The All-Star break is looming. With just a few days remaining until most of the league heads home to enjoy a few days off the grind, let’s see what playing-time changes are happening at the close of the season’s first half.
Ildemaro Vargas has seen a slight uptick in starts recently. He’s started four straight games at first or second base after being given very inconsistent opportunities over the last three weeks. With Vargas starting more, Pavin Smith has only started one of the Diamondbacks’ last four games. This is likely a response to Smith’s abysmal 35 wRC+, but hilariously, Vargas somehow also has a 35 wRC+ dating back to May 1.
The Diamondbacks activated James McCann from the IL, and he’ll work as the team’s backup catcher. Adrian Del Castillo was sent to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has emerged as a priority fantasy pickup amongst the numerous injuries that the Athletics are dealing with. Kuroda-Grauer has started all six games he’s been on the big league roster for, three against righties and three against lefties. With flexibility to play across the infield, he should get a decent run of plate appearances even as some of the injured A’s return to the roster. Kuroda-Grauer was hitting a combined .323/.367/.478 across Double- and Triple-A this year, and has hit the ground running with a 165 wRC+ in 23 MLB plate appearances.
Zack Gelof returned from his hand injury over the weekend and has started both games since, one in left field and one at second base. He should continue to get every day starts.
Jacob Wilson made a quick comeback from his IL stint and rejoined the A’s on Tuesday.
Atlanta’s starting shortstop situation is entering nightmare territory. Ha-Seong Kim was never able to get things going, getting just five hits across 73 at-bats, and was placed on the IL with finger inflammation over the weekend. Jim Jarvis has been the Braves’ starting shortstop in three of the last five games. He looks like the pickup moving forward in NL-only leagues. Although he was a non-prospect, the 23-year-old was slashing .313/.406/.461 with six home runs and 32 steals in Triple-A.
The Braves activated Kyle Farmer from the IL to take Kim’s roster spot, but they like him a lot more as a bench piece than a lineup regular. He was on the big-league roster from Opening Day through May 17 and only accumulated 15 plate appearances across 47 games. Until he sees regular action, don’t assume he’ll be a heavy factor in the shortstop mix.
With a largely healthy outfield, it appears the Orioles will move forward with a platoon in center and right field. Dylan Beavers and Colton Cowser are primarily starting against righties while Tyler O’Neill and Leody Taveras join the starting nine against lefties.
Anthony Seigler has hit leadoff in four of the last five games for Boston, against two lefties and two righties. The 27-year-old has only 132 MLB plate appearances under his belt but is slashing .308/.390/.481 so far this year.
While Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer remain sidelined, the Red Sox shortstop situation has turned into a platoon. Tsung-Che Cheng is starting against righties, and Andruw Monasterio is starting against lefties.
Sal Stewart seems to be the Reds’ new number two hitter, up from third or fourth. Stewart has hit second in 10 straight games, which will add a few plate appearances while slightly reducing his RBI chances.
Eugenio Suárez is also moving up the lineup. He’s hitting clean-up after spending a couple of weeks in the five- or six-hole.
Kahlil Watson is continuing to make himself an integral part of the Guardians’ lineup. He’s recently moved up the batting order and has now hit second or fourth in four of the last five games.
Troy Johnston has returned to the good graces of manager Warren Schaeffer. Johnston has started nine of the last eleven games after starting just three of the previous nine.
If you’re rostering Willi Castro as a super utility option in deep fantasy formats, you may need to make other plans. His multi-position eligibility is incredibly valuable, but Castro’s playing time has ticked down lately. He’s only started four of the Rockies’ last eight games.
Just as I declared Hao-Yu Lee the Tigers’ starting second baseman last week, he’s now riding pine. Lee’s started just one of the team’s last five games.
The Astros activated LaMonte Wade Jr. from the IL on Saturday. Wade looks like a worthy add in plenty of fantasy formats, as he’s returned to his starting left field role. He’s started all three games the Astros have faced a right-hander, but took a seat against a lefty.
Braden Shewmake also returned from the IL recently. He started at shortstop in one of the two games he’s been active for, and could split time there with Nick Allen in the short term, but with Jeremy Peña starting a rehab assignment on Tuesday, both Shewmake’s and Allen’s fantasy viability will be short-lived.
Carter Jensen has been batting leadoff against righties for a while now, but he’s starting to get some leadoff opportunities against lefties, too. Jensen’s hit at the top of the lineup against three of the last four lefties the Royals have faced, bumping Lane Thomas down to third or fourth.
Since being recalled from Triple-A on June 24, Josh Lowe has slashed .323/.344/.581 with two home runs and two steals. Accordingly, Lowe’s been bumped up from the bottom of the lineup and has hit fifth in two straight contests against righties. Lowe’s been a fantasy asset before and could be once again, but with Mike Trout back from the IL, Lowe may have to fight Wade Meckler for playing time in left, depending on how often Trout plays the field.
Kyle Stowers and Otto Lopez have changed spots in the lineup versus righties. Stowers is now hitting second while Lopez has moved to third.
A strained left hamstring sent David Hamilton to the IL, opening the door for Joey Ortiz to take over as the everyday starter at third base. Ortiz doesn’t have the offensive chops to be worth a look in many fantasy formats, but managers in deep NL-only leagues will have to take note for the playing time alone.
Byron Buxton is back in an all-too-familiar place: the injured list. Buxton couldn’t overcome a hip injury that’s nagged him for over a week, so the Twins placed him on the IL on Tuesday.
