As you may have noticed, we no longer allow comments on the site. I’m grateful to have been able to engage with you all here, and if you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter (@ifthechufits), BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).
As a reminder, these rankings are geared toward a standard, daily, 12-team H2H redraft league, as that is typically the most popular fantasy baseball format. They will only factor in the five standard categories: Runs, RBI, Home Runs, Batting Average, and Stolen Bases.
I would recommend not paying super close attention to the specific ranks of each player, and honing in more on the respective tiers that they’re in. Each tier represents a grouping of players that I think could arguably perform at a similar level, and/or carry similar levels of risk in terms of injury concerns or playing time obstacles. If Player X is ranked at No. 55 and Player Y is ranked at No. 65, but they’re in the same tier, it means that I personally prefer Player X, but think there’s a valid argument to be made for Player Y performing just as well.
I take rankings like this as more of an art than a science. Every person’s rankings are influenced by their own biases, strategic philosophies, determinations of risk, and projections. It’s why no two rankings are ever exactly alike. My way of evaluating and ranking players has worked out well for me over the years, but it might not be a great fit for you. I can’t possibly predict your team’s specific needs, your league mates’ player evaluations, or your current waiver wire, and if I could, it’d be weird. In a bad way.
This is a safe space for me where I answer to no one but myself…and you if you hit me up on Twitter (@ifthechufits), BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).
I’m doing my best to use five starts or 10 appearances as the threshold for positional eligibility. I have not included presumed eligibilities based on likely new positions, but once those eligibilities are earned, I’ll add them in. This is just a maintenance thing, and we will update eligibility throughout the season. Feel free to let me know if I’m missing any!
Ranking Philosophy
To keep things in the same ilk, here are a couple of notes on how I generally evaluate hitters before we dive in:
In 12-team formats, I just don’t see much value in guys who only provide stolen bases. It’s an important category, especially in Roto, but in shallower formats, there are too many other (and better) ways to get the steals you need without sacrificing production in the other categories.
If I want to get some insight on whether what I’m seeing is new or if it’s just normal fluctuation, I’d use my favorite tool—the rolling chart, which I’ll also reference as appropriate. You can also get rolling charts from sources like FanGraphs or Baseball Savant. If you have any questions about how to do that or how to read these charts, reach out to me!
No stat is an island, and they should all be taken in proper context. For ranking purposes, the primary starting points I use are plate discipline, wRC+, quality of contact metrics (also known as Statcast batted ball data), lineup context, and the skills we can measure using tools such as our PLV Hitter Attributes (available for PL Pro members). I also use various projections (some free, some I buy) and dollar value generators.
Positional eligibility, and specifically multi-eligibility, is neat, but also isn’t a huge factor in many 10- and 12-team leagues anymore due to the prevalence of multi-eligible players. It’s of more value in deeper contests like the NFBC, or in leagues with limited roster moves (draft and hold leagues, transaction limits/costs, extremely short benches, etc.), but even then, the value is fairly situational and context-dependent.
On a similar note, I don’t penalize players for only qualifying in the utility slot. At most, it is a mild inconvenience if a DH-only player is available at a great value and you already have filled your utility spots.
Anyone talented enough to make it to the big leagues can be brilliant or putrid for 50 to 100 at-bats, regardless of true talent. Heck, it could even last over a month with no change in potential or skill. It also could be wildly meaningful. We can’t and don’t know which of these will be true until it’s over, though track record, scouting, and trends can give us hints.
If you’d like input on a player or have any feedback, your best bet is to reach out to me on the website formerly known as Twitter (@ifthechufits) or BlueSky (scottchu.pitcherlist.com), or Reddit (u/ChusephEsquire).
Read The Notes
These rankings talk about what I generally project for a player, but these rankings are not projections. They include projections but also take into account performance risk, injury risk, team context, ceiling, and floor.
Check out the Hacks & Jacks podcast featuring Scott Chu and Brett Ford, which also happened to be a finalist for Best Baseball Podcast of 2021 by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA)!
