Fantasy Baseball Sell-Highs: Early-Season Overachievers to Trade Away? (Week 10)

June 1, 2026

Joey's fantasy baseball sell-highs, overvalued players to consider trading away. These hitters and pitchers have overperformed early and may bust going forward.

The fantasy baseball season is in full swing. There are plenty of star players who are underperforming in the early going, and many unexpected players who are overperforming through the first two months. Knowing when to sell certain players is what separates champions from those who come up just short.

In this article, we'll look at six of the biggest early-season overachievers. These six hitters and pitchers have overperformed and will be fantasy busts moving forward. This list will feature three hitters and three pitchers, and all six players are sell-high candidates heading into Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.

Let's dive into the best sell-high candidates.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B/3B, New York Yankees

Those who currently own New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. in fantasy likely don't feel the need to trade him away. He hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases in a strong fantasy season in 2025 and has been on another level at the plate recently. Chisholm is slashing .400/.471/.667 with two home runs, six RBI, and two stolen bases in his last 12 games.

However, this recent stretch gives fantasy managers the perfect segue to trade away the two-time All-Star. While Chisholm has been a top fantasy option recently, his metrics are down across the board this season. His barrel rate (6%) is 7% lower than last year, and there are some concerns about his lack of power. The 28-year-old only has six home runs in 219 plate appearances this season.

Make it a dozen, @j_chisholm3 🎷 pic.twitter.com/uXfSc8Pqa0

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 27, 2026

Chisholm has also been overperforming a bit in the early going. His expected batting average (.211) is 35 points lower than his actual batting average (.246), and his expected slugging (.347) is 53 points lower than his actual slugging (.400). Both that 35-point batting average difference and 53-point slugging difference rank toward the bottom of the league among all qualified hitters.

The Yankees infielder is not going to be the same 30-home run, 30-stolen base fantasy player from a season ago. He's more like an 18-20 home run hitter with a low batting average and around 30 stolen bases. Considering his poor metrics to begin the year, Chisholm is an easy sell high in all formats.

Ernie Clement, 1B/2B/3B/SS, Toronto Blue Jays

It has been a nice start to the season for Toronto Blue Jays utility specialist Ernie Clement. He is batting .293 with five home runs, 18 doubles, 20 RBI, and two stolen bases across 56 games, and continues to provide all-around fantasy numbers in the early portion of the season. Clement is also slashing .353/.389/.735 with three home runs and eight RBI over his last 10 contests.

However, some massive regression is headed the infielder's way. His expected slugging (.361) is 86 points lower than his actual slugging (.447), and his xwOBA (.282), average exit velocity (86 mph), barrel rate (3.1%), hard-hit rate (26.3%), and bat speed (67.4 mph) all rank in the bottom 15% of the league. His plate discipline continues to be a concern as well, as his 44.3% chase rate ranks dead last among all qualified hitters.

Ernie Clement’s 18th double of the season ties him for the league lead ✌️ pic.twitter.com/0vuM95y8Bl

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 28, 2026

Therefore, now is the best time to trade away the Blue Jays infielder. He has been hitting the ball well recently, and his fantasy value might never be higher. It's hard to imagine Clement maintaining his strong all-around numbers with such poor metrics. Those metrics will eventually catch up to him.

Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS, Minnesota Twins

There was some discussion about whether to include Minnesota Twins infielder Brooks Lee on this list, since he is rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. But given that he is one of the most-added players in Yahoo! leagues this week, he deserves to be talked about heading into Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.

There's a reason Lee continues to see his rostership climb in all formats. He is slashing .270/.316/.404 with one home run, seven doubles, 11 runs scored, and 13 RBI across 23 games in May and has been a top fantasy player recently. The switch-hitting infielder has nine hits over his last 30 at-bats to go with one home run and six RBI since May 18.

Despite his strong numbers this month, fantasy managers should not buy into Lee's breakout. His expected batting average (.222), expected slugging (.332), average exit velocity (86.9 mph), barrel rate (4.6%), and hard-hit rate (28.3%) all rank poorly. If you managed to swoop up the 25-year-old on waivers, look to trade him away immediately. He's not worth holding onto.

Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Houston Astros

Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti started the season down at Triple-A Sugar Land after an injury-riddled 2025 campaign. The Astros eventually called him up in mid-April, and Arrighetti has been nails on the mound ever since. The right-hander currently owns a 1.34 ERA and 43 strikeouts in his first eight starts.

It has been impressive watching Arrighetti throw the ball this year. He has given up only three earned runs across 29 innings pitched (0.93 ERA) in the month of May and recently threw six innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts against the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Although he has looked poised on the mound recently, the Astros pitcher is a major sell-high candidate.

Spencer Arrighetti, Painted 78mph Sweeper. 🖌️🎨 pic.twitter.com/alcXT3i60z

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 29, 2026

Some regression is inevitable for Arrighetti. He has a 1.34 ERA on the season, yet his expected ERA (4.78) sits in the 26th percentile. That 344-point difference between his ERA and expected ERA is the third-largest difference among all qualified pitchers. Walks also continue to be a problem for him, as he has a bottom 8% walk rate (14.3%) heading into June.

There's no denying that Arrighetti has gotten a bit lucky on the mound so far. That's enough reason to sell him high because he won't be pitching this well the rest of the season.

Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

A common theme among all three sell-high pitchers on this list is that their ERA doesn't really match their expected ERA. That's the number one sign that some regression will come its way. That's exactly the case with Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez is not going to be performing this well on the mound moving forward.

The Diamondbacks southpaw currently owns a 2.31 ERA and 49 strikeouts across 66 1/3 innings pitched this year. He has a 1.60 ERA across five May starts and just recently threw six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts against the Giants on Tuesday. His metrics, though, tell a whole different story.

Rodriguez has a whopping 4.44 expected ERA, a 213-point difference from his actual ERA (2.13). On top of that, the veteran ranks in the 28th percentile in expected batting average against (.260), 10th percentile in whiff rate (19.2%), 23rd percentile in strikeout rate (18%), and 38th percentile in chase rate (28.9%). Those metrics all suggest that his ERA will eventually drop.

Let's not forget this is the same pitcher who finished with an ERA above 5.00 in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025. He isn't magically going to return to his prime-year form at his age, especially given his poor swing-and-miss stuff this year.

Merrill Kelly, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly has put together a few nice starts in a row now. He threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Mets on May 9, delivered a nine-inning complete game against the Rockies at Coors Field on May 15, threw six innings of three-run ball against the Giants on May 20, and recently delivered seven innings of two-run ball against the Giants again on May 25.

That 2.17 ERA over his last four starts makes him a prime sell-high candidate in all formats. Kelly is clearly past his prime in his age-37 season. His expected ERA (7.20), expected batting average against (.320), average exit velocity (91 mph), strikeout rate (15%), barrel rate (17.3%), and hard-hit rate (45.5%) all rank in the 20th percentile or worse. Those metrics are concerning for a pitcher who averages only 92 mph on his fastball.

As a result, get rid of Kelly for anything you can get at this point. He has pitched better as of late, but he is nowhere near the pitcher he once was. The Diamondbacks right-hander has a -9 Pitching Run Value, a -8 Fastball Run Value, and opposing hitters have a 19.9% Pull AIR rate against him to begin the season. Trade him away now while he has some value.

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