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Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 13 of the 2026 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players who are currently struggling and not performing well as of Week 13 (June 22 to June 28). Should fantasy baseball managers drop, hold, or sell these well-known players?
For this week, we will analyze five disappointing fantasy players. Some of these struggling fantasy players include a 2025 All-Star, a closer who has not looked right since returning from the injured list, and a hitter in the midst of a poor stretch at the plate.
So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Let's find out.
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Freddy Peralta, SP, New York Mets
New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta has not been the usual ace on the mound this season. After finishing with a 2.70 ERA and 28.2% strikeout rate across 176 2/3 innings pitched last year, Peralta has been a completely different pitcher in 2026. The two-time All-Star has a whopping 4.83 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, and a 22.1% strikeout rate in his first 16 starts.
To make matters worse, Peralta has really struggled as of late. He has allowed at least four earned runs in four of his last six starts and just gave up a season-high 10 runs on 10 hits across 2 2/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. The Mets right-hander now has a 5.89 ERA since the beginning of May.
"If somebody's able to bounce back after bad outings, it's a guy like Freddy. He's a competitor, he's a guy who's gonna come back the next day and look for ways to get better"
- Carlos Mendoza on Freddy Peralta pic.twitter.com/6jDVyIwdi2
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 21, 2026
Despite his recent poor numbers on the mound, Peralta is a hold in all fantasy leagues in Week 13. While fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be the same pitcher from last year, he should be a bit better on the mound moving forward.
For starters, his expected ERA (3.84) is 99 points lower than his actual ERA (4.83). That's a clear sign that Peralta will have better results in the near future. Additionally, he's still inducing a ton of swings and misses on his offspeed stuff. He has a 29.1% whiff rate on his changeup, a 33% whiff rate on his curveball, and a 50% whiff rate on his slider.
Don't give up on Peralta just yet. Trust his prior track record and hold him.
Verdict: Hold in all formats
Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Houston Astros
It's not totally surprising to see Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti come back down to earth. He was one of the bigger sell-high candidates following a strong start to the season. Arrighetti had a 1.34 ERA and 43 strikeouts in his first eight starts in April/May, but his 4.00 FIP told a different story.
Since the calendar turned to June, Arrighetti has finally shown some negative regression. The right-hander has a 6.95 ERA across four June starts. He has allowed at least four runs in three of his last four starts and just gave up a season-high six runs across six innings in his most recent outing against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.
These poor outings could be the norm for Arrighetti, as things might not improve for him. His expected ERA (4.56) is still 143 points higher than his actual ERA (3.13), and he ranks in the bottom half of the league in chase rate (28%), walk rate (10.9%), and Pull Air rate (21.4%). That's enough reason to sell the 26-year-old for cheap in most 12+ team leagues.
There are just too many concerns with Arrighetti's game right now. His first-pitch strike rate (53.6%) is down almost 10% from his first two Major League seasons, and his swinging strike rate (10.1%) is the lowest of his short career. It's best to trade him now before his ERA really starts to plummet.
Verdict: Sell in 12+ team leagues
Ryan Helsley, RP, Baltimore Orioles
Those fantasy managers who own Baltimore Orioles closer Ryan Helsley were delighted when he was activated from the 15-day injured list last week. Helsley was on the injured list for almost two months as he worked his way back from right elbow inflammation. His return meant that he was set to resume his closer role in the ninth inning for this Orioles team.
However, Helsley has looked rusty in his first two appearances off the IL. He gave up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts across one inning against the Mariners on June 17 and blew a save against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday after giving up three runs (two earned runs) with two hits and two walks across 2/3 of an inning.
Ryan Helsley has given up some runs in his two outings since his return from the IL.
The closer on recent woes. pic.twitter.com/9u9FfQcCCW
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) June 20, 2026
These two rough appearances, though, aren't enough to drop Helsley in most category leagues. He is still the top closer in Baltimore, and his rest-of-season metrics are encouraging. The multi-All-Star has an elite .207 expected batting average against, 39% whiff rate, 29.8% strikeout rate, and a 54.8% groundball rate.
It's a smart idea to hang onto Helsley as he shakes off the rust following an almost two-month stay on the IL. Before his elbow injury, the Orioles right-hander had a 2.53 ERA and seven saves across 10 2/3 innings pitched.
Verdict: Hold in most 12+ team leagues
Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers has cooled off a little bit over the past few weeks. He's batting just .219 with five home runs, two doubles, and 16 RBI over his last 21 games dating back to May 27, and he has only five hits in his last 30 at-bats (.167 batting average). This is definitely a bit of a cold stretch for Bauers, as he slashed .292/.363/.507 in his first 40 games.
Jake Bauers for three. pic.twitter.com/pziFrfOedD
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) June 3, 2026
Although the lefty slugger hasn't been as productive at the plate as he was to start the season, he is a clear hold in all fantasy leagues. The home runs have still been there despite the low batting average, and his metrics suggest he'll eventually break out of this mini-slump.
Bauers ranks in the top 20% of the league in xwOBA (.359), expected slugging (.465), average exit velocity (92.6%), barrel rate (13.4%), hard-hit rate (54.1%), bat speed (76.9 mph), and chase rate (19.4%). With the Brewers' first baseman also on pace to hit 28 home runs and steal 11 bases this season, he should not be dropped in any leagues.
Make sure to hold onto him in all formats.
Verdict: Hold in all leagues
Ernie Clement, 1B/2B/3B/SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement has really been a steady fantasy contributor for most of the season. He has a .292 batting average with seven home runs, 20 doubles, one triple, 28 RBI, and two stolen bases across 75 games. Those strong numbers in the first three months have helped his rostership climb to over 70% in Yahoo! leagues.
But Clement hasn't been as solid offensively as of late. He is slashing just .171/.189/.200 with one double, two RBI, and seven strikeouts over his last nine games. While this might be a smaller sample size, it could be a sign of what's to come for the 30-year-old utility specialist.
His expected batting average (.250) is 42 points lower than his actual batting average (.292), and his xwOBA (.267), expected slugging (.341), average exit velocity (85.4 mph), barrel rate (2.7%), hard-hit rate (25.3%), bat speed (67.7 mph), and chase rate (46.2%) all rank in the bottom 10% of the league. Those metrics are major warning signs that Clement's numbers could keep falling.
That's why Clement is a fine drop in some 12+ team leagues. He doesn't post elite numbers in any category, and his batting average should slowly drop moving forward.
