Fewer than two weeks remain until the MLB All-Star Game, and teams are doing all they can to enter the break with momentum. Managers are making lineup changes accordingly. Hot hitters are seeing the lineup more than ever, while underperformers and those battling nagging injuries are on the bench more often.
Let’s take a team-by-team look at playing time trends over the last week and see which players are gaining and losing value in fantasy baseball leagues.
Max Kepler made his 2026 debut after serving his 80-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He’s started five of six games in left field since returning to the big league roster.
Nolan Arenado cooled off at the plate in a major way in June (.194/.255/.301) and has moved down a few spots in the lineup. After hitting cleanup for about a month, he’s been primarily hitting sixth or seventh over the last two weeks.
Manager Mark Kotsay has made a change at the top of the Athletics‘ lineup. Henry Bolte is the new leadoff man, hitting at the top of the order in seven straight contests against both left and right-handed pitchers. That should provide a huge boost to his fantasy value, as he was hitting in the bottom third of the order before the change. He’ll not only get more plate appearances each game, but will also be hitting in front of the big boys — Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers.
The injury bug is out big time in Sacramento. Three A’s regulars have hit the IL since last week’s article — Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson.
Gelof’s injury has opened the door for Max Muncy to start every day. He’s been in the starting nine in 10 straight games. Jeff McNeil and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer are in a second base platoon. With Soderstrom out, Colby Thomas should see more time in the lineup. Curiously, Joey Meneses even got a start in left field on Tuesday. It was just his fourth MLB appearance in left field, and his first since 2022. Wilson’s replacement situation is much more straightforward. Alika Williams has started all six games that Williams has missed.
With the Braves going through their first real offensive slump of the season, manager Walt Weiss has been playing around with the order of his top four hitters. Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, and Drake Baldwin will typically hit first through fourth, but the order has changed frequently over the last two weeks. Mauricio Dubón has also filled the leadoff role about half the time.
Gunnar Henderson has dethroned Taylor Ward as the team’s leadoff hitter. It’s a minor change, though, with Henderson moving up from the two-hole and Ward now hitting second or third.
Adley Rutschman and Dylan Beavers both returned from the IL on Sunday and were reinstated to their starting roles. They’ve each started three of four games since their return. Rutschman’s return will slightly limit Samuel Basallo’s time as a starter, but manager Craig Albernaz has done a good job of keeping both of his catchers in the lineup more often than not. With Beavers back in the outfield picture, Tyler O’Neill is the one most likely to lose playing time. He’s only started one of four games since Beavers returned compared to four of the previous five.
Jeremiah Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk over the weekend. He had been filling in quite a bit at second base with Jackson Holliday battling an injury last week.
Romy Gonzalez made his season debut on Sunday. The 29-year-old utilityman has been the designated hitter in three of the four games he’s been active for, taking time away from Masataka Yoshida. Gonzalez makes for an interesting pickup in plenty of fantasy leagues. He’s coming off a career year in 2025, slashing .305/.343/.483 with nine home runs and six steals in 341 plate appearances. With injuries across Boston’s roster, Gonzalez should see regular playing time. He’s hit fifth or sixth in each of his starts.
Just when it looked like Matt Shaw was going to get enough at-bats to be a fantasy asset in most leagues, he’s been sidelined with a strained left hand. The three starts he’s missed in right field have gone to Michael Conforto, Seiya Suzuki, and Kevin Alcantara. The odds are that Suzuki and Conforto factor into the DH/RF picture against righties, with Suzuki and Alcántara doing the same against lefties.
Center field has gotten messy in Cincinnati recently, with starter Blake Dunn and backup Dane Myers both going on the IL over the last few days. The Reds recalled TJ Friedl, and he’ll take over center field reps for the time being. He’s hit eighth and ninth in his two starts, and will likely be platooned against lefties.
With Dunn vacating the leadoff role, Elly De La Cruz has moved up to take over the top-of-the-order responsibilities.
