Fantasy Baseball Buy-Lows? Unlucky Star Players (Week 9)

May 27, 2026

Joey's fantasy baseball buy-lows, breakouts, trade candidates to target for Week 9 in 2026. These unlucky players are underperforming early for fantasy baseball.

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another edition of buy-low candidates. Each of the past two weeks, we have looked at the biggest star players who have been unlucky in the early going. Some of the unlucky star players we have covered recently are Ronald Acuna Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Mookie Betts, Logan Gilbert, and Manny Machado.

For this week, we'll analyze another wave of star players. This list will feature three hitters and four pitchers who are buy-low candidates in Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season. These buy-lows will feature two injured hitters returning soon, a pitcher coming off two poor starts, and another pitcher who has not lived up to his fantasy status recently.

Let's dive into the best buy-low candidates right now.

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has not been able to stay healthy in the early portion of the 2026 season. Lindor had surgery on his left hamate bone in the middle of February and has spent the last four weeks on the 15-day injured list due to a calf strain. The good news, though, is that the five-time All-Star could return sometime in June.

Francisco Lindor does some work on the field today pic.twitter.com/BSixurr3yU

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 25, 2026

While the start of Lindor's season hasn't gone according to plan, he should be a much better fantasy option once he returns from his calf injury. He has been a fantasy superstar in recent years, with three straight seasons of at least 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases, and was a bit unlucky at the plate prior to landing on the IL this season.

Lindor had an above-average expected batting average (.253), and his xwOBA (.340), expected slugging (.433), average exit velocity (90.9 mph), hard-hit rate (43.2%), and Pull AIR rate (21.6%) all ranked pretty well in his first 24 games. With the Mets shortstop set to return in the next few weeks, he is a fantastic buy-low in all formats right now.

Lindor batted just .226 with two home runs, two doubles, five RBI, and two stolen bases to start the season. Those numbers should drastically improve once he returns from the IL.

Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has been a bit frustrating to own to start the season. Although his eight home runs and 34 RBI are a nice sign, his low batting average (.223), high strikeout rate (28.3%), and below-average on-base percentage (.291) are all a bit worrisome. Riley is also slashing just .233/.298/.395 with three extra base hits and six RBI over his last 12 games.

Despite these recent poor numbers, Riley is one of the best star players to acquire in trades right now. His expected slugging (.418) is 37 points higher than his actual slugging (.381), and his average exit velocity (90.9 mph), barrel rate (10%), hard-hit rate (45.7%), bat speed (75.3 mph), and Pull AIR rate (19.3%) all rank in the upper half of the league.

After failing to hit 20+ home runs in back-to-back seasons, Riley is well on his way to reaching that mark for the first time since 2023. The Braves slugger is on pace to launch 24 home runs to go with 93 RBI, 81 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 2026. Considering he continues to hit the ball hard with an elite 75.3 mph bat speed, the 29-year-old is a must-buy in Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season.

Better days are surely ahead for Riley on a Braves offense that ranks second in runs scored this year.

Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is the second player on this list currently on the injured list. Anthony has been sidelined since May 7 due to a right wrist and finger ligament sprain. Even though the 22-year-old is still a few weeks away from returning, he is making steady progress in his recovery. He recently took 12-15 dry swings on Tuesday.

Before his injury, Anthony was not a solid fantasy option. He batted just .229 with one home run, five RBI, and two stolen bases in his first 30 games and had a .213/.352/.320 slash line with four extra-base hits and 21 strikeouts in the month of April. However, the 22-year-old projects well in fantasy for the rest of the season.

His expected batting average (.262) is 33 points higher than his actual batting average (.229), and his expected slugging (.410) is 89 points higher than his actual slugging (.321). Anthony also currently ranks in the 91st percentile in average exit velocity (92.3 mph), 82nd percentile in hard-hit rate (47.4%), 93rd percentile in launch angle sweet-spot rate (40.8%), and 94th percentile in walk rate (15.4%).

It might be a few weeks until Anthony is activated off the IL, but once he returns, he should post better all-around fantasy numbers. Trade for him now while his fantasy value is so low.

Nolan McLean, SP, New York Mets

New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean looked like a fantasy superstar just a few weeks ago. After throwing six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts against the Diamondbacks on May 8, McLean lowered his ERA to 2.78 on the season. Since that outing, the results haven't been there for him.

