Just in time for your FAAB bids, here is my lineup on the latest news and trends for AL lineups. You can check out my most recent article for the National League here! Over the past week, the top five hitters from the American League have been Alejandro Kirk, Yordan Alvarez, Trey Mancini, Gleyber Torres, and Taylor Trammell. Please note that this article was written early Saturday afternoon. I will do my best to try and add any updates or breaking news that occurs Saturday night. Check out the latest on all 15 American League teams below!
MLB Lineup Analysis
AL East
New York Yankees
I cannot say I saw the Matt Carpenter breakout coming. In seven games since joining the Yankees, Carpenter has hit four home runs already. While this pace is unsustainable, Carpenter has earned a spot in the Yankees lineup. He has primarily been batting sixth recently and has even hit leadoff once. I have been vocal about being patient with Joey Gallo but if Carpenter keeps playing well, Gallo could see his playing time take a hit now that Stanton is back. I am finally on board with cutting Gallo as it does not seem like he will be breaking out of his slump anytime soon.
Kyle Higashioka has officially lost the starting catcher job to Jose Trevino. Trevino has been excellent over the past week hitting .500 with two home runs. In fact, dating back to May 16, Jose Trevino is hitting .444 with four home runs. Looking under the hood at Trevino, this success is primarily being driven by a .462 BABIP. Over this same period, Trevino has posted just a 10%-line drive rate. The BABIP should likely come crashing down soon and Trevino will return to a replacement level catcher.
Tim Locastro returned from his injury this weekend. As a result, Miguel Andujar was optioned to AAA. This comes as a bit of a surprise as Andujar has played well but he simply has been outplayed by Carpenter. Locastro also is better defensively and provides the Yankees with added speed.
Boston Red Sox
There have not been any notable changes to the Red Sox lineup this week. Dalbec and Cordero continue to platoon with both players playing well. The Red Sox seem content letting them rotate in and out depending on the pitching matchup. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been playing much better recently. Since May 14, he has hit .291/.328/.491. However, he was placed on the paternity list Friday night. Jarren Duran is back with the Red Sox now. Duran was in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak and has been excellent at AAA. If he earns the starting job he could be a great pickup to help your team get more stolen bases.
Toronto Blue Jays
George Springer was injured for a few games this week, but he returned to the lineup on Friday. In his absence, Santiago Espinal moved into the leadoff spot. Springer has a history of dealing with injuries so it appears in the event of one Espinal is the player who will benefit the most. Alejandro Kirk has been amazing recently. He has moved up to fifth in the Blue Jays lineup and has hit .357 since May 10. Kirk has a chance to finish as one of the top catchers in fantasy baseball. He is getting an opportunity to play every day and is making the most of it.
Cavan Biggio is a name to keep an eye on in OBP leagues. He has been getting more consistent playing time over the past week and has posted a 21.7% BB rate since being called back up. Biggio is never a player who will hit for a high average, but his walk rate helps to make up for that. In 2019, Biggio hit 16 home runs in 100 games thanks in part to a nine percent barrel rate. His barrel rate dropped down to five percent in 2020 and 2021 but has jumped back up to nine percent in 2022. If his power can return, Biggio could be a sneaky add in deeper leagues. If Biggio keeps performing well Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Santiago Espinal are candidates to lose playing time.
Tampa Bay Rays
Wander Franco is now on the IL. The Rays are now without both of their starting middle infielders. As a result, a lot of the players in early season platoons are playing more frequently. Vidal Brujan, Isaac Paredes, and Francisco Mejia are all playing almost every day. I am completely out on Brujan. His speed is enticing for fantasy managers, but I would urge them to stay away. Brujan has not looked like the player scouts touted him to be in years. Paredes and Mejia have looked better, but neither one is worth adding to your team. They both will move back into bench roles once the Rays get healthy.
Manuel Margot has been batting in the upper third of the Rays lineup. He continues to produce despite managing knee issues. This could impact his tendency to run on the bases, but his breakout at the plate continues to look more and more legit.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles’ lineup has remained consistent over the past week. Adley Rutschman has struggled in his first taste of the big leagues. However, he has a strong sweet spot percentage and exit velocity but has posted a .212 BABIP. Rutschman will be fine, but he is going to experience growing pains like most young catchers do. Trey Mancini has been great recently. He has been great since I wrote an article earlier urging fantasy managers to buy low on him. He continues to produce, batting primarily second in Baltimore’s lineup.
AL West
Houston Astros
Kyle Tucker missed a few games to start the week with a foot injury. He returned to the lineup on Wednesday and should not be worried about moving forward. The Astros’ lineup has looked the same, but Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley have been struggling at the plate recently. Aledmys Diaz has been the Astros’ second-best batter over the past week but has no path to regular playing time. If there is an injury to one of the starting players, Diaz is the most likely to fill in.
Los Angeles Angels
Taylor Ward left the game on Friday with hamstring tightness. When asked after the game, he said that he did not know when he would return to the lineup. This sounds ominous and concerns me moving forward. If Ward is forced to miss any time, Brandon Marsh could move out of the platoon role he has been in. Marsh has been sitting against most lefties recently and could start playing every day with Ward out. He has hit .280 since May 9, but the power has disappeared. Marsh has just two barrels since May 8 and I am concerned with his 2022 outlook.
