The Cut List - Time To Let Go? Who To Consider Dropping For Fantasy Baseball (Week 9)

May 24, 2026

The fantasy baseball Cut List for Week 9 of 2026. Jamie analyzes potential fantasy baseball busts, overvalued players, and injured players to consider dropping.

Welcome back to The Cut List as we head into Week 9 of the 2026 season. For those who are not familiar, this is our weekly article looking at players whom fantasy managers might be considering cutting from their teams and struggling players who need a closer look.

We'll look at players who are worth monitoring for replacing and someone on the hot seat who should be held on to ... for now. Experienced Cut List readers will know I'm a strong advocate for not making knee-jerk reactions. A bad week or two shouldn't be a reason to push the panic button and dump someone.

If there's ever someone you want me to take a look at, drop their name in the Reddit comments, the RotoBaller Discord chat rooms, or reach out to me on X (@Baseball_Jimbo). Maybe you'll see them included next week. All stats and rostered rates (taken from Yahoo!) reflect when this piece was written.

Pitchers

Logan Gilbert - SP, Seattle Mariners - 98% rostered

It's been an up-and-down season for Gilbert. He sandwiched last week's seven-run outing (6 2/3 innings) between two shutout performances (six innings and 5 2/3 innings). Gilbert only has a 2-4 W-L record and three quality starts, but his 4.04 ERA is respectable. Gilbert's 3.58 xFIP and 3.43 SIERA suggest his ERA should be better.

I do expect his ERA to be nearer 3.50 than 4.00 by the end of the year. Ultimately, his numbers should look more like last year than they have for the early part of 2026. However, Gilbert has not pitched as well as he did during his injury-interrupted 2025 campaign.

Verdict: The bad outings are frustrating. And we can expect some more moving forward. However, the good outings will far outweigh them, and Gilbert is worth holding in all formats. We just need to look at his numbers as an overall and remember that one clunker could easily be followed by a few stellar starts.

Luis Castillo - SP, Seattle Mariners - 67% rostered

Gilbert's teammate is not in the same boat. Many expected regression this year, but things have been brutal. Castillo has a 6.41 ERA (46 1/3 innings), and with Bryce Miller returning from the IL (injured list), he's found himself out of the starting rotation.

The expectation was that Castillo would pitch in bulk relief on the back of Miller's starts. We saw that on Tuesday. And it did not go well. After Miller completed 5 2/3 shutout innings against the White Sox, Jose A. Ferrer got the final out of the sixth inning. Castillo then struck out the side in the seventh.

Castillo allowed a hit and a walk in the eighth, but maintained the Mariners' one-run lead. In the ninth, with a chance to secure his first career save, Castillo walked and hit the first two batters. Andres Munoz came in to lock down the save and ended up allowing two hits, with both inherited runners scoring.

Verdict: Tuesday was indicative of Castillo's season. Not great, but not as bad as the results suggest. He's got a 4.31 xFIP and 4.06 SIERA, so his ERA is unlucky. But the Mariners have five starters all performing better than Castillo. Now he's in the bullpen, there's little value to be had in any league type or size, and Castillo is a clear drop.

Jack Flaherty - SP, Detroit Tigers - 52% rostered

If you're still rostering Flaherty to this point, your patience deserves to be rewarded. Unfortunately, it won't be. After Friday's outing, Flaherty has a 0-6 W-L record, 5.94 ERA, 1.66 ERA, and 55 strikeouts (47 innings). The strikeouts are good, but his 24.4% K% is still down from last year (27.6% K%) and 2024 (29.9% K%).

Flaherty's 12.9% BB% is far too high to have success without an elite strikeout rate. And having a .463 slugging percentage is only going to exacerbate things. The Tigers rank 26th in runs scored (200), so even when he has a rare good outing, there's no run support.

Verdict: We can normally find something in a pitcher's profile to suggest better days ahead. Or, they offer something at a high level that can still help fantasy managers. With Flaherty, there's no reason to keep him rostered. Even streaming him against the worst offenses isn't something I'd consider most weeks. 

Hitters

Geraldo Perdomo - SS, Arizona Diamondbacks - 92% rostered

Perdomo is a bit like the hitting version of Gilbert. He's been good, but we expected better. And although his underlying numbers suggest he's been a bit unlucky, it's highly unlikely that we see a repeat of his 2025 numbers. After 48 games, Perdomo has a .226/.347/.348 slash line, two home runs, 16 RBI, 20 runs, and eight stolen bases.