I also host an AMA in the r/fantasybaseball subreddit every Friday starting around noon ET that lasts through the rest of the day and into the weekend, so feel free to join the fun and ask questions or make comments.
Tier 1
Tier 2
Juan Soto has four home runs in his last six games, albeit with a slight uptick in strikeouts that does not concern me in the slightest.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Corbin Carroll have performed well of late and it solidifies why they have been held near the top of the ranks all season despite their struggles earlier in the year. These guys are so good that they can make up all of that lost ground in a very short time.
Tier 3
James Wood seems to be turning things around and the window to try and acquire him is closing, assuming your deadline hasn’t passed.
Junior Caminero is hitting the ball in the air more and once again showing us that a Caminero who hits fly balls is a Caminero who can make a push to be a top-10 hitter.
I’m not “worried” about Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the duration of this current slump could tell us a lot about what to expect from his ups and downs and how we look at him for 2026.
Kyle Tucker is someone I am starting to worry about. It has been a long time since he looked like an elite player, though I still believe he is one.
Tier 4
Gunnar Henderson has an extra-base hit in four straight but I am still looking for that power explosion like we saw in early 2024. If I don’t see it soon, this rank might represent Gunnar’s ceiling.
Christian Yelich has stayed healthy and is at the heart of the unstoppable juggernaut that is the current Brewers. This offense won’t always be this hot, but while it is, Yelich is an elite producer.
Nick Kurtz has fallen back to earth since his four homer game, but I expect him to turn it back on soon.
Corey Seager has been solid in 2025 when healthy, but the power hasn’t matched what we saw in 2023 and 2024. That said, I’m not penalizing him too much for that at the moment as his hard-hit rate is as good as ever so I think the only “issue” is a bit of luck and minor changes to batted ball direction, two things that I think will resolve themselves.
Eugenio Suárez had a slump just like this in Arizona to start the season, so no, I don’t think the issue is his new home. He’s a streaky power hitter by nature who is prone to striking out in bunches and this is par for that course.
Tier 5
Welcome back, Byron Buxton! Please stay with us.
This is the longest we’ve ever seen Geraldo Perdomo stay hot, and I’m interested. Obviously he can’t stay like this forever, but it sure makes those deep slumps (like we saw in June when he hit .214/.303/.369) sting a bit less when he can follow it with two strong months. Perdomo looks like he can finish the season with 16-18 home runs and 25 steals and plenty of runs and RBI to go with it. I’m curious how 2026 projections will view his power, which has come completely out of nowhere (he had 14 home runs in 387 career games coming into 2025), though even if it takes a step back he should still be a top-40 hitter on draft day, if not higher.
Riley Greene has been working on the strikeout issue lately and it seems to be starting to pay dividends. If your trade deadline hasn’t passed, I’d be looking to acquire him. Based on feedback I’ve seen on Reddit, you could probably move someone several tiers below this and get a positive response.
C’mon, Seiya Suzuki. Give me something. Anything.
Tier 6
Brice Turang hits at the top of the order for the Brewers and lately that means oodles of counting stats. He won’t always get this, so enjoy it while you can.
William Contreras is showing power once again, and the longer he shows it the more confident he can feel that he’s getting past that finger injury that seems to have held him back in 2025.
Shea Langeliers is the hottest hitter on the planet over the last 30 days, and while streakiness has always been part of his game, this hot streak is on a different level from what we’ve seen in the past. The biggest shock is the improved strikeout rate, sitting at just 13% in August and was also under 20% in the first half after back-to-back seasons where he struck out over 27% of the time. This change, which appears to be quite sticky, raises the floor and ceiling for Langeliers considerably. While I do still expect some streakiness, as long as the volatility isn’t as extreme as we saw in the past, he should be a locked-in top-50 hitter in no time (while he is a top-30 hitter in performance on the season, we should note that he was barely a top-15 catcher when he got hurt in June). I am very excited about the future for Langeliers, we should be careful not to continue projecting him at a level he has never really shown us before.
