The Cut List - Time To Let Go? Who To Consider Dropping For Fantasy Baseball (Week 13)

June 21, 2026

The fantasy baseball Cut List for Week 13 of 2026. Jamie analyzes potential fantasy baseball busts, overvalued players, and injured players to consider dropping.

Welcome back to The Cut List as we head into Week 13 of the 2026 season. For those who are not familiar, this is our weekly article looking at players whom fantasy managers might be considering cutting from their teams and struggling players who need a closer look.

We'll look at players who are worth monitoring for replacing and someone on the hot seat who should be held on to... for now. Experienced Cut List readers will know I'm a strong advocate for not making knee-jerk reactions. A bad week or two shouldn't be a reason to push the panic button and dump someone.

If there's ever someone you want me to take a look at, drop their name in the Reddit comments, the RotoBaller Discord chat rooms, or reach out to me on X (@Baseball_Jimbo). Maybe you'll see them included next week. All stats and rostered rates (taken from Yahoo!) reflect when this piece was written.

Pitchers

Cole Ragans - SP, Kansas City Royals - 84% rostered

Injuries have plagued Ragans throughout his Major League career. He only managed 61 2/3 innings (13 starts) last year and has been limited to eight starts in 2026. Ragans went on the IL (injured list) in May but was set to return by now. He failed to recover from a May 23 rehab assignment and was transferred to the 60-day IL this week.

Royals Move Cole Ragans to 60-Day Injured List https://t.co/FVNP5AzMfH

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) June 18, 2026

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We're still awaiting a full update on his elbow issue, but the signs aren't great. Ragans has been getting more checks, scans, and opinions, which is seldom a positive sign. There's a good chance we don't see Ragans again this year. His checkered injury history doesn't offer much hope of a 2026 return.

Verdict: 

Of course, if you have an empty IL spot, leave Ragans on there and wait for news. If you have someone else you can stash on the IL and then use the roster spot to pick someone else up, do so. Ragans is a low-priority stash at this point.

Abner Uribe - RP, Milwaukee Brewers - 57% rostered

Trevor Megill's early-season struggles opened the closer door for Uribe. And while he converted five of his seven save opportunities this year, Uribe's last save came on May 19. Since then, Uribe has appeared from the bullpen nine times, collecting two wins and four holds.

Uribe has pitched well in that time, allowing just two earned runs (2.00 ERA). Megill has also pitched well in that time, with a 1.80 ERA over the last month. Megill has also converted four of the five save opportunities that have come his way. What looked like a committee is now Uribe operating as a setup man.

Yesterday, Uribe entered the game with one out in the seventh inning. He retired the two batters he faced to preserve the Brewers' lead (an inherited runner scored on a groundout). Megill then pitched a clean eighth inning before Aaron Ashby gave up a walk-off homer for his third blown save and first loss of the year.

There was an expectation that Megill would be traded in-season. Even with the Brewers leading the NL Central, they could still look to maximize a return. But it's difficult to see how Milwaukee could get a good enough return for Megill without harming their postseason ambitions.

Verdict:

Uribe might still pick up some saves when Megill is unavailable. But in shallower leagues that don't count on holds, Uribe isn't helping your cause. There will likely be someone available who will record more saves than Uribe moving forward, even if you have to be regularly active in waiver claims.

Hitters

Alex Bregman - 3B, Chicago Cubs - 92% rostered

Bregman has been one of the most disappointing players this year. Many drafted Bregman as their 'boring' anchor in the lineup. Someone you can leave to accumulate a good number of counting stats. While he wasn't expected to be a league-winner, fantasy managers expected a lot better than they've been getting.

The main problem has been Bregman's home-and-road splits. On the road, Bregman is hitting .299/.370/.417 with a 123 wRC+. At Wrigley Field, he's hitting .205/.319/.288 with a 77 wRC+. If we look at Statcast Park Factors for right-handed hitters (RHH) over the last three years, those splits might not be a shock.

Wrigley Field is known for its windy conditions impacting games. But the ballpark as a whole has been far more friendly for pitchers than hitters. Even with that in mind, you wouldn't expect to see such a stark difference between Bregman's numbers at home and on the road.

Verdict:

It's difficult not to think that Bregman's numbers won't improve at home. The Cubs will also need to improve, something else we can expect to see. Provided both things materialize, Bregman is worth holding. But benching him in home games makes sense right now.

Austin Riley - 3B, Atlanta Braves - 90% rostered

Riley has been the poster boy for disappointing third basemen this year. Even more so than Bregman. After 75 games, Riley is hitting .210/.289/.351 with eight home runs, 36 RBI, 31 runs, and four stolen bases. He did show signs of life in May, hitting .254/.301/.507 in the first 20 days of the month.

Over his last 30 games, Riley has a .196/.291/.324 slash line and hasn't homered since May 20. His struggles have been so bad that Riley now ranks 33rd at the position (according to Yahoo! standard 5x5 rotisserie scoring). And I'm not sure how much better things will get. If at all.

The biggest issue for Riley this year has been the lack of production on flyballs. If we compare his numbers on flyballs over the last five seasons, we can see just how badly his overall numbers have been impacted by them this year.

Verdict: 

Riley's bat speed is still excellent. He's just not making enough quality contact, so the flyballs aren't producing the rewards they did in the past. I'm not sure we will see a significant enough change in that this year. I tend to preach patience, but it may have just run out for the Braves' third baseman.

