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Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 23 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 23 (August 31 to September 6). Should fantasy baseball managers drop, hold, or sell these well-known players?
This week, we will dive into five players who have not performed well for your fantasy baseball team. This list will feature a hitter who has cooled off significantly at the plate, a pitcher who hasn't thrown the ball well on his new team, and a rookie pitcher who is still getting accustomed to big-league pitching.
So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players in Week 23 of the fantasy baseball season? Let's dive in and find out
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Caleb Durbin, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin emerged as a reliable fantasy option later in the spring. After starting the season in a rough slump (.163 batting average and one home run in his first 48 games), Durbin finally turned things around in late May. He then went on to slash .312/.378/.506 with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, 46 RBI, and 12 stolen bases across 71 games from May 28 to August 18.
During this stretch, Durbin was really a strong all-around fantasy asset. He maintained a high batting average and chipped in consistent home run and stolen base numbers. However, the 26-year-old infielder is definitely going through a little bit of a slump at the plate over the last two weeks. He is batting a mere .189 (7-for-37) with zero extra-base hits and zero stolen bases over his last 11 games.
CALEB DURBIN GO-AHEAD HOMER!
THESE RED SOX ARE INSANE pic.twitter.com/K92qp4xqaX
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 21, 2026
This cold stretch has obviously come at a bad time. With the fantasy baseball playoffs right around the corner, he has been a liability in your lineup over the past two weeks. However, it's best to continue rostering Durbin in most 12+ team leagues. Everyone goes through slumps at the plate, but his three-month track record from late May to mid-August suggests that he'll eventually figure things out at the plate.
Fantasy managers should be holding onto him in Week 23 of the fantasy baseball season.
Verdict: Hold in 12+ team leagues
Casey Mize, SP, San Diego Padres
Some regression was always due for San Diego Padres pitcher Casey Mize in the second half. Mize was greatly overperforming in the first half with the Detroit Tigers. He had a 2.70 ERA and a 24.9% strikeout rate in his first 16 starts of the year. The 29-year-old right-hander was really a consistent fantasy pitcher through July before eventually being traded to the Padres at the deadline.
Since Mize's move to San Diego, he has been the opposite of that consistent pitcher on the mound. He has a 6.26 ERA and a 10.5% strikeout rate in his first five starts with the Padres. Some of these outings included allowing eight earned runs across 3 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks on August 5, four runs across 2 2/3 innings against the Twins on August 22, and even seven runs (two earned runs) across six innings in his most recent outing.
With his ERA slowly climbing and his strikeout rate plummeting, Mize is a fine drop in shallower 12-team leagues. The swing-and-miss stuff just hasn't been there for the Padres right-hander recently. He has struck out one or fewer batter in three of his last five starts, and both his whiff rate (24%) and chase rate (28.9%) rank in the bottom half of the league.
At this time of the year, it's best to just drop Mize and pick up another pitcher who might be more consistent. He looks like a completely different pitcher from the beginning of the year.
Verdict: Drop in shallower 12-team leagues
Bryson Stott, 2B/3B/SS, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryson Stott has done enough this season to stick around as a fantasy-relevant option. Stott is batting .259 with nine home runs, 26 doubles, 59 RBI, and 23 stolen bases across 130 games this season. He remains a solid source of stolen bases and has contributed strong numbers in the other categories as well.
Unfortunately, Stott has not been a viable fantasy option lately. He's batting .171 with two doubles, zero RBI, three runs scored, and zero stolen bases over his last 10 games. This cold stretch at the plate has made the Phillies infielder one of the most dropped players in Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues heading into Week 23.
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THAT RIGHT FIELD CORNER AT ANGEL STADIUM!!! pic.twitter.com/TTHNmhS030
— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2026
While this slump has come at the worst possible time, Stott is still a solid hold in 12-team leagues if you need some batting average or stolen base help. Despite his recent offensive numbers, the 28-year-old is still batting .287 with one home run, 10 RBI, and five stolen bases across 26 games this month. Given that he has a 78th percentile expected batting average and a 77th percentile sprint speed, he still has some value down the stretch.
He's a hold in most formats.
Verdict: Hold in 12-team leagues (if you need SBs)
Carlos Rodon, SP, New York Yankees
New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon hasn't necessarily looked like his usual sharp self on the mound since returning from the injured list a few weeks ago. Rodon missed close to two months due to left elbow inflammation. He finally returned on August 18, but has yet to complete five innings in each of his last three starts.
Rodon threw four innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts against the Orioles on August 18, threw four innings of two-run ball with two strikeouts against the Blue Jays on August 23, and delivered 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts against the Red Sox in his most recent start on August 29. While there hasn't been one particularly bad outing during this stretch, fantasy managers expect more from him on the mound.
Carlos Rodón, Dirty 85mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/ReKZmcjkrb
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 29, 2026
But if you own Rodon, it's best to stay patient for now. He just returned from the injured list, so give him time to get back into the swing of things. The Yankees left-hander still owns a solid .225 expected batting average against (71st percentile), a 28.3% whiff rate (73rd percentile), and a 25.5% strikeout rate (71st percentile) on the season.
Better days on the mound are definitely ahead for Rodon. Let him get back into a groove after missing multiple weeks with an elbow injury.
Verdict: Hold in all 12+ team leagues
Kade Anderson, SP, Seattle Mariners
Many fantasy managers expected Seattle Mariners top prospect Kade Anderson to reach the big leagues and immediately contiue his dominance on the mound. Anderson had a 1.06 ERA, a 0.64 WHIP, and 135 strikeouts across 93 1/3 innings pitched with Double-A Arkansas this season. In his first professional season in the minors, MLB Pipeline's No. 5 overall prospect was pure filth on the mound.
However, Anderson has definitely needed some time to adjust to the big leagues. He has allowed five earned runs in his first 10 innings pitched in the majors. He gave up three earned runs across 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts against the Cubs on August 22 and threw 4 1/3 innings of two-run ball with three strikeouts against the Blue Jays in his most recent start on August 29.
These two starts have forced some fantasy managers to drop the talented rookie in some formats. If you are one of those managers who own the Mariners left-hander, the best thing to do is to hold him in all formats. Give Anderson time to adjust to the majors. This is a pitcher who is 22 years old and has only pitched at Double-A in his professional career.
Verdict: Hold in all formats