That's a 162-game pace of seven homers, 54 RBI, 68 runs, and 27 steals. A far cry from last year's breakout. Perdomo does have a .249 xBA (expected batting average). Hitting third, behind a heating-up Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll, should see Perdomo improve the counting stats.

The problem is, there's little to suggest his power will be anything close to last year. While 10 home runs is plausible, Perdomo isn't hitting 20 again this year. The more we look back at last season, the more Perdomo's power outburst looks like a complete outlier and won't be repeated any time soon.

Verdict: The only notable difference between Perdomo's 2025 and 2026 has been the results. There has been a dip in his quality of contact, but it wasn't great last year. Even with a slight uptick in his numbers, Perdomo will end the year with 30 steals, along with ~70 runs and ~80 RBI. He's still worth sticking with for now.

Luke Keaschall - 2B, Minnesota Twins - 75% rostered

I mentioned earlier in the season that Keaschall reminded me of Whit Merrifield with less power. Little has changed my mind. He's on pace for three homers, 60 RBI, 73 RBI, and 33 steals. He's hitting .233/.318/.307. With a .220 xBA and .318 xSLG (expected slugging percentage), his slash line is unlikely to get any better.

Despite the disappointing numbers, Keaschall ranks as the 121st hitter according to Yahoo! (5x5 standard rotisserie leagues). He's 28th among second basemen, which is a far cry from preseason when Keaschall was drafted as a top-10 second baseman. It's tough to see him returning value on his ADP (Average Draft Position).

Verdict: Keaschall is providing steals. And with a decent number of counting stats. He's improved in May, hitting .268/.414/.375 this month, but there is still little power being provided. Rostering Keaschall comes down to need. If you need more power and can do without his speed, finding a replacement makes sense.

Brenton Doyle - OF, Colorado Rockies - 35% rostered

Like many, I was hopeful that Doyle would have something of a bounce back this year. He has not. Last year was a tough one to judge, given the personal tragedy Doyle and his family experienced. But all we can do is look at his numbers. And they aren't good.

Doyle landed on the IL this week with an oblique injury. There's been nothing to suggest he's been playing through any injury, so we should rule that out as a reason why he's struggled. Doyle hasn't even been able to maximise the benefits of Coors Field this year, which was one of the biggest reasons to draft Doyle.

Verdict: At this point, I wouldn't be making any special arrangements to hold Doyle. Even if you have a spare IL spot, there's likely someone on waivers that would be more impactful when they return. Doyle can be dropped in all leagues.

On the Hot Seat

Jackson Merrill - OF, San Diego Padres - 82% rostered

After his excellent rookie season, Merrill struggled in 2025, largely due to injuries. Three IL stints limited Merrill to 115 games, although he did still put up solid numbers. This year, Merrill has taken a step backwards, hitting .206/.278/.328 with four home runs, 19 RBI, 24 runs, and 10 stolen bases.

On Wednesday, Merrill got hurt colliding with the wall. He missed a couple of days while dealing with sore ribs, but avoided an IL stint. He returned to the lineup yesterday to good effect. Merrill went 1-for-3 with a double, a stolen base, and a run scored.

Jackson Merrill has Sore Ribs, Expected to Avoid Injured List https://t.co/zrdqVmMzqt

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) May 22, 2026

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Merrill's counting stats aren't too bad. As will be the theme this week, we'll look at his 162-game pace, with Merrill's being 14 home runs, 64 RBI, 81 runs, and 34 stolen bases. The steals are the big value provider right now, but a couple of productive weeks would boost Merrill's remaining counting stats.

The big question mark is his batting average. No one expected Merrill to barely be hitting above .200 when drafting him. Thankfully, there is some reason for optimism there, as Merrill has a .239 xBA. That's still far from what was projected.

As you'll find out later, we need to adjust our expectations when it comes to batting average. And there aren't any guarantees that Merrill's actual batting average will climb up to what would be more palatable. So it's important Merrill still tallies plenty of counting stats to offset that.

Verdict: There isn't much in Merrill's underlying numbers to suggest he will reward his fantasy managers. But there also isn't enough to warrant dropping him right now. He ranks 52nd among outfielders on Yahoo!. This looks like his floor, and even if Merrill only slightly improves his numbers in the coming weeks, he warrants hanging onto... for now.

Reader Requests

As always, we're keen to hear who you want us to analyze. If there is anyone you want to include on next week's Cut List, drop their names on the Reddit thread or in the RotoBaller Discord chat rooms. Alternatively, you can reach out to me on X, and we'll endeavor to cover some requests each week.

