Across 384 plate appearances so far this season, Houston Astros infielder Isaac Paredes is hitting .254/.349/.417 with 12 home runs, 49 RBI, and 39 runs scored. The 27-year-old's underlying batted-ball metrics are underwhelming, as he owns a 5.9% barrel rate and a 30% hard-hit rate. However, Paredes specializes in pulling the ball in the air […]

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder/first baseman Esmerlyn Valdez has taken the league by storm through his first 28 games and 105 plate appearances, hitting .309/.371/.713 with a 1.084 OPS, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, and 21 runs for the Bucs. It all came to a head for the 22-year-old Dominican last weekend in a doubleheader sweep […]

Did you have a nice breather over the All-Star break? Well, now it's time to buckle up and strap back in for the second half of the fantasy baseball season. We're now entering the stretch run of the fantasy season, and every waiver wire addition becomes more and more valuable for those of you pushing […]

Baseball's back, RotoBallers! After a long and boring All-Star break, we get to return fully to America's pastime and look forward to the beginning of the second half. We're also a lot closer to the trade deadline, so let the fun speculation begin as the Mets have informed teams that they're open for business. I'm... […]

Baseball is back! The MLB All-Star break is over and the second half of the season begins. At RotoBaller HQ, we updated our top 100 waiver wire list ahead of the weekend to help fantasy managers in leagues that allow daily moves. Today, we review our weekend fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 16 -- […]

If you're still coming here for fantasy analysis, then good on you. That means your team is crushing it and you're in a great spot for the playoffs! Either that or you're chasing one of the final spots and need a few diamonds in the rough. Both options mean you're in a great spot and […]

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 17 of the 2026 MLB regular season. The goal of this article is to highlight players who could be breaking out, diving into current active hitting streaks, along with recent leaders in batting average, isolated power (ISO), stolen bases, and more. With no games […]

The All-Star break is over, and now is the perfect time to start targeting the next wave of prospects who could give your fantasy team a boost in the second half. Some of these minor leaguers can help across all five categories, while some are speed or power specialists. Like always, we’re highlighting five prospects […]

The All-Star break affords us a chance to press pause and take stock of our strengths, weaknesses, and potential avenues to success. Some years, I take a wide stance with this column and include an aggressive number of players who are rostered in a healthy swath of leagues, but we're going to zoom in a […]

We have reached the halfway point of the fantasy baseball season. At this point, most dynasty managers are well aware of whether they will be "contending" or focusing on the future. Whether that is due to several injuries or simply to many of their players underperforming, it is crucial to know when to begin building […]

Every MLB team has now played at least 90 games, meaning the season is nearly 60% complete. As with every season, there are underperforming hitters compared to where they were taken in drafts coming into the year. While it's always frustrating for a poor first half from one of your premium picks, that doesn't mean […]

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our Bargain Basement Hitters for Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season. The All-Star break is finally behind us, and we will have real MLB action tonight! As always, we will look at five hitters who are improving and are widely available across all Yahoo leagues and determine if they […]

We've finally reached the All-Star break, and everyone can sit back and take a breather for a few days. We don't have to set any lineups for a few more days, but now is a good time to take stock of your fantasy teams. Where can you improve? What moves can you make? And most […]

The Baltimore Orioles announced on Thursday that they recalled corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand from Triple-A Norfolk after placing infielder/outfielder Blaze Alexander (hand) on the 10-day injured list with a left-hand fracture. The Orioles acquired Encarnacion-Strand from the Cincinnati Reds back in April, and he hit .273/.309/.555 with 17 home runs, 48 RBI, 35 runs scored, […]

Detroit Tigers catching/first baseman prospect Josue Briceno (wrist) continues to work his way back from wrist surgery that he had before the season began, and is 10 games into his rehab assignment that has thus far been split between Single-A and with the team's Complex League affiliate, going 7-for-29 (.241) with a pair of doubles, […]