Tier 7
Speaking of projecting guys when at their peak, that was something we needed to try and avoid with Kyle Stowers as well. I’m not saying this current lull is permanent, but to expect him to return to what we saw in July (10 home runs and a 1.269 OPS) for any extended time is extremely risky. I’m not saying he can’t, I’m just saying I wouldn’t be penciling in that kind of expected production. A return to his May and June production would be much more reasonable (and still very good).
Tier 8
Maikel Garcia’s power remains a little up and down, but he’s slugging .414 in August, and while it doesn’t sound like much, it’s 70 points better than any of his full-season slugging percentages in 2022-2024. The more he slugs better than .400, the rosier his rest-of-season and 2026 projections get.
Willy Adames and Matt Chapman have slumped badly of late, and while I think they are just above the drop line for those making a playoff push, that’s mostly because they are infielders.
It’s another heater for Tyler Soderstrom, and this time it didn’t take two months to happen. That’s a good sign, obviously.
I remain optimistic on Ezequiel Tovar despite the increase in strikeouts we’ve seen so far this month. If they persist through this next homestand my optimism may dim, but for now I am going to hope that it’s a short-term spike and not a return to what we saw in 2024.
Tier 9
Mookie Betts is on an eight-game hitting streak with nine runs scored and seven RBI, though it’s just a single home run and zero steals (he was caught once). My concern isn’t the contact ability for Mookie, it’s the power and speed, and I’m not seeing that yet.
I rarely put a guy from the Taxi Squad inside the top-100 immediately, but Marcell Ozuna is a special case. In his last 14 games, Ozuna has seven home runs and 17 RBI, and a lot of that has home just in the last four games. Ozuna’s slump was rather tough to explain, at least in a way that clarified why he was so ineffective, and even this hot streak is a little tough to explain, as he isn’t really hitting the ball harder overall (just a 31.4% hard-hit rate in this stretch) despite an extreme jump in barrel rate (22.9%). Can he keep this up? Well, maybe. He can’t keep showing a barrel rate over 20% and a hard-hit rate under 35%, as that’s just silly, but could he look like a top-75 hitter who hits .250 with a .450 slug? Sure!
It just occurred to me that Steven Kwan hasn’t stolen a base since June 25. The Guardians have been a top-10 offense in the second half, and yet Kwan has very little to show for it. That seems very off to me as he is intended to be a sparkplug for this lineup, so I’m hoping it changes soon.
Xander Bogaerts was dreadful for the first two and a half months of the season, but in his 36 games since June 20 Xander has hit .310/.373/.489. The counting stats have been more decent than great, but at shortstop that’s enough to be a starter in most leagues. I still worry about what the next slump will look like and that the ceiling is too low for us to get overly excited, but I can’t deny that he has been quite useful.
Tier 10
Believe it or not, for those in 10-12 team leagues, this is likely where you’ll start seeing the replacement level, especially in the outfield. From here on, in 10-12 team formats, I expect you to care more about your specific team needs and whether you are shooting for upside versus floor.
Feel free to be aggressive on your wire if there’s a slumping player in Tier 10 and a hot one in Tier 12 who better suits your team’s current needs.
Jordan Westburg is streaky due to his aggressive nature, particularly early in the count, though the bad has outweighed the good far too often in 2025.
Ramón Laureano has been once of the best hitters in baseball since the start of June and is hitting the ball significantly harder than he has in the past. This hot streak is by far the longest we’ve seen since the start of 2021, and while old dogs can certainly learn new tricks, it is extremely unusual for it to last this long and be this much better than he was in years past. Obviously you’re riding this until it dies, but I’m still skeptical he’s a player we care a lot about for 2026. It feels a lot like what we saw from Jurickson Profar in 2025, which unfortunately seems like a one-year wonder.
Luis Arraez is great for points leagues, but if you want to chase category upside in home runs, steals, or RBI in a 10-12 team league, you may want to look elsewhere. Arraez has as good a floor as anyone within 20 ranks of this, but his ceiling is very capped.
Heliot Ramos is a hot-and-cold power hitter, and if you’re fighting for your playoff life, you may want to start streaming. If you can hold out, though, there’s another hot streak that will pop up filled with power and RBI.
