MLB lineup tracker: Platoons, batting orders and production trends (2024)

As May comes to a close, the landscape of lineup placement, playing time, and production continues to change. Monitoring the changes and adapting are as important as ever with the increased usage of platoons, IL stints, COVID, and more. We are going to dive into each of the 30 teams and provide an update on the most recent information on all this and more. Here’s a rundown of what I’ll be covering:

• Platoon situations
• Playing time winners and losers
• Recent hot and cold streaks
• Players gaining playing time due to injury and more

Note: all stats and information is as of 5/25/2022

National League

NL East

Atlanta Braves

• William Contreras has finally found his way into regular plate appearances and batting No. 2 in the process over the past two games. He has also played right field, and that is another path to regular looks. He instantly gains value and becomes a catcher worth rostering across just about any format. On the year so far, Contreras has hit .273/.373/.773 with seven home runs in just 51 plate appearances. This is more than enough reason to roster him given the landscape of the catcher position. Small sample or not you just need to ride the hot hand at the position at times.
• Austin Riley has dropped to the No. 6/7 spot in the order of late. With players like Travis d’Arnaud moving up to No. 4 in the order.
• We also have seen Matt Olson fall to No. 5 in the order and Ozzie Albies to No. 6. Essentially this lineup has had a huge shake-up due to sub-par performance, and the big winners, for now, are the two catcher-eligible players in d’Arnaud and Contreras.

Miami Marlins

• Jazz Chisholm has sat against six of 10 LHP they have faced this season. Although he should be given more of an opportunity to grow vs. LHP, it just might not happen, and the numbers early on have been less than desirable. The bright side is that he is the leadoff man now.
• After a strong start to the season, Jesus Sanchez has fallen down the order. He has been hitting around the No. 6/7 spot in the order. He sat vs. most LHP before starting against the past three. He might have played himself out of the platoon but now we know there is a possibility of falling back into one.
• Part of the reason for concern for Sanchez’s playing time vs LHP is Bryan De La Cruz. He has started in six of the past eight games and was platooning with Sanchez before. Once Joey Wendle returns we could see Brian Anderson play more in the outfield, causing a bit of a crunch for playing time out there at times.
• With Wendle on IL and Miguel Rojas DTD with injury, Erik Gonzalez has started the past two games. He is (at best) NL-only relevant for now.

New York Mets

• This lineup is rather consistent as long as there is no injury. The main struggle for playing time is with Dominic Smith, J.D. Davis and Luis Guillorme. Guillorme’s defense often gives him the edge for playing time of the three, but none of them offer consistent playing time or production to be started outside of NL-Only formats for now.

Philadelphia Phillies

• Rhy Hoskins has led off 11 of the past 12 games. The Phillies have now had five different leadoff men to this point in the season — no hitter is safe in that spot if they underproduce. In the 11 games since Hoskins began leading off, he is hitting .240/.296/.380 with a 92 wRC+ and two home runs in 54 plate appearances.
• Alec Bohm moved up to No. 2 in the order at the beginning of May and this is another spot with what has been a rotating door. Since moving to the 2-spot, Bohm has posted a .279/.300/.384 triple slash with a .300 wOBA and 91 wRC+, but with just one home run, three RBI and 10 runs in the process. The fantasy production has been rather lackluster.
• J.T. Realmuto has dipped toward the bottom third of the order, often hitting around No. 7 in the order. Hitting just .234/.301/.340 on the year justifies it.

Washington Nationals

• Lane Thomas has been up and down with playing time and production but he has now started 10 of the past 12 games and even led off vs. a LHP. During these past 12 games, he has hit .211/.268/.395, so it is unclear how long the leash will be. However, Victor Robles has not done anything to steal any playing time back from him either
• Kiebert Ruiz has shifted into the 2-spot regularly of late and has been hitting rather well overall for the past couple of weeks — hitting .325 with a .426 OBP over the past 14 days. That skill set will play up in the 2-spot ahead of Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz.
• Yadiel Hernández had relevance late in the 2021 season and he has carried that over to the 2022 season, carving out every-day playing time while hitting in the heart of the order — hitting .311/.352/.454 with three home runs, a stolen base and 20 RBI. Not the flashiest numbers, of course, but overall a solid producer for deeper formats. He is a fringe 12-teamer type. He has use in five-outfielder formats.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs

