Lineup Lowdown: American League

The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: we're looking for trends which could help identify players that might be undervalued or overvalued. Who is playing more/less? Who is moving up/down? We'll be doing a deep dive into one league each week as we navigate the lineup landscape.

Baltimore Orioles

– Cedric Mullins was out of the lineup for two games in a row over the weekend against right-handers. He started the three games previous to that and the two games since then, but did so from the eight spot four times and nine spot once, which is the lowest he's batted all season. Mullins' six home runs and six stolen bases on the season are perfectly solid totals, but just one of those homers and two of those steals have come since April 22 in a stretch that's seen him go an abysmal 5-for-57 at the dish. Colton Cowser slid over to center field on the days Mullins sat, with Heston Kjerstad and Ryan O'Hearn each seeing a start in left. Kjerstad, though, has since been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

– The biggest beneficiary of the Jackson Holliday demotion continues to be Jorge Mateo. Through the Orioles' first 25 games of the season, Mateo made nine starts and all of them came against left-handed pitching. In 16 contests since then, Mateo has started 12 games and six of them have been versus right-handers. Everyone is aware of Mateo's limits as a player, and Holliday or someone else has the potential to eat back into that playing time significantly. However, Mateo should be usable in Roto leagues while he's playing because of the speed element he offers.

Boston Red Sox

– Connor Wong has batted third in two straight games and hasn't hit lower than fifth in a start since May 1. The soon-to-be 28-year-old has been one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball this season, although his quality of contact metrics have actually been down from previous years so some regression here seems likely. Even with Wong's great numbers the Red Sox haven't buried Reese McGuire, who has had a fine offensive season himself.

– Garrett Cooper has started eight of 13 games since being acquired via trade and one of those he missed was due to injury. Six of the eight starts have come at first base, with the other two being at designated hitter. Dominic Smith was brought aboard one day after Cooper and he's made eight starts in 12 contests. Smith has been in the lineup all seven times the Red Sox have faced a righty over that span and also started once against a lefty opener. Neither player has done much at the plate since joining Boston.

New York Yankees

– Since Jon Berti returned from the injured list, he has started five of nine contests and Oswaldo Cabrera has six starts. All five of Berti's starts have come at third base, while Cabrera also made one start each at second base and first base during that stretch. Cabrera is slashing just .193/.246/.263 over his last 18 contests, as his scorching-hot start seems like a distant memory at this point. It likely ensures that DJ LeMahieu (foot) should regain his gig as the primary third baseman when he returns. LeMahieu appears close to a rehab assignment.

– There was a stretch not long ago which saw Austin Wells start eight of 11 games at catcher. It was not a sign of things to come, however, as Jose Trevino then was in the lineup for five of the following nine tilts. Wells entered the season with the bigger offensive upside and, thus, more fantasy intrigue, but Trevino has outperformed him by a wide margin. Trevino had a 1-for-18 stretch to begin the season, but has slashed .368/.393/.579 since April 13 and on Sunday had the second multi-homer game of his career.

Tampa Bay Rays

– Jonny DeLuca has started 10 of 11 games since the Rays activated him from the IL and eight of those nine have come against right-handed pitching. He's made starts at all three outfield spots, spending most of his time in right field (four starts) and center (five starts). Over that stretch, Amed Rosario has made eight starts, Richie Palacios has made seven starts and Jose Siri has started six games. Neither Rosario nor Palacios has made a start in the outfield since DeLuca was activated. They could have their playing time further squeezed when Brandon Lowe (oblique) returns, although Lowe recently had a setback.

– While Rosario has made a couple starts at shortstop since late April, it does not appear that position is a viable path to regular reps for him. Jose Caballero is just 4-for-23 at the plate over his last eight games and had a golden sombrero over the weekend. However, those two days off were his only two since April 15, as the Rays look to still be firmly committed to him as the everyday shortstop. It's not a surprise, as Rosario's bat has also slowed and his defense is a known liability.

Toronto Blue Jays

– Danny Jansen has started seven of the last 10 contests for the Blue Jays and had been set to return from a two-game absence with a back issue Tuesday before that game was rained out. The 29-year-old has homered four times over his last 12 games and boasts a 1.202 OPS over that span. Meanwhile, across that same stretch Alejandro Kirk has started just six tilts. Kirk has actually finally shown a little offensively in those games with his first home run of the season as well as four other hits, but he's clearly playing second fiddle to Jansen right now.

– The Blue Jays have handed Ernie Clement four straight starts at third base and he had been slated for a fifth prior to Tuesday's rainout. Clement has been part of a timeshare at the hot corner this season with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has made 18 starts to Clement's 17 at third base. IKF also started all four of those contests, though, as he's received more and more action at second base recently with eight of his last 10 starts coming at the keystone. The big loser in playing time during that span has been Cavan Biggio, who has started just four of the last 10 tilts, with three of them coming in right field while George Springer was banged up.