Tier 11
Michael Harris II seems to want us to be excited about him in 2026 drafts. It’s hard to take these hot streaks too seriously when he’s so bad to start the season, but he’s as good a flyer as any, I suppose.
Adley Rutschman hangs on this list, though I imagine many of you have moved on. I’m probably late to the party, but it’s hard to undersell just how good Adley has looked as recently as the first half of 2024.
Ben Rice has hit the ball very well all season with very little to show for it after April. He’s started in every game for about a week now and continues to hit the ball hard, so I’m ready to aggressively move him up if the results finally start matching the underlying metrics.
Jakob Marsee is setting the world on fire and it’s awesome, but when a player hits the majors and is: showing a hard-hit rate double what he had in triple-A, and was not a player ever known to be a power hitter, while also pulling the ball much more than he did in the minors, and sporting a 33.3% home run to fly ball rate, and a line drive rate over 30%, we need to put our skeptical hats on. Marsee is obviously worth streaming, but to think this is anything like the version of Marsee we should expect over the final month and a half is a fool’s errand. I believe the speed is real and so is the plate discipline. The rest is something I expect to fade.
Matt Shaw remains hot and while he doesn’t hit the ball hard, he’s more than good enough to be a top-100 bat before the season is done.
Isaac Collins is a late-blooming outfielder who, from what I can see, is performing well above what we should expect the rest of the way. Still, he’s hitting in the heart of the order for a smoking hot Brewer offense, so keep plugging him in.
Tier 12
I believe in Jackson Holliday long-term, but it’s finally time to move on in 10-12 teamers.
Kyle Manzardo will likely remain in a platoon, but he’s hot again and is a decent power source if you can navigate around the lefties.
Welcome back, Dylan Crews! We had sky-high expectations for this young speedster but injuries and a slow start have dampened all that. Here’s to hoping he can finish strong.
Miguel Andujar has an interesting opportunity in Cincinnati and is hitting in the middle of the order right now thanks to some shuffling and cold bats.
Blaze Alexander is the everyday third baseman for the D-Backs right now and hitting well. In a full season, Blaze could hit something like 20 home runs, though the ratios are highly dependent on him getting that strikeout rate down, which isn’t something he ever really pulled off in the high minors.
Matt Wallner is our feature this week, fresh off the paternity list, and it’s because he represents exactly the kind of player I am keeping my eye on at this stage of the season from a a strategic perspective. Matt Wallner has monstrous power that comes with several gaping holes in his swing, but when he’s hot he can carry a power category for a few weeks. He was looking hot right before hitting the PL, and if that carries over, he could be a major difference-maker in your playoff push. You may not end up keeping him for the entire rest of the season due to his mercurial nature, but unlike some of the seemingly random pop-up power guys (like Marsee) who are tough to trust for power, Wallner’s power outbursts are exactly what we expect him to be and are far more bankable. If I am chasing power, I want the guy who I know has the skill because I’ve seen it before, not the guy who is doing something totally out of character. Wallner is the former, not the latter, and should be on your watchlist (or bench) if you are chasing someone in the power categories.
Brenton Doyle has put together some solid outings in the second half and heads for a pair of home series.
Colson Montgomery has plenty of power in the infield if you need it, but his unwillingness to walk makes him even more volatile than a guy like Wallner.
Jasson Domínguez abruptly lost his playing time and it’s very sad.
