Key Hitter Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Know for 2026 Drafts

Every season, there are prospects who come into the majors and immediately make an impact. These players then become league winners for your fantasy baseball team. Just look at Paul Skenes in 2024 and Nick Kurtz in 2025. Both players started the season down in the minors and carried fantasy managers through the playoffs. In […]

Later-Round Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers, Values: Cheap Hitters With Upside

Welcome back RotoBallers to another edition of our late-round fantasy baseball values and sleepers series. Today, we discuss the shortstop position and have five later-round shortstop fantasy baseball sleepers and values. Spring training games are being played, and we are getting closer to some of the biggest fantasy baseball draft weekends. With that in mind, […]

Top 5 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Breakout Candidates for 2026

Every fantasy season, managers see high-end prospects emerge as not only must-start players but league-winning assets. Between top prospects like Julio Rodriguez and Gunnar Henderson becoming first-round-caliber players, and more recently Nick Kurtz and Junior Caminero putting themselves into fantasy stardom, targeting top prospects can put you in a great spot to win your league. […]

Jeremy Pena Suffers Small Fracture in his Finger

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (finger) suffered a small fracture in one of his fingers and will miss at least the first round of the World Baseball Classic, according to Dionisio Soldevila. It doesn't sound like it's too serious, but this will also put the 28-year-old's availability for the start of the 2026 regular season […]

Francisco Lindor Plays Catch, Hopes to Take BP on Wednesday

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (hand) played catch on Monday in camp, and the hope is he's able to take batting practice on Wednesday, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman writes that it "seems like a good sign" for the notoriously quick-healing Lindor to reach his goal of being ready […]

10 High-Impact Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers, Sleepers: Breakout Rookies for 2026

Targeting high-end prospects in the final rounds of your draft can provide your fantasy team with a massive spark throughout the season. Last summer, managers saw top prospects like Nolan McLean, Noah Cameron, Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz, and Jacob Wilson all make a massive impact during their rookie seasons. In this piece, we will spotlight […]

Xander Bogaerts the Leading Candidate to Hit Leadoff for Padres

San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts is the leading candidate to hit leadoff for the team this season, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. Bogaerts has been the team's most common leadoff hitter so far in Cactus League play and appears to be the club's top choice to fill the No. 1 role […]

Zach Neto Scorching-Hot Early in Spring Training

Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto hit an RBI double off the base of the left-field wall in Cactus League action on Monday against the Kansas City Royals and is now hitting .400 with a 1.267 OPS in spring training, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. The 25-year-old closed out his 2025 campaign on the […]

Masyn Winn Sits Out on Monday Due to Arm Soreness

The St. Louis Cardinals are holding shortstop Masyn Winn (arm) out of the Grapefruit League lineup on Monday against the Miami Marlins due to right-arm soreness, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Manager Oliver Marmol said that Winn is "fine" and that his soreness is the result of a "heavy" workload on […]

Jett Williams Dealing with Left Quadriceps Soreness

Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Jett Williams (quadriceps) is dealing with left quad soreness. He sustained this injury during last week's spring training contest. The young infielder has been held out of action since then. However, Brewers manager Pat Murphy noted that the injury is a "2 out of 10" on the severity scale, which suggests […]

Brice Matthews Enjoying Hot Start in Grapefruit League

Houston Astros shortstop/outfield prospect Brice Matthews has enjoyed a hot start to spring training and is making a strong case to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. The team's top prospect (according to MLB.com) has gone 4-for-10 at the plate with one double and one stolen base. Matthews progressed through the minors as […]

Konnor Griffin Launches Third Spring Training Home Run

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin launched his third home run of the spring during their contest on Sunday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. The top prospect hit a two-run shot in the game's opening frame off right-handed pitcher Kyle Leahy. While Griffin has shown immense upside, hitting three home runs over his first […]

How To Win The First Three Rounds - Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategies and Players To Target (2026)

We are in the best time of the year for fantasy baseball players; yes, it is draft season. Some sites allow us now to draft year-round, but many of us wait until February to delve into those first drafts. And that time is here. In the first three rounds of your draft, you are looking […]

5 Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates (2026)

Shortstop is one of fantasy baseball's glamor positions. It's stocked with big-name superstars who go early in fantasy drafts and provide big-time production in multiple categories. The position is also a pretty deep one, with plenty of quality sleepers going later in drafts as depth pieces or potential breakout candidates with high upside. Whether you […]

Exit Velocity Standouts (EV50) - Power Hitters On The Rise for Fantasy Baseball (2026)

We have so many advanced stats available on Baseball Savant, allowing us to dive deeper beyond average exit velocity. We're using Exit Velocity 50 (EV50), which Baseball Savant defines as the average of the hardest 50 percent of a player's batted balls, giving us a somewhat reliable metric for averaging exit velocity on flyballs and line […]