Chicago White Sox

– Bryan Ramos didn't start the White Sox' first game after his promotion, but he's been in the lineup for each of the nine contests since then as he assumes the role of the team's primary third baseman. Ramos even batted cleanup for the Pale Hose on Sunday. The 22-year-old has not hit well in the majors (.615 OPS) or minors (.572 OPS) this season, and his track record with the bat in the minors is fairly pedestrian. Ramos has a slick glove at the hot corner, though, and has shown flashes offensively. It would appear the White Sox will give him an extended look at third base, at least until Yoan Moncada (adductor) makes it back.

– Paul DeJong shared the shortstop gig with Braden Shewmake for the first couple weeks of the season, but the veteran now has a stranglehold on the job with 13 straight starts prior to sitting out the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader. DeJong has doubled his season home run total with three bombs over the past week and sports a .955 OPS so far in May. A 37.1 percent strikeout rate and 3.5 percent walk rate portends to trouble, but it's not as if the White Sox are teeming with shortstop options.

Cleveland Guardians

– The Guardians have been in search of a new temporary leadoff hitter with Steven Kwan (hamstring) going down and none of the options are ideal. Estevan Florial (five starts) has gotten the most run at the top of the order, but just one of his last six starts has come from the top of the batting order. Brayan Rocchio (two) and Tyler Freeman (three) have also been used at leadoff. As far as Kwan's spot in left field goes, that's been filled by Florial (five), Will Brennan (two) and David Fry (three).

– Taking Kwan's spot on the roster was Kyle Manzardo, who received his first big-league promotion. Manzardo has started six of nine games since being called up, with all of them coming at DH. Discouragingly, he's sat twice versus righties, and he's yet to get going with just three hits and an 8:1 K:BB. The 23-year-old's bat still warrants him being rostered virtually everywhere, but it would seem getting Manzardo playing time isn't necessarily at the forefront of manager Stephen Vogt's mind.

Detroit Tigers

– Spencer Torkelson has been in a season-long slump, but is he starting to show signs of coming out of it? He began the season batting second for the Tigers and has spent more time in that spot (seven) and in the three hole (13) than anywhere else this season, but Tork was down all the way down at No. 7 in the batting order twice over the weekend. However, Torkelson has belted his first two home runs of the season in the last two games and has a modest eight-game hit streak going. The former No. 1 overall pick's quality of contact drop-off this season has been precipitous, with his hard-hit rate going from 50.9 percent to 39.5 percent and barrel rate going from 14.1 percent to 3.5 percent. That said, I find it hard to believe his ability has waned, so I suspect he'll be fine, assuming he's not hiding an injury.

– Matt Vierling was in Detroit's lineup for just nine of its first 20 contests. However, it was at that point when Gio Urshela (hamstring) got hurt and Vierling has essentially been an everyday guy since then, starting 18 of 22 games. The bulk of them (15) have come at the hot corner, but he's also been mixed in in center field and right field. Vierling's production (.733 OPS) over the stretch has been fine, but with Urshela's return Tuesday, Vierling's playing time figures to take a hit. He did start in center field Tuesday against a lefty.

Kansas City Royals

– Dairon Blanco has found his name appearing on the Royals' lineup card more frequently of late, having started five of the previous nine tilts. That's after he made a total of five starts in the first 35 games of the season. MJ Melendez, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe have provided very little offense as Kansas City's main three outfielders, so it's not too difficult to envision Blanco's playing time continuing to uptick, particularly at the expense of Renfroe, who has been terrible and is on a one-year contract. Blanco has managed to steal 11 bases, which is more than the number of starts (10) he's made this season.

– There were some questions as to how the playing time would work out at second base among Michael Massey and Adam Frazier when Massey returned from the IL in late April. The question has been answered emphatically, as Massey has started 21 of 25 contests since then, with all but one of them coming at the keystone (he made one start at DH). He's become the Royals' regular No. 5 hitter, with 11 of his last 14 starts coming from that spot. Frazier was initially still playing quite a bit between DH and the outfield after Massey made it back, but he's started just six of the last 15 tilts.

Minnesota Twins

– Alex Kirilloff's bat has cooled off and he's been moved down in the lineup as a result. In the 26-year-old's first 25 starts of the season, he never batted lower than cleanup, and from April 22 to May 5 every one of his starts came from the leadoff spot. However, he has batted sixth in each of his last four starts and also found himself on the bench versus a righty last week for the first time all season.

– Willi Castro has had his name penciled into the lineup card for every game since April 16 and he's sporting a .340/.382/.564 batting line over that span. Castro was the regular shortstop while Carlos Correa was on the IL, then shifted over to center field most days when Byron Buxton went down. With Buxton due back soon, third base figures to be where he mostly resides for the immediate future, although it's possible the Twins will look to give Buxton more DH time as he comes back from more knee issues. Jose Miranda has started nine of the last 11 at the hot corner, so his playing time could be impacted. The aforementioned slumping Kirilloff might be at greater risk, though, as Miranda could DH and Trevor Larnach handle left field.

