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Nick Mariano's expert shortstop (SS) fantasy baseball rankings for 2026 drafts. RotoBaller has the industry's #1 accuracy fantasy baseball rankings, projections.
Opening Day is in a few days and will kick off another full year of baseball. At RotoBaller HQ, we continue to update our positional rankings with the latest news. Today, we are reviewing shortstop. Shortstop is loaded; it can dry up quickly. Fantasy managers might want to grab their starter in the middle rounds, especially in leagues that require a middle infielder. In this article, you will find our 2026 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 category mixed leagues). These March rankings cover the top 70 shortstops for 2026.
With Opening Day fast approaching, fantasy managers should expect to hear a lot of news, rumors, and hype this offseason on trendy picks or even a player having a hot spring. When should you take a chance on a shortstop who is on the rise, a top prospect, a player returning from injury, or a shortstop who is set to bounce back this season? Find out where key shortstops such as Geraldo Perdomo, Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle, Otto Lopez, JJ Wetherholt, Colson Montgomery, and others are listed in our rankings.
The shortstop rankings below are specifically designed for traditional roto leagues, put together by RotoBaller's lead MLB forecaster Nick Mariano. We're also writing fresh articles all throughout the off-season for fantasy baseball prospects, fantasy baseball dynasty, and so much more. Win more in 2026!
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Updated Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Rankings (March)
| Tier | Rank | Player | Position |
| 1 | 1 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS |
| 1 | 2 | Elly De La Cruz | SS |
| 2 | 3 | Gunnar Henderson | SS |
| 2 | 4 | Francisco Lindor | SS |
| 2 | 5 | Zach Neto | SS |
| 2 | 6 | Trea Turner | SS |
| 3 | 7 | Mookie Betts | SS |
| 3 | 8 | Maikel Garcia | 2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 3 | 9 | CJ Abrams | SS |
| 3 | 10 | Geraldo Perdomo | SS |
| 3 | 11 | Trevor Story | SS |
| 3 | 12 | Corey Seager | SS |
| 3 | 13 | Bo Bichette | SS |
| 3 | 14 | Willy Adames | SS |
| 4 | 15 | Dansby Swanson | SS |
| 4 | 16 | Jeremy Pena | SS |
| 4 | 17 | Konnor Griffin | SS/OF |
| 4 | 18 | Jacob Wilson | SS |
| 4 | 19 | Xavier Edwards | 2B/SS |
| 5 | 20 | Ezequiel Tovar | SS |
| 5 | 21 | Colson Montgomery | 3B/SS |
| 5 | 22 | Jackson Holliday | 2B/SS |
| 5 | 23 | Kevin McGonigle | SS |
| 5 | 24 | Jose Caballero | 2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 5 | 25 | Bryson Stott | 2B/SS |
| 6 | 26 | JJ Wetherholt | 2B/3B/SS |
| 6 | 27 | Xander Bogaerts | SS |
| 6 | 28 | Otto Lopez | 2B/SS |
| 6 | 29 | Brendan Donovan | 2B/SS/OF |
| 6 | 30 | Masyn Winn | SS |
| 6 | 31 | Carlos Correa | 3B/SS |
| 6 | 32 | Ernie Clement | 1B/2B/3B/SS |
| 7 | 33 | Andres Gimenez | 2B/SS |
| 7 | 34 | Chase Meidroth | 2B/3B/SS |
| 7 | 35 | Anthony Volpe | SS |
| 7 | 36 | Zach McKinstry | 3B/SS/OF |
| 7 | 37 | Josh Smith | 1B/3B/SS/OF |
| 7 | 38 | Nasim Nunez | 2B/SS |
| 7 | 39 | Brooks Lee | 2B/3B/SS |
| 7 | 40 | Colt Emerson | SS |
| 7 | 41 | J.P. Crawford | SS |
| 7 | 42 | Joey Ortiz | SS |
| 7 | 43 | Carson Williams | SS |
| 7 | 44 | Ha-Seong Kim | 2B/SS |
| 7 | 45 | Jake Cronenworth | 1B/2B/SS |
| 8 | 46 | Jared Triolo | 1B/2B/3B/SS |
| 8 | 47 | Jett Williams | 2B/SS/OF |
| 8 | 48 | Hyeseong Kim | 2B/SS/OF |
| 8 | 49 | Brooks Baldwin | 2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 8 | 50 | Javier Baez | 2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 8 | 51 | Max Muncy (SS) | 2B/3B/SS |
| 8 | 52 | Mauricio Dubon | 2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 8 | 53 | Brayan Rocchio | 2B/SS |
| 9 | 54 | Gabriel Arias | 2B/SS |
| 9 | 55 | Aidan Miller | SS |
| 9 | 56 | Javier Sanoja | 2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 9 | 57 | Miguel Rojas | 2B/3B/SS |
| 9 | 58 | Jesus Made | 2B/3B/SS |
| 9 | 59 | Thomas Saggese | 2B/3B/SS |
| 10 | 60 | Nick Gonzales | 2B/SS |
| 10 | 61 | Edmundo Sosa | 2B/3B/SS |
| 10 | 62 | Oswald Peraza | 1B/2B/3B/SS |
| 10 | 63 | Isiah Kiner-Falefa | 2B/3B/SS |
| 10 | 64 | Ryan Ritter | 2B/SS |
| 10 | 65 | Daniel Schneemann | 2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 10 | 66 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS |
| 10 | 67 | Alex Freeland | 3B/SS |
| 10 | 68 | Taylor Walls | SS |
| 10 | 69 | Leodalis De Vries | SS |
| 10 | 70 | Ezequiel Duran | 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF |
| 10 | 71 | David Hamilton | 2B/SS |
| 10 | 72 | Jorge Mateo | 2B/SS/OF |
Fantasy Baseball Shortstop (SS) News
Jacob Wilson, Athletics
Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, who finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2025, is having a forgettable spring training, hitting .229 (8-for-35) with a home run, five RBI, three runs scored, and one stolen base in 39 plate appearances over 14 Cactus League games going into Thursday's action. Fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned with the results.