• Christopher Morel has played four positions (2B, 3B, SS, CF) while starting in six of the past seven games for the Cubs. He even led off Wednesday (5/25) as well. He hits the ball hard and is flashing strong plate discipline numbers early on. He has two home runs and a stolen base since his call-up from the minors, where he hit seven home runs and stole three bases as well. The power and speed potential are here, and right now so is the playing time. The concern is that when Nico ho*rner, Jason Heyward, Clint Frazier, Nick Madrigal, and David Bote return, how will they fit Morel in? It will work itself out, but until then, ride the wave.
• Patrick Wisdom is playing every day at third base and continues to be streaky. He is currently riding a bit of a heater but on the year he has 10 home runs while hitting .226 and striking out 40.3% of the time. That is the Patrick Wisdom experience.
• Frank Schwindel has turned it on of late after nearly being sent down (technically he was, but then he was recalled before actually reaching the minors). Over the past 14 days, Schwindel has started 13 games and is hitting .294/.333/.588 with four home runs and 10 RBI. He is flashing some of what we saw last year that made him a popular fallback option at first base entering the draft season.

Cincinnati Reds

• Joey Votto has been downright terrible to start the year. However, since being activated off IL he has slotted back into the 4-spot and has recorded at least one hit in five of six games upon returning and five of his hits have been extra base hits (including two home runs).
• Matt Reynolds may have lost his leadoff plate appearances with Nick Senzel and Tyler Naquin leading off vs. a LHP and a RHP the past two games. Reynolds, overall, is likely to be out of luck with the playing time in general now that Brandon Drury has returned to the lineup (slotting back into the 2-hole) and when Kyle Farmer returns to the lineup — out the past two games with general soreness.

Milwaukee Brewers

• With Willy Adames out, Mike Brosseau and Jace Peterson are sharing playing time at third base with Peterson being on the strong side. Luis Urias has slid over to shortstop in the interim.
• Tyrone Taylor has started nine of the past 10 games and moved into the middle of the order of late. The playing time should be secure as long as he is producing and Hunter Renfroe remains out. Over the past 10 games, Taylor has hit three home runs with 10 RBI. This comes with a triple-slash of .294/.351/.588, .407 wOBA and a 162 wRC+.
• Lorenzo Cain has sat against four of the past five RHP he has faced. He might’ve fallen into a platoon but given the lack of depth in the outfield with Renfroe hitting the IL, he could find more playing time vs. RHP moving forward. At least in the short term.

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Cal Mitchell made his debut, and then moved up to the 2-spot in just his second start of the season. Mitchell hit five home runs and six stolen bases while batting .306/.362/.500 in Triple-A. That line is also accompanied by solid plate discipline and he could become a fantasy asset if these skills can carry over.
• Dan Vogelbach landed on the IL, and that should lead to Michael Chavis playing more. He got the start at first base, with Yoshi Tsutsugo at DH, in the first game after Vogelbach landed on the IL.
• Josh VanMeter has started the past five against RHP and sits against most LHP.
• Rodolfo Castro has started 12 straight games since being called up, though very little production has followed. He is hitting .211 with two stolen bases and four runs. He should only be rostered in NL-only for now.

St. Louis Cardinals

• Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill being on the IL has allowed for Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, and Corey Dickerson to play more, and the playing time will likely figure itself out while everyone gets healthy.
• Juan Yepez has hit rather well and has been sticking around the 5-spot in the order since his call-up. Over the past seven days, however, the power has still been there (two home runs and a .429 SLG%) but the batting average has dipped (.214). This could be the beginning of the growing pains that come at the MLB level. Or it may simply be a blip on the radar. Time will tell.

Since entering the lineup regularly on May 10th, Brendan Donovan has started 13 of 15 games while hitting .390/.537/.610 with 9 runs and 8 RBI. This comes with a HR and SB.

Has hit 2nd in 4 of his last 7 starts and played 5 positions total since being called up (3B/SS/RF/1B/2B) pic.twitter.com/HVOW163ceE

— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) May 26, 2022

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Between injuries, production, or both, players move around this lineup often.
• Daulton Varsho has led off most of the season and continues to lead off vs. RHP.
• Geraldo Perdomo has been starting at shortstop with Nick Ahmed out (COVID IL). This is likely a short-term path to playing time for Perdomo, and he has hit a lackluster .240/.296/.280 over the past seven days as well.
• Alek Thomas has had a strong start to his career and plays every day. He is still stuck toward the bottom third of the order but there is a path to moving up from No. 7 sooner than later.
• David Peralta is in a strong side platoon.
• Pavin Smith has found his way into the top third of the order for most of May. There have been some good and bad since the month began. The good is the five home runs and 14 RBI, but the bad is the .205 batting average and just nine runs, not to mention no stolen bases. Essentially, he has little use outside of 15-team mixed formats and deeper.
• In his five games since returning to the lineup, Jake McCarthy has batted No. 5 or 6, producing a triple-slash of .368/.455/.421 with five runs, five RBI and a stolen base. As of now, he only has NL-only appeal.