Rank
Hitter
Position
Change
1Shohei OhtaniT1DH-2Aaron JudgeOF-3José RamírezT23B-4Juan SotoOF+15Kyle SchwarberOF, DH+16Elly De La CruzSS-27Bobby Witt Jr.SS-8Corbin CarrollOF-9Cal RaleighC-10Vladimir Guerrero Jr.1B, 3B-11James WoodT3OF+112Julio RodríguezOF+413Manny Machado3B+214Junior Caminero3B+515Pete Alonso1B+216Bryce Harper1B-217Pete Crow-ArmstrongOF-618Kyle TuckerOF-519Trea TurnerSS-120Fernando Tatis Jr.OF-21Ketel Marte2B+122Gunnar HendersonT4SS+223Rafael Devers3B+224Christian YelichOF+725Cody Bellinger1B, OF-426Francisco LindorSS+127CJ AbramsSS+128Nick Kurtz1B-229Brent RookerOF, DH+130Corey SeagerSS-731Alex Bregman3B+232Will SmithC-333Eugenio Suárez3B-134Byron BuxtonT5OF+UR35Geraldo PerdomoSS+1636Riley GreeneOF-37Jarren DuranOF-238Randy ArozarenaOF-39Josh Naylor1B+140Hunter GoodmanC, OF+541Jazz Chisholm Jr.2B, 3B, OF-742Freddie Freeman1B-343Zach NetoSS+144Matt Olson1B-145Salvador PerezC, 1B-446Seiya SuzukiOF-947Willson ContrerasC-548Taylor WardOF-149Jose AltuveT62B-150Brice Turang2B+1251Jeremy PeñaSS-152Bo BichetteSS-53William ContrerasC+1054Shea LangeliersC+1855Vinnie Pasquantino1B+256Yandy Díaz1B-357Brandon NimmoOF-358Ceddanne RafaelaSS, OF-359Teoscar HernándezOF-1060Kyle StowersT7OF+161Brandon Lowe2B+362Spencer Torkelson1B+463Michael Busch1B+464Mike TroutOF-465Andy PagesOF+466Nico Hoerner2B, SS+467Agustín RamírezC-268Xavier Edwards2B, SS+2169Yainer DiazT8C+270Max Muncy3B+371Maikel Garcia2B, 3B+2172Addison Barger3B, OF+273Trevor Story2B+974Willy AdamesSS-1875Matt Chapman3B-1776Tyler Soderstrom1B+3177Ezequiel TovarSS+1178Wyatt LangfordOF-1079Gleyber Torres2B-2080Nick CastellanosOF-381Dansby SwansonSS+582Jackson MerrillOF-383Jo AdellT9OF-384Mookie Betts2B, SS, OF-185Roman AnthonyOF+586Marcell OzunaDH+UR87Sal FrelickOF+2688Iván HerreraC-389Giancarlo StantonDH+490Steven KwanOF-1591Xander Bogaerts2B, SS+1392Kerry CarpenterT10OF+293Luis Robert Jr.OF+294Jordan Westburg2B, 3B-1895Ian HappOF-1796Christian Walker1B-97Ramón LaureanoOF+598Wilyer AbreuOF+299Chandler SimpsonOF-2100Luis Arraez1B, 2B-13101Luke Keaschall2B-2102Heliot RamosOF-21103Nolan SchanuelT111B+2104Michael Harris II2B, OF+18105Lourdes Gurriel Jr.OF+3106Lawrence ButlerOF+4107J.T. RealmutoC+5108Jordan BeckOF+6109Anthony VolpeSS+7110Adley RutschmanC-12111Alec Burleson1B, OF+8112Andrew Vaughn1B, OF+8113Bryan ReynoldsOF+22114Josh LoweOF+14115Mickey MoniakOF+16116Ben RiceC, 1B+UR117Jakob MarseeOF+UR118Matt Shaw3B+32119Isaac CollinsOF+27120Daulton VarshoOF+13121TJ FriedlOF-30122Drake BaldwinC+23123Jorge PolancoT122B, 3B-8124Bryson Stott2B+10125Alejandro KirkC-7126Otto Lopez2B-1127Austin WellsC+10128Lenyn Sosa2B, 3B+10129Cedric MullinsOF+12130Jackson Holliday2B-29131Luis García Jr.2B-14132Spencer Horwitz1B, 2B-5133Masyn WinnSS-24134Brendan Donovan2B, 3B, OF-28135Jurickson ProfarOF-5136Ernie Clement2B, 3B, SS+6137Kyle Manzardo1B+UR138Dylan CrewsOF+UR139Miguel Andujar3B, OF+UR140Blaze Alexander2B, 3B, SS+UR141Matt WallnerOF+UR142Joey Ortiz3B, SS+UR143Brenton Doyle+UR144Noelvi Marte3B, OF+UR145Logan O’HoppeC-24146Colson Montgomery3B, SS+UR147Victor Scott IIOF-24148Jesús SánchezOF-19149Nathaniel Lowe1B-38150Jasson DomínguezOF-66
Taxi Squad
Players are listed in no particular order. This list is not every interesting guy out there, but a running list of players who either almost made the list or have been topics of interesting conversation.
