With just weeks remaining in the MLB regular season, we’re continuing to see a flurry of lineup and roster changes as teams position themselves for a final push to the playoffs or begin shifting toward a more future-first approach. Let’s dive into the notable changes we’ve seen over the last week and find ways to use the new-look rosters and lineups to gain an edge in our fantasy baseball leagues.
Lars Nootbaar has moved up the lineup to be the Diamondbacks’ new leadoff hitter against right-handed starting pitchers. He’s hit first against three of the last four righties that Arizona has faced.
Ildemaro Vargas has taken over leadoff duties versus lefties.
With Jacob Wilson back on the IL, shortstop has become a timeshare between Donovan Walton and Darell Hernaiz. Walton is bouncing between middle-infield positions and getting everyday opportunities. He’s started six straight games. Walton is slashing .278/.374/.443 with four homers and two steals through 184 plate appearances this year, and is worth a pickup in AL-only leagues, especially with a hitter-friendly home park.
Both Max Muncy and Carlos Cortes are currently getting nearly everyday looks while moving around the field. Muncy has started nine of the last 10 games, and Cortes has started seven since he sits against lefties. While they’re both far from must-roster, they’re worth a look based on playing time and home field in the deepest of fantasy formats.
The Braves saw enough of Jim Jarvis and his .207/.267/.297 slash line, and demoted their starting shortstop to Triple-A Gwinnett. Mauricio Dubón has taken over shortstop duties, starting four of the last five there. Ha-Seong Kim is still on the MLB roster, but he has only three plate appearances since returning from the IL on August 4.
Samuel Basallo returned from the IL last week, and is both the current and future starting catcher in Baltimore after the team moved former franchise cornerstone Adley Rutschman at the trade deadline. Basallo has started five of six games since returning, and is a great power option behind the plate if he’s available in your league.
With Pedro Ramirez slotting in as the team’s starting second baseman while Nico Hoerner takes over for the injured Dansby Swanson at shortstop, Michael Conforto has assumed the Cubs’ DH responsibilities against righties. He’s slashing .232/.325/.469 with 12 homers on the season.
Manager Terry Francona has moved Matt McLain up the lineup. He’s hit fifth or sixth in six straight games after spending most of his time at the bottom of the order. McLain’s looked better at the plate recently. He’s posted a 102 wRC+ with five home runs in August, compared to his 73 wRC+ in the season’s first four months.
Rookie Angel Genao has earned a lineup promotion. He’s hitting .290/.353/.387 in his first 68 plate appearances and has moved from the bottom of the lineup to fifth.
With Genao moving up, Brayan Rocchio has moved from the middle of the order to the bottom. After an early-season breakout, Rocchio’s production has cratered. He’s hitting .172/.215/.254 in the second half.
Hunter Goodman returned from his shoulder strain after a minimum IL stint and quickly ended Brett Sullivan’s home-streamer fantasy intrigue.
Hao-Yu Lee has been getting a nice run of playing time at third base. He’s started five of the last six at the hot corner, and six straight games overall. He’s even hit second in four of the last five. Now well out of the playoff picture, Detroit may be turning to their younger players like Lee to see what they have in them for future seasons.
Taylor Trammell has been losing time in left field recently in favor of LaMonte Wade Jr. Wade has now started three straight games in left field and five of the last six games overall.
Just four games after returning from the IL, Maikel Garcia suffered a hamstring strain and is once again sidelined. Nick Loftin has been filling in at third base again, just as he did during Garcia’s previous stint on the IL.
The Angels lost two lineup regulars to the IL over the weekend: Nolan Schanuel with a right intercostal muscle strain, and Wade Meckler with a concussion.
To fill their open roster spots, Los Angeles recalled second baseman Christian Moore from Triple-A Salt Lake over the weekend, and he’s started four straight at the keystone while Vaughn Grissom shifts to first base. Moore’s bat hasn’t clicked at the big league level just yet, but he was hitting .302/.431/.512 in the minors. At the very least, he’s an upside pickup in AL-only fantasy leagues.
The Angels also called up Gustavo Campero. He’s started all of the team’s games in left field since joining the big league roster on Saturday.
Josh Lowe is back on the bench against lefties, but he has moved up the lineup versus righties. He’s hit fifth in his last two starts, compared to his typical seventh or eighth.
Andy Pages fractured his left hand when he was hit by a pitch on Friday. His timeline to return to the Dodgers is unclear, although manager Dave Roberts said he doesn’t believe the injury is season-ending. Without Pages roaming center field, Los Angeles called up Alek Thomas from Triple-A Oklahoma City. He’ll get the bulk of center field chances while Pages is out.
Kyle Stowers made a quick return from his hamstring strain and was activated from the IL on Monday. His return to the lineup pushes Griffin Conine and Leo Jiménez out of playing time at first base. Conine should continue to see everyday looks in right field and at designated hitter, while Jiménez will be back in a bench role.
Esteury Ruiz has been playing nearly every day recently — he’s started eight of the Marlins’ last 10 games. Despite his light-hitting track record, he’s slashing an impressive .241/.363/.430 with six home runs and 29 steals in just 192 plate appearances. Ruiz isn’t rostered in many leagues (only 3% of Yahoo! leagues) and is worth a pickup, especially if you need stolen base help. A quick warning: Conine’s move back to the outfield could limit Ruiz’s playing time a bit.