Rookie Chase DeLauter was activated from the IL on Sunday. Three of his four starts since returning have come as the designated hitter, sending Rhys Hoskins to the bench and limiting him to a platoon first base role alongside Kyle Manzardo.
With DeLauter mainly appearing at DH, Kahlil Watson has maintained his grip on a starting outfield role. He’s started all four games that DeLauter has been active for, and even slid over to center when DeLauter played the field. Watson has started 12 of 14 games since being called up on June 17.
The Guardians designated Stuart Fairchild for assignment last Friday and called up Cooper Ingle to make his league big-league debut. Fairchild wasn’t playing often, and the odds are Ingle won’t either. He’s started four of six games since joining the big league roster, but only two of four since DeLauter returned.
Ezequiel Tovar’s struggles at the plate have continued, and manager Warren Schaeffer has moved him back down the lineup. He’s hit eighth or ninth in his last nine starts, after hitting in the middle of the order for most of the last month. He’s even ceded his starting shortstop role to Willi Castro in two of the Rockies’ last nine games.
The Tigers have had a lot of moving pieces at the bottom of their lineup this year, but things have stabilized recently with three players emerging with an everyday starting role worth a look in deep fantasy formats.
Zach McKinstry has started every game since June 20. Athough his .192/.277/.291 slash line is a far cry from his All-Star 2025 first half, his multi-position eligibility alone makes him an interesting pickup in AL-only leagues.
James Outman has started seven straight games in center field as Matt Vierling has taken on more of a fourth outfielder role. Importantly, Outman even started against a lefty during his recent stretch of consistent playing time.
Hao-Yu Lee has become the team’s starting second baseman in Gleyber Torres‘ absence. Lee has started eight of the Tigers’ last 10 games.
It’s been an injury-plagued 2026 for Jeremy Peña. He hit the IL on Tuesday with a left calf strain. Luckily for the Astros, Nick Allen was activated from the IL just in time to step into the starting role, hitting eighth in the two games that Peña has missed.
Without Peña at the top of the lineup, Jose Altuve has moved up to hit leadoff.
Center field has been a revolving door for the Astros this year, and the man of the hour is Taylor Trammell. He’s started there in six of the last seven games against a right-handed starter. Jake Meyers‘ workload is more like that of a backup outfielder these days, but he’ll still get some starts in center, especially against lefties.
Lane Thomas has become a regular in the lineup with Kyle Isbel on the IL. Thomas has started 18 of the last 21 games, but only has a 77 wRC+ during that stretch. With Isbel nearing a rehab assignment, Thomas’ grip on consistent playing time is tenuous at best, but with everyday at-bats, he’s worth holding for the time being in AL-only leagues. Start making contingency plans now, though.
Denzer Guzman has made a significant jump up the lineup. The rookie third baseman had been hitting fifth through seventh for manager Kurt Suzuki, but Guzman has been penciled into the two-hole in four of the last five games he’s started. He’s off to a strong start to his big league career, slashing .268/.325/.437 with three home runs in 77 plate appearances.
Jo Adell has fallen a few spots in the batting order. He’s hit sixth in three of the last four games after mainly hitting third or fourth this season.
The Angels recalled Josh Lowe when Jose Siri went on the paternity list last Wednesday. Weirdly, even though Siri returned to the club on Saturday, he has yet to start a game. Lowe’s started six straight games in center since being recalled. This seems like it could turn into a pretty firm platoon until Mike Trout returns.
Teoscar Hernández returned from his IL stint on Monday, and has unsurprisingly resumed his role as the Dodgers’ starting left fielder. Ryan Ward was sent down to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
The Marlins activated Liam Hicks from the IL on Tuesday. He’ll resume his everyday role, shifting between catcher, first base, and designated hitter.
Griffin Conine has started seven of nine games since being called up on June 21. Three of those starts came at DH, though, so with Hicks back in action, Conine is probably a little less of a regular than he may appear from Miami’s recent lineups.
Kody Clemens and Luke Keaschall have essentially swapped positions over the last week. Clemens has moved from right field to second base, with Keaschall moving to the outfield grass. Their lineup spots and starts have been unaffected, but this gives Keaschall a chance to add outfield eligibility.