He has allowed 19 runs (16 earned runs) over his last 16 innings and got absolutely rocked in his most recent outing. McLean allowed seven runs on five hits while pitching a season-low 3 1/3 innings against the Reds on Monday. This recent stretch has skyrocketed his ERA to 4.40 on the year. However, the Mets right-hander is a clear buy-low in all fantasy formats in Week 9.

This is simply just a rough stretch for the rookie. He'll eventually bounce back on the mound, and his metrics fully back that up. McLean still has a solid 3.16 expected ERA, a .216 batting average against, an 87 mph average exit velocity, and a 29.6% strikeout rate. Those four metrics are enough reason to trade for the 24-year-old while his fantasy value is lower than usual.

Nolan McLean had a 2.92 ERA and 0.96 WHIP through his first nine starts.

Last 2 Starts: 9 IP, 13 ER

Now he has a 4.40 ERA and 1.09 WHIP

Level of concern: 0/10 pic.twitter.com/Xow5vD48hl

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) May 25, 2026

There should be no panic surrounding McLean in fantasy right now. He has shown his potential on the mound numerous times this year, which included a big-time performance against the Dodgers back on April 14 (seven innings, one run, eight strikeouts)

Freddy Peralta, SP, New York Mets

New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta might own a respectable 3.52 ERA across his 11 starts this season, but there is a slight buy-low window for him following back-to-back inconsistent outings. Peralta gave up three runs on two hits with six walks against the Yankees on May 17 and allowed four runs on eight hits across seven innings against the Marlins in his most recent outing on Saturday.

With a 4.50 ERA over his last three starts, Peralta is someone fantasy managers could be able to acquire in trade talks right now. If he is available in your league, he's worth a look as a buy-low candidate. His expected ERA (3.50), expected batting average against (.224), average exit velocity (87.8 mph), whiff rate (27.3%), strikeout rate (24%), and barrel rate (5.3%) all rank in the top half of the league.

Peralta has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball over the last few years. He finished with a career-best 2.70 ERA last year and has established himself as a top strikeout pitcher in the game. The veteran has topped 200 strikeouts in three consecutive seasons. His prior track suggests he's a major buy in the midst of a couple of uneven starts.

Jacob deGrom, SP, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom has been a bit disappointing in his last few starts. He has allowed at least four runs in three of his last four outings and is coming off his worst start of the season against the Angels on Friday. The two-time Cy Young winner allowed six runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts across three innings. Those three innings pitched marked his shortest outing of the season.

There's no secret that deGrom has struggled in the month of May. He has allowed six earned runs in two different starts and has a whopping 6.45 ERA across four outings this month. This stretch, though, makes it the best time to buy the future Hall of Famer in all fantasy formats. The Rangers right-hander will pitch better on the mound and will return to being a fantasy supertar in the near future.

The 37-year-old still ranks in the top 10% of the league in chase rate (35.8%), whiff rate (33.2%), strikeout rate (29.8%), and walk rate (5.8%). DeGrom isn't going to be pitching this poorly for much longer. So, make sure to acquire him before his next start. He had an impressive 2.01 ERA and 40 strikeouts in his first six starts before this uncharacteristic stretch.

Shota Imanaga, SP, Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga was cruising on the mound to start the season. He had a 2.32 ERA and 59 strikeouts in his first nine starts and put together his best performance of the season just this month. Imanaga threw seven shutout innings with five strikeouts against the Diamondbacks back on May 2.

Shota Imanaga has punched out nine Pirates in six no-hit innings, but he's at 100 pitches and the Cubs had the bullpen up pic.twitter.com/2eEYUbXdi2

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 10, 2026

But the southpaw has not been that same pitcher recently. He allowed eight runs across 4 1/3 innings in a start against the Brewers last Monday and then gave up seven runs across six innings against the Astros on Sunday. Imanaga now finds himself with a whopping 4.04 ERA and a 5.34 ERA across five starts in May.

While it's hard to ignore the 15 runs that he has allowed in his last two starts, Imanaga has been nails on the mound for most of the year. His strikeout numbers are way up from last year (25.7% strikeout rate), and both his whiff rate (31.1%) and chase rate (38%) rank in the top 15% of the league. Don't let these two recent poor outings scare you away from trading for him.

More Fantasy Baseball Advice