Across 408 plate appearances in 2026, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is hitting .290/.375/.487 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI, 52 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Even in his age-36 season, Freeman continues to look like one of the better all-around hitters in baseball. He's posted a 10.6% barrel rate and 45.1% […]

Across 406 plate appearances so far in 2026, Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda is hitting .297/.394/.471 with 14 home runs, 64 RBI, and 48 runs scored. After mostly working in a big-side platoon role through the early portion of his Rays career, the 28-year-old has emerged as an everyday staple in the heart […]

Cleveland Guardians prospect Ralphy Velazquez has split his time nicely this season between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. Between the two levels, Velazquez has 11 homers and 47 RBI to go with 44 runs scored while hitting .293. A first-base prospect who bats left-handed, Velazquez was the No. 23 overall pick in the first round […]

Through the first half of the season, fantasy baseball managers have seen many top prospects get the call and make an immediate impact. Players like Carson Benge, JJ Wetherholt, and Kevin McGonigle began the season in the majors, and Konnor Griffin followed shortly thereafter. Others like Cole Carrigg and A.J. Ewing were called up more recently […]

Welcome to another midweek edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers for Week 16 of the 2026 season! In this piece, I’ll take a look at Troy Melton, Chase DeLauter, Reid Detmers, and more.  It's hard to believe that we're already at the All-Star break, and plenty of players have entered the midpoint on a […]

Welcome back to baseball, RotoBallers. The All-Star break was a nice respite from the grind of the season, but the second half of the fantasy baseball calendar requires your full attention. To get things started, here is a new mid-week edition of Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16 of fantasy baseball. This week’s list […]

There are always fantasy baseball busts every season. These players are often drafted very high and don't live up to their high average draft position. Those who select these busts early in drafts are then put in a really hard place. They are likely too good to drop, but it's almost impossible to trade them […]

Every season, fantasy players look for those guys who go late in drafts or are totally undrafted. We pride ourselves on finding "our guys" that other people might not believe in, or guys they have misapplied value to in their preparation.  There have been a handful of waiver-wire players who have turned into fantasy superstars. […]

The MLB All-Star Game is officially in the books, and the second half of the season kicks off for Thursday night baseball.  At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice in our mid-week fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 16—July 13 through July 19 — to help navigate the waiver wire in […]

The Athletics are calling up corner-infield prospect Tommy White from Triple-A Las Vegas, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. The former star at LSU and second-round pick in the 2024 draft hit a combined .303/.353/.465 with an .818 OPS, 10 home runs, 64 RBI, 53 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 76 games with […]

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch has looked good so far in July, going 11-for-38 (.289) with a home run, three doubles, three RBI, and six runs scored in 10 games played and 44 plate appearances. But after a breakout 2025 campaign in which he hit .261/.343/.523 with an .866 OPS, 34 home runs, and […]

Chicago Cubs first-base prospect Jonathon Long has seen his production soar over the last month at the Triple-A level and is emerging as a legitimate second-half call-up. Currently, Long is viewed as the No. 7 prospect in the Cubs system. Even though there may not be a clear opening on the MLB roster, if he […]

New York Mets No. 2-ranked prospect Ryan Clifford was expected to be in serious contention for a call-up to Queens in the 2026 season. However, the first base/corner outfield has endured some serious growing pains at Syracuse, delaying a potential promotion. However, over the last week, the slugger has begun to show substantial progress, which […]

Since being acquired from the Atlanta Braves in early May, Athletics catcher Jonah Heim has re-established his MLB career. Across 135 plate appearances with the A's, Heim is hitting .232/.281/.464 with eight home runs, 21 RBI, and 16 runs scored. The presence of star Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers limits Heim's playing time behind the plate. […]

San Francisco Giants designated hitter Bryce Eldridge reached the break at .271/.364/.468 with eight home runs, 28 runs, and 20 RBI in 217 plate appearances. Six of those homers came over his last 30 games. Yahoo managers have rostered Eldridge in just 22% of leagues. The power is not hiding. Eldridge carries a 92.3 mph […]