With Buxton ailing, it seems like the bulk of center field starts will go to Ryan Kreidler. While he doesn’t have a standout fantasy tool, he’s slashing a respectable .256/.323/.446 with five home runs in 133 plate appearances, making him worth a pickup in deep formats.
There are two other names to watch in Buxton’s absence. Alan Roden was called up to take Buxton’s place on the MLB roster and could take some of his outfield starts. Kyler Fedko got the first start in center field after Buxton was placed on the IL on Tuesday.
Jorge Polanco made his long-awaited return to the Mets’ lineup on Tuesday. It was his first game since April 14. He should take over most of the DH reps in Queens. If he’s sitting on your waiver wire, here’s your friendly reminder that he hit 26 home runs a year ago and could drive in a lot of runs hitting in the middle of New York’s lineup.
Interim manager Andy Green made a change at the top of the lineup. Carson Benge has moved down to hit between fifth and seventh. Francisco Lindor has earned leadoff honors against lefties. A.J. Ewing is helming the lineup versus righties.
The Yankees had two lineup regulars return to the team over the weekend. Trent Grisham was reinstated to the leadoff role and starting center field gig, while Spencer Jones was optioned to Triple-A. Ryan McMahon is back with the big-league ball club and should see the bulk of the starts at third base when a righty is on the mound.
With two regulars back on the roster, Paul Goldschmidt’s playing time has dried up a bit. He’s started just three of the Yankees’ last six games.
Konnor Griffin tore a tendon in his left ring finger, landing him on the IL for the foreseeable future. Without their young superstar to man shortstop, the Pirates will likely turn to Jared Triolo to fill in. Triolo’s sporting a soft .240/.314/.314 slash line with one homer and six steals on the season. He’s worth a roster spot in NL-only formats, but don’t expect too much from the utility infielder.
The Pirates called up Jack Brannigan to take Griffin’s roster spot. The 25-year-old infielder was a 2022 third-round draft pick, and MLB Pipeline has him ranked as Pittsburgh’s 22nd-best prospect. He slashed .229/.346/.509 with 13 home runs and 2 steals across five minor league levels this season. He could factor into the infield mix, especially if Triolo doesn’t start hitting.
With Griffin vacating the Pirates’ leadoff role, it seems like Jake Mangum will take the top spot versus righties while Nick Gonzales handles leadoff duties versus lefties.
Luis Campusano returned from injury on Friday, conveniently, the same day a head injury sent Freddy Fermin to the IL. This should be a pretty easy playing time shift, with Campusano taking over the bulk of the Padres’ work behind the plate while Rodolfo Durán remains in a backup role.
Samad Taylor’s role is shrinking. He’s started just three of the last seven games in left field.
Manager Craig Stammen made some slight changes to his scuffling lineup on Tuesday night. Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts moved up from sixth and seventh to hit second and third, respectively. Jake Cronenworth moved down to sixth after five straight games hitting second.
Heliot Ramos has been swinging a hot bat (.333/.368/.806) since returning from the IL on June 28. He’s supplanted Luis Arraez as the Giants’ leadoff hitter. Arraez is now hitting second.
Matt Chapman was placed on the IL last week. The Giants’ Swiss Army Knife incarnate, Casey Schmitt, has taken over the starting job at the hot corner. With Schmitt out of the outfield picture, it’s allowed Victor Bericoto to keep starting regularly — five of seven games since Chapman’s injury.
Bryce Eldridge’s cold streak (72 wRC+ over the last 15 games) has him slipping down the lineup. He’s hit seventh in six straight contests.
With Julio Rodríguez on the seven-day IL with a concussion, Victor Robles should see a temporary bump in playing time as he takes over primary center field duties.
Victor Mesa Jr. may be losing his grip on his large side of a corner outfield platoon role. He’s been on the bench for two of the last three games versus a right-handed pitcher, after having started nine straight against righties. Jonny DeLuca has picked up those two starts in lieu of Mesa. I’m not sure if it’s a performance change — Mesa only has an 80 wRC+ compared to DeLuca’s 110 — or if manager Kevin Cash was trying to get DeLuca at-bats since the Rays have only faced one lefty in their last 13 games.
The Rangers are giving Elias Díaz as much time behind the plate as he can handle. The veteran backstop is the unquestioned catcher number one, having started six of the last seven and eight of the last 10 behind the plate. Díaz has a solid .284/.298/.506 slash line that’s earned him a look at DH when he’s not in the field.
Josh Smith returned from his 11-day stay in Triple-A over the weekend and has started four of six games since rejoining the big league club. He’ll likely operate out of a super utility role as he has before, but his poor performance at the plate (75 wRC+) means his leash is certainly shorter than in prior years.
I was very excited about Yohendrick Piñango getting a chance to see consistent plate appearances last week. That excitement was misplaced. The Blue Jays optioned him back to Triple-A on Tuesday. Jonatan Clase has started both games in left field since Piñango was demoted. Clase had an 82 wRC+ through 217 Triple-A plate appearances, so he’s only worth fantasy consideration in the deepest of deep leagues.
In stark contrast to Clase, Sean Keys was absolutely crushing Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .284/.409/.619 slash line over 286 plate appearances. His 164 wRC+ combined with the Blue Jays’ lackluster offense forced the team’s hand, and Keys is now getting some run as the regular DH. He’s started seven of the last eight games, and eight of 11 since his call-up.
