Fantasy Baseball Buy-Lows? Unlucky Star Players (Week 10)

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez has not performed at his usual level at the plate this season. He is batting just .228/.341/.397 with eight home runs and 20 stolen bases across 61 games this season.

While his 20 stolen bases currently lead the American League, his poor slash line and low home run numbers have prevented Ramirez from being that all-around fantasy superstar that we all know he can be.

Behold, the 300th stolen base of José Ramírez's legendary career. pic.twitter.com/gVfP4uxWET

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) May 2, 2026

That gives fantasy managers a prime opportunity to buy low on Ramirez. The seven-time All-Star is batting only .178 with four doubles and seven RBI in his last 12 games, and he had only nine extra-base hits (two home runs) in May. However, there should be no panic whatsoever surrounding Ramirez moving forward.

His expected batting average (.287) is 59 points higher than his actual batting average (.228), and his expected slugging (.465) is 68 points higher than his actual slugging (.397). Ramirez also ranks in the 70th percentile or better in Batting Run Value (5), xwOBA (.369), launch angle sweet spot rate (36.5%), walk rate (14.6%), and strikeout rate (13.1%).

Better days are definitely ahead for Ramirez. If you can buy him at a slight discount, that's a massive steal. The Guardians third baseman has hit at least 30 home runs, driven in 85 runs, and stolen 40 bases in back-to-back seasons.

Nico Hoerner, 2B, Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is usually one of the most consistent fantasy players. He hit .273 with seven home runs, 48 RBI, 86 runs scored, and 31 stolen bases across 151 games in 2024 and then hit .297 with seven home runs, 61 RBI, 89 runs scored, and 29 stolen bases in 156 games last year. Unfortunately, Hoerner has not quite been that same consistent fantasy player recently.

The 29-year-old is coming off a brutal month of hitting in May. After batting .291 with four home runs, 26 RBI, and seven stolen bases across 31 games in March/April, Hoerner posted a measly .207/.294/.252 slash line with five doubles, seven RBI, and four stolen bases in 28 games this past month. Those numbers made the Cubs second baseman a below-average fantasy player in May.

Despite that, Hoerner is a fantastic buy-low candidate in Week 10, especially if you need batting average, stolen base, or runs boosts in your roto leagues. He still owns a strong expected batting average (.296), and both his launch angle sweet-spot rate (38%) and squared-up rate (35.5%) rank in the upper half of the league.

Hoerner is too talented to continue hitting this poorly at the plate. He'll eventually turn things around and will return to be that all-around consistent fantasy option.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays

It has been a weird start to the year for Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Although he currently owns a .298 batting average and is on pace for a career-high in stolen bases (14), his lack of power has been noticeable in the early going. Guerrero has just three home runs in his first 245 plate appearances this season.

Additionally, the Blue Jays slugger is coming off a poor month at the plate. The five-time All-Star slashed .232/.339/.284 with three extra-base hits (one home run), nine RBI, and three stolen bases across 27 games in May. Those numbers made Guerrero one of the most traded players in Yahoo! leagues entering Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.

Now, there is some concern about his lack of power, considering his barrel rate (7%) is down 5.2% from last season. However, Guerrero is an easy buy at this point in the year. He still owns a 97th percentile expected batting average (.307), has a 94th percentile bat speed (76.2 mph), and his average exit velocity (90.3 mph) and hard-hit rate (43.5%) both rank in the upper half of the league.

Trust Guerrero's talent here and buy him in all formats. He might not be the 30-home run hitter that he was once, but he should hit close to 20 home runs with 80+ RBI and around a .290 batting average.

Wyatt Langford, OF, Texas Rangers

Fantasy managers might have forgotten about Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford. Langford has been on the shelf since April 22 due to a right forearm strain and wasn't really a productive fantasy player before his injury. The 24-year-old batted just .238 with one home run, three doubles, one triple, and three stolen bases in his first 20 games this season.