Houston Astros

– The slumping Alex Bregman was recently demoted down to the No. 6 spot in the Astros' lineup for four of the last seven contests. Prior to that, he had made all of his other starts this season hitting second, third or fourth. Perhaps he's received the message, as Bregman homered twice and reached base four times in Monday's win over the Athletics.

– Moving up in the batting order as Bregman moves down has been Jeremy Pena. Pena began this season down in the eighth spot for Houston, but he's steadily been elevated as he continues to hit and over the last six contests has hit fourth five times and second twice. It's been quite a bounce-back campaign from the 26-year-old, as he boasts a .338/.381/.465 batting line with four home runs and six stolen bases. Pena has started every game for the Astros this season and leads the AL with 53 hits.

Los Angeles Angels

– It's been done in part by necessity because everyone around him is dropping like flies, but Nolan Schanuel has been the Angels' leadoff man for each of his last 12 starts. Schanuel is slashing only .229/.269/.354 since the move, but he did have a 10-game hitting streak just before that during which he batted .389/.405/.472. The first baseman's batted-ball data this season has not been encouraging, as he's put up just a 28 percent hard-hit rate and 2.8 percent barrel rate. He's also not drawing walks (8.3 percent) at nearly the rate he did last year (15.2 percent).

– A couple weeks ago, Willie Calhoun was at Triple-A Salt Lake and not on the Angels' 40-man roster. Now he's the club's primary DH and cleanup man, having started 11 of the last 12 contests, with all nine of them versus right-handers coming from the four spot. He's made the most of his opportunity in the early going with an .866 OPS and one homer. Kevin Pillar has been up in the cleanup spot for the team's three games against lefties over that span.

Oakland Athletics

– Abraham Toro has been the Athletics' leadoff man for each of their last nine games versus right-handed pitching and he's started all but two contests for the club since April 7. The 27-year-old is hitting a robust .359/.414/.528 with two home runs and one stolen base so far in May, so it seems doubtful he will be leaving the leadoff spot anytime soon. What position he'll be playing will change, though. Toro made 13 straight starts at second base but moved over to third base Tuesday with Zack Gelof back in the fold. That's no problem for Toro, as the A's should find plenty of at-bats for him between first base, third base and DH.

– Although he's been down at the other end of the batting order than Toro in the No. 9 spot, Brett Harris started the first 11 contests at third base since being called up before sitting Tuesday. While the 25-year-old is batting only .147 so far, the impact has been there with three home runs and a 7:9 K:BB. The plate discipline has always been there for Harris, so he would seem like a candidate to be moved up in the lineup eventually if he keeps getting regular reps.

Seattle Mariners

– Luke Raley has settled in as a regular against right-handed pitching, making starts in all but one game versus righties since April 21. Most of those starts have come in left field (12), but he's also been used in right (three) and at first base (one). The 29-year-old is finally showing signs of life at the dish, too, with a 1.111 OPS, two home runs and one stolen base across his last eight contests. Dominic Canzone (shoulder) is due back later this week and had been the regular left fielder versus righties before getting hurt. It could be Mitch Haniger and not Raley who loses at-bats, as Haniger is hitting just .117/.159/.221 with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate since April 20.

– Ty France was down in the No. 8 spot in the lineup for the Mariners on Monday, which is the lowest he's batted since Opening Day. Naturally, he responded with a home run as part of a two-hit day and was promptly moved up to fifth Tuesday. I listed France as a buy-low target in this space a month ago because he was hitting the ball very hard but not getting results. Well, unfortunately he's no longer hitting the ball hard. France had a 93-mph average exit velocity and 57-percent hard-hit rate at the time of the previous article, but since then those numbers have fallen to 87.1 mph and 38 percent, respectively.

Texas Rangers

– Between Josh Jung's (wrist) continued absence and the more recent absences of Wyatt Langford (hamstring) and Evan Carter (back), Ezequiel Duran has become an everyday guy of late. The 24-year-old has started nine of the last 10 tilts, with five of them coming in left field, three coming at third base and one at DH. Duran is batting .448 so far this month, but his extra-base pop has been nearly non-existent this season. Of his 22 hits, 20 have been singles (and the other two were doubles).

– Josh Smith was basically an everyday player for about five weeks after Jung went down, starting 28 of a possible 31 games. That hasn't been the case lately, though, as the left-handed hitting Smith has been on the bench each of the last four times the Rangers have faced a southpaw. On a related note, Smith is slashing just .180/.289/.282 with a 33.3 percent strikeout rate so far in May. Unfortunately for Texas, Davis Wenzel (2-for-29) has done very little with his chances at third base and Duran is needed at other positions, too.