Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low for Week 12? (2025)

June 17, 2025

Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 12 of the 2025 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players. With most fantasy leagues crossing the halfway point of the regular season, now is a great time to determine what to do with well-known players. It could be a hitter currently in the midst of a slump or a pitcher coming off multiple rough outings. 

All five players featured on this list are rostered in most leagues, but they haven't been able to contribute much for fantasy managers in recent weeks. In this article, we will determine if these five well-known players should be held, dropped, or sold heading into Week 12 of the fantasy baseball season (June 16 to June 22). 

So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Should they drop, hold, or sell them? Let's dive in and find out. 

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Tyler Mahle, SP, Texas Rangers 

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Tyler Mahle got off to a fantastic start this season. He had a 1.47 ERA and 40 strikeouts across 55 innings pitched. Mahle really emerged as a reliable fantasy option for managers during this span and allowed one run or fewer in eight of his first 10 starts. However, his metrics suggested some regression was coming his way. 

Therefore, it's not a complete surprise to see Mahle struggle over the past few weeks. He has given up at least three runs in three of his past four starts and just allowed a season-high 10 hits in his last outing against the Minnesota Twins on June 10. That was easily the right-hander's worst start of the year, considering he allowed four runs on 10 hits with one walk and three strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings. 

On top of those rough outings, Mahle is now dealing with a shoulder injury that has landed him on the 15-day injured list. The 30-year-old experienced some shoulder soreness in that start against the Twins, and the team eventually placed him on the IL before Sunday's game against the Chicago White Sox. 

Tyler Mahle’s official diagnosis is right shoulder soreness.

When they shut him down last year, it was due to right shoulder tightness.

— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) June 15, 2025

There's no doubt it hasn't been a great few weeks for Mahle. However, he should be held in most leagues right now. With the right-hander landing on the 15-day IL, fantasy managers can stash him in one of their IL slots for the time being. Hopefully, this IL stint helps the veteran get back on track.

Verdict: Hold in most formats if you have an open IL slot 

Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs

After spending a few weeks down in Triple-A, Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw has looked much better offensively since his promotion. He hit .339 with one home run, seven doubles, five RBI, and seven stolen bases in his first 17 games back with the Cubs from May 19 to June 7. Over the past week, though, Shaw hasn't made much of an impact at the plate.

He has just two hits across his last 25 at-bats (.080 batting average) to go with one walk and seven strikeouts. Given this recent slump, it's easy to see why some fantasy managers continue to drop him in formats. Shaw is batting just .228 on the year with two home runs, eight RBI, and seven stolen bases. 

matt shaw. that's the tweet.#VoteCubs // https://t.co/hFFdpa6mDR pic.twitter.com/dbKaZ2V6wt

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 11, 2025

Those numbers might suggest that Shaw isn't worth keeping in most leagues. The 23-year-old has a low batting average, only two home runs, and single-digit RBI. Nonetheless, the third baseman is worth keeping in most roto leagues because of his stolen base upside. There's a strong chance he steals upward of 20 bases this year. 

Fantasy managers should also expect more power from Shaw moving forward. His launch angle sweet-spot rate (37.3%) ranks pretty well, and the young third baseman hit 21 home runs in 121 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season. So, a 15-home run, 20-stolen base season is certainly attainable for him in 2025.

Verdict: Hold in 12-plus team leagues

Lars Nootbaar, OF, St. Louis Cardinals 

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is another player on this list who got off to a solid start this season. He had a .272 batting average with four home runs, four doubles, 17 RBI, and three stolen bases in his first 27 games. However, Nootbaar has been in a month-long slump since then. 

The 27-year-old is slashing .196/.273/.319 with four home runs, 11 RBI, one stolen base, and 47 strikeouts over his past 41 games. Nootbaar also has just one hit over his last 37 plate appearances (.031 batting average) since June 5. This recent stretch has really made fantasy managers question whether to keep or drop him. 

Despite carrying a solid 51.5% hard-hit rate and a 91.7 mph average exit velocity, it's time to get rid of the Cardinals outfielder in most leagues heading into Week 12. He has an expected .241 batting average this season, and his career numbers suggest we shouldn't expect a whole lot from him moving forward. 

Nootbaar has hit under .250 in two of the past three years and has never hit 15 home runs or driven in 50 runs in a season. So, he is a fine drop in most leagues right now. 

Verdict: Drop in most 12-team leagues. 

Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF, Kansas City Royals

Everyone expected Kansas City Royals prospect Jac Caglianone to come in and immediately tear it up. MLB Pipeline's No. 10 overall prospect was red-hot down in the minors to start the season, hitting .322 with 15 home runs and 56 RBI in his first 50 games at Double-A and Triple-A. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.

Caglianone is batting just .213 with two extra-base hits and two RBI in his first 11 career games. However, there is a lot to be encouraged by moving forward. The 22-year-old has a .331 expected batting average, .527 expected slugging, 55.9% hard-hit rate, and an 11.8% barrel rate to begin his MLB career. 

Patrick Mahomes is front row with Royals fans tonight for Jac Caglianone's home debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/dszhmTHpD6

— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2025

As a result, Caglianone should be held in every league heading into Week 12 of the fantasy baseball season. The top prospect has gotten a bit unlucky at the plate, and things should eventually even out for him. Given his elite hard-hit rate and high expected batting average, he has the potential to emerge as a really strong fantasy option over the next few weeks. 

Verdict: Hold in all formats 

Matthew Liberatore, RP/SP, St. Louis Cardinals

Regression was always inevitable for St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore. He was pitching better than his metrics suggested, and it was only a matter of time until the left-hander came back down to earth. That has definitely been the case for him in his last three starts. 

After owning a 2.73 ERA in his first 10 outings, the 25-year-old has allowed at least five runs in each of his last three starts. Liberatore gave up five runs (four earned runs) across five innings against the Rangers on May 30, seven runs against the Royals on June 5, and five runs in his most recent outing against the Blue Jays on June 11.

It has been a rough few starts for Liberatore, who saw his ERA drop from 2.73 to 4.17 during this span. This recent stretch has also seen his rostership drop in several leagues entering Week 12. That's not entirely a surprise, considering the southpaw has an eye-opening 10.29 ERA across his last three outings. 

Given his recent numbers, fantasy managers should be looking to trade him. His strikeout rate (20.3%), barrel rate (10%), and hard-hit rate (44.2%) all rank in the 38th percentile or worse, and opposing hitters are all over his fastball with a .310 batting average against that pitch. That means you should be actively looking to trade Liberatore away, preferably after his start against the White Sox on Tuesday. 

Verdict: Sell low in all formats  

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