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Joey's fantasy baseball buy-lows, breakouts, trade candidates to target for Week 11 in 2026. These unlucky players are underperforming early for fantasy baseball.
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of buy-low candidates. Each week of the fantasy baseball season, we look at struggling star players who are top buy-low candidates. Star players like Jose Ramirez and Ronald Acuna Jr. have been on this list before, and both went on strong stretches at the plate shortly after.
For this week, we'll dive into six of the best star buy-low players. This list will feature three hitters and three pitchers who are buy-low candidates in Week 11 of the fantasy baseball season. These buy-low targets range from a first-round pick in fantasy drafts, two players currently on the injured list, and an All-Star who has gotten a bit unlucky on the mound recently.
Let's dive into the best buy-low candidates right now. All stats are through Tuesday's contests (June 9).
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Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B/OF, San Diego Padres
The power just has not been there for San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. He has only one home run in his first 261 plate appearances and is on pace for only three homers this season. This lack of power is unlike Tatis, considering he has hit at least 25 home runs in two of his past three seasons. His poor home run and RBI numbers (19) have made him a frustrating fantasy player to own early on.
However, the home runs will eventually come for Tatis. His metrics prove just that. His barrel rate (10.1%) is right around where it was last year (11%), and the three-time All-Star currently ranks in the top half of the league in xwOBA (.345), expected batting average (.281), average exit velocity (90.3 mph), hard-hit rate (51.7%), and bat speed (75.4 mph).
The lone concern in his profile is his Pull AIR%. Currently, he holds a 8.8% Pull AIR%, which is on pace to be the lowest of his career. If Tatis can even return to the 14.5%-12.0% range he held the previous two seasons, his home run total should begin to climb, given how hard he is already impacting the ball.
He's hitting the ball hard and carries a solid barrel rate. That all makes him an easy buy in all fantasy formats.
EL NIÑO!!! pic.twitter.com/b3ElpWGvHx
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 30, 2026
Although he hasn't provided much in the home run department, he does continue to post solid numbers elsewhere. Tatis has a .278 batting average and 15 stolen bases in 65 games. Given the fact that the Padres outfielder is also in the midst of a nice offensive stretch (.380 batting average over his last 18 games), now is the time to trade for Tatis. The home runs will eventually come.
Cal Raleigh, C, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has easily been one of the biggest busts in fantasy to begin the season. He slashed just .161/.243/.317 with seven home runs, four doubles, 18 RBI, and two stolen bases in his first 41 games and has been on the 10-day injured list for the last few weeks as he recovers from an oblique strain.
But with Raleigh expected to return from the IL sometime next week, he's worth a look as a cheap buy in all fantasy formats. Raleigh began his rehab assignment at High-A Everett on Sunday, and the Mariners recently moved his rehab assignment to Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday, where he hit two home runs. The slugging catcher will spend the rest of the week with the Triple-A club before potentially being activated next week.
Let's not forget what Raleigh did last year in a historic season. He hit 60 home runs with 125 RBI across 159 games. While fantasy managers shouldn't expect that type of production from the switch-hitting catcher once he returns from the IL, he can be a great source of home runs and RBI moving forward. He had a 12.3% barrel rate before his injury and can get hot at the plate again with this oblique injury now fully behind him.
🚨 CAL RALEIGH HOME RUN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/87gWPxhAsy
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 26, 2026
He's a great upside trade target at a position that lacks power.
Brandon Nimmo, OF, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo is slumping at the plate right now. He's slashing just .140/.224/.209 with one home run, four RBI, one stolen base, and 15 strikeouts over his last 12 games, and his batting average has dropped all the way down to .253 on the season. His rostership in Yahoo! leagues also continues to slowly fall. That should make it fairly easy to trade for the veteran hitter.
Nimmo has been a solid all-around fantasy player in each of the past few seasons. He batted .224 with 24 home runs, 90 RBI, and 15 stolen bases across 151 games in 2024 and batted .262 with 25 home runs, 92 RBI, and 13 stolen bases across 155 games last year. Despite his recent offensive stretch, better days are definitely ahead for the Rangers outfielder.