Chandler Simpson - OF, Tampa Bay Rays - 53% rostered

Simpson is one of the fastest players in baseball. Despite that, he's stolen one more base than you and me over the last 30 days. Before yesterday, Simpson's last steal came on May 11. He has been caught stealing four times since then.

Although Simpson was largely drafted for his speed, there is more to fantasy baseball than stolen bases. And Simpson has offered next to nothing in the other categories, either. Over his last 30 games, Simpson has hit .204/.248/.252 with no home runs, four RBI, nine runs, and one stolen base. Simpson has also dropped out of the leadoff spot.

Simpson could easily steal 12 bases in a month. He could also find himself in the Minor Leagues in July if he doesn't improve at the plate. There's no suggestion of an imminent demotion. But when your offense is based on getting on base and stealing bases, and you're doing neither, it leaves you vulnerable.

Verdict: 

If you need steals, holding on to Simpson makes sense. Otherwise, he's a drop. The negative impact on your batting average and lack of counting stats will offset any positive impact Simpson can provide with steals. Assuming he starts stealing bases regularly again soon.

On the Hot Seat

Michael King - SP, San Diego Padres - 91 % rostered

King has been having a very good season. Unless he's on one of your teams, you may not have realised how much he's scuffled of late. On May 10, King made his 10th start of the year and threw seven shutout innings against the Dodgers. At that point, King had a 2.31 ERA.

Since then, King has made five starts and has a 6.41 ERA. That ERA hasn't been inflated by one or two bad outings. King allowed three or more runs in all five starts and only struck out 14 while walking 11 (26 2/3 innings). King took the loss in four of those five starts.

King's struggles haven't had a hugely negative impact on his overall numbers to the point you'd notice his struggles. He's still got a 3.60 ERA and 1.19 WHIP on the year. But if we look at the way things are trending, regression was due and may continue.

King outperformed his xFIP in each of the previous three seasons. So I'm not too concerned that we see his ERA climb to ~4.50. But with the Braves and back-to-back games against the Dodgers next up for King, his fantasy managers may not be out of the woods any time soon.

Verdict: 

I'm not dropping King. I'm also not looking to start him again until he can get back to striking batters out and keeping runs off the board. If King isn't able to stop the recent trends from continuing, he may not be on as many rosters this time next month.

Reader Requests

As always, we're keen to hear who you want us to analyze. If there is anyone you want to include on next week's Cut List, drop their names on the Reddit thread or in the RotoBaller Discord chat rooms. Alternatively, you can reach out to me on X, and we'll endeavor to cover some requests each week.

Gunnar Henderson - SS, Baltimore Orioles - 99% rostered

Henderson's season is reflective of the Orioles'. It's been a struggle and an underachievement based on the talent. At least, that's the perception, largely due to his .220 batting average. Given that Henderson has a .235 xBA (expected batting average), will it get much better?

Perhaps not. But it's the counting stats that are driving Henderson to remain a solid fantasy option. Only one other shortstop has more home runs than Henderson. He also ranks in the top 10 at the position for RBI and runs, while his six stolen bases are a nice added extra.

Verdict: 

That all combines to make Henderson the 10th-ranked shortstop on Yahoo!. Maybe not quite where you expected when drafting him, but more than enough to warrant holding on to Henderson. Even if his batting average doesn't improve.

Trea Turner - SS, Philadelphia Phillies - 98% rostered

Turner has been a bit like Henderson. Just worse. He, too, has a lowly batting average (.226) and a slightly better xBA. Turner also ranks in the top-10 at the position for two categories (steals and runs). His seven home runs are a solid accompaniment to the speed, but his lack of RBI has left Turner ranked as the 22nd shortstop.

If we look at Turner's Statcast Profile, there's not a whole lot to get excited about.

The positive is that Turner continues to act as the Phillies' leadoff hitter. And after leaving Thursday's game following a hit-by-pitch, Turner returned to the lineup on Saturday. As rough as June has been for Turner's fantasy managers, he's still doing just enough to remain rostered.

Verdict: 

Unlike Simpson, Turner offers a bit more than stolen bases. Provided he remains in the leadoff spot, Turner is worth hanging on to. His track record should count for something. A slight improvement in Turner's production, like what we have seen in the past, will vault him up the shortstop rankings.

Nico Hoerner - 2B/SS, Chicago Cubs - 93% rostered

While the previous two middle infielders have been scuffling a bit, Hoerner has been brutal recently. Even with a three-hit performance on Friday, Hoerner is hitting .172/.229/.219 in June. But unlike the other two middle infielders, Hoerner can consider himself unlucky.

Hoerner has a .290 xBA this year. Considerably better than his .235 batting average. Among 258 qualified hitters, only Mookie Betts has been more unlucky with his batting average. Hoerner's .245 BABIP is by far the lowest of his career, and he's still walking more than he's striking out.

This month, Hoerner's .265 xBA is lower than his season mark. But still a lot better than his actual batting average. His 28.6% HardHit% is better in June than it was before this month (28.1% HardHit%). So much of Hoerner's numbers point to a stretch of bad luck with better days being ahead.

Verdict:

The Cubs' struggles have also led to Hoerner's lack of fantasy value recently. But things are certain to change sooner rather than later. While we won't see a repeat of Hoerner's 2025 season, there's still plenty of reason to believe he'll be a productive fantasy option over the remainder of 2026.

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