

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers

• JD Martinez is on the IL
  • With Martinez out, Michael Busch was recalled from Triple-A and go the first chance to start at DH
  • Busch has been dominating at Triple-A this season but is far from a guarantee to step into a regular role with Amed Rosario, Chris Taylor, and Kike Hernandez all available as bench options
  • Busch is worth a look in deeper leagues, but we need to see how the playing time shakes out before adding him
• The strikeouts are back for James Outman
  • Outman continues to play batting seventh in the lineup every day but he is striking out over 40% of the time since August 12
  • The quality of contact makes Outman an exciting profile to roster, but he is likely to be a streaky player with suspect contact skills

San Diego Padres

• Garrett Cooper has stepped into the everyday DH role
  • Cooper is batting eighth in the lineup and has not had much success in a Padres uniform
  • The wRC+ looks nice thanks to a strong walk rate, but he is not in fantasy consideration outside of NL-only leagues
  • One possible avenue the Padres are considering is promoting top prospect Jackson Merrill to play left field and moving Juan Soto to DH
• Ha-Seong Kim does not get enough credit for how strong of a season he has had
  • Kim is slashing .280/.369/.447 this season and is slashing .284/.348/.444 since the start of August
  • His prime spot in the lineup adds to his fantasy value and he ranks near the top of the position for dynasty leagues

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Kyle Lewis was sent back to Triple-A
  • With Lewis back in the Minor Leagues, Alek Thomas will be the unquestioned center fielder against both lefties and righties
  • Since rejoining Arizona on June 19, Thomas is slashing .287/.321/.480 albeit with disappointing counting stats
  • Thomas is hitting too many ground balls to find consistent success in the power department and is not a must-roster player even with an everyday lineup spot
• Gabriel Moreno has been playing well since returning from the IL
  • Moreno is batting seventh or eighth in the lineup with two home runs already since returning
  • He has always posted strong exit velocities but does not hit enough fly balls to consistently hit enough home runs to be relevant in fantasy leagues
  • Even with the two home runs since returning, this has not changed and I am not buying into his recent success
• Jace Peterson continues to play third base against righties batting seventh most games
  • Peterson has just a 25 wRC+ since joining Arizona and it feels like only a matter of time before the team turns to Jordan Lawlar at the Major League level
  • Lawlar is the best stash option in baseball and my top prospect. He needs to be rostered in any league you need help at shortstop

San Francisco Giants

• Paul DeJong has been added to the roster
  • DeJong has had a roller coaster-type season after starting strong with St. Louis and then struggling with Toronto before being DFA’d
  • DeJong got off to a fast start with a strong first start for the Giants on Wednesday batting ninth in the lineup
  • The move to add him to the roster will likely take playing time away from Casey Schmitt who has continued to struggle at the Major League level
• Luis Matos is back from Triple-A but is not starting against righties
  • The Giants are being aggressive in an attempt to win every game possible and they feel Matos gives them the best chance against lefties
  • Matos does not hold much fantasy value for the rest of the season with his current playing time situation
  • He enters the lineup in place of Joc Pederson who only plays against righties
• Wade Meckler is really struggling
  • Meckler has moved down to eighth in the lineup although he continues to play on the strong side of a platoon
  • The most surprising part of Meckler’s struggles is the extremely high (over 45%) strikeout rate since his promotion
  • Meckler’s only fantasy value comes from his hit tool so if that is struggling, he is not worth rostering anywhere
  • Matos is a candidate to see more playing time if Meckler continues to struggle offensively

Colorado Rockies

• Elehuris Montero is getting a chance to start at first base on a more regular basis
  • Montero is taking at-bats away from Michael Toglia and batting in the back half of the lineup
  • Montero is batting over .300 since August 10 but is still striking out over 30% of the time. His average is carried entirely by an unsustainable BABIP
  • There is plenty of power to his profile which has been on display in Triple-A. Unfortunately, Montero has not made enough contact to stick at the Major League level and is not worth rostering
• Brendan Rodgers appears to be finding his timing at the plate
  • After missing most of the season, Rodgers got off to a cold start but is batting over .300 and slugging over .500 since August 14
  • His launch angle remains a concern but he is hitting the ball hard and has shown flashes of fantasy relevance in the past
  • He is worth adding especially in keeper leagues where he can provide more value next season