Fantasy Baseball Buy-Lows? Unlucky Star Players (Week 13)

June 24, 2026

Joey's fantasy baseball buy-lows, breakouts, trade candidates to target for Week 13 in 2026. These unlucky players are underperforming early for fantasy baseball.

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of buy-low candidates. Every week of the fantasy baseball season, we look at struggling star players who are top buy-low candidates.

For this week, we'll dive into five more buy-low star players. All five of these players were selected early in fantasy drafts, but each of them hasn't provided much in fantasy lately. This list will feature two hitters and three pitchers who are buy-low candidates in Week 13 of the fantasy baseball season.

Let's dive into the best buy-low candidates right now. All stats are through Tuesday's contests (June 23).

Max Fried, SP, New York Yankees

New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried has been on the shelf since mid-May. The southpaw is recovering from a left elbow bone bruise and has missed the past five weeks as he slowly ramps up. Although Fried is still about a month away from returning in late July, now is the best time to trade for the All-Star pitcher because his fantasy value will never be low.

Fried has been one of the most consistent fantasy pitchers in recent years. He had a combined 2.86 ERA and 763 strikeouts from 2021 to 2025 and posted solid numbers in the early portion of the 2026 season before his injury. The 32-year-old had a 3.21 ERA, 1.005 WHIP, and a 20.8% strikeout rate across 61 2/3 innings pitched.

When Fried does eventually return, he will go back to being that elite fantasy pitcher. He'll carry a low ERA and a low WHIP while providing solid enough numbers in the strikeout department. The Yankees left-hander had a 2.58 expected ERA, a .205 batting average against, and a 1.8% barrel rate to start the season.

If you are trading for Fried, just be prepared to keep him in one of your IL slots for at least another month. He is making steady progress in his recovery and recently threw a bullpen session on June 19, but he has yet to face live hitters. That means fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to return until after the All-Star break.

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

There is no better time to trade for New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor than right now. He is expected to be activated off the injured list ahead of Wednesday's doubleheader and should return to being a top-tier fantasy option once he shakes off the rust. Lindor should finally be back after missing two months due to a severe calf strain.

Francisco Lindor with a base hit for Triple-A Syracuse pic.twitter.com/whAKG7dssk

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 24, 2026

The switch-hitting shortstop has dealt with his fair share of injuries so far this season. He underwent surgery to repair a stress reaction in his left hamate bone during spring training and then injured his calf in a game back on April 22. With those injuries hopefully in the past now, Lindor could be that high upside bat in your fantasy lineup once again.

Fantasy managers might have forgotten just how elite a fantasy option Lindor is when he's healthy. He batted .270 with 26 home runs, 107 RBI, and 16 stolen bases in 2022, had a .254 batting average with 31 home runs, 98 RBI, and 31 stolen bases in 2023, hit .273 with 33 home runs, 91 RBI, and 29 stolen bases in 2024, and had a 31-home run, 31-stolen base campaign in 2025.

Lindor was also starting to get into a groove at the plate before his injury. The five-time All-Star batted .286 with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and one stolen base in his 14 games from April 7 to April 22.

This all makes Lindor a top buy-low candidate in Week 13 of the fantasy baseball season. He is a true five-category fantasy player who could still be acquired at a discount, especially if he is a bit sluggish in his return.

Freddy Peralta, SP, New York Mets

New York Mets starter Freddy Peralta has looked like a completely different pitcher this season. After finishing with a career-best 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts across 176 2/3 innings with the Milwaukee Brewers last year, Peralta has regressed significantly in his first season with New York. The 2025 All-Star currently owns a 4.83 ERA and a 22.1% strikeout rate across 16 starts.

To make matters worse, Peralta has been almost unstartable in fantasy as of late. He has a 7.47 ERA and a mere 20.2% strikeout rate over his last six starts, which included allowing a season-high 10 runs on 10 hits across 2 2/3 innings last week against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets right-hander has now allowed at least four runs in four of his last six outings.

"If somebody's able to bounce back after bad outings, it's a guy like Freddy. He's a competitor, he's a guy who's gonna come back the next day and look for ways to get better"

- Carlos Mendoza on Freddy Peralta pic.twitter.com/6jDVyIwdi2

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 21, 2026

Although this has been a rough stretch for Peralta, better days are ahead for him. His expected ERA (3.83) is 100 points lower than his actual ERA (4.83), and he's still inducing plenty of swings and misses on his offspeed stuff. The whiff rate on his changeup (29.1%), curveball (33%), and slider (50%) all rank pretty well.

Peralta likely won't magically turn into the pitcher from last year, but he can be a reliable fantasy pitcher moving forward. His ERA should slowly start to decrease, and the strikeout numbers should start to increase with a solid 26.7% whiff rate. This is the same pitcher who has finished with a sub-3.90 ERA and 200+ strikeouts in three consecutive years.

Emmet Sheehan, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

It has been a disappointing start to the season for Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan. The 26-year-old has a whopping 5.32 ERA and a 1.300 WHIP in 14 starts. He has allowed 11 earned runs in his last 9 2/3 innings pitched (10.24 ERA) and recently allowed a season-high six runs on eight hits against the Baltimore Orioles in his last start over the weekend.

As poor as Sheehan has pitched on the mound this year, though, he is a fantastic buy-low target in all formats. The potential is still there for him to fully break out in his first full season in the big leagues. He has an impressive 34.9% chase rate, 30.4% whiff rate, 26.2% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate, and a 14.5% swinging strike rate while also having a solid .236 expected batting average against.

Sheehan will simply not be performing this poorly the rest of the season with these metrics. His expected ERA (4.02) is also 130 points lower than his actual ERA (5.32), which means some positive regression should be heading his way within the next few weeks.

That's enough reason to buy the Dodgers right-hander in all leagues right now. Better performances should be ahead, and Sheehan has shown his potential in some starts this year, like when he threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball with a season-high 10 strikeouts against the Chicago Cubs back on April 24.

Nico Hoerner, 2B, Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has been completely lost at the plate since the beginning of May. Hoerner is slashing just .194/.270/.240 with eight doubles, nine RBI, and five stolen bases in his last 44 games. This poor stretch has dropped his batting average from .291 to .235.

What made Hoerner such a valuable fantasy option last year was his batting average and stolen base upside. He hit .297 (second in the National League) and stole 29 bases (11th in the National League). This season, he hasn't provided elite numbers in either category, as he's currently hitting .235 and has just one stolen base this month.

"You need to be very stubborn to things you do well, but also open-minded for how you can improve. I think I feel that way."

On with @SpiegsAndHolmes, Nico Hoerner discussed the mechanics of his swing and trying to get back on track. pic.twitter.com/HSxqNrlqRG

— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) June 23, 2026

Despite this recent rough stretch, fantasy managers should look to acquire Hoerner if in need of some batting average or stolen base boost in category leagues. His bat should eventually turn around within the next few weeks. His expected batting average (.290) still ranks in the 90th percentile, and most of his metrics are almost identical to last year.

The massive difference between his expected batting average (.290) and actual batting average (.235) is a clear sign that better days are ahead. That 55-point difference means Hoerner has gotten a bit unlucky at the plate recently. When those hits start to fall, the stolen bases will then start to pile up again.

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