NEW FEATURE: I will put blurbs in bold if they are new to the Taxi Squad or if there’s a significant update to their note.
Catcher
Carlos Narváez (C, BOS) — Streaming catcher with a little bit of upside.
Ryan Jeffers (C, MIN) — Cleaning up in a lineup that may struggle mightily at times.
Dalton Rushing (C, LAD) — Dynasty only.
Carson Kelly (C, CHC) — Hitting well and hits in the heart of the order, but Amay’s return muddies the playing time waters.
Tyler Stephenson (C, CIN) — The strikeouts make him feel more like a streamer than a fantasy lineup regular in single-catcher leagues.
Kyle Teel (C, CWS) — There’s just enough power and plate discipline to stream him in deeper formats, but not enough upside to get excited in 12-teamers.
Adrian Del Castillo (C, ARI) — Lots of pop for a backstop, though it seems he won’t play against lefties at all.
Edgar Quero (C, CWS) — He’s been strong against lefties, but playing time is spotty against righties.
Dillon Dingler (C, DET) — High-end second catcher.
Miguel Amaya (C, CHC) — Will only play half the time (if that, considering that Kelly is hitting well), but looked good in 100 PA to start the year.
First Base
Carlos Santana (1B, CLE) — OBP streamer who somehow still has something in the tank. What a career.
Kyle Manzardo (1B, CLE) — Hitting better but still in a platoon.
Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, BAL) — I’m sure he’ll heat up again at some point, but until then, he’s just a speculative stream against bad right-handed pitching.
Jake Cronenworth (1B/2B, SDP) — Replacement-level fill-in.
Colt Keith (1B/2B, DET) — We’ve seen some intriguing flashes of power, but the consistency isn’t there at all.
Paul Goldschmidt (1B, NYY) — As of now, I can’t rank either Yankee first baseman.
Spencer Steer (1B/OF, CIN) — Should be a lot better with the opportunity he’s been given.
Josh Bell (1B, WSN) — Replacement-level first baseman, slightly better in points and OBP.
Warming Bernabel (1B, COL) — Desperation streamer at home.
Tyler Locklear (1B, ARI) — Streamable in Coors but the strikeouts will keep coming.
Curtis Mead (1B/2B/3B, CWS) — Unlikely to be a difference maker, but he should get more consistent playing time in Chicago than he did in Tampa.
Gavin Sheets (1B/OF, SDP) — The arrival of O’Hearn makes Sheets extremely redundant, as reflected by the gutting of his playing time.
Coby Mayo (1B/3B, BAL) — Only sat once since Mountcastle returned, which is a good sign.
Dominic Smith (1B, SFG) — OBP streamer.
Jake Burger (1B/3B, TEX) — Between the unsteady performance, the missed time, and being buried in the order when healthy, I’m out in 12-teamers.
Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) — He’s played in every game since being active, and they were all against righties. Now the question is whether he shows enough to be worth a flyer in 12-teamers.
Miguel Vargas (1B/3B, CWS) — Looked decent again before his most recent IL stint, let’s see how he looks now. Not getting my hopes up.
Owen Cassie (1B, CHC) — Like many corner prospects, the hit tool and strikeout rate worry me. I’d wager his adjustment period to the majors may take some time, and I’m not certain the playing time will be steady enough to make the gamble worth the risk in 12-teamers.
Second Base
Hyeseong Kim (2B, LAD) — It will be very exciting when he has anything close to a regular role.
Jonathan India (2B/3B/OF, KCR) — Deep points league only.
