Just a few days left before the All-Star break. Let’s check in on every team’s lineup for trends that might carry over into the second half.
Nolan Arenado has dropped to the bottom third of the order after hitting cleanup from mid-May through mid-June. Max Kepler and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. are sharing left field and DH, though neither is a true everyday player. Ildemaro Vargas is drawing starts all over the infield, but not nearly as often as he did earlier this season.
Athletics
Tyler Soderstrom sat against a lefty Thursday, but that’s likely just because he came off the IL this week. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has started every game since being called up on June 29, riding a .500 BABIP through nine games. Henry Bolte is the true everyday center fielder. Lawrence Butler is platooning with Colby Thomas.
Michael Harris II has been back at leadoff this week with Drake Baldwin batting cleanup. Mauricio Dubón has started every game since June 3. Austin Riley has settled in at sixth or seventh for a while now.
The new 1-2-3 against RHP is Gunnar, Adley, and Taylor Ward, who had previously hit only leadoff. Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers are strong-side platoon hitters who share positions with Leody Taveras and Tyler O’Neill.
The search for a leadoff hitter continues, with Anthony Seigler the latest to get a look. Mickey Gasper, Masataka Yoshida, and Nate Eaton have also filled the role over the past month. Ceddanne Rafaela has been the everyday two-hitter since late May. Romy Gonzalez is off the IL and starting against all lefties.
Plenty of consistency lately. The one non-catcher spot not filled by an everyday player is RF/DH, depending on where Seiya Suzuki is. Michael Conforto draws most of those opportunities against right-handers.
Kyle Teel has hit in the 1-4 spots against RHP since coming off the IL but drops down against lefties. Braden Montgomery has sat twice since being called up on June 9. Andrew Benintendi and Randal Grichuk platoon at DH. Munetaka Murakami is expected back from his hamstring injury on Friday.
Noelvi Marte is the primary right fielder, though he’ll occasionally be spelled so Nathaniel Lowe can enter the lineup (with several others shifting around positionally). Edwin Arroyo has become the primary second baseman over Matt McLain.
Chase DeLauter has started against all five lefties since coming off the IL given how banged up this lineup is. Former top prospect Kahlil Watson is getting as many outfield starts as he can handle since being called up in mid-June. Steven Kwan remains a bottom-of-the-order bat and doesn’t start every day.
Cole Carrigg has hit 3-5 over the past week. Kyle Karros has been the everyday third baseman while swinging a hot bat. Ezequiel Tovar continues to hit in the bottom third of the lineup in what has been a disappointing campaign.
James Outman is the center fielder against RHP, platooning with Matt Vierling. Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter continue to sit vs. most lefties, as expected.
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Jeremy Peña is expected back from the IL soon, and the team has put him right back at leadoff each time he’s returned this year. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Zach Dezenzo platoon in left field while Taylor Trammell and Brice Matthews do so in center.
Carter Jensen continues to lead off despite a .312 OBP. Lane Thomas is the everyday center fielder, batting 1-4 lately. Salvador Perez is phasing out of catcher, first base, and the top half of the order. He mostly serves as the DH, batting sixth, while hitting 40% worse than league average.
Mike Trout returned from the IL this week. Josh Lowe has been an everyday outfielder since being recalled on June 24. Denzer Guzman has been the primary third baseman over the past month-plus.
Mookie Betts has been at cleanup since late May but isn’t hitting well enough to cash in on the RBI opportunities. Tommy Edman is bouncing around 2B, 3B, LF, and CF without playing every day. It’s bizarre to see Kyle Tucker hitting 5-7 primarily, but that’s what’s happening.
Kyle Stowers has reached 20 starts at first base, securing dual eligibility in nearly every format for 2027. Jakob Marsee is still getting near-everyday looks but has fallen to the bottom third of the order, even vs. RHP.
Luis Lara has started two of four since being called up from Triple-A. Garrett Mitchell has been swinging a hot bat while starting against all righties. Andrew Vaughn‘s playing time against RHP remains limited. Cooper Pratt has started every game at shortstop except three since his June 16 callup.
Luke Keaschall moved from second base to right field in mid-June, and he’s spent the past two days in center with Byron Buxton out. Austin Martin is still leading off against lefties while Trevor Larnach gets the role against RHP. Royce Lewis has started every game at first base since June 16, which can hopefully keep him healthier.
A.J. Ewing has taken the leadoff role against RHP while Francisco Lindor fills it vs. lefties. Carson Benge, who had been leading off every game, dropped to the middle of the lineup. Jorge Polanco has started two of three at DH since coming off the IL this week. Brett Baty keeps finding his way into the lineup, primarily at second base.
Jasson Domínguez has been given an everyday shot since mid-June. Anthony Volpe has started four of eight in July. Paul Goldschmidt‘s opportunities have fallen off too as his bat has cooled.
Gabriel Rincones Jr. is the right fielder vs. RHP, with Edmundo Sosa and Derek Hill drawing opportunities against lefties. Can’t wait to see what Dave Dombrowski does at the trade deadline as a result.
Jake Mangum has hit leadoff this week with Konnor Griffin back on the IL. Esmerlyn Valdez has been the everyday cleanup hitter in July. Ryan O’Hearn shedding the platoon this season has been tremendous for him.
Fernando Tatis Jr. has started nine straight in right field now that Jake Cronenworth is back, though his second base days probably aren’t fully over. Sung-Mun Song is starting at 2B, 3B, and SS, taking some of those reps away from Tatis too.
San Francisco Giants
Heliot Ramos has hit leadoff this week with Luis Arraez dropping to second. Casey Schmitt has played all over this season but is most recently at third base with Matt Chapman sidelined. Bryce Eldridge hasn’t hit higher than sixth since July 1.
J.P. Crawford lost his shortstop job but continues to hit leadoff. Dominic Canzone is up to batting third versus righties. Cole Young has started every game this season. Luke Raley platoons with Rob Refsnyder.
Iván Herrera has started every game this season. Lars Nootbaar has started five of 11 games against lefties since coming off the IL. Blaze Jordan started every game from June 12 through June 26 but has recently begun losing playing time to José Fermín.
Chandler Simpson hasn’t led off in over a month. Jonny DeLuca starts vs. all left-handers. Cedric Mullins is the cleanup hitter against RHP.
Justin Foscue leads off vs. LHP while Joc Pederson does so against righties. Evan Carter platoons with Cam Cauley in center field. Injuries have been an issue all year for this lineup. Nicky Lopez has reclaimed shortstop with Corey Seager sidelined again.
George Springer dropped to cleanup on Wednesday, with Ernie Clement having led off every game this week. Nathan Lukes is the two-hitter. Daulton Varsho and Kazuma Okamoto provide middle-of-the-lineup thump.
Curtis Mead has started against five straight right-handers. Let’s see if he’s in the lineup against the last two arms Washington faces this half on Saturday and Sunday. Luis García Jr. platoons with Andrés Chaparro. Dylan Crews has hung around the middle third of the order since being recalled.
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