The 23-year-old former sixth overall pick in 2023 out of Grand Canyon University had an excellent first full year in the big leagues in 2025, slashing .311/.355/.444 with an .800 OPS, 13 home runs, 63 RBI, 62 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 523 plate appearances over 125 games played.
Wilson doesn't have a ton of power, but he does make elite contact and is one of the hardest hitters to strike out -- he fanned just 39 times in 486 at-bats last year. A fractured forearm didn't help Wilson finish strong last year, but there's still a lot to like with him as a No. 2 fantasy shortstop for his high average and counting stats in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league in Sacramento. RotoBaller has Wilson ranked as the No. 18 SS.
Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevory Story was held out of a third straight Grapefruit League game over the weekend, with the Red Sox "monitoring Story's workload" in an effort to keep him fresh going into the start of the 2026 regular season next week, a club source told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Story has played in 11 Grapefruit League games this year and has hit a strong .424 (14-for-33) with no homers, four doubles, three triples, two RBI, six runs scored, and a stolen base in 34 plate appearances.
The 33-year-old two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner had two injury-plagued seasons for Boston in 2023 and 2024 before rebounding to hit .263/.308/.433 with a .741 OPS, 25 home runs, 96 RBI, a career-high 31 stolen bases, and 91 runs scored in 157 regular-season games in 2025.
Boston is planning to give Story a "little more rest in 2026," which has started this spring. Story showed he can still deliver power/speed numbers for fantasy managers last year, but his lengthy injury history and advanced age make him a pretty big injury risk and more of a low-end starting shortstop option in fantasy leagues.
Bo Bichette, New York Mets
New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette hit his first home run of spring training on Tuesday in the Grapefruit League game against the Miami Marlins, going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and five RBI. The 28-year-old two-time All-Star is starting to get a little more comfortable at the plate and at defense at the hot corner for the Mets with a week to go until Opening Day.
Bichette came into Thursday's spring action hitting .267 (8-for-30) with a homer, eight RBI, four runs scored, four walks, and five strikeouts in 12 games played. He bounced back from an injury-plagued 2024 campaign to slash .311/.357/.483 with an .840 OPS, 18 home runs, 94 RBI, 78 runs scored, and four steals in 139 regular-season games in 2025 in his final year in Toronto.
Bichette should give fantasy managers a high floor with his strong contact skills, midrange power, and reliable counting stats in another strong lineup in Queens. He'll also provide shortstop eligibility to begin the year for fantasy managers. Bichette doesn't have the elite power/speed profile of the high-end fantasy shortstops, which is why he's more of a midrange fantasy target at shortstop/third base.
Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
After back-to-back top-10 finishes in the American League MVP voting in 2023 and 2024, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson battled through a down year in 2025. Across 651 plate appearances, the 24-year-old hit .274/.349/.438 with 17 home runs, 68 RBI, 85 runs scored, and 30 stolen bases. Henderson's barrel rate dropped from 11.2% to 8.5% in 2025, and his hard-hit rate fell from 53.9% to 49%.
As a result, his slugging percentage dipped from .529 to .438. However, injury may have played a role in Henderson's power decline. He suffered an intercostal strain in 2025 Spring Training that did not cause him to miss much time, but still may have impacted his performance at the plate.
Entering 2026, Henderson is fully healthy and has more help around him in the Baltimore lineup following the Orioles acquisition of first baseman Pete Alonso over the winter. Henderson remains an elite fantasy shortstop with the potential for high-level five-category production in 2026.
Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates
After another roster cutdown by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin remains in big-league camp and is one step closer to making the 2026 Opening Day roster. If the Pirates go with the best player at the shortstop position this spring, it would be Griffin, a 19-year-old phenom who is trying to be the first teenager in the big leagues since Juan Soto.
The former ninth overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft made it look easy in three minor-league levels in 2025 in his first professional season, hitting .333/.415/.527 with a .941 OPS, 21 home runs, 94 RBI, 117 runs scored, and 65 stolen bases in 122 total games (563 plate appearances) with Single-A Bradenton, High-A Greensboro, and Double-A Altoona.
With an advanced approach at the plate, impressive strength, and high-end power/speed abilities, Griffin has the makings of a once-in-a-generation player that could really make a difference in his first MLB season without any experience at Triple-A. All signs are pointing to Kriffin being on the Opening Day roster, and he'll certainly have an impact in all fantasy baseball formats in 2026.
Carson Williams, Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop and top prospect Carson Williams "seems likely" to be the team's Opening Day starting shortstop, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Williams was optioned to Minor League camp on Tuesday, but the news that presumed Rays starting shortstop Taylor Walls (oblique) will open the year on the Injured List due to an oblique issue has apparently necessitated a change in plans.
Williams made his MLB debut in 2025 and struggled mightily, slashing .172/.219/.354 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 106 plate appearances. The 22-year-old struck out in 41.5% of his big-league plate appearances and wasn't much better at Triple-A, where he logged a 34.1% strikeout rate.
However, Williams also racked up 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases across his 451 Minor League plate appearances in 2025. If he can limit his swing-and-miss to a more manageable level, Williams carries clear power/speed upside for fantasy managers. However, his profile comes with considerable downside risk in the batting average category.
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