Trea Turner - SS, Philadelphia Philies - 99% rostered

Last year, Turner hit .304/.355/.457 with 15 homers, 69 RBI, 94 runs, and 36 steals (141 games). This year, Turner has a 162-game pace of 16 home runs, 51 RBI, 102 runs, and 29 stolen bases. Pretty similar numbers. The problem is that Turner's sporting a .230/.283/.344 slash line.

It's the counting stats that have helped Turner currently rank 14th among shortstops on Yahoo!. But he's been sliding in the rankings, having hit .195/.230/.280 so far this month. The good news is that the Phillies' offense has picked up, meaning Turner's RBI and runs totals haven't diminished.

Verdict: We're still holding Turner. His numbers have dropped off lately, and with a .239 xBA, we won't be seeing Turner hit .300 this year. Even with these struggles, he's still running (six steals in May) and adding the counting stats. Temper expectations, but don't drop Turner.

Freddie Freeman - 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers - 98% rostered

We've been waiting for the Freeman drop-off for a while. And although he's no longer a .320 hitter with 30 home runs, Freeman has still provided plenty of fantasy value. That's also largely down to hitting in the heart of the Dodgers' lineup. This year, Freeman is hitting .265/.362/.449 with six homers, 23 RBI, 22 runs, and two steals.

As we've done with others, we can assess Freeman's 162-game pace. He's on pace for 20 home runs, 76 RBI, 73 runs, and seven steals. Certainly a down year, but not a dreadful one, given the solid batting average. Some were concerned that Freeman was struggling in May and may not be worth hanging on to.

However, he's having a good week with two home runs and three doubles. Yesterday, Freeman went to the plate five times. He reached base every time, four via walks. It's boosted his May slash line to .275/.412/.507. That's better than what Freeman did in April (.259/.328/.414 slash line).

He should be a reminder that a good week can still turn things around.

Verdict: Freeman had seen a downturn in his production. But he remains one of the most consistent hitters in baseball and has been better this month. Freeman is another player we should temper our expectations with, and likely won't get value on his ADP. But Freeman is still someone we should be rostering.

Zach Neto - SS, Los Angeles Angels - 98% rostered

I wasn't going to include Neto, given that he's homered three times this week and is ranked as the number seven shortstop on Yahoo!. But I feel like he can act as an important reminder of some things. Firstly, it's still early enough for someone to turn around a slow start or a prolonged slump.

Neto's power wasn't missing. Entering last Sunday, Neto had a 162-game pace of 25 home runs. Despite that, a three-homer week now has Neto with a 162-game pace of 31 home runs. That would be a career-high. Even someone performing well can really boost their numbers with one good week.

Secondly, is how we need to temper expectations with a player's batting average. That's understandable given it's a key scoring category. And Neto's batting average is disappointing, especially after he hit .257/.319/.474 last year. He's currently hitting .227/.337/.435, even after a power surge the last few days.

But batting averages are down across the league. Collectively, the league has a .240 batting average. The second lowest in 100 years. We've looked at a few players with lower batting averages than normal but still providing plenty of fantasy value, especially compared to others.

Verdict: Neto is providing plenty of counting stats. A third consecutive 20/20 season is on the cards if he stays healthy. The batting average might not reach league average, but it's not dreadful in today's game. The counting stats offset the negative impact and make Neto a certain hold.

Austin Riley - 3B, Atlanta Braves - 97% rostered

Riley is fast becoming one of the most frustrating players to roster. We know he has very good power, as evidenced by three straight 30+ homer seasons. If it weren't for injuries over the last two seasons, it could easily have been five consecutive 30+ homer seasons.

Riley is currently hitting .217/.288/.379 and has a 162-game pace of 24 homers, 95 RBI, 83 runs, and 9 steals. The extra stolen bases help make up for the drop in home runs. And this is still reliant on Riley staying healthy for the first time in three years. But he's been solid over the first eight weeks.

And without being very noticeable. Riley is having a good May. This month, he's hitting .260/.310/.481 with five home runs (21 games). If he maintains that pace, Riley will easily reach 30 home runs and should also end the year with a slash line we're more accustomed to seeing.

Verdict: Riley appears to be turning things around. His May numbers are much better than April's. While he can be streaky and frustrate fantasy managers, Riley is set to have the sort of season we have come to expect. The main thing will be to keep off the IL. He's certainly worth holding.

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