Fantasy Baseball Lineup Lowdown: National League Latest Trends

The goal with Lineup Lowdown is simple: we're looking for trends which could help identify players that might be undervalued or overvalued. Who is playing more/less? Who is moving up/down? We'll be doing a deep dive into one league each week as we navigate the lineup landscape.

To track all the latest changes around the league, visit our MLB batting order changes and MLB playing time changes pages.

Atlanta Braves

– Drake Baldwin is earning more and more reps behind the dish. He started back-to-back contests over the weekend in Boston — hitting fifth in both games — and the left-handed hitter has been in the lineup each of the last four times the Braves have gone up against a right-handed pitcher. The rookie is a ridiculous 17-for-32 with three home runs so far in May. A changing of the guard or strict platoon situation here is unlikely, especially since Sean Murphy has been plenty productive himself, but Murphy managers should be prepared for him to continue ceding lots of playing time to Baldwin.

– Orlando Arcia hasn't made a start since April 22, which is quite a playing-time drought for a guy who began the season as the club's primary shortstop. However, Nick Allen has emerged as the everyday guy at shortstop and manager Brian Snitker, as we know, simply doesn't play backups very often. Allen has been predictably punchless at the plate but has stolen six bases.

Miami Marlins

– Xavier Edwards missed a couple games and was then placed on the 10-day injured list with a back issue. Javier Sanoja started at shortstop in all three of those contests, so he appears poised to continue playing regularly even after Otto Lopez (ankle) returned Sunday to take his second-base job back. Sanoja has good speed and has piled up some healthy stolen-base totals in the minors, but he's often been inefficient and probably isn't going to get on base enough for it to matter, anyway.

For all the latest injury updates, check out RotoWire's MLB Injury News page.

– Connor Norby hit sixth Monday after batting third in each of the previous three games for the Marlins. The infielder is sporting a .924 OPS with one home run and a couple stolen bases across his last 10 tilts. He's also got a 30:3 K:BB in his first 100 plate appearances this season, and I'm not sure the quality of contact for Norby is enough to make up for the poor plate discipline.

Philadelphia Phillies

– Bryson Stott has cooled off in May, slashing only .186/.226/.305, although he has notched a couple home runs and a couple stolen bases in 15 contests. Manager Rob Thomson hasn't deviated from Stott in the leadoff spot versus righties to this point, as he's started every game there since April 11 in such situations. It's possible he'll be moved down if he doesn't pick things up. Stott hasn't started against a lefty since April 8, yielding second base to Edmundo Sosa in games versus lefties since then.

– Initially, upon Brandon Marsh's return from the IL in early May, he and Johan Rojas were splitting up center-field duties evenly, regardless of the handedness of the opposing pitcher. However, it's been a strict platoon there of late, with Marsh manning the position each of the last four times the Phillies faced a righty and Rojas playing there against the last few southpaws. Marsh is slashing .321/.387/.464 in 11 tilts since coming off the IL.

Washington Nationals

– Josh Bell was banged up at the beginning of May with a groin issue, but his two starts during a seven-game stretch seemed to be about his lack of production as much as the injury. However, he's started seven of eight contests since then and has exactly one hit in each of those starts. Alex Call was the primary beneficiary when Bell's playing time dipped, as Call would play the outfield while James Wood slid into Bell's DH spot. Call has remained an active fourth outfielder even as Bell's starts have picked back up, making five starts during the aforementioned eight-game stretch.

– After starting every game from April 28 to May 10, Jacob Young has been absent from the batting order three times across the last eight contests. Manager Dave Martinez is trying to squeeze a little more offense out of his lineup on those days, putting Call in right field while Jacob Crews shifts to center.

Chicago Cubs

– The Cubs brought back Matt Shaw from Triple-A Iowa on Monday after he torched minor-league pitching and immediately stuck him back in the lineup at third base and in the  No. 9 spot in the batting order. Shaw should get a longer leash at the hot corner this time around, given the lack of viable alternatives the Cubs have at the position.

