We’ve just about reached the halfway point of the fantasy baseball season. Whether you’re sitting pretty at the top of the standings or have some ground to make up, one of the best ways to improve your roster is by staying on top of playing time trends.
Fantasy sports are an opportunity-based game after all. The more chances a player has, the higher his value. This is especially true in deeper leagues, where the difference between a player getting six starts in a week and a player getting four starts is absolutely massive.
Let’s take a team-by-team look at how playing time has changed in the past week, and see what we should expect as we enter fantasy baseball’s second half.
The Diamondbacks’ outfield has gotten healthy with the team activating both Jordan Lawlar and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the IL in recent days. With two lineup regulars back in the fold, there will be a bit of a playing time crunch in the Arizona outfield, but both Lawlar and Gurriel should be lineup fixtures — Lawlar in center and Gurriel likely at DH.
Somewhat surprisingly, the team sent top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt back to Triple-A as the corresponding move to Gurriel’s activation since Lawlar will be stepping in as the go-to centerfielder. The Diamondbacks surely want to give Waldschmidt every day at-bats at this point, whether that’s in the big leagues or Triple-A.
The other loser of playing time in the flurry of roster moves will likely be LuJames Groover. He’s ceded his time at first base so Pavin Smith can play there, opening up DH time for Gurriel.
Jacob Wilson returned from the IL on Friday, taking the starting shortstop role back from Alika Williams, although Williams did remain on the big league roster and will likely play a utility role moving forward.
To make room for Wilson, the A’s placed Brent Rooker back on the IL. That opens up every-day DH at-bats, but the early signs point to those at-bats being spread among multiple players. In the six games that Rooker has missed, Shea Langeliers, Carlos Cortes, and Jonah Heim have all received at least one start as the designated hitter.
Don’t look now, but Lawrence Butler is trending up in playing time. He’s started against four straight right-handed pitchers, although he’s remained on the bench against four lefties during that span. He could be worth streaming when the A’s are facing righties in Sacramento.
Drake Baldwin returned from his nearly month-long IL stint on Monday night and was immediately hitting leadoff for manager Walt Weiss.
Ha-Seong Kim is trending back towards being the team’s regular shortstop. After starting just three of 12 games over the last few weeks, he’s now been the starting shortstop in four of the last five, hitting eighth or ninth.
Blaze Alexander is hitting well this year (.303/.355/.421) and has recently been taking some third base reps away from Coby Mayo (.194/.259/.383). Alexander has started three of the Orioles’ last five games at the hot corner.
Interim manager Chad Tracy had moved Mickey Gasper up to the leadoff role before he went down with a groin injury. Assuming he’s back in a few days, Gasper likely returns to the leadoff job. Masataka Yoshida has hit leadoff in the two games that Gasper has missed.
With Gasper and Yoshida helming the batting order recently, Jarren Duran has moved down the lineup from first to fifth.
Nico Hoerner’s recent struggles have sent him tumbling down the batting order. After hitting first or second for most of the season, he’s now hit sixth or seventh in eight straight starts.
It hasn’t taken long for Noelvi Marte to find regular plate appearances. Since he was recalled on June 3rd, Marte has started eight of 12 games. More recently, it’s been five of the last six. Marte has been red hot since his return to the big leagues, slashing .267/.313/.600 with three home runs and three steals in 32 plate appearances.
A broken hamate bone will sideline star José Ramírez for the foreseeable future. In the corresponding move to placing Ramírez on the IL, Cleveland activated Gabriel Arias. He and Daniel Schneemann are the likely fill-ins at the hot corner until Ramírez returns.
With Ramírez out of the picture, it appears like Brayan Rocchio will move up from hitting ninth to hitting second, a rare major lineup change that will result in plenty more plate appearances. Rocchio has cooled off a bit recently, but is still boasting a career-best slash line of .274/.353/.399 with five home runs and 12 steals. He’s worth a look in almost all fantasy leagues, especially with his lineup promotion.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, the bad injury news doesn’t stop with Ramírez. Angel Martínez has also been placed on the IL after suffering a foot injury. Petey Halpin was recalled from Triple-A to take Martínez’s roster spot, and he’ll likely split the open outfield playing time with David Fry and Stuart Fairchild.
The Tigers claimed James Outman off waivers from their division-rival Twins last Friday. He’s started four of five games since joining Detroit, all against righties. It looks like Outman will play the strong side of a center field platoon alongside Matt Vierling.
