Projecting Rest of Season Top 10 Infielders in 2026 Fantasy Baseball: August Update

August 25, 2026

Dan Palyo projects which 10 infielders will finish the season in the top 10 for the 2026 fantasy baseball season as we head into Week 22 of MLB action.

This should be my final rankings update for the MLB season. Each week, I cover a different position, from starting pitchers to closers, outfielders, and infielders. This week, we take our last look at the infielder leaderboard, and I make my final predictions for how things shake out by the end of September.

Each week, we take a closer look at the top ten at a different position and ask a few important questions for fantasy baseball. Which players will drop out of the top 10? Which other players outside that group could be productive enough over the rest of the season to push up into this group?

In my latest reprise of this popular series, I'll take a look at the top 10 infielders for fantasy baseball as of today, August 25, 2026.

Current Top 10 Infielders for Fantasy Baseball

Here are the top 10 most valuable infielders in 5x5 roto leagues right now, according to Yahoo's player rankings. All stats were current through Sunday, August 23.

CJ Abrams returned from a four-game hiatus yesterday and quickly reminded us of his fantasy dominance with two runs scored, two stolen bases, and an RBI. He's now leading off and should continue to do so as long as James Wood is out, and his dream season for fantasy managers continues.

Speaking of dream seasons, if you drafted Sal Stewart this year, you're probably doing pretty well in your league's standings. Stewart was getting a lot of buzz this preseason, but he has lived up to the hype and then some with one of the best seasons that we've seen from a rookie in recent years.

Sal Stewart launches one off the batter’s eye to put the @Reds in front 💥 pic.twitter.com/RALsCOJBPc

— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2026

Stewart feels like a lock for NL Rookie of the Year, as his 98 RBI leads all of MLB and he's on pace to outdo Pete Alonso's rookie RBI total of 120 back in his historic 2019 campaign.

Speaking of Alonso, he's been one of the hottest hitters in the league lately and has risen to the fifth spot on the leaderboard after not even cracking the top 10 last month.

Pete Alonso is batting .480/.544/.940 (1.484 OPS) with 7 HR amidst a career-best 13-game hitting streak for the @Orioles. pic.twitter.com/F7WoRo5AMK

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) August 22, 2026

The Polar Bear is hitting .364 over the last month with nine home runs and 19 RBI. He should have had another one the other night, but the umpires incorrectly ruled it as a foul ball, even after a review! It's been a rough season for the Orioles, but Alonso has established himself as a leader in Baltimore and continues to be one of the best power hitters in baseball.

Otto Lopez is still holding onto a spot on the leaderboard for now, but is falling down the ranks as he's finally had some regression set in. As we predicted, his BABIP was unsustainable, and he's hit just .220 over the last month with no home runs. He's still going to end up as one of the best draft-day values of the season, but I have him falling out of the top 10 completely as other hitters are surging and likely to overtake him.

Ben Rice is another faller, and this is one that I got wrong, as I had him as a top-3 infielder in my last update. He's hitting just .167 over the last month with only 11 RBI as the Yankees offense continues to stumble.

His season-long average has dropped to .249 and is the major reason why he's dropped so far on the leaderboard. I think he'll bounce back at some point, and he has already done enough to probably cement a top-10 finish barring a total no-show in September.

Projected Top 10 Infielders for Fantasy Baseball

When we factor in the remaining schedule and adjust for some expected regression, we end up with this list - my prediction for which infielders finish as the top 10 infielders by the end of the season.

I was ready to move Caminero up to my top spot with Abrams' injury, but I think he'll have a hard time catching him as long as Abrams is healthy. The stolen bases from Abrams make up for the home run advantage that Caminero holds.

Stewart has proven that he's not going anywhere, and I can't really foresee any kind of collapse from the power-hitting duo of Matt Olson and Alonso.

It's been a bit of a disappointing year from Bobby Witt Jr. in terms of power and run production, but the steals (now up to 35) give him such a high floor. One of these years we will get another 30-homer, 100 RBI, 30-steal season from Witt Jr.; he's simply too talented for it not to happen again.

Miguel Vargas didn't take the second-half leap that I was hoping for, but he continues to contribute positively across the board with the exception of batting average.

It's happening a bit more slowly than I expected, but Elly De La Cruz is closing in on the top 10 as he's sitting just outside the leaderboard at 11th. He's on pace to beat his 22 home runs from last season, despite missing a significant chunk of time, though the drop in steals is a bit of a bummer. I'm not sure we will ever see the 67 steals we got from him in 2024, but he should be stealing 30+ bags a season with his speed.

WILLSON CONTRERAS 450 FT OUT OF FENWAY PARK!

116 OFF THE BAT!!! pic.twitter.com/vRM93mebIn

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) August 22, 2026

My last pick here is Boston slugger Willson Contreras. He's been super steady all year for Boston and is helping to power that offense towards a playoff spot. It's great seeing him pick up his batting average to .280 from the .240 to .265 range where we have seen him the last six seasons.

Honorable Mentions

Brandon Lowe and Brice Turang have both been awesome this year at the second base position. Turang's drop in batting average to .259 is holding him back, but he's still positioned for a 20-20 season, something like 90+ runs and RBI. Lowe had a mid-season lull that really held him back a bit, but is hitting .291 over the last month with six home runs.

BRANDON LOWE WALK-OFF HOMER! pic.twitter.com/tErGEYPMMZ

— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2026

Lowe's 27 home runs from the second base position have been a cheat code for fantasy owners. With even a modest finish in September, he should outperform his numbers across the board from last season.

Alex Bregman and Max Muncy both deserve a shout-out at third base. Muncy has been an RBI machine over the last month, driving in 20 runs while smacking six more home runs. He's quietly having another very solid year.

SO NICE, HE DID IT TWICE. pic.twitter.com/zfZV8ndxVx

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 22, 2026

Bregman totally turned his season around this summer, after a brutal start with his new team in the first few months. He's in top form right now, putting up league-leading numbers with nine home runs, 25 RBI, 25 runs scored, and a .336 average over the last month. If it weren't for that terrible start, he'd probably be in contention to finish on the leaderboard.

Luis Garcia Jr. has proven that his solid season is no fluke, as he's still producing in New York. He's giving managers first baseman-like production with second base eligibility this year.

Kevin McGonigle is going to finish the year with the best stats of any rookie shortstop, not Konnor Griffin or JJ Wetherholt, though Wetherholt is still having a solid campaign. McGonigle's last month has been tremendous as he's hit .299 with five home runs, 21 RBI, and 23 runs scored.

That's been good enough for 12th overall, and managers have to be thrilled with the season that they've gotten out of him thus far. He clearly has a very bright future in the league.

Good luck with your playoff pushes, and be sure to let me know who I left out (as I am sure you will!)

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