– I'll be interested to see where the Cubs put Pete Crow-Armstrong in the lineup now that Ian Happ is back in action. Crow-Armstrong continues to be a revelation and has been even better as Happ's fill-in in the leadoff spot than he was lower in the batting order. Happ remains a better on-base percentage bet, though. PCA has spent most of his time this season hitting seventh for the Cubs, although he had inched up to the six spot before Happ got hurt. As I write this, the Cubs have not yet released a lineup for Tuesday, and that game's batting order might not be the best representation, anyway, since they're scheduled to face a tough lefty in Ryan Weathers. At the very least, I'd assume Happ supplants PCA in the leadoff spot versus southpaws.

Editor's note: Crow-Armstrong will bat sixth against Weathers on Tuesday, with Happ leading off. Check out all the latest lineups on our MLB Daily Starting Lineups page.

Cincinnati Reds

– Jake Fraley (calf) going down has led to the resurfacing of Will Benson, who has started each of the past eight contests against right-handed pitching. He's certainly taken advantage of the opportunity, homering in four straight games (with five home runs in total). Benson has shown in the past the ability to get hot like this, and his small-sample batted-ball data is eye-popping (61.9 percent hard-hit rate, 28.6 percent barrel rate). However, he has managed to keep his strikeout rates in the majors and minors under 30 percent so far in 2025, it's way too soon to know whether this is tangible improvement.

– Matt McLain has been in a season-long slump and, as a result, has been dropped to the lower third of the Reds' batting order for each of the last six games, even occupying the No. 9 spot twice. Elevated to McLain's old two hole has been Santiago Espinal, who has taken over as the everyday third baseman for the Reds since Noelvi Marte (oblique) went on the IL. It seems like a temporary arrangement, as Espinal offers elite contact ability but very little else.

Milwaukee Brewers

– Joey Ortiz has been downright awful at the plate this season, and it's starting to cost him some playing time. After starting all but one of the Brewers' first 41 games, Ortiz has been absent from the lineup three times across the last seven tilts. The 26-year-old was an elite defender last season at third base, but the metrics have rated him around average this year at shortstop, so he can't afford to be so inept at the dish. Andruw Monasterio has handled shortstop on the days Ortiz has sat, and he's pretty inept at the dish himself.

– The Brewers don't really trust Christian Yelich to play the outfield anymore, as he's made just one start in left field since April 25. With Yelich essentially a full-time DH now and Garrett Mitchell (oblique) still on the mend, Jake Bauers and Isaac Collins have been sharing left field duties. The playing time breakdown has come in chunks. Collins has started the last two games, but before that, Bauers had started five of the previous six in left (with Yelich starting the other). Prior to the latter stretch, it was Collins in left seven times in an eight-game span. It's a defense vs. offense decision for manager Pat Murphy, as Collins is a smooth fielder but can't hit, while Bauers is sporting an .830 OPS but might be as bad as Yelich defensively.

Pittsburgh Pirates

– The Pirates finally got their "big" offseason acquisition Spencer Horwitz back over the weekend. The first baseman batted fifth once and fourth once against righties and sat versus a lefty in his first three games. It seems unlikely that the Pirates will use the left-handed-hitting Horwitz in a strict platoon, especially since their right-handed options are so underwhelming, but if they do it will ding his counting stats outlook.

– Nick Solak is one of those right-handed options. The Pirates called him up last week after the 30-year-old got off to a great start at Triple-A Indianapolis, and they've started him in three of four games (two starts versus lefties, one against a righty). Solak has played first base twice and left field once and been in the No. 6 spot in the lineup for all three starts.

St. Louis Cardinals

– The Cardinals have put Ivan Herrera in the DH spot for eight of his nine starts since he returned from the IL. Herrera has had defensive issues — mostly related to his throwing — but this mostly seems about easing him back into things as he comes back from a knee injury. Herrera handling most of the DH starts lately has put a playing time squeeze on Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker. Walker has been on the bench against all three righties the Cardinals have faced since Herrera was activated. Burleson has started only four of 10 contests over that span, although that's due in part to the Cards facing a bevy of lefties. Nolan Gorman has only two starts amidst that stretch.

– On Monday, Nolan Arenado was dropped from the cleanup spot to the No. 6 spot in the lineup, with Willson Contreras and Herrera each sliding up one spot. It's the first time all season that Arenado has hit anywhere other than the four hole. The 34-year-old put up a .935 OPS in his first 16 contests this season but has a lowly .558 OPS with two homers in 29 tilts since then.

