Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low for Week 15? (2025)

July 7, 2025

Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 15 of the 2025 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players. Every week of the fantasy season, we will determine what fantasy managers should do with slumping players. These players are rostered in almost every fantasy league, but they haven't been strong options in recent weeks. 

In this article, we will look at five players who fall under that category. This list will feature one pitcher currently on the injured list and four hitters struggling to do much at the plate. We will then analyze whether fantasy managers should hold, drop, or sell these players in most formats. 

So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Should they drop, hold, or sell them in Week 15 of the fantasy baseball season? Let's dive in and find out. 

• BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
• PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
• Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
• Who should I pickup? Fantasy baseball comparisons
• Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
• MLB Props finder tool
• Fantasy baseball closer depth charts

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, New York Yankees

It has been a couple of rough weeks for New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. After hitting .343 with six home runs, 28 RBI, and four stolen bases in his first 55 games, Goldschmidt has cooled off significantly. He is batting just .170 with two home runs, four RBI, and one stolen base in his last 29 games dating back to May 31.

Paul struck Gold 💪 pic.twitter.com/QTwOvRbILK

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 3, 2025

Given his recent numbers, not many fantasy managers know what to do with the veteran first baseman. He started off the season red-hot and was looking like a steal in fantasy drafts. However, it has been hard to roster him over the past month. On top of his poor numbers, Goldschmidt has sat more and more in recent weeks.

He has sat out three of the team's past seven games and appears to be evenly splitting first base reps with Ben Rice. With Giancarlo Stanton back from the IL, it has become even harder to roster Goldschmidt in fantasy leagues.

As a result, fantasy managers should be looking to sell the seven-time All-Star in all formats. He has just a .239 batting average against right-handed pitchers this season, and both his barrel rate (8%) and hard-hit rate (42.4%) rank in the bottom half of the league. The best fantasy days are likely behind Goldschmidt.

Verdict: Sell in all formats  

Tyler Soderstrom, 1B/OF, Athletics

It's not a total surprise that Athletics first baseman/outfielder Tyler Soderstrom hasn't been able to maintain his early-season numbers. He was always due for some regression following a hot start to the season. Soderstrom hit .291 with nine home runs and 25 RBI in his first 37 games. Unfortunately, no one expected him to perform this poorly on offense in recent weeks.

The 23-year-old is batting just .227 with six home runs and 24 RBI over his past 53 games. Soderstrom also has just two hits in his last 21 at-bats. This stretch has certainly raised the question of whether fantasy managers should be holding, dropping, or selling the young slugger.

The short answer to that question is that fantasy managers should continue to hold Soderstrom in 12-plus team leagues. There are going to be some ups and downs with him throughout the year, considering he has under 200 major league games in his career. But his power makes him a hold in most formats.

His 11.6% barrel rate, 46.6% hard-hit rate, and .464 expected slugging all rank extremely well in the first half. So, it wouldn't be wise to drop a player who is on pace to hit around 26 home runs in 2025. 

Verdict: Hold in 12+ team leagues  

Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF, Kansas City Royals

Given the way Jac Caglianone hit in the minors earlier in the season, every fantasy manager expected him to make an immediate impact with the Kansas City Royals. Caglianone had a .322 batting average with 15 home runs and 56 RBI across 50 games between Double-A and Triple-A. However, the lefty slugger has been the opposite of that hitter to begin his major league career. 

He is slashing just .148/.200/.241 with two home runs, four RBI, and 26 strikeouts in his first 115 plate appearances. It has no doubt been a rough start to Caglianone's career. He isn't making much hard contact, and his average exit velocity (89 mph), launch angle sweet-spot rate (29.6%), chase rate (37.1%), and strikeout rate (21.6%) all rank poorly. 

The worst qualified fWAR in baseball since June 1st? Jac Caglianone. In 27 games, he’s clubbed 2 HR (both in the same game) with a 22 wRC+, .157 BA. Rough…

— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) July 5, 2025

Nevertheless, it's not time to give up on Caglianone just yet. It usually takes prospects some time to adjust to the major league level. We all know what type of hitter he can be, and there's a chance he gets to that level in the second half. So, fantasy managers should hold MLB Pipeline's No. 9 overall prospect for a few more weeks to see if he can turn it around offensively. 

Verdict: Hold in all formats 

Spencer Schwellenbach, SP, Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach has pitched well since making his major league debut in 2024. He finished his rookie season with a 3.35 ERA and has been even better in 2025. Schwellenbach has a 3.09 ERA and 108 strikeouts across his 17 starts this year. Unfortunately, the right-hander is expected to miss multiple weeks with a fractured elbow. 

Schwellenbach felt some soreness in his right elbow following a career performance against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 28 in which he struck out 12 batters. The plan for the Braves pitcher now is to rest for the next four weeks and refrain from throwing during this period. That means the 25-year-old won't start throwing until the beginning of August at the earliest. 

Horrible break for Spencer Schwellenbach pic.twitter.com/FR4BugUES5

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 2, 2025

As a result, those who roster Schwellenbach likely want to know what to do with him in fantasy. Although there is some optimism that he will pitch again this season, it likely won't come until September. That also isn't a given, considering the Braves are currently 11 games under .500. If they are completely out of the playoff picture, chances are they might shut him down for the season. 

Even if Atlanta doesn't shut him down and he pitches in September, the team will definitely limit his workload down the stretch. Therefore, he should be sold for cheap in every fantasy league in Week 15. 

Verdict: Sell in all formats

Anthony Volpe, SS, New York Yankees

After posting a 20-20 season in his rookie campaign in 2023, the sky was the limit for New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. However, his struggles at the plate have been evident in each of the past two years. He hit just .243 with 12 home runs across 160 games last year and is currently batting .219 with 10 home runs, 48 RBI, and 10 stolen bases across 89 games in 2025. 

More importantly, Volpe hasn't done much at the plate in recent weeks. Although he launched a solo home run on Saturday, the shortstop is hitting a mere .175 with four home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases, and 32 strikeouts over his last 35 games. This rough stretch has dropped his roster percentage to 75% in Yahoo! leagues. 

There aren't many encouraging signs that suggest Volpe will eventually turn things around on offense. His expected batting average (.235), launch angle sweet-spot rate (31.8%), whiff rate (26.3%), and strikeout rate (24.6%) all rank in the bottom half of the league. With the 24-year-old not really showing much growth at the plate since his rookie season, he could be a drop in some formats. 

Now, if you are in a roto league and need some stolen base help, it likely wouldn't be wise to drop Volpe. He currently has 10 stolen bases and should finish with upward of 20 on the year. In most cases, though, he is a fine drop in 12-team leagues.  

Verdict: Drop in 12-team leagues, except if you need stolen bases. 

More Fantasy Baseball Advice