Yainer Diaz returned from the IL on Tuesday and will see the bulk of the Astros’ playing time behind the plate moving forward. Although Diaz was struggling before his injury, he’s averaged 20 homers and a .280 batting average over the last three seasons, making him a solid pickup if he was dropped to the waiver wire in your league.
The Astros acquired Raynel Delgado from the Rays over the weekend, and he’s started two of the last three games at third base since making his MLB debut on Sunday. His playing time seems more of a “give the regulars a day off” kind of thing, but it’s worth monitoring in AL-only leagues. He could be a stolen-base difference-maker in the off chance he sees the lineup regularly – he was hitting .250/.320/.362 with 24 stolen bases in Triple-A.
The injury bugs were out in Kansas City last week. Both Vinnie Pasquantino (fractured hamate bone) and Kyle Isbel (plantar fasciitis) hit the IL and are facing lengthy absences.
To fill Pasquantino’s roster spot, the Royals called up John Rave, but to actually fill time at first base, the team will likely lean on Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez.
As for Isbel’s spot, Kameron Misner seems to be the guy. He’s started five of seven games in center field since Isbel’s injury. He should play against righties, while Lane Thomas will factor into the mix against lefties. Misner’s not going to win you a fantasy league, but he did hit five home runs and steal eight bases in 217 plate appearances last year, so he could pad some stats for you in deep formats.
Donovan Walton has been showing out at the plate (.311/.344/.475 through 65 plate appearances) and has become the Angels’ go-to designated hitter. Walton has started four straight games as the DH.
After undergoing offseason ankle surgery, the Dodgers reinstated Tommy Edman from the IL, and he made his season debut at third base on Wednesday evening. Manager Dave Roberts said that Edman would be eased into a full-time role, so don’t expect him to be an everyday starter from the jump. Most of his playing time will likely come at second base, but he’ll bounce around the diamond.
Heriberto Hernández has found his way into the starting left field job in South Beach. The 26-year-old outfielder has started five straight, six of seven, and eight of 10, with all but one of his starts coming in left field. His .230/.299/.381 slash line leaves some to be desired, but his batted ball numbers show a lot of unrealized power in his bat.
The Brewers called up prospect Cooper Pratt to make his big league debut on Tuesday. He started at shortstop and hit eighth. He’ll likely see the bulk of the shortstop work moving forward, knocking Joey Ortiz out of a regular role. Pratt has a fielding/speed profile, so he’s not a priority fantasy add outside of NL-only formats or leagues in which you’re desperate for stolen bases.
To make room for Pratt on the MLB roster, the Brewers designated Luis Rengifo for assignment. With Rengifo out of the picture, David Hamilton has a clear runway to playing time at the hot corner.
Austin Martin has lost his grip on an everyday role, starting just four of the Twins’ last seven games, and three of those starts came against southpaws. Instead of Martin in right field, manager Derek Shelton has moved Kody Clemens to the corner to make room for Royce Lewis at first base.
It’s well past time to move on from Mark Vientos in fantasy leagues. He’s started just two of the last five Mets’ games and three of the last 11. Currently, Jared Young has a firm grip on the large side of the first base platoon, and until Vientos starts facing more right-handers, he’s only usable as a streaming bat versus southpaws.
The Yankees placed Trent Grisham on the IL with a moderate right hamstring strain. With Grisham joining Aaron Judge on the sidelines, there’s plenty of playing time up for grabs in the Yankees’ outfield. Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones should be the main benefactors of that open playing time. In the two games Domínguez has started since his return from the IL, he’s hit second and third, upping his potential to put up quality counting stats, making him the priority add of the two. Jones has continued to only play against righties despite Grisham’s injury.
Ben Rice has stepped into the leadoff role with Grisham on the IL.
Adolis García is facing an extended absence after tearing his right lat. It seems likely that the Phillies will seek a corner outfield upgrade via trade, but in the meantime, Gabriel Rincones Jr. has started in right field versus right-handers, and Brandon Marsh has taken the starts against lefties.
Kyle Schwarber started at first base on Tuesday night. His appearance on the infield dirt was his first since 2021. Schwarber’s appearance at first base was likely just a move to get Bryce Harper a day off his feet and into the DH spot, so I wouldn’t expect Schwarber to keep this up and gain first base eligibility. It is worth monitoring, though.