Kristian Campbell (2B, BOS) — Raking over the last month in triple-A, but blocked. Should be a September call-up.
Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL) — You can scoop him as a streamer but I’m not really buying this mini-outburst coming out of the Break.
Davis Schneider (2B/OF, TOR) — Only playing against lefties.
Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM) — Just a reminder that if he smacks a few home runs out of nowhere, it’s just a flash in the pan.
Angel Martínez (2B/OF, CLE) — The line drives slowed down and the production abruptly halted.
Jordan Lawlar (2B/SS, ARI) — He’s been out for about a month with a hamstring issue but should get another shot at the majors once healthy.
Willi Castro (2B/3B/SS/OF, CHC) — Replacement-level contributor at many positions.
Ha-Seong Kim (2B/SS, TBR) — Not showing enough as a hitter for me to care about the steals.
Matt McLain (2B/SS, CIN) — Strikeouts are back and he’s been pushed down the order or benched of late.
Marcus Semien (2B, TEX) — If you want to hold out hoping he has another month like he did in June/early July, go for it. I won’t be.
Third Base
Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B, CIN) — Going to Great American Ball Park does help his HR totals but not enough for them to be meaningful. Remains a deep-league streamer. Perhaps steals a few more bases, but again, only enough for deep leagues to even consider watching.
Yoán Moncada (3B, LAA) — Looked fine before the injury, but no thanks.
Brady House (3B, WAS) — An aggressive power hitter who is keeping the strikeout rate down more than I expected. Still, he’s rarely barreling the ball and struggles to get it in the air so he’s just a desperate replacement streamer in 12-teamers right now.
Ryan McMahon (3B, NYY) — Should keep playing every day as a Yankee, but doesn’t improve his overall outlook much.
Caleb Durbin (3B, MIL) — Sits too often.
Nolan Gorman (3B, STL) — Power streamer for the desperate.
Kyle Karros (3B, COL) — If you’re in a 15-teamer and desperate, you can stream him at home. Having a nice year in triple-A but as a prospect appears to be fairly low-ceiling.
Josh Smith (1B/3B/SS/OF, TEX) — Eligible everywhere, but merely a replacement-level contributor.
Royce Lewis (3B, MIN) — Droppable in most formats.
Josh Jung (3B, TEX) — Droppable in most formats with the strikeouts spiking again.
Cam Smith (3B/OF, HOU) — Droppable in most formats.
Shortstop
Brooks Lee (2B/3B/SS, MIN) — Might lose even more time with Keaschall returning.
Javier Báez (2B/3B/SS/OF, DET) — He’s as streaky as ever.
Paul DeJong (3B/SS, WAS) — Power streamer for the desperate.
Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) — Walking more and striking out less but the power is still too limited.
J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) — Might still be ranked in points, but not enough upside to hold through prolonged slumps.
Edmundo Sosa (2B/3B/SS, PHI) — Replacement-level infielder for 15-teamers when playing.
Outfield/DH
Emmanuel Rodriguez (OF, MIN) — Strikes out way too much because he’s far too passive, but if he cleans that up, watch out.
Mike Yastrzemski (OF, SFG) — Platooned.
Denzel Clarke (OF, ATH) — Speed streamer.
Parker Meadows (OF, DET) — Lost playing time and hits at the bottom of the order. Droppable.
Wenceel Pérez (OF, DET) — Replacement-level outfielder who runs hot and cold.
Trevor Larnach (OF, MIN) — Strikeout rate is climbing, walk rate is falling, and outside of Buxton, no one in this offense has shown any consistency.
Trent Grisham (OF, NYY) — Playing more of late, but unless he puts up some numbers soon I expect him to back to the platoon.
Chase DeLauter (OF, CLE) — The hamate injury from late July means we probably won’t see him in 2025.
Jordan Walker (OF, STL) — If he drops the strikeouts and grounders, I might get excited, but probably not.
Tyler Freeman (OF, COL) — Leading off at home is cool, but on the road, the ceiling is too low as the offense around him can’t support him.
