Top Second Base (2B) Fantasy Baseball Prospects for 2026

March 24, 2026

Zach's top fantasy baseball prospects sleepers at second base for 2026 redraft leagues. His top breakout rookies and call-ups at second base (2B) for 2026.

As you construct your fantasy baseball team for 2026, second base can be a challenging spot to fill. Aside from a few elite options that go very early, there isn't a lot of depth that possesses upside. The elite options offer strong combinations of power and speed, making them even more valuable because they produce elite numbers from a position lacking depth.

One strategy for attacking second base if you miss out on those top options is to try to grab a prospect at the position who is ready to make an impact this season. Several of the top options offer good blends of multiple skill sets and could be big producers once they get the call to the bigs.

If you're in a redraft league, these five options are close enough to make an impact and are worth watching. They bring great upside and could be impact options right away. Here are my top five prospects to watch at 2B in redraft leagues. All prospects listed below have second-base eligibility (2B) on Yahoo.

JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals 

Wetherholt is the top prospect on this list, and he is the one player on this list you'll need to be aggressive and target before the last few rounds of standard-sized mixed league drafts. Wetherholt is the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and the Cardinals opened multiple spots for him by trading away Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan this offseason.

Wetherholt has yet to make his MLB debut, but the 23-year-old had plenty of success in Double-A and Triple-A last season. He played 109 games and hit 17 homers with a .306/.421/.510 triple-slash and tacked on 23 stolen bases as well.

He's had a massive spring in 2026 as well, including a pair of memorable home runs. He hit the first pitch from Devin Williams as a Met out of the park, and added this oppo taco for his second homer of the spring:

JJ Wetherholt this spring...

25 PA
.278/.480/.611
2 HR, 1 SB
7 BB, 4 K#STLCardspic.twitter.com/xXgTp2A6wc

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) March 10, 2026

Wetherholt looks likely to make the roster and actually has a clearer path to playing time than other top prospects. He brings good positional versatility, but should spend most of his time at 2B, where he makes a lot of sense for fantasy baseball due to the lack of depth at the position overall. Wetherholt could even claim a premium lineup slot early on, since the rebuilding Cardinals will want to get the rookie plenty of action as he develops into a cornerstone of their next core of players.

Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians

Bazzana was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Oregon State, so he came into the Guardians' system with plenty of hype. He was touted as one of the most MLB-ready bats available in the draft for many years, but the Guardians have still tried to avoid rushing him to the majors. He has yet to make his MLB debut, but he seems to be on track to join the team midseason.

Last year, Bazzana climbed from the Florida Complex League through Double-A and played 26 games at Triple-A to end the year. He hit .245 overall with nine homers and 12 stolen bases, adding 17 doubles for a .379 wOBA. His strikeout rate was under 27% at each level, and he showed good plate discipline as well.

Bazzana made a splash in the World Baseball Classic while playing for Australia, and has looked solid in his limited spring training action as well.

Travis Bazzana home runs have arrived at the World Baseball Classic! 🇦🇺

A 104 mph EV rocket from 2024's first overall pick (@CleGuardians), who is the highest-ranked position player prospect (No. 20) participating at this year's event: pic.twitter.com/be5ZRJESUo

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 5, 2026

While he has reminded everyone of his upside this spring, he will still start the season in Triple-A. He has only played 111 professional games since injury has been an issue, so the 23-year-old lefty needs a little more time to prepare for his MLB arrival. Last year, the team traded Andres Gimenez to the Blue Jays to clear the way for him, and by midseason, he should be ready to take over if he stays healthy and continues to progress.

He is a strong stash candidate for those in deeper 12+ team leagues.

Brice Matthews, Houston Astros

Matthews made it to the majors for a brief cameo last season, so in that way, he's actually ahead of Wetherholt and Bazzana. However, the Astros have a very crowded infield and expect to be in a playoff race, so they may not be quite as ready to give Matthews a full-time job.

In his first taste of the majors, Matthews showed his upside but also struggled overall. He hit only .167 (7-for-42), but four of his seven hits were home runs, and he had six barrels along with a 41.7% hard-hit rate in that very limited sample size. He was also successful in his only stolen base attempt.

