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Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 10 of the 2026 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players who are currently struggling and not performing well as of Week 10 (June 1 to June 7). Should fantasy baseball managers drop, hold, or sell these well-known players?
This week's edition will feature some heavy hitters. We'll dive into five players who haven't performed up to their standards recently. There's a pitcher who is a former Cy Young winner, a hitter in a massive offensive slump, and a veteran slugger who was a top-65 pick in most fantasy drafts this spring. We'll analyze each of these players and determine how fantasy managers should move forward.
So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Let's find out.
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Maikel Garcia, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Kansas City Royals
It has been a weird start to the season for Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia. The 2025 All-Star is batting .268 with three home runs, 21 RBI, and four stolen bases across 56 games, and went the entire month of May without hitting a homer. These numbers come after Garcia hit 16 long balls, drove in 74 runs, and stole 23 bases in a breakout campaign in 2025.
Despite his below-average home run and stolen base numbers to begin the 2026 campaign, Garcia is still a hold in all formats in Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season. He posted a solid .261 batting average with seven doubles and 10 RBI in the month of May, and his metrics suggest better days are ahead.
Garcia ranks in the 83rd percentile in expected batting average (.281), 64th percentile in average exit velocity (90.2 mph), 93rd percentile in squared-up rate (34.9%), 87th percentile in strikeout rate (14.2%), and 63rd percentile in sprint speed (27.7 ft/sec). He is also pulling the ball in the air at a career-best clip (17.8%). All that points to the 26-year-old pulling it all together at some point in the near future.
Fantasy managers might be more inclined to give up on Garcia due to his below-average numbers and the fact that he is currently dealing with a hamstring strain. But it's too soon to sell or drop the Royals third baseman. He should be a better fantasy option moving forward.
Verdict: Hold in all formats
Sandy Alcantara, SP, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara looked like his former Cy Young self after his first three starts. He allowed one run (zero earned runs) across seven innings in his season debut, delivered a complete-game shutout against the White Sox in his second outing, and threw 8 1/3 innings of two-run ball against the Reds in his third start.
Since those three outings, though, Alcantara has been hit or miss on the mound. The 30-year-old threw six scoreless innings with six strikeouts against the Rays on May 16 and then followed up that strong performance by giving up 14 combined runs over his last two outings. After giving up eight runs on 10 hits across 5 2/3 innings in his last start against the Blue Jays, his ERA has dropped to 4.66 on the year.
TOR - Jesús Sánchez Grand Slam (6)
📏 394 ft | 💨 108.7 mph | 📐 24°
⚾️ 98.6 mph four-seam fastball (MIA - RHP Sandy Alcantara)
🏟️ Out in 30/30 parks 💣MIA (1) @ TOR (8)
🔻 6th#BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/s4hiLpdjJj— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) May 27, 2026
It's really hard to tell which version of the Marlins right-hander will show up each start. For that reason, it's best to sell Alcantara low in most formats. He continues to have trouble missing bats with a 25th percentile whiff rate (21.8%) and a 13th percentile strikeout rate (16.1%), and his expected batting average against (.256) ranks in the bottom half of the league.
See what you can get for a former Cy Young pitcher in trade negotiations. You would be surprised by how many fantasy managers would take a chance on him at this point in his career.
Verdict: Sell low in most formats
Daylen Lile, OF, Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile has been a streaky hitter to start the 2026 season. He batted .296 with three home runs, seven doubles, 14 RBI, and one stolen base in his first 26 games, then batted .116 with two doubles and one stolen base over his next 12 games and went on another hot offensive stretch from May 9 to May 21, where he hit .340 with four home runs, five doubles, and 12 RBI.
Daylen Lile's third hit of the game is a 2-run homer! pic.twitter.com/Y06sJVUQif
— MLB (@MLB) May 16, 2026
Unfortunately, Lile is in one of those slumps at the plate right now. The 23-year-old is slashing only .139/.179/.222 with one double, one triple, and two RBI over his last nine contests. He has just one hit over his last 17 plate appearances and was dropped by over 3,000 fantasy managers at the conclusion of Sunday's games.
Although the Nationals outfielder has struggled at the plate recently, he is a clear hold in all formats. Fantasy managers have seen the hitter Lile can be once he is in a groove. He has had two separate hot offensive stretches already this season and could be a 20+ home run, 20+ stolen base player in 2026. With a 95th percentile sprint speed (29.2 ft/sec) and a strong expected slugging percentage (.421), he's not drop worthy yet.
Verdict: Hold in all formats
Zac Gallen, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen was once a top fantasy pitcher to own. He had a combined 3.20 ERA, 1.089 WHIP, and 568 strikeouts across three seasons from 2022 to 2024 and finished in the top five in National League Cy Young voting twice during this stretch (2022 and 2023). But that pitcher is no longer here.
Gallen is off to a miserable start to begin the 2026 season. He has a 5.16 ERA and a 1.466 WHIP in his first 12 outings and is coming off yet another poor start on Friday against the Mariners. The right-hander was roughed up for five runs across five innings, marking the third time in May that he allowed at least five runs in a start.
It's pretty clear that Gallen is no longer the pitcher he once was. He has a 5.17 expected ERA, a .290 expected batting average against, a 90.8 mph average exit velocity, an 18.6% whiff rate, a 16.1% strikeout rate, and a 10.6% barrel rate. All six of those metrics rank in the bottom 20% of the league. Therefore, fantasy managers have an easy decision to make regarding the Diamondbacks right-hander. Drop him.
Verdict: Drop in 12-team leagues
Brent Rooker, DH/OF, Athletics
Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker has emerged as one of the best power hitters in the game over the last few years. He hit 39 long balls across 614 plate appearances in 2024 and added another 30 home runs across 699 plate appearances in 2025. While the home runs have been there for Rooker in his first 177 plate appearances this year (eight), the other stuff has not.
Rooker's solo shot brings the Athletics within single digits pic.twitter.com/NCPbBttoUp
— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 31, 2026
Rooker is batting just .194 with eight home runs, three doubles, 26 RBI, and two stolen bases across 41 games this season. He's striking out at a higher clip than usual (32.2%), and his whiff rate (39.4%) currently ranks in the bottom 1% of the league. Those lack of contact skills has raised the question of whether the 31-year-old should be dropped in leagues.
The short answer is no.
Rooker is still on pace for 28 home runs and is barreling the ball at an elite clip (13.5%). His high strikeout rate will make it frustrating to own him at times, but there's no denying his power potential at the plate. This is a player who has hit at least 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons. That's enough reason to hold the designated hitter in all formats.
Verdict: Hold in all formats
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