Last week, I incorrectly mentioned that Ryan Kreidler was taking over as Minnesota’s starting shortstop. After Krelider started four straight games against both-handed pitchers, he’s only appeared there in one of the team’s last six games. Tristan Gray has gotten most of the shortstop starts during that stretch.
A grade-three left hip flexor strain will sideline Marcus Semien for the next four to six weeks. Brett Baty has started at second base in six of the seven games that Semien has missed.
The Mets activated Tyrone Taylor from the IL on Friday, but with youngsters Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing establishing themselves alongside Juan Soto, Taylor will operate out of a bench role.
Esmerlyn Valdez has taken over as the starting right fielder after Ryan O’Hearn moved to first base to cover for the injured Spencer Horwitz. Valdez has started five of the six games in right field since Horwitz went down, and has already seen a lineup promotion, hitting second against a lefty on Tuesday. He’s hitting .313/.389/.771 with six home runs in just 54 plate appearances, and should be a priority pickup if he’s sitting on your league’s waiver wire.
Uber-prospect Konnor Griffin returned to the Pirates on Friday and is now the team’s go-to leadoff hitter. He’s started four of the team’s five games since returning, and hit leadoff in each, against two righties and two lefties.
Jake Cronenworth returned from a nearly two-month absence on Monday night and has started two of the Padres’ three games since. He should see the lineup against all righties, while Fernando Tatis Jr. will likely move onto the infield when the team faces a southpaw.
Somewhat surprisingly, Will Wagner was sent to Triple-A in the corresponding move to Cronenworth’s activation. Wagner had started 13 of 17 games since joining the big-league roster and had done a good job of reaching base, although he wasn’t hitting for any power (.257/.422/.286).
The Giants activated Heliot Ramos from the IL on Monday. He’ll immediately re-enter the corner outfield and middle-of-the-order mix. This likely squeezes the fringey outfielders out of playing time — Victor Bericoto, Drew Gilbert, and Jonah Cox.
Daniel Susac was placed on the IL on Friday with a lower-back strain. The Giants called up Drew Cavanaugh from Triple-A, and he’s started three of the five games that Susac has missed, with the other two starts going to Eric Haase.
Dominic Canzone has earned a featured spot in manager Dan Wilson’s lineup with his strong performance at the plate this year (153 wRC+). He’s moved up from hitting sixth and seventh to third and fourth over his last three starts.
With Canzone moving up, Cal Raleigh has moved down. Unable to replicate his 2025 record-breaking year, Raleigh’s now hitting fifth or sixth.
As of this writing, Luke Raley has missed three straight games due to forearm soreness, but he has yet to hit the IL. If he winds up missing time, Victor Robles is the most likely to grab enough plate appearances to become relevant in deep leagues.
The injury bug is just picking on the Rangers’ stars at this point. Both Wyatt Langford (hamstring) and Corey Seager (back) have landed on the injured list in recent days.
There is a little bit of good news. Langford’s IL placement happened the same day Evan Carter was ready for activation, so he’ll see most of the starts in center field moving forward, although he may sit against some lefties. Carter’s poor performance pre-injury may mean he’s sitting on your league’s waiver wire, and if he is, he’s worth a look for the counting stats. Yes, his .178/.289/.317 slash line is ugly, but he also has six homers and 10 steals.
Corey Seager has been on the IL more often than not recently, so we know how the Rangers have handled his absences in the past. If history repeats itself, Ezequiel Duran will see most of the starts at shortstop, but Nicky Lopez did get the first start that Seager missed.
Yohendrick Piñango is back with the big-league club and is starting every day in left field after an ankle injury sent Jesús Sánchez to the IL. Piñango is a fun name to target in fantasy leagues. Through 148 plate appearances this year, he’s slashing a solid .273/.318/.432 with five home runs. He’s posted double-digit walk rates at all of his minor league stops in the last two years, so he’s especially intriguing in OBP and points leagues.