With Anthony Rendon on the IL, Matt Duffy has been primarily batting fourth in the lineup. Duffy has been excellent recently. He has a hit in each of the last seven games he started. I would not be rushing to add Duffy as this is because of a .500 BABIP. He has below-average exit velocity and barrel rates while posting just a 4.7-degree launch angle. Duffy will not hold much fantasy value moving forward.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers placed Brad Miller on the IL this week and called up Josh Smith. Smith ranked 97th on my top prospects list for Prospects Worldwide which you can check out here. He initially was batting at the bottom of the lineup but has recently been hitting leadoff for the Rangers. Smith has never been exceptional at one thing, but profiles as a solid big-league player. His best skill is his hit tool. Smith had eight stolen bases in AAA this season and has stolen one already at the MLB level. If he is able to solidify himself at the top of the Rangers’ lineup, he could provide both runs and stolen bases for your fantasy team.
Nathaniel Lowe has found his power stroke. Since May 18, Lowe is batting .319/.373/.638 with four home runs. Lowe was always a player who ran above average barrel rates and that seemed to have disappeared early in 2022. Recently, his barrel rate has been up near 14% and he is seeing the results at the plate. Over this period, Lowe is also pulling the ball more and hitting it in the air more frequently. This has also helped his power spike. The adjustments Lowe has made at the plate seem legit and I would be buying back in now if he is available.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners welcomed Abraham Toro back to the lineup this week. Kyle Lewis landed on the IL with a concussion, so this is a seven-day minimum instead of a 10-day. Taylor Trammell has been seeing additional playing time with the injuries and has been dominating. Trammell is a former top prospect that is forgotten about. Although I do not expect Trammell to keep batting .360, he has made significant improvements in his approach at the plate. During his big-league stint in 2021, Trammell posted a whiff percentage of 42.9%. So far in his small sample from 2022, Trammell has reduced that rate to 26.7%. Trammell is doing enough at the plate to keep himself in the lineup and is a good target in deeper leagues.
Stop me if you have heard this one before, but Jarred Kelenic is dominating AAA pitching. Through his first 15 games, he has five home runs and is hitting over .300. The outfield in Seattle has filled up with Winker, Rodriguez, Lewis, and Trammell all deserving of playing time. This success in AAA is encouraging, but we have seen this before and there is simply no room for him in Seattle.
Oakland A’s
There have not been many changes to the Athletics’ lineup recently. Ramon Laureano returned from the IL and has been batting in the upper third. He has looked better over the past week and should be added in most fantasy formats. He has already stolen three bases in just 24 games so far for Oakland. Luis Barrera has been struggling lately and is a candidate to be on the bench more often with Laureano back.
AL Central
Kansas City Royals
Salvador Perez, Michael A. Taylor, and Kyle Isbel rejoined the team this week. Reports state that Perez’s thumb is still bothering him, but he continues playing through it. He has struggled so far this season and we can only wonder if the thumb is having a serious impact on his ability to hit. Meanwhile, even with Perez back M.J. Melendez continues playing every day. He has been batting fifth in the lineup. Carlos Santana has slid down to seventh in the lineup when he plays and that is becoming less frequent. The Royals can only justify letting him start for so much longer.
Detroit Tigers
Riley Greene and Austin Meadows are both on a rehab assignment. Once Greene is healthy, he should become the Tigers’ everyday center fielder. He should be added wherever he is available. Willi Castro and Harold Castro have been batting in the top two spots in the lineup over the past week. Javier Baez and Jeimer Candelario have continued to look lost at the plate recently. Baez received back-to-back games off this past week to try and allow him to reset. Candelario has moved down to the seventh spot in the lineup. Willi or Harold Castro could get some starts at third base once Greene and Meadows return.
Chicago White Sox
I feel like I am always talking about injuries with the White Sox. Luis Robert returned from the COVID list this week. Since his return, he has been batting fifth. Tim Anderson landed on the IL and is estimated to be out for at least three weeks. Danny Mendick is now starting at shortstop for Chicago. He has no fantasy value.
Even with the plethora of injuries facing the White Sox, A.J. Pollock has found himself on the bench more often lately. Pollock has struggled to get comfortable at the plate since arriving in Chicago. If he is not playing every day, he is not worth rostering in fantasy. Tony La Russa is trying to get Yasmani Grandal going. He tried moving him up to the leadoff spot and then moved him down to sixth in the order. Grandal has continued to struggle, collecting just three hits in his last 40 plate appearances. The second half of 2021 was unreal for Grandal, but it is hard to justify holding onto a player with a 48 wRC+.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins have shuffled around their young players a bit in the past week. Royce Lewis was called back up from AAA but landed on the IL almost instantly. Jose Miranda was initially sent down for Lewis to come back up but was then recalled the next day when Carlos Correa landed on the COVID list. Miranda has hit three home runs in four games since being recalled. He has the talent to be an impact bat at the big-league level and I remain high on him in dynasty leagues. He has just a .190 BABIP so far this season and should start seeing better results.
The Twins traveled to Toronto this weekend which means any player that is unvaccinated could not travel with the team. This meant that Max Kepler was unable to play any games this weekend. This is nothing more than an isolated issue though as the Twins do not travel to Toronto again this season.
Cleveland Guardians
Oscar Gonzalez is a name I would be watching. Since joining the team he has started almost every game for Cleveland. He has been batting sixth hitting .379 through his first 29 plate appearances. In 2021, Gonzalez hit 31 home runs between AA and AAA. He is a big kid with massive power. The biggest flaw to his game is the lack of walks, but that only is a major issue in OBP leagues. His biggest flaw is that he fails to get consistent launch on the ball. The comp to current teammate Franmil Reyes is almost spot on. If Gonzalez can adjust his swing some, he could be a major fantasy asset moving forward. When Franmil Reyes returns, Gonzalez could be pressed to find a starting spot but if he keeps producing the Guardians will have no choice but to get him into the lineup.