His expected batting average (.285) is 32 points higher than his actual batting average (.253), and his expected slugging (.508) is 108 points higher than his actual slugging (.400). That's a clear sign that things should turn around for Nimmo soon. He also ranks in the 90th percentile in xwOBA (.377), 87th percentile in average exit velocity (91.9 mph), 72nd percentile in barrel rate (11.6%), and 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate (51.3%).
George Kirby, SP, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby was viewed as a top-25 starting pitcher in fantasy in mid-May. He lowered his ERA to 2.84 after throwing five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts against the Houston Astros back on May 11 and was a consistent fantasy option in his first nine starts. That outing against the Astros marked the seventh time that he allowed two runs or fewer up to that point in the season.
However, Kirby has gone from an all-around solid fantasy option to a pitcher that fantasy managers want to get rid of desperately. The Mariners right-hander has been hit hard in each of his last four outings on the mound. He has allowed 20 runs (17 earned runs) in his last 21 innings pitched and has given up at least four runs in four consecutive starts.
Although Kirby has struggled on the mound recently, there shouldn't be that much concern with his recent numbers. He has gotten a little bit unlucky during this four-game stretch, considering his FIP (3.83) is significantly lower than his ERA (7.29). The former All-Star also still owns a 3.50 expected ERA to go with a 35.4% chase rate, a 5.6% walk rate, and a 5% barrel rate this season.
Those are all reasons to buy one of the top strike throwers in baseball. Kirby's 10.3% swinging strike rate is right around his average (10.9%).
Trey Yesavage, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
It has no doubt been a grind for Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage lately. He allowed five runs on five hits across 6 2/3 innings against the Miami Marlins on May 25, walked a career-high seven batters in his next start against the Baltimore Orioles on May 30, and gave up six runs on five hits across 5 2/3 innings against the Orioles in his most recent outing on Friday.
This has been a really weird stretch for Yesavage, who was a postseason hero for the Blue Jays a year ago. But it's clear that the right-hander is still not in full form yet after missing the start of the season due to a right shoulder impingement. He didn't make his season debut until late April, so it's not totally surprising to see him have a few rough outings in a row.
Yesavage, though, is exactly the type of pitcher to acquire in fantasy leagues right now. Both his expected ERA (2.78) and expected batting average against (.188 batting average) rank in the top 10% of the league, and his whiff rate (29.3%), strikeout rate (25.4%), barrel rate (4.6%), and hard-hit rate (31.2%) all rank in the top 30% of the league. Those are some elite metrics.
TRÈY MAGNIFIQUE 😮💨
Eight K Trey Day! #BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/3ltUm5Cnw2
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 21, 2026
So, buy low on the Blue Jays right-hander amid an uncharacteristic stretch on the mound.
Garrett Crochet, SP, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet's fantasy value might never be lower. He recently suffered a setback in his build-up from a shoulder injury that landed him on the 15-day injured list back on April 29. Crochet was recently transferred to the 60-day injured list after being diagnosed with a low-grade lat strain. On top of that, the southpaw had a 6.30 ERA in his first six starts before his injury.
It has been an unforgettable start to the season for Crochet. He is now out until at least June 25 as he works his way back from both a shoulder injury and a lat strain. While it might seem like a trap to trade for an injured pitcher who is still weeks away from returning and struggled on the mound prior to his injury, it's a smart idea to see what it would take to acquire him.
The reason why Crochet's ERA is so high is because of one poor outing against the Twins back on April 13. In that start, he allowed 11 runs (10 earned runs) across 1 2/3 innings. If you remove that one start, the Red Sox left-hander has a 3.49 ERA with a 30.8% strikeout rate in his other five outings. If you are in a good position in the standings in your league, it's worth trading for Crochet.
These are the type of moves that could go on to help fantasy managers win championships. Go trade for one of the best pitchers in baseball while his fantasy value is at its lowest point.
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