With Langford expected back sometime this weekend, though, he's worth a look as a trade target in some leagues. The talent is definitely there for him to be an all-around fantasy star once he returns from the IL. He hit .253 with 16 home runs and 19 stolen bases in his rookie campaign in 2024 and batted .241 with 22 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 134 games last year.

Wyatt Langford: #Back

B1 | FRI 0, SPR 0 pic.twitter.com/KonDbjs6Jy

— Frisco RoughRiders (@RidersBaseball) June 2, 2026

This is the same player who had a 14% barrel rate, a 48.4% hard-hit rate, a 91.4 mph average exit velocity, and an 88th percentile sprint speed (28.9 ft/sec) in 2025. While his early season metrics were a bit disappointing, it's too small a sample size to really make anything of it.

So, take a chance on Langford before his return from the injured list. He has both home run and stolen base upside in this Rangers lineup.

Maikel Garcia, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia has not followed up on his 2025 breakout campaign. After batting .286 with 16 home runs, 74 RBI, and 23 stolen bases across 160 games last year, Garcia has come out of the gate slowly in 2026. He's slashing just .268/.325/.384 with three home runs, 21 RBI, and four stolen bases in his first 56 games this season.

At this point last year, Garcia already established himself as a strong fantasy option. He had a .316/.378/.474 slash line with five home runs, 14 doubles, two triples, 25 RBI, and 10 stolen bases entering June. Although this season hasn't gone according to plan for the Royals infielder, he is someone fantasy managers should be looking to trade for in Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season.

His barrel rate (4.2%) is right around where it was last year (5.6%), and he's pulling the ball in the air at a personal-best clip (17.8%). With an 84th percentile expected batting average (.281) and a 93rd percentile squared-up rate (34.9%) as well, Garcia has the makings to bounce back from this slow start. He's a top star player to buy low this week.

His recent hamstring injury also shouldn't land him on the injured list.

Spencer Strider, SP, Atlanta Braves

It's not totally surprising to see Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider not in form yet on the mound. Strider started the season on the 15-day injured list due to an oblique strain and missed the first five weeks of the regular season. That missed time has led to the right-hander posting some mediocre numbers on the mound recently.

Strider has allowed nine earned runs across his last 16 1/3 innings pitched (4.96 ERA). He has given up three earned runs across five innings in each of his last two starts and has walked multiple batters in all six of his outings this year. However, the 27-year-old is one of the best pitcher buy-low options right now.

Spencer Strider, Wicked 85mph Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/dMhYjZ0kwu

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 31, 2026

His expected ERA (2.91) is 86 points lower than his actual ERA (3.77), and he continues to display his swing and miss stuff on the mound. Strider currently ranks in the 94th percentile in whiff rate (34.1%) and 96th percentile in strikeout rate (31.5%). Those metrics are very close to his 2023 metrics (38.6% whiff rate and 36.8% strikeout rate) when the Braves right-hander finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting.

As Strider gets more starts under his belt this season, he'll start to get into that All-Star form.

Jose Soriano, SP, Los Angeles Angels

After the first month of the season, Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano was looking like a Cy Young candidate. He had a 0.24 ERA and 43 strikeouts in his first six starts and allowed just one run across 37 1/3 innings pitched.

Since late April, though, Soriano has been a completely different pitcher on the mound. He has a 5.17 ERA and 42 strikeouts in his last seven starts. He has thrown just two quality starts since April 13 and allowed three runs (two earned runs) with seven walks across 4 2/3 innings against the Rockies on Monday.

Despite Soriano's recent struggles on the mound, some positive regression is likely headed his way within the next few weeks. He's still missing bats at an elite clip (34.4% whiff rate) and has struck out at least seven batters in three of his last five starts. His 27.1% strikeout rate should also carry him throughout the year.

The Angels right-hander is not the pitcher he was at the start of the season, nor is he the pitcher he has been recently. He's somewhere in between those two versions. His 3.66 FIP and 3.64 expected FIP confirm just that. But his potential to strike out batters at a high clip makes him an appealing pitcher to trade for in Week 10.

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