Nicky Lopez batting ninth for Royals against Astros

Kansas City Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against right-hander Ross Stripling and the Toronto Blue Jays.

What It Means:

Lopez is back on second base and batting ninth after being held out of Sunday's lineup against a left-handed starting pitcher. Whit Merrifield is at designated hitter while Salvador Perez is behind the plate and MJ Melendez is in right field.

numberFire’s models project Lopez for 8.3 FanDuel points on Monday, and he has a $2,100 salary. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Royals are tied with the Mariners as the biggest underdogs (+146) on Monday and the over/under (10.0) is the highest total out of the six games being played.