Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low for Week 16? (2025)

July 15, 2025

Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 16 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 determine what fantasy managers should do with slumping players. These players have not been strong fantasy options in recent weeks and have seen their rostership drop in all formats. 

As we head into the All-Star break, we will analyze what fantasy managers should do with five struggling players. All five players featured on this list are rostered in over 60% of Yahoo! leagues. 

So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Should they drop, hold, or sell them in Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season? Let's dive in!

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Zac Gallen, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Gallen has been one of the biggest fantasy disappointments in the early going. After finishing with a sub-3.70 ERA in each of the past three seasons, Gallen has been a completely different pitcher in 2025. The right-hander will enter the All-Star break with a whopping 5.40 ERA across 20 starts.

It has surely been a season to forget for Gallen. His 5.40 ERA ranks dead last among all qualified starters, and the 2023 All-Star has allowed at least four earned runs in five of his past seven starts. In his most recent outing on Saturday, he allowed six runs on eight hits with three strikeouts against the Los Angeles Angels. With another rough outing, a lot of fantasy managers don't know what to do with him.

He has looked awful for a large chunk of the season, and there aren't a ton of positives from him in the first half. His expected batting average against (.262), barrel rate (11.8%), hard-hit rate (46.7%), and walk rate (9.1%) all rank in the bottom half of the league. However, let's hold Gallen for a few more weeks to see where he winds up at the trade deadline.

Zac Gallen fantasy points game log pic.twitter.com/P1ljEUdu5d

— Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) July 13, 2025

There's a strong chance he will be moved within the next two weeks, and that change of scenery could help him rediscover his All-Star form. It's also important to note that he tossed seven innings of one-run ball and six shutout innings in two of his last three outings. So, things could be trending in the right direction for the 29-year-old.

Verdict: Hold in 12+ team leagues 

Drew Rasmussen, RP/SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Rasmussen has had a fantastic season on the mound so far. He currently owns a 2.86 ERA and 77 strikeouts across 19 starts. Rasmussen really emerged as a reliable fantasy option in the first half, allowing two runs or fewer in 13 of his 19 outings. Unfortunately, the right-hander has not been startable in fantasy in recent weeks.

The 29-year-old has pitched just two innings in each of his past two starts. Part of that reason is due to the Rays limiting Rasmussen's innings, considering he has thrown just 73 1/3 innings combined over the past two years. That conservative approach is not a great sign for his fantasy outlook for the rest of the season.

While Rasmussen will likely pitch more than two innings moving forward, he does have a 150-inning limit this season. With the 29-year-old already at 91 1/3 innings pitched through 19 starts, he only has roughly 58 2/3 innings remaining to pitch over the final two and a half months. Therefore, it might be time to sell him in most formats.

It's surely going to be a headache rostering him the rest of the season. We might not know how many innings the Rays plan to pitch him in each outing, and Joe Boyle has looked solid in a bulk reliever role behind Rasmussen. If that pitching tandem were to continue in the second half, it's hard to imagine Rasmussen throwing more than five innings in a start.

Verdict: Sell in all formats

Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

It has not been a great few weeks for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Arenado. He is batting just .211 with two extra base hits over his last 11 games and has missed seven of the past 11 contests due to a finger injury. All this has resulted in Arenado dipping below the 65% threshold in Yahoo! leagues for the first time this year.

This is the third time Nolan Arenado has been pulled out of a game/sat out for multiple games in the last two weeks. The club has been shorthanded often during that time.

I'm thinking they should've just put him on the IL for another bench bat. #STLCards

— Thomas Gauvain (@thomasgauvain) July 12, 2025

It makes sense why Arenado continues to be dropped in leagues. He isn't having the best season, and his metrics across the board suggest things might not improve in the second half. The slugging third baseman ranks in the 25th percentile or worse in expected slugging (.378), average exit velocity (87.2 mph), barrel rate (4.2%), and launch angle sweet-spot rate (29.1%).

Although Arenado is expected to be ready to go for the second half later this week, his age appears to be catching up to him. He only hit 16 home runs last season and is on pace for just 17 home runs and 71 RBI in 2025. So, it might be time to think about trading him during the All-Star break. The eight-time All-Star has been a very streaky fantasy option all year.

Verdict: Sell in all formats

Tommy Edman, 2B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers utility specialist Edman got off to a solid start this season. He was hitting .252 with eight home runs, four doubles, 24 RBI, and two stolen bases in his first 30 games. However, an ankle injury suffered in late April sidelined him for multiple weeks. Although he returned a few weeks later on May 18, Edman hasn't been the same since returning from that injury.

He is slashing just .208/.274/.309 with two home runs, 15 RBI, and one stolen base over the past 44 games. More importantly, Edman is currently in a major slump at the plate, totaling just two hits across his last 35 at-bats (.057 batting average). It has really been hard to watch his plate appearances in recent weeks, especially as of late. 

Tommy Edman's defensive versatility remains valuable to the Dodgers. But he's also on a 0-for-20 skid now, and down to a .225 average and .678 OPS on the season

He's someone the Dodgers could use more from, as they try to snap their recent struggles offensively

— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) July 13, 2025

Given Edman's major slump and the fact that he is dealing with a hairline fracture in his right pinkie toe, it's time to drop the utility specialist in most 12-team leagues. He just isn't getting the job done offensively and will continue to be an unreliable fantasy option moving forward. His 5% barrel rate, 38.5% hard-hit rate, and 87.7 mph average exit velocity all rank poorly through the first half. 

Verdict: Drop in most 12-team leagues

Logan O'Hoppe, C, Los Angeles Angels

It has been a weird year for Los Angeles catcher O'Hoppe. Despite being on pace for a career-high 29 home runs this year, the rest of his numbers aren't great. He has a subpar .229 batting average, only 37 RBI, and a whopping 98 strikeouts across 296 plate appearances. However, his 17 long balls at the break rank tied for second with Hunter Goodman at the position. 

It really feels like O'Hoppe has only been good for his home run numbers this season. When he isn't driving the ball over the fence, he is not startable in most formats. That has surely been the case over the past two weeks, as the Angels catcher is batting just .208 with zero home runs, zero RBI, three walks, and 18 strikeouts across his last 13 games. 

As a result, O'Hoppe is a drop in some 12-team leagues. The 25-year-old is just too inconsistent of a fantasy option, and his home runs usually come in bunches. If you need some home run help in your roto league, then he is probably worth keeping. In most cases, though, he is a fine drop. With a brutal 35.1% whiff rate and 33.2% strikeout rate, it's going to be hard to trust him consistently in the second half. 

Verdict: Drop in 12-team leagues, unless you need help in the home run department 

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