The Brewers activated Sal Frelick from the IL on Tuesday. He could steal some playing time away from Luis Lara against righties.
Manager Derek Shelton has made a change at leadoff. Luke Keaschall has moved to the top of the batting order against both-handed pitchers, giving a potential boost to his run and stolen base production. Trevor Larnach has moved down the lineup and hit sixth or seventh in his last three starts.
A.J. Ewing has been moved down the order against lefties. Rather than hitting leadoff, he’s hit eighth or ninth against the last three lefties the Mets have faced. Francisco Lindor has hit first in those three games. Ewing is still batting leadoff against righties, though.
The Yankees activated Cody Bellinger from the IL on Sunday. He’s hit cleanup while starting in left field in the two games since returning. With Bellinger back in the starting lineup, trade deadline acquisition Heliot Ramos has been pushed to the bench for now. Ramos has struggled mightily since joining the Yankees, slashing a miserable .113/.230/.189 in 16 games. Ramos will likely still start against lefties and could eventually reclaim a starting role if he turns things around at the plate, but with both Spencer Jones and Trent Grisham performing well, Ramos was pushed out of the outfield mix.
Nick Gonzales is the Pirates’ new leadoff hitter versus lefties, moving up from the middle of the order. Former leadoff man Jared Triolo is still starting at shortstop most days, but has shifted down to the bottom third of the order.
The Padres called up journeyman Dustin Harris to the MLB team on Monday. He’s started two straight games in left field and hit ninth. The Padres are Harris’s third team of the 2026 season. He’ll factor lightly into the left field mix, spelling Luis Rengifo at times, but likely not enough to be worth a fantasy roster spot even in deep leagues.
San Francisco placed two lineup regulars on the IL on Monday. Willy Adames will miss time with a sprained left elbow, and Victor Bericoto will be sidelined with a bone bruise in his right knee.
To replace Adames, Christian Koss slid over from third base to take the reins at shortstop. In the three games Koss has played shortstop, Shay Whitcomb and Buddy Kennedy have started at third. It looks like Whitcomb will play against righties and Kennedy will face lefties.
With Bericoto out of the playing time picture, Turner Hill has taken over in left field. He’s started three straight games and has a prime lineup spot hitting either fourth or fifth.
Osleivis Basabe may be falling out of favor. After starting 20 straight games, he took a seat for two straight games, Monday and Tuesday, in favor of the freshly recalled Nate Furman getting starts at second base. Basabe did crack the starting nine on Wednesday at designated hitter while Furman once again manned the keystone.
J.P. Crawford returned from the IL on Tuesday. In his two starts since, he’s appeared at both third base and shortstop. With Colt Emerson having season-ending wrist surgery, Crawford will likely spend most of his time at shortstop the rest of the way, moving Brock Rodden to a bench role.
Brendan Donovan’s tough first season in Seattle continued, as he returned to the IL with a concussion on Sunday. While he’s out, Weston Wilson should draw most of the starts at third base.
The Cardinals activated Ramón Urías from the 60-day IL on Sunday. He started his first two games back, one at second base and one at third base, before retreating to the bench on Wednesday. With the Cardinals’ playoff odds dangling by a thread, it seems likely that the 32-year-old Urías will be used more as a utility infield piece than a starter, giving the younger bats more opportunity down the stretch.
Nolan Gorman was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday and could once again get some run at third base and designated hitter. After being demoted in June, he slashed .182/.328/.430 in the minors, so this looks like the same old power-only profile.
Masyn Winn was placed on the IL with a fractured left thumb, but despite the diagnosis, the team doesn’t expect him to miss significant time. While he’s out, JJ Wetherholt will be manning shortstop, which gives him a great chance to eclipse 20 appearances at the position and retain eligibility going into the 2027 fantasy season.
Jonny DeLuca has moved into a full-time role in the outfield. He’s started seven straight games, five in right and two in center, and is starting against both right- and left-handed pitchers. He’s been hitting between third and sixth in the Rays’ lineup.
Yandy Díaz’s move to the cleanup spot was short-lived. He’s once again batting leadoff, having done so in six straight contests.
Cody Freeman has been getting a starter’s workload recently. Since rejoining the MLB team on August 14, he’s started 10 of 12 games at second and third base.
Logan O’Hoppe made his Rangers’ MLB debut on Sunday. He’s DH’d twice since getting called up, both times against lefties. It appears he’ll serve in a third catcher and lefty DH role moving forward.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. returned quickly from his concussion. The Blue Jays activated him on Tuesday, and he’s started all four games since returning and is still hitting second or third despite his noted power outage.
Toronto’s left field situation has become a platoon, with Jesús Sánchez facing righties and Daz Cameron facing lefties.
Nathan Lukes may be moving down the lineup. He’s been hitting first or second against righties for most of the season, but shifted down to the seven-hole for Wednesday’s game. One game is too small a sample to know if this is a trend or a one-time thing, but it’s worth monitoring if you’re rostering Lukes in an AL-only league.