Colorado Rockies

• Kris Bryant is back on the IL and Yonathan Daza could pick back up where he left off. Over the past 14 days, Daza has posted 10 runs and seven RBI with a .333 batting average. He often bats No. 2 when he is in.
• Sam Hilliard could factor into the playing time that Bryant vacated. He started the first two games Bryant was out this week and provides a flashier, more fantasy-friendly skill set. We need to monitor who gains the most playing time moving forward.

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Edwin Rios has started three straight while the team rotates players in and out for rest purposes. The power production has been there in spurts as has been the playing time but ultimately he is tough to start outside of NL-only, or very deep formats in general, until a clearer path to playing time arises.
• The Dodgers remain one of the more consistent in terms of playing time and lineups.

San Diego Padres

• Since signing with the Padres, Robinson Cano has started in six of the seven games vs. RHP. He is hitting just .236 with a single run and RBI since joining the Padres and continues to belong on your waiver wire.
• Ha-seong Kim continues to play every day and, with Fernando Tatis Jr. yet to be cleared to swing, his playing time path remains clear and the leash remains long.
• Jurickson Profar is beginning to pick up the production of late. He’s batting in the middle of the order, and has delivered a .300/.375/.420 line over the past 14 days. The power has not been there but the three stolen bases and eight runs help. If you need speed and runs, there is potential for those to continue with the lineup spot and playing time Profar has been afforded.

San Francisco Giants

• Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Crawford are the only players not being platooned now that everyone is back.
• Kevin Padlo has started the past two games and that was against both a RHP and LHP.
• Evan Longoria has sat against the past three RHP.
• Wilmer Flores has started the past six of seven games while batting inside the top four.
• Flores and Darin Ruf are covering first base duties while Brandon Belt is out. Ruf is doing well of late but a lot of his production comes against LHP.
  

• Ruf has been leading off vs. LHP over the last few starts and batting at the top of the order.
• Tommy La Stella has led off the past three games vs. RHP, a role he filled last season when healthy (33 leadoff starts vs. RHP in 2021).

American league

AL East

Baltimore Orioles

• This team is very consistent. The top six in the order are typically set in stone of late with Adley Rutschman batting No. 6 most of the time since debuting.
• Ramon Urias, Rougned Odor, and Jorge Mateo fill out the rest of the lineup and, other than depth, these three offer little upside. Mateo is a great stolen base target but the rest of the production has fallen off over the past week or so.
• Over the last 14 days, Urias and Odor each have two home runs, and both are hitting at least .250. Both can be useful in deeper formats while they are producing.

Boston Red Sox

• Enrique Hernandez has been back to leading off since May 8th, hitting just .230/.294/.377 with a single home run from that point to present. The 11 runs he has posted since then are nice at least.
• After a strong start, Alex Verdugo has since slowed in May, hitting just .232 with a .493 OPS this month.
• Over the last 14 days, Trevor Story has rounded into form. He has eight home runs, four stolen bases and a 1.215 OPS over this span.
• If you have the space to do so, it is a good time to stash Jarren Duran. He is flashing strong plate discipline and an overall line of .320/.394/.557 over his 137 plate appearances at Triple-A, not to mention his 10 stolen bases (just caught stealing once). There is a lot of potential for fantasy relevance when he gets the call.

New York Yankees

• DJ LeMahieu is dealing with a wrist issue and it could be part of what has caused him to slow down in May — he is hitting .211 with a .610 OPS for the month.
• Gleyber Torres is hitting .298/.353/.532 with three home runs, nine runs and eight RBI over the past 14 days. This has led to moving up to the No. 5 spot in the order the majority of the time over these 14 days.
• With LeMahieu out, we have seen Aaron Hicks lead off in two straight.
• With Josh Donaldson on the COVID IL and Giancarlo Stanton on the IL with a calf strain, we are seeing Miguel Andujar get a chance to start, and he has been hitting No. 5/6 so far in his limited opportunities. Andujar could get regular looks with Stanton out.