Leo De Vries Exits Early on Saturday

Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries (illness) was removed early during Saturday's Spring Training contest against the San Francisco Giants. De Vries was pulled out of the game due to illness, which was likely dehydration. Luckily, this sounds like something minor that shouldn't keep De Vries sidelined for long. The expectation is that he'll be back […]

JJ Wetherholt Homers for First Spring Hit

St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect JJ Wetherholt homered for his first spring training hit in Friday's Grapefruit League game versus the New York Mets. Per MLB Pipeline, Wetherhold is the No. 5 prospect going into the 2026 season. The home run he hit on Friday traveled 422 feet and had a 105.4 mph exit velocity. […]

Can Xander Bogaerts Play a Fully Healthy Season in 2026?

Entering his age-33 season, San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts is not the player he once was at his peak. However, the veteran was still a useful hitter when healthy in 2025, hitting .263/.328/.391 with 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 63 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases across 552 plate appearances. Bogaerts is also locked […]

Otto Lopez Profiles as a Projectable Middle-Infield Option in 2026

Miami Marlins shortstop/second baseman Otto Lopez emerged as a solid everyday regular in 2025, hitting .246/.305/.368 with 15 home runs, 77 RBI, 66 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases across 594 plate appearances. Lopez also posted excellent defensive metrics while playing both middle infield spots, which should keep his playing time in Miami secure even […]

Pirates Expected to Approach Konnor Griffin With Long-Term Extension This Spring

The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to approach shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin with a long-term contract extension this spring, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Despite being only 19 years old with just 21 games of experience beyond High-A in the minor leagues, Griffin is the No. 1 prospect in the sport and is trending toward […]

Grae Kessinger Suffers Knee Injury on Friday

New York Mets infielder Grae Kessinger (knee) is reportedly getting imaging done after suffering a left knee injury during Friday's Grapefruit League contest against the St. Louis Cardinals. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the injury didn't look too good, but the team will wait until the MRI comes back before they decide the next step. […]

Corey Seager Scratched Due to Illness

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that shortstop Corey Seager (illness) was scratched from Friday's Cactus League game against the Chicago White Sox because he's feeling under the weather, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Seager will be down for a couple of days or so. The 31-year-old veteran and five-time All-Star fell short of […]

Elly De La Cruz Feels Fully Healthy This Spring

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is fully healthy this spring, which is evident by the way the ball is bouncing off his bat in spring training and by the way he's gliding around the bases, according to Charlie Goldsmith. "I've always been healthy," De La Cruz said. "It feels good to be healthy. […]

Konnor Griffin Back in the Lineup After Injury Scare

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin (foot) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, starting at shortstop and hitting eighth. Griffin was hit by a pitch on his foot in Wednesday's spring training contest and was removed as a precaution. The 19-year-old No. 1 overall prospect in baseball said […]

Top 70 Shortstop Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

It's an exciting time to be a baseball fan, as Opening Day will be here before you know it. At RotoBaller HQ, we continue to update and tweak rankings for fantasy managers to crush their upcoming drafts. We focus on shortstops today with our 2026 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 […]

Willi Castro Expected to be Aggressive on Basepaths in Colorado

Colorado Rockies infielder/outfielder Willi Castro is expected to be aggressive on the basepaths during the 2026 season. Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta noted that Castro's skill as a baserunner was one of the first qualities they took note of when they signed him to a two-year deal this offseason. While Castro only swiped […]

Colt Emerson Heating Up at Spring Training

Seattle Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson has begun to find his footing in spring training and is making a strong case to crack the Opening Day roster. On Tuesday, Emerson went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run. In his next contest on Thursday, Emerson stayed hot at the dish, going 2-for-3 once again. He […]

Aidan Miller Remains Without a Timetable

According to Lochlahn March of The Philly Inquirer, Phillies top infield prospect Aidan Miller (back) is still getting treatments on his back but remains without a clear timetable to resume hitting. March noted that the Phillies remain very cautious with the former 27th overall selection. The 21-year-old was in the mix to potentially crack the […]

Konnor Griffin "Trending Toward Being" Opening Day Shortstop

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said on Foul Territory on Thursday that it looks like Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin is "trending toward being" the team's Opening Day shortstop. It was seen as a bit of a stretch going into spring training, since Griffin is only 19 years old and has played just 21 games […]

7 Fantasy Baseball Bold Predictions - Eric Cross' 2026 Picks

One of my favorite articles to write every pre-season is my bold predictions article here on RotoBaller. Why? Well, a bold predictions article can be both fun and informative. Many of these won't come true, but they're bold predictions for a reason. But at the same time, while the chances are slim, there's an element […]