Arizona Diamondbacks

 – Lourdes Gurriel has been elevated to the No. 3 spot in the Diamondbacks' lineup for each of the club's last five games. That's after he had mostly been batting sixth or seventh over the last several weeks, so it's a notable move for the outfielder. Gurriel boasts a .970 OPS with four home runs so far in May. Pavin Smith has spent more time in the three hole than any other Diamondbacks player this season, but he's bounced around everywhere from fourth down to the eight spot since Gurriel was bumped up. The good news for Smith is that he seems to be coming out of his slump, having produced an .847 OPS in his last 10 contests.

– The Diamondbacks promoted top prospect Jordan Lawlar on May 12 but have given him only two starts in seven games. It will be virtually impossible for the 22-year-old to produce fantasy value if his playing time continues on this track, but he's an ideal guy to have on your bench, if possible, in case circumstances change.

Colorado Rockies

– Brenton Doyle got off to a fine start this season but has had a rough go of it over the past month-plus, sporting an embarrassing .388 OPS across his past 26 contests. The slump has resulted in a move from leadoff down to the No. 5 spot in the Rockies' lineup over his last three starts. The good news for Doyle is that he's actually hitting the ball harder and striking out less than he did last year, so he makes for a good buy low if someone's selling.

– Nick Martini is far from the Rockies' biggest problem, but a 34-year-old who is hitting .238/.312/.274 but continues to receive the lion's share of at-bats in the DH spot against right-handed pitching is very Rockies. He's been in there for eight of the last 11 tilts in such situations, with Hunter Goodman shifting to DH and Jacob Stallings starting at catcher those other three days.

Los Angeles Dodgers

– With both Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez back from the IL, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is going to have a difficult task in getting everyone at-bats. It was Andy Pages who sat Monday in the first game with both Edman and Hernandez back in the fold, with Hyeseong Kim playing center field. That won't be a regular occurrence, though, as Pages has played too well to not be included among the Dodgers' regulars. Kim has also been great in a much smaller sample, although he did have a gaffe in center field Monday. Michael Conforto continues to struggle, but the Dodgers aren't ready to bail on their $17 million investment, starting him in each of their last nine games and 19 of their past 20 contests (including three starts in four games versus lefties).

– The Dodgers jettisoned long-time No. 2 catcher Austin Barnes and replaced him on the roster with top prospect Dalton Rushing. However, Rushing has been given just two starts in the team's first six tilts, and with Roberts basically saying he will only play Rushing at catcher, it doesn't sound as if we're going to see the 24-year-old's playing time tick up anytime soon.

San Diego Padres

– The Padres got back to full strength a couple weeks ago when Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth made it back from the IL. Manager Mike Shildt has kept the top six in his lineup the same over the last four contests — with each of them coming against right-handed pitching — as he's had Fernando Tatis, Luis Arraez and Manny Machado in the top three spots followed by Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, Gavin Sheets and Cronenworth.

– Shildt seemed to be leaning toward Martin Maldonado as his primary catcher when he started him 11 times during a 17-game stretch. However, he's since flipped that breakdown exactly, with Elias Diaz starting 11 of the last 17 tilts. Perhaps there's intention behind Shildt mapping things out that way, or it could be that Diaz has an .848 OPS during the latter stretch.

San Francisco Giants

– Willy Adames was the Giants' No. 2 hitter for each of the club's first 41 games this season, but in seven contests since then he's either batted fifth (four times, against left-handers) or sixth (three times, against righties). Moving up to Adames' old No. 2 spot has been Wilmer Flores, who had a three-homer game from the two hole last week and who leads all of baseball with 42 RBI.

– Patrick Bailey is still as good as they come defensively at catcher, but boy, has he been bad offensively this season. The switch hitter's .489 OPS ranks 252nd out of 257 players with at least 100 plate appearances, and his 31.8 percent strikeout rate is nearly a 10-point jump from last year. Bailey enters play Tuesday having been out of the lineup for two straight and four of the past eight tilts. It's more about giving Bailey a break than him now being in a timeshare with Sam Huff, though, as Huff isn't hitting either and pales in comparison to Bailey on defense.