MLB Lineup Report: Taylor Ward sits second in PAs, Jac Caglianone catches fire
· Yahoo Sports
This is the point in the season where it becomes near-impossible to keep up with every transaction and injury in our own fantasy leagues, never mind across all of Major League Baseball. Taking a little time each week to survey the league-wide lineup landscape helps keep our heads in the game.
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Arizona Diamondbacks
Geraldo Perdomo has regained the two-hole as Nolan Arenado slides from cleanup down to fifth or sixth. Max Kepler made his 2026 debut Thursday after missing half the season to a PED suspension. Jordan Lawlar's return to the IL has reopened everyday action for Tommy Troy.
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Athletics
Henry Bolte hit leadoff in each of the past two games, both against right-handers. Lawrence Butler remains a strict platoon bat, but he's been carving out more time against righties lately at the expense of Carlos Cortes.
Atlanta Braves
Austin Riley hasn't hit higher than fifth since May 18, and lately he's sitting in the sixth or seventh spot. Shortstop stays a three-way rotation between Ha-Seong Kim, Jorge Mateo, and Mauricio Dubón, the last of whom plays somewhere every day.
Baltimore Orioles
Taylor Ward, Gunnar Henderson, and Pete Alonso rank second, third, and 10th in plate appearances this season. Colton Cowser has sat just once since June 4, though they've faced only one lefty in that stretch. Samuel Basallo is in line for a healthy runout with Adley Rutschman sidelined. Tyler O'Neill isn't playing enough to be a fantasy factor, even after avoiding the IL since mid-April.
Boston Red Sox
Jarren Duran still hasn't reclaimed leadoff, where Mickey Gasper, Nate Eaton, and Masataka Yoshida have split the reps. Caleb Durbin was losing playing time in late May but has sat just once in June. Marcelo Mayer's days at shortstop could be numbered for defensive reasons, and he remains in a platoon.
Chicago Cubs
A pretty consistent starting nine, though Matt Shaw has sat against the past two righties in favor of Michael Conforto. Dansby Swanson has been on fire out of the nine-hole.
Chicago White Sox
Kyle Teel is off the IL and hitting cleanup. Braden Montgomery has sat once since his June 9 callup. This lineup is going to be a lot of fun once Munetaka Murakami returns.
Cincinnati Reds
JJ Bleday, mired in a slump, sat Wednesday for the first time since April 28, and it came against a lefty. Eugenio Suárez has settled in mostly at sixth. Matt McLain is sliding back to second base with Elly De La Cruz activated, which could squeeze his role or Edwin Arroyo's.
Cleveland Guardians
Brayan Rocchio climbed into the top third of the order once José Ramírez, Chase DeLauter, and Angel Martínez all went down. Steven Kwan, meanwhile, stays buried in the bottom third and sits against some lefties. Kahlil Watson has started six of eight games since his callup, all in right field.
Colorado Rockies
Jake McCarthy (vs. RHP) and Willi Castro (vs. LHP) are sharing leadoff while both play nearly every day. Troy Johnston has sat six of nine, including against three right-handers. Mickey Moniak is 0-for-2 in starts versus lefties since coming off the IL this week, but he hit second against the lone righty he's faced.
Detroit Tigers
Dillon Dingler is an everyday player with catcher eligibility. Hao-Yu Lee is covering second base most days with Gleyber Torres back on the IL. James Outman and Matt Vierling form a center field platoon. Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter have been sitting against most southpaws lately.
Houston Astros
Jose Altuve has settled into the fifth spot, behind Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker. Cam Smith hasn't taken a step forward this year but keeps getting run. He's one of only four Houston bats with enough plate appearances to qualify.
Kansas City Royals
Bobby Witt Jr. will have gone over a week without playing entering Friday, so we'll see if he's back in the lineup. Carter Jensen has held onto leadoff against righties. Salvador Perez has dropped as low as sixth in recent weeks. Jac Caglianone is the everyday three-hitter and one of the hottest bats in baseball.
Los Angeles Angels
Vaughn Grissom's playing time has eroded now that he and Nolan Schanuel are both healthy. Christian Moore has started five of seven since being called up when Mike Trout hit the IL. There are a lot of moving parts here, but little of it is actionable for fantasy.