Tampa Bay Rays

• Kevin Kiermaier has led off four straight games and has been hitting well over the past 14 days — three home runs, 10 runs and even a stolen base. His triple-slash over this period is .417/.417/.778 and he is continuing to lead off even with Yandy Díaz and Manuel Margot back in the order.
• Vidal Brujan has started in 10 of 13 games since his call-up but is not taking advantage of his opportunity. He is hitting just .129/.182/.194 in these 10 games.
• In May, Wander Franco has slowed way down but, on May 1, it was reported he was scratched with a hamstring injury and has dealt with other minor leg issues, as well. This could help explain the slow May.

Toronto Blue Jays

• Santiago Espinal is one of the few bright spots in this lineup. He has been rather consistent all season and has recently moved into the 2-spot over the past two games.
• Since returning from his injury on May 7, Teoscar Hernandez is hitting.100/.129/.167 with just one home run and one stolen base, striking out 29% of the time.
• Alejandro Kirk has been hitting well in terms of batting average in May, but it has been rather empty. He is hitting .288 for the month but with just one home run. The batting average helps but, unfortunately, it is so empty.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox

• Adam Engel remains a regular given the injuries in the lineup but with Eloy Jimenez nearing a rehab assignment and Luis Robert likely back at some point next week (COVID IL with symptoms), Engel’s playing time could be short-lived
• Jake Burger was recalled and will have relevance until the lineup gets healthy again.
• A.J. Pollock shifted up the order when all these injuries took place. He has been hitting toward the 5-spot over the past week. Over the past week, Pollock has hit .316 with a .982 OPS, justifying the bump up the order.
• Since his return to the lineup, Andrew Vaughn has been moving around the lineup as needed. He typically moves up vs. LHP and then drops to No. 5 or lower vs. RHP. He’s hitting .400/.455/.450 over the past week and could be entering a bit of a heater again after a slow start initially upon his return to the order.

Cleveland Guardians

• Over the past five games, Amed Rosario has moved back into the 2-spot and has hit .263/.333/.368 with two stolen bases over this time, which could keep him hitting at the top for now.
• Steven Kwan has fallen to the 8-spot and into a platoon. Kwan has sat against three of the past four LHP. He is hitting a lowly .154/.267/.154 over the past 14 days.

Detroit Tigers

• Although Robbie Grossman is continuing to lead off, he is hitting just .050 over the past seven days. Fortunately for him, there is little competition to take away his leadoff role right now.
• Spencer Torkelson has found his stroke over the past week, posting a triple-slash of .400/.412/.800 in the seven days. He has been hitting No. 6/7 in the process.
• Jonathan Schoop has hit in the top three in the past three games. He’s another bat who has turned it on over the past week for this team with a home run, stolen base, while hitting .278 with a .350 OBP.
• A bright spot could be coming in the form of a Riley Greene return. He is currently working his way back and could be up sooner than later — he is deserving of a stash if you have the room and he is available.

Kansas City Royals

• The Royals have been swinging hot bats lately, so everyone is standing out with the recent production.
• Whit Merrifield returned to the leadoff spot on May 12 and since then he is hitting .317 with two home runs, three stolen bases and a 14.9% strikeout rate. Merrifield has been very much himself since the move back to the leadoff spot.
• Bobby Witt Jr. moved to the 3-spot on May 17 and since then he is hitting .267 with two home runs and a stolen base. The stolen bases have been carrying his fantasy value early on in the season.
• Emmanuel Rivera and Kyle Isbel both were scratched and are being run through COVID testing. If they are cleared and return to the order, both could have deep league relevance while their playing time is trending upward. Isbel is the more interesting of the two. Over the past week, he has played in six games and has two stolen bases while hitting .429.
• A stash candidate to consider is Vinnie Pasquantino. Over his 182 plate appearances in Triple-A, he has shown elite plate discipline (13.2% walk rate and 14.8% strikeout rate) while hitting .296/.396/.638. He has 12 home runs and three stolen bases as well to go with these other flashy stats. With little left to prove in the minors, he could be up near the trade deadline once the Royals trade away some players, even though he is clearly deserving of the call now.

Minnesota Twins

• Jose Miranda has started five of the past eight games. Over the past week, he is finally hitting as we expected after a slow start — .364, striking out just 16.7%, though it has been an empty batting average. It is still a step in the right direction but a trip back to the minors cannot be ruled out as Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis make a push to come back up from Triple-A.
• Since returning on May 12, Luis Arraez has hit at the top of the order while batting .450 with a 1.102 OPS. He has two stolen bases and 11 runs, which adds to his value and fantasy relevance.
• Jorge Polanco is dealing with a sore ankle but is expected to be fine. If he does miss time maybe it would expedite Royce Lewis’ callup.
• Trevor Larnach was recently activated off the IL and has started three of four games since his activation.
• Nick Gordon and Gilberto Celestino have been playing a bit but they are depth options for this team and, as this team gets healthy and calls back up some of their top prospects, they are going to fall back into a reserve role. It is worth knowing their names because injuries happen and you will see these two players factor into the lineup throughout the year filling in as needed.

