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Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 5 of the 2025 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players. Each week of the fantasy baseball season, we will analyze which players are in a major slump at the plate and on the mound. We'll then determine if fantasy managers should be dropping, holding, or selling these players heading into the following week.
In this article, we will look at five players who have struggled to be solid fantasy options over the past week. All five of these players are rostered in the majority of leagues, but continue to disappoint fantasy managers. These players are likely seeing their rostership decline as we speak.
So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known fantasy players? Should we drop, hold, or sell them heading into Week 5 (April 28 - May 4)? Let's dive in and find out.
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Tanner Houck, SP, Boston Red Sox
After being an All-Star in 2024, Boston Red Sox starter Tanner Houck hasn't been that All-Star-type pitcher to start the 2025 campaign. He currently owns a 7.58 ERA through his first six starts, and the right-hander has struggled in most of his outings this season. His worst performance came back on April 14 when he allowed 12 runs (11 earned runs) across two 1/3 innings against the Rays.
Although Houck has been better on the mound in recent outings, he still isn't putting up stellar numbers. He allowed four runs on eight hits against the Cleveland Guardians in his last start on Saturday, and his metrics across the board rank extremely poorly. His expected batting average against (.286), strikeout rate (17.9 percent), and hard-hit rate (49 percent) all rank in the 25th percentile or worse to begin the season.
Tanner Houck in his last two starts:
🔺1st innings: 6 ER (54.00 ERA)
🔺The other 9 innings: 0 ER (0.00 ERA) pic.twitter.com/XmK3oxfh3J— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) April 26, 2025
As a result, Houck is a fine drop in most leagues. The right-hander's struggles date back to last season, and his stuff on the mound just isn't there. With only a 23.7 percent whiff rate in the early going, there isn't a ton of optimism surrounding the Red Sox pitcher heading into Week 5 of the fantasy baseball season.
There are better options to pick up on the waiver wire right now.
Kyren Paris, 2B, Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels second baseman Kyren Paris was arguably the hottest hitter in baseball to begin the season. Paris was hitting .440 with five home runs, eight RBI, and four stolen bases through the first 10 games. Those strong numbers resulted in the young second baseman being added in plenty of fantasy leagues.
Fast forward a few weeks, and Paris is now one of the coldest hitters in baseball. Since going 11-for-25 at the plate in his first 10 games, the 23-year-old has just four hits over his last 41 at-bats (.097 AVG) to go with one double, one stolen base, one walk, and a whopping 20 strikeouts during this span.
It has been a brutal stretch for the 23-year-old, and it remains to be seen when he will break out of this slump. He has zero hits over his last 24 at-bats. Given how poorly Paris has looked at the plate during this slump, he should be dropped in most leagues heading into Week 5.
It's not worth hanging onto Paris in most leagues, given his high whiff rate (44.3 percent) and high strikeout rate (33.8 percent). If you also add in his low walk rate (seven percent), low squared-up rate (16.5 percent), and low average exit velocity (86.1 mph), the Angels' second baseman will likely have a hard time staying fantasy-relevant in the coming weeks.
Devin Williams, RP, New York Yankees
The New York Yankees traded for relief pitcher Devin Williams this offseason in hopes of finding a reliable closer at the back end of their bullpen. However, Williams has been anything but a reliable closer for the Yankees to begin the season.
He has allowed 10 earned runs across eight innings (11.25 ERA) this season and has officially lost the closer job for the time being.
Aaron Boone says Devin Williams has been removed from the closer role, per @JackCurryYES
Boone says Luke Weaver will get “a lot” of the save opportunities. Boone told Williams they want him to gain some momentum before hopefully returning to being the closer pic.twitter.com/rzaKGbCucd
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 27, 2025
It has truly been a surprising start for Williams, considering the right-hander entered the year with a career 1.83 ERA and 68 saves. His strikeout rate (18.2 percent) is way down, his chase rate is down (27.2 percent), and opposing hitters have an expected .289 batting average against him across his first 10 appearances.
Although it hasn't been great for Williams so far, fantasy managers shouldn't drop him just yet. The right-hander will figure things out, and when he does, he will return to being one of the top closers in the game. He needs to find his confidence again, which will come with working in low-leverage situations.
Don't forget, this is a two-time Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award winner. Therefore, there's no doubt that Williams will bounce back and earn his closer job again. Fantasy managers need to stay patient with him right now.
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
When the Athletics called up their top prospect earlier last week, every fantasy manager rushed to the waiver wire to pick him up. Nick Kurtz tore it up offensively at Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the season and showed that he was MLB-ready in just 122 career minor league at-bats.
However, some fantasy managers might be a bit disappointed with Kurtz's production in the first week of his major league career. He is rostered in only 41 percent of Yahoo! leagues entering Week 5, and the 22-year-old has yet to log an extra-base hit across his 16 at-bats with the Athletics. If you do own him in your fantasy leagues, though, you should be holding onto him in every format.
It's going to take Kurtz some time to get adjusted to major league pitching, but there have been some encouraging signs from him in the early going. He has a hit in four of five games to begin his career and has already logged three RBI in those five contests. Given that the first baseman will have an everyday spot in this Athletics lineup, the best is yet to come for the young prospect.
Roki Sasaki, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki has been a fine fantasy option to start his major league career. He has allowed three runs or fewer in all six of his starts and will carry a solid 3.55 ERA into his next start in Week 5. Nonetheless, some fantasy managers might have expected more from MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect.
Despite having a low ERA, walks and strikeouts both remain significant problems for Sasaki early in his career. His 16.4 percent walk rate currently ranks in the bottom five percent of the league, and the right-hander has struck out four batters or fewer in each of his six starts. With the Japanese native struggling in those areas, he is someone fantasy managers should consider selling at this point in the season.
Worst 4-Seam Fastball Whiff% pic.twitter.com/XzCKHMMsAe
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 27, 2025
The 23-year-old hasn't looked that sharp on the mound, and the Dodgers are eventually going to limit his innings. Sasaki only threw 111 innings in Japan last season. With Los Angeles eyeing another World Series, there is no way the team will push its young pitcher later in the year. So, trade him now while he has some solid fantasy value.
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