Los Angeles Dodgers
All eyes on whether Kyle Tucker is back in the lineup Friday. Teoscar Hernández should return next week. Tommy Edman has started five of eight since his season debut, including all three against lefties. It speaks to the season Andy Pages is having that he's cemented the two-hole in a lineup full of All-Stars.
Miami Marlins
Kyle Stowers is up to 11 starts at first base, most of them recent. Liam Hicks hitting the IL opens up top-of-the-order at-bats, and Jakob Marsee has drawn three leadoff reps in the five games since. Owen Caissie has stuck in the majors all year despite a strikeout rate still hovering near 40%.
Milwaukee Brewers
Andrew Vaughn is mashing lefties but doesn't start against enough righties to matter outside of daily-lineup leagues. Cooper Pratt has been the near-everyday shortstop since his callup, pushing David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz into a third base platoon.
Minnesota Twins
Trevor Larnach has taken leadoff against right-handers, sharing it with Austin Martin against southpaws. Kody Clemens hits third versus most righties and some lefties. Royce Lewis has started eight straight at first base after bouncing around the infield following his June 6 recall.
New York Mets
Francisco Lindor returned from his calf strain this week, bumping Bo Bichette back to third base. Francisco Alvarez has sat just twice since coming off the IL on June 9. Mark Vientos' playing time has cratered this month while Brett Baty's has held, though Baty is sitting against more lefties than earlier in the year.
New York Yankees
Jasson Domínguez is the everyday right fielder. Anthony Volpe is the primary shortstop while José Caballero bounces around. Spencer Jones is a strict platoon bat, as expected.
Philadelphia Phillies
The lineup story in Philadelphia has been Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott becoming everyday regulars against lefties. Edmundo Sosa is now platooning with Gabriel Rincones Jr. with Adolis García sidelined. Justin Crawford is starting against fewer lefties than he did early in the season. Dave Dombrowski is very likely to add an outfielder at the deadline.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Konnor Griffin has started a rehab assignment, which will help a lineup also missing Oneil Cruz and now Spencer Horwitz. Jake Mangum got the first leadoff look without Horwitz on Thursday. Nick Gonzales has started every game since May 22, hitting between first and fifth in all but one. Marcell Ozuna's playing time keeps dwindling.
San Diego Padres
Samad Taylor has started 15 of 16, batting as high as second several times this past week. Jake Cronenworth began a rehab assignment Thursday. It'll be interesting to see how often Fernando Tatis Jr. plays second base once he's back.
San Francisco Giants
Bryce Eldridge hasn't hit lower than third since June 10. Matt Chapman has oddly been bouncing between first, third, and seventh. Casey Schmitt continues to play all over, sliding to second base with Luis Arraez banged up the past two days. A lineup crunch is looming once Heliot Ramos wraps up his rehab assignment.
Seattle Mariners
JP Crawford has played third base in seven of eight starts since returning from the IL, which makes Colt Emerson the shortstop of the future and the present. Cal Raleigh has hit second and started every game since coming back June 12. Cole Young has still managed to start every game.
St. Louis Cardinals
Lars Nootbaar has started against the past two lefties after sitting versus the first three he faced off the IL. Blaze Jordan has started every game since his June 12 callup. It's going to take an injury or a trade for Joshua Báez to get the call.
Tampa Bay Rays
Chandler Simpson fought some injuries through the first half of June, but he's now started nine straight and his base stealing has picked back up. Cedric Mullins and Richie Palacios have been hitting between third and fifth against righties lately. Jonny DeLuca hits second or third versus lefties.
Texas Rangers
Wyatt Langford has started every game since returning June 5. Corey Seager is back now too, and Evan Carter begins a rehab assignment Friday, giving Texas a shot at its healthiest lineup all year. Ezequiel Duran and Nicky Lopez could battle for reps at second base. Jarred Kelenic has popped up sporadically in a couple of recent lineups.
Toronto Blue Jays
Kazuma Okamoto has crept back into the heart of the order as this lineup struggles to hit for power outside of him. Jesús Sánchez is in a left field platoon with Davis Schneider. Yohendrick Piñango is back at Triple-A now that Daulton Varsho is off the IL and Luis Urías has arrived from the Diamondbacks.
Washington Nationals
They've faced a lot of lefties recently, which has helped, though Curtis Mead has sat against four of their past 10 right-handed opponents. Nasim Nuñez has made 12 straight starts, some of his most consistent playing time this season. Luis García Jr. still has a stranglehold on the two-hole against righties.