AL West

Houston Astros

• This is one of the other lineups with little changes, if any.
• The main thing that changes is that Chas McCormick and Jose Siri essentially alternate starts. There is little else that changes from day to day in this lineup. Maybe if one of these two sustains prolonged production they could run with it.

• Their production is very similar. Names to keep on your watch list for call-up potential are Jake Meyers and Pedro Leon. In his 180 plate appearances in Triple-A so far this season, Leon has hit .247/.367/.507 with seven home runs and 11 stolen bases (caught four times). The .260 ISO is notable and there is a lot of potential category juice here. The main concern is the 31.7% strikeout rate that won’t age well at the next level.

Los Angeles Angels

• Luis Rengifo has started seven straight games and is hitting .258 with a home run and stolen base over the past 14 days. It’s minimal production in the runs and RBI areas, but he can be helpful in deeper leagues while he is playing.
• Taylor Ward has not slowed down one bit but he is currently DTD, Tyler Wade has been filling in in the outfield. He has not been doing much with his increased role over the past couple of weeks.
• With Ward out, Shohei Ohtani has slotted into the leadoff spot. Moving from the 3-spot to leadoff would change the type of production we should expect — less RBI and more run potential.

Oakland Athletics

• Tony Kemp does play every day but drops to the bottom of the order vs. LHP while leading off vs. RHP. Over the past seven days, Kemp has been hitting better. He has a stolen base, three runs, and three RBI while hitting .368. He has been providing usable stats for deep league players.
• Since May 9, Luis Barrera has been a regular in the bottom third of the lineup, but batting No. 7 more than any other spot in the order. Since he entered the lineup he has hit .316/.372/.474 with a home run and two stolen bases. There is deeper league and AL-only appeal here. This can be said for just about anyone playing for this team.
• Jed Lowrie has started nine of the past 10 games while batting No. 2 or No. 3 in every start. He is hitting two home runs and batting .317 over these 10 games.

Seattle Mariners

• Kyle Lewis has been activated from the IL and slotted into the 7-spot for now. He is worth rostering in most leagues while healthy.
• Jesse Winker has moved into the leadoff role over the past two games, with Adam Frazier moving into the 3-spot over those two games. Both have slowed down in production over the past week but both have been above average in May. Winker has a 104 wRC+ and Frazier has a 119 wRC+ for the month. For reference, the league average for wRC+ is 100.
• Julio Rodriguez started slow but has since hit on expectations. His May has been great, with five home runs, four stolen bases, and a triple-slash of .315/.351/.522. He’s also managed to cut down the strikeouts to just 25.8%. He has moved into the cleanup spot over the past six games.
• Cal Raleigh has been splitting time at catcher with Luis Torrens since he entered the lineup on May 10. He has started in 10 of the 18 games, hitting three home runs since joining the lineup, but with a .167 batting average. He should be a fallback option in two-catcher and AL-only formats.

Texas Rangers

• Kole Calhoun is having a very strong May and should be rostered in all mixed leagues that are 15 teams and deeper. He is someone to consider in 12-team leagues that have deeper rosters with five outfielders. In May, he is hitting .328 with seven home runs and even stole a base. He finds himself batting No. 5/6 every day.
• Sam Huff is up but is not playing often enough for mixed-league relevance yet. He has started two of the past three games, however, so keep an eye on him.
• Eli White continues to start for this team and bat No. 9. He is a stolen base threat but otherwise can run streaky. This is what has happened of late with a strong week of production two weeks ago followed by a .071 batting average and 60% strikeout rate over his past seven days. He is only someone to roster if you are chasing stolen bases in the deepest of leagues.
• Mitch Garver has returned from the IL and is back into the 3-spot over the past two games. Since his return, he has hit three home runs with a .270/.320/.727 triple-slash. The interesting note is that he has strictly played at DH, allowing Jonah Heim to remain a starter at catcher, and this could continue for a while.
  
• Andy Ibáñez has only started three of the past six games against RHP. His playing time has taken a hit.

(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Michael Kurland is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering the Fantasy Baseball. Michael Kurland has covered Fantasy Baseball since 2019, most recently as a featured writer for RotoBaller. He was a 2019 FSWA award finalist for ‘Best Ongoing Series’. Follow Michael on Twitter @Mike_Kurland