A hand fracture is going to keep Oneil Cruz on the IL for the next four to six weeks. Jake Mangum has stepped into the Pirates’ starting center field role in Cruz’s absence. Mangum has started all nine games that Cruz has missed, hitting seventh or eighth in Don Kelly’s lineup. Mangum is a nice short-term pickup if you need stolen base and batting average help. He’s hitting .299 with 13 steals so far. In 428 plate appearances with Tampa Bay last year, Mangum produced a .296/.330/.368 slash line with three home runs and 27 steals.
Endy Rodríguez has hit his way ahead of Henry Davis on the catching depth chart. Rodríguez has started four of the last five games and is crushing baseballs to the tune of a .267/.413/.467 slash line with three home runs and two stolen bases. You may recall that Rodríguez was once an elite prospect before making his MLB debut in 2023. He’s been hampered by injuries almost nonstop since then, but is finally looking healthy. With good batted ball and plate discipline numbers, he’s a really fun post-hype pickup in almost all fantasy leagues where you need to improve your catching situation.
Tyler Callihan has started eight of the last 10 games at either third base or right field. He’s on a heater right now — .323/.447/.645 — but posted just a 75 wRC+ in over 200 Triple-A plate appearances. If you want to ride the hot hand, feel free, just don’t expect Callihan to be a long-term asset.
With Callihan forcing his way into the lineup, Ryan O’Hearn has taken a lot of Marcell Ozuna’s DH opportunities. Ozuna has been on the bench for five straight contests and has started just five of the Pirates’ last 19 games.
Jackson Merrill has been swinging the bat better lately and has moved back up the batting order. He’s hit second in 10 straight games, up from the five through seven spots he had been occupying.
Miguel Andujar strained his hamstring and was placed on the IL over the weekend. In his absence, Will Wagner has taken over the bulk of the DH duties. He’s started six of seven games since being called up from Triple-A. Nick Solak took the DH start against the lone southpaw the Padres have faced since Andujar has been out.
After being hit in the mask by a warm-up pitch on Saturday, Freddy Fermin was placed on the 7-day injured list with a concussion. Rodolfo Durán has started all three games behind the plate since then. In very deep leagues, Durán has some interesting short-term power upside. He’s hit three home runs in 48 plate appearances, and has a 17.9% barrel rate to back it up.
Luis Arraez has moved up to hit leadoff in three straight games against right-handed starting pitchers. Inversely, Casey Schmitt has moved down the lineup amidst a cold stretch at the plate. He has a 22 wRC+ over his last nine games, and has hit third, fifth, or seventh.
Bryce Eldridge has also earned a lineup promotion with his .324/.415/.552 slash line. The rookie first baseman has hit second or third in four straight games.
With Arraez and Eldridge moving up, veterans Rafael Devers and Willy Adames are moving down the order. Devers has gone from second to fourth, and Adames has fallen from fourth to sixth.
The Mariners welcomed back Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford to their lineup on Tuesday night. Crawford was immediately placed back into the leadoff role, although he played third base rather than shortstop, allowing Colt Emerson to remain at short.
Randy Arozarena will miss some time with a strained left hamstring. Victor Robles has started all three games since Arozarena went down, each one at a different outfield position.
Miles Mastrobuoni has started six straight games since making his season debut last Wednesday, but with Crawford back in the starting nine, Mastrobuoni should return to his super utility role off the bench.
The Cardinals demoted the struggling Nolan Gorman (68 wRC+) to Triple-A and called up prospect Blaze Jordan to take over as the team’s starting third baseman. Jordan was slashing .313/.373/.548 with 11 home runs in 252 Triple-A plate appearances, and is worth a look if you need corner infield help in a deep league.
Corey Seager is back on the IL, this time with a concussion following a collision at the plate. Ezequiel Duran will likely get most of the reps at shortstop in the interim.
Josh Smith was activated from the IL on Monday and should see consistent time at second base while Seager is out. Once Seager returns, the Rangers will have to decide whether Smith or Duran should be the starting second baseman, with the loser of the two likely serving in a super utility role all over the diamond.
Alejandro Osuna was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to replace Evan Carter after he injured his oblique over the weekend. Osuna has started all three games in center field since being recalled.
I mentioned Alejandro Kirk was nearing a return in last week’s article, and it’s now official. He was activated on Friday and has started three of four games since, and has hit third or fourth in the lineup. Toronto designated Tyler Heineman for assignment in the corresponding move.
The Blue Jays placed Daulton Varsho on the IL on Friday after he missed five games with left wrist inflammation. He’s already resumed hitting, so his stay on the IL shouldn’t be a long one, but his absence does open more consistent time for Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw in center field.