Jacob Young (OF, WAS) — Speed streamer with some extra viability in points leagues if he keeps the strikeout rate under 15% as he has so far. His strong defense will keep him in the lineup most days, even when he’s not hitting.
Lars Nootbaar (OF, STL) — Played in most games since being activated and hitting near the middle of the order, but this offense is not good, and I’d like to see him show something more before advocating for him in 12-teamers.
Austin Martin (OF, MIN) — Part-timer now.
Tommy Pham (OF, PIT) — Fading fast.
Blake Perkins (OF, MIL) — Never hurts in a deep league to just scoop a hot part of a hot offense, even if long-term there isn’t much to get excited about.
Evan Carter (OF, TEX) — Has a bit of speed and puts the ball in play.
Jung Hoo Lee (OF, SFG) — Would still be ranked in points.
Austin Hays — Benched against two of the last three righties and I wasn’t a big believer even when he was hitting.
On the IL
Players are listed by position and not by projected value.
Keibert Ruiz (C, WSN) — Not a hold unless your IL is wide open.
Gabriel Moreno (C, ARZ) — Borderline hold in 12-teamers if your IL is full. Catcher is deep enough that you can probably stream.
Gary Sánchez (C, BAL) — Not a guy I’m holding if my IL is already full. He was just a streamer.
Rhys Hoskins (1B, MIL) — He should be back by September, but one month of unsteady production isn’t worth holding in mixed leagues.
Jonathan Aranda (1B/2B, TBR) — He’s a tough guy to hold as we may only see him for two weeks or so. If you have the open IL spot that’s fine, but if you don’t, he can be let go.
Pavin Smith (1B/OF, ARI) — Not a player I’m holding.
Isaac Paredes (1B/3B, HOU) — Out for the year.
Jac Caglianone (1B, KCR) — Not a player I’m holding in redraft, but still think there’s a good long-term outlook if he gets the decision-making in check.
Andrés Giménez (2B, TOR) — Not a player I’m holding.
Thairo Estrada (2B, COL) — Not a player I’m holding.
Max Muncy (2B/3B, ATH) — Not a player I’m holding.
Tommy Edman (2B/OF, LAD) — Hasn’t looked good since before his first trip to the IL and is a drop for me in 12-teamers if you were still holding.
Chase Meidroth (2B/SS, CWS) — No need to hold.
Marcelo Mayer (3B/SS, BOS) — No need to hold in redraft, still has plenty of dynasty upside.
Alec Bohm (3B, PHI) — Expect him to miss three or four weeks.
Austin Riley (3B, ATL) — He’s been better for fantasy than you may expect when healthy (because many likely feel he’s been awful), but he may not be back until September.
Connor Norby (2B/3B, MIA) — Not a guy I’m holding if my IL is already full.
Nolan Arenado (3B, STL) — I didn’t have him ranked, so no, you don’t need to hold him.
Jacob Wilson (SS, ATH) — He should be back for most of September, but if your IL is tight, he might not make the cut.
Oneil Cruz (SS/OF, PIT) — Concussion IL.
Victor Robles (OF, SEA) — Out until September, but keep an eye out just in case, as Robles is capable of dizzying highs when he’s grooving.
Yordan Alvarez (OF, HOU) — They’re saying mid-August, which would be awesome.
Anthony Santander (OF, TOR) — He’ll be back sometime in August.
Lane Thomas (OF, CLE) — Not a guy I’m holding.
Jorge Soler (OF, LAA) — No need to hold.
Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, ATL) — Bummer. Must hold. Trading him away would not be advisable.
George Springer (OF, TOR) — Hard to predict concussions but he’s obviously a must hold.
Jerar Encarnación (OF, SFG) — A lost season for Jerar.
Tyler O’Neill (OF, BAL) — Hard to hold on the IL if it’s already full as we don’t know if we’ll get the extremely hot or the extremely cold version on his return.
Colton Cowser (OF, BAL) — Concussions are fickle. If your IL is already full, I’d probably let Cowser go. I think there’s still some potential here long-term, but this has not been his year.
Adolis García (OF, TEX) — Not the year we hoped for from him. No need to hold.
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