Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low for Week 3? (2026)

April 13, 2026

Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 3 of the 2026 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players. Should you drop, hold, or sell these well-known players in Week 3 (April 13 to April 19)?

This article will dive into five well-known players who are currently struggling. All five of the players on this week's edition have posted poor numbers over the past week and are being dropped in a bunch of leagues. One pitcher on this list has been dropped in over 10,000 leagues since Sunday, and one batter is currently in a 1-for-31 slump at the plate.

So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Let's find out!

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Kodai Senga, SP, New York Mets

New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga started the year by having two strong outings. He threw six innings of two-run ball with nine strikeouts against the Cardinals and then threw 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts against the Giants. However, Senga really struggled in his most recent start against the Athletics, giving up seven runs across 2 1/3 innings.

This was arguably Senga's worst start of his MLB career. He got shelled for two runs in the second inning, and then another five runs in the next inning before departing with one out in the third inning. Nothing went right for the right-hander in this start. He was all over the place on the mound and allowed a ton of hard contact across his 2 1/3 innings of work.

Despite that poor start, Senga is still a hold in all formats. He posted strong numbers in his first two starts, and his stuff has played well on the mound so far. The 33-year-old ranks in the 73rd percentile in whiff rate (30.2%) and 79th percentile in strikeout rate (29.7%). So, give him at least one more turn through the rotation before cutting bait with him in your league.

Kodai Senga, Dirty 85mph Ghost Fork. 👻🍴 pic.twitter.com/8x2pAcEvJ1

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 11, 2026

Senga has shown in the past to be a consistent fantasy option. If he can stay healthy throughout the 2026 season, he has the tools to return to his rookie-year self. Back in 2023, he finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting and seventh in National League Cy Young voting. There's too much talent here to cut after only one bad outing.

Verdict: Hold in all leagues

Shane Baz, SP, Baltimore Orioles

It has been an uneven start to the season for Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Shane Baz. He allowed four runs across 5 1/3 innings against the Twins back on March 29, threw 5 2/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts against the Pirates on April 4, and then gave up three runs with only four strikeouts across five innings against the Giants in his most recent start on Friday.

Baz hasn't really looked sharp on the mound in his three outings. He has only struck out 13 batters in his 16 innings of work and carries a mere 23.8% whiff rate and a 18.3% strikeout rate into Week 3 of the fantasy baseball season. Part of the reason those two metrics are down from last year is that his fastball hasn't been as lively. Opposing hitters are batting .529 against his four-seam fastball, and his cutter's whiff rate is down 4.1%.

It is too small a sample size to fully panic on Baz just yet. He should post better numbers than he did in 2025, and his fastball has been a weapon for him on the mound in the past. However, his low strikeout and whiff rates are major concerns moving forward. While the Orioles right-hander is not a must-drop in 12-team leagues right now, another poor outing could push him that way.

Verdict: See what you can get for him in a trade. If nothing, then hold in most 12-team leagues

Michael Busch, 1B, Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch broke out in a big way last year. He hit .261 with 34 home runs, 25 doubles, 90 RBI, and four stolen bases across 155 games and ranked toward the top of the position in most offensive categories. This year, though, Busch has looked like a completely different hitter. That has caused some fantasy managers to panic in the early going.

The 28-year-old slugger is off to a rough 7-for-52 start (.135 batting average) with two doubles, three RBI, seven walks, and 12 strikeouts in his first 15 games. He isn't hitting the ball hard at all, and his bat speed is noticeably down 2.2 mph from last year. Busch is also currently in a 1-for-31 stretch at the plate. His lone hit during this slump came off the bench in the Cubs' come-from-behind victory on Sunday.

MICHAEL BUSCH, EVERYBODY. pic.twitter.com/9mEHYoK4UI

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 12, 2026

Maybe that hit can start to get Busch going. This is the same hitter who ranked in the 90th percentile or better in xwOBA (.378), expected slugging (.548), average exit velocity (92.2 mph), barrel rate (17.1%), and launch angle sweet-spot rate (41.1%). He's too talented not to figure things out eventually, and his numbers will even out as the weather warms up.

As a result, Busch should be held in all leagues ahead of Week 3. His metrics don't look great right now, but he is squaring up the ball at an elite clip (34.1%), and his strikeout rate has improved. The Cubs' first baseman is not worth dropping yet.

Verdict: Hold in all leagues 

Kazuma Okamoto, 1B/3B, Toronto Blue Jays 

The transition from playing overseas in Japan to playing in the Major Leagues can be difficult for some players. That has been the case for Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Okamoto is currently slashing .204/.283/.333 with two home runs, one double, three RBI, and 21 strikeouts in his first 14 career games.

Kazuma Okamoto has his first MLB home run 😤 pic.twitter.com/lugD7Plu8h

— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2026

The biggest problem for Okamoto to begin his MLB career has been the lack of contact. He simply seems overmatched at the plate right now, as his whiff rate (36.8%) and strikeout rate (36.4%) both rank in the bottom 10% of the league. On top of that, Okamoto has a poor 76.7% zone contact rate and a below-average 21.1% squared-up rate.

It's hard not to overreact to Okamoto's slow start, especially since he was a prized hitter from the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization. While his slow start does raise some red flags about his fantasy potential the rest of the year, fantasy managers should wait at least one more week before dropping him. He does have a solid 10% barrel rate across his 60 plate appearances and just batted .322 in Japan last year.

It's best to remain patient with Okamoto for now.

Verdict: Hold for at least another week in 12-team leagues 

Bryan Abreu, RP, Houston Astros

Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu was a popular target in fantasy drafts by many managers this spring. He was just coming off a dominant 2025 season in which he finished with a 2.28 ERA, seven saves, and 105 strikeouts across 71 innings, and was set to be the Astros closer to start the season with Josh Hader down.

However, things have been a disaster for Abreu to begin the year. He has allowed a run in six of his seven appearances and carries a whopping 16.20 ERA into Week 3 of the fantasy baseball season. The right-hander also ranks dead last among all pitchers in expected ERA (11.41), average exit velocity (99.5 mph), walk rate (37%), barrel rate (25%), hard-hit rate (75%), and groundball rate (12.5%) so far.

For all those reasons, Abreu is a drop in all formats. Opposing hitters are all over his fastball and slider, and the Astros pitcher has statistically been one of the worst relievers in baseball to start the season. While his strikeout rate (33.3%) and whiff rate (39%) both rank extremely well, fantasy managers can't keep rolling with him in their lineups. He currently has a -6 Pitching Run Value on Baseball Savant.

Verdict: Drop in all formats

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