Brice Matthews, the @Astros' No. 1 prospect, belts his 4th homer in 13 MLB games this season! pic.twitter.com/FE2zEujOtD

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 28, 2025

Matthews had 17 homers in his 112 games in Triple-A last season and hit .260 with a .371 wOBA and 39.2% hard-hit rate. He also racked up an impressive 41 stolen bases in 52 attempts. Matthews' speed and athleticism give him a very high ceiling as a contributor in multiple categories if he can translate that success to the majors.

The question is how Matthews can fit in with an already crowded MLB infield. The 24-year-old is stuck behind Jeremy Pena, Carlos Correa, Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, and Christian Walker around the infield, with one of those players also sliding to designated hitter most days. Altuve moved to left field briefly last year but is back at second base full-time for this season.

To find a clearer path to playing time, Matthews spent nine games in center field in Triple-A last year and has also played center and left field this spring. Matthews has a solid chance to make the Opening Day roster, especially after Pena sustained a fractured ring finger in the WBC. While he hasn't been ruled out for Opening Day yet, Matthews could find some playing time at shortstop as well.

If he makes the team out of spring training, he'll likely be in a super-utility role and gain eligibility at multiple positions. Matthews has upside in both power and speed, with the ability to contribute elite numbers if he can push his way into playing time in Houston.

Tommy Troy, Arizona Diamondbacks

While the first three options on this list are likely to make an MLB impact this season, the next two are deeper sleepers. They're outside MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects, but they have a chance to make an impact if they have another strong developmental year.

Troy is the Diamondbacks' No. 4 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and will likely start the year in Triple-A. Troy spent most of last year in Double-A but moved up to Reno for his last 38 games.

In his 125 games overall, he hit .289 with 15 homers and 24 stolen bases. His 16.9% strikeout rate is exceptional, especially when complemented by his 11.5% walk rate. He hasn't shown quite as much power potential as Matthews, but he is a line-drive hitter with solid pop and the ability to steal bases.

He's also done some work in center field, which could be where he gets most of his playing time in the majors if the Diamondbacks keep Ketel Marte at the keystone. He was listed as an outfielder on the team's roster for their Spring Breakout matchup, which could indicate he's trending to playing more at that position.

That would give him a clearer path to the majors, even though Corbin Carroll (hand) doesn't look like he'll miss time at the start of the year.

Troy has definitely done his part to open eyes this spring training, going 12-for-32 (.375) in his first 12 games of the spring and ranking near the top of many MLB leaders.

Three singles today for Tommy Troy, who is batting .524 this spring (11-for-21) pic.twitter.com/2JnIUvNTFu

— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) March 4, 2026

While he doesn't quite have the prospect pedigree of Jordan Lawlar, he is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on this season, since he brings plenty of upside in multiple categories and will likely arrive in most leagues with 2B eligibility, even if he does end up filling in the outfield on a short-term basis.

Roc Riggio, Colorado Rockies

Any Rockies hitting prospect gets a little bit of a boost due to their home games being played at elevation in Coors Field. While most of their best prospect bats are still a while from making their MLB debut, one player who could move up quickly and make his MLB debut at some point this season is 23-year-old lefty Roc Riggio.

Not only does he have a perfect name for the Colorado baseball team, but he also has a plate approach, balanced bat, and strong baseball IQ that should help him rise quickly. He hasn't played in Triple-A yet, so he'll probably start the season in Albuquerque before getting a promotion and a chance to play in the majors at some point this year.

Riggio started last year in Double-A for the Yankees and hit .261 with 11 homers in 40 games for a .395 wOBA. The Yankees traded him to the Rockies as the main prospect in the trade for relief pitcher Jake Bird. After arriving in the system, Riggio played 26 games for the Hartford Yard Goats in Double-A, hitting .256 with two homers and a .339 wOBA.

Roc Riggio CRUSHED his twentieth home run of the season yesterday.

.261 AVG, 19 2B, 20 HR, 56 RBI, 14 SB pic.twitter.com/yhhhRiwueg

— Milb Central (@milb_central) September 6, 2025

He has one homer in his first nine games this spring training, while hitting .250. With newly added Willi Castro starting the season as the team's primary second baseman and Tyler Freeman and Ryan Ritter as utility players, Riggio will have to get off to a strong start to the season in Triple-A to earn a chance later in the year.

If he does get a chance, though, that swing should make him an instant power contributor at Coors Field. He has the potential to be a nice mid-season addition in standard leagues.

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