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Later-round second base (2B) fantasy baseball sleepers, breakouts predictions for 2026. These cheap 2B draft values with upside make for great late-round picks.
Spring is fast approaching as the weather is starting to warm up a little, and spring training games are being played. Baseball is back! At RotoBaller, we already released our middle-round draft values and targets series, and today we're back with another article in our later-round fantasy baseball draft sleepers series to help crush your upcoming fantasy drafts. In this article, you will find five late-round second base fantasy baseball sleepers and values for 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.
The later rounds are where you can shoot for the moon and select players with league-winning upside, take a chance on an injured star, or even an emerging top prospect. If fantasy managers miss out on taking a top 12 second baseman in their upcoming fantasy drafts, we have some late-round options who could pay off and be a tremendous value. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will these hitters provide a big return on their draft day cost? Read on to see our takes.
The five 2B fantasy baseball outlooks for 2026 below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. Be sure to save 30% on any MLB Package today to start reading all of our in-depth 2026 player outlooks and many other premium articles and tools, including Team Sync, the Live Draft Sync assistant, Custom Rankings Service, and so much more. Let's win some leagues in 2026!
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Later-Round Values: 2B Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Matt McLain, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain struggled in 2025, hitting .220/.300/.343 with 15 homers and 18 steals across 577 plate appearances. His biggest issue was a 28.9 K% driven by his passive plate approach. McLain's 26 percent chase rate and 11.2 SwStr% weren't that bad, but his 43 Swing% led to too many called strikes. McLain's 17.2 LD% also dragged his BABIP down to .292, though we don't have enough data on the 26-year-old to know his baseline yet.
McLain's contact quality declined relative to his 2023 rookie season, as he lost nearly a full tick of average airborne exit velocity (94.4 mph to 93.5) while his rate of Brls/BBE fell from 10.8 percent to 7.2 percent. McLain's HR/FB was nearly cut in half (17.4 percent to 9.9 percent). McLain was successful on 90 percent of his steal attempts and could push 20 homers, so he has fantasy upside.
However, playing time is no longer secure with Sal Stewart expected to receive 2B reps during spring training. Similarly, McLain's batting average (ATC projects McLain to hit .235 in 2026) could be a deal breaker in fantasy. Consider McLain a high-risk, medium-reward play at his ADP right now, with RotoBaller ranking him at 201, which aligns with 208 NFBC ADP.
-- Rick Lucks - RotoBaller
Luisangel Acuna, 2B, Chicago White Sox
After moving to the White Sox in the trade that saw Luis Robert Jr. head to the Mets, Luisangel Acuna avoided being in a logjam for playing time. However, he might not be an everyday player in Chicago either. Acuna can play across the diamond, and it's that versatility that will help him get into the lineup. Even with regular at-bats, there's little to get excited about from a fantasy standpoint.
Acuna played 95 games last year (193 plate appearances) and didn't hit a home run. He did steal 16 bases, and it's the speed that is Acuna's biggest asset. Across six seasons in the minor leagues, Acuna played 533 games at all levels. He tallied 206 stolen bases. Acuna also has a solid minor league career: .282/.351/.400 slash line and 41 home runs.
Luisangel Acuña winter league stats (39 games):
.939 OPS
8 HRs
12 SBs
26 Walks/33 KsWill Acuña be in the starting lineup opening day for the White Sox? pic.twitter.com/dJIFzp9gCl
— SleeperWhiteSox (@SleeperWhiteSox) February 3, 2026
The problem is that Acuna's numbers have regressed as he's moved up levels. In 158 Double-A games, Acuna hit .278/.346/.396 with 12 home runs. In 159 Triple-A games, Acuna hit seven home runs and had a .265/.307/.360 slash line. Acuna is only a deep league or AL-only dart throw. He should still be able to tally enough steals (ATC projects 18 stolen bases) to be relevant and shouldn't hurt your batting average. Expecting much more will likely lead to disappointment.
-- Jamie Steed - RotoBaller
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins infielder Otto Lopez is coming off a solid 15/15 campaign in which he also drove in 77 runs and scored 66 times in 143 games played. The real drawback here for a guy who had an 83.0 percent contact rate and a low 13.8 percent strikeout rate was that he registered just a .246 batting average after posting a .270 average in 117 games the year before.
While some of that could be attributed to the fact that he does not hit the ball all that hard, a very low BABIP of .264 indicates perhaps there was some bad luck involved, too. The Dominican's .269 expected batting average (xBA) also suggests things should have gone better in that regard.
Otto Lopez Profiles as a Projectable Middle Infield Option in 2026 https://t.co/cN9i5mP4cr
— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) February 28, 2026
With an 81st percentile sprint speed, another 15 steals should be attainable in 2026, and a 7.1 barrel rate should get him back to 10-plus home runs. If the 27-year-old can bat closer to .270 with similar RBI and run production to last year, he'd be a decent bat to come off of fantasy managers' benches when needed. Eligibility at both 2B and SS adds to his appeal, and he won't cost much with an NFBC ADP around 218 overall, which is right around his RotoBaller rank of 214 overall.
-- Jarod Rupp - RotoBaller
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates swung for the fences this offseason by acquiring second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Rays. Lowe, entering his age-31 season, remains the best pure power hitter at the keystone as his 31 homers last season led the position, while his .221 ISO and .477 slugging percentage ranked fourth among qualified 2B.
Going back to the start of the 2023 season, Lowe ranks third at the position in homers (73), second in slugging percentage (.466), and third in wRC+ (117). His batted-ball metrics were also excellent; his 91.1 MPH average exit velocity was best among 2B, and his 8.5 barrels-per-PA ranked third.
Bottom line, Lowe can mash while playing a position not known for producing home run hitters. Lowe would be a slam-dunk top-five 2B if it were not for an extensive injury history. His 134 games last year were the most he's played in a season since 2021, and he's never managed to play 150 games in a season.
Despite the injury risk, Lowe is a great value at his current price. His immense home run upside is currently being drafted outside the top-150 overall picks, according to the latest NFBC ADP of 172.
-- Mike Schwarzenbach - RotoBaller
Jose Caballero, 2B/3B/SS/OF, New York Yankees
New York Yankees infielder/outfielder Jose Caballero led the league in stolen bases last season (49). That was despite only having 370 plate appearances (126 games). Caballero's speed, positional versatility, and defensive capability make him the ideal bench bat. Being part of the Yankees lineup that led the Majors in runs scored is only going to help.
Caballero is in line for regular at-bats to start the season, with Anthony Volpe set to miss the first month of the season. By the time May comes around, Caballero might find himself filling in elsewhere. Even if he does play more regularly than the last couple of years, stolen bases will be Caballero's primary asset. He only has 18 home runs in 369 major league games, along with a .228/.316/.341 slash line.
Caballero's 12.7% BB% last year would translate into more stolen base chances and runs scored if he maintains it. It also means that Caballero has more value in OBP leagues. His walk rate will likely regress, but Caballero still managed to steal 44 bases in 2024 with a 5.6% BB% and .227/.283/.347 slash line. Caballero will steal plenty of bases, and ATC projects 36 steals in 2026. However, with his position eligibility and ability steal bases, he is a solid pick at his current 217 NFBC ADP.
-- Jamie Steed - RotoBaller
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Baseball Tool
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Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? We have lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy baseball drafts. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats and projections, ADPs, and news -- enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy baseball rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.
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Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at, including recent trending player names who are seeing increases or decreases in their draft values. Click any of the links to see the results and recommendations.
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