
Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 6 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 Monday, we will go through the biggest names in baseball and determine if slumping players should be held, dropped, or traded for cheap.
In this week's edition, we will do things differently and only analyze what to do with younger players. All five players on this list are rostered in most fantasy leagues heading into Week 6, but they haven't really been strong fantasy options for managers in recent weeks.
So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Should we drop, hold, or sell them heading into Week 6 (May 5 - May 11) of the fantasy baseball season? Let's dive in and find out.
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Agustin Ramirez, C/1B, Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez started his MLB career with a bang. He had nine hits in his first 19 at-bats to go with three home runs, four doubles, five RBI, and one stolen base. That historic stretch resulted in Miami's No. 4 prospect being added in a bunch of fantasy leagues.
Since then, though, Ramirez has really struggled at the plate. He has one hit over his last 26 plate appearances (.041 batting average) and hasn't gotten on base much over the past week. However, fantasy managers shouldn't panic just yet. This is a young player who will go through plenty of ups and downs throughout the season.
The good news is that the Marlins plan to play him almost every day. He appeared in all six Miami games last week and saw three starts at catcher and three starts at designated hitter. There's also reason to believe that Ramirez will heat up again at the plate. His barrel rate (12.5%), hard-hit rate (46.9%), and whiff rate (18.1%) all rank extremely well to begin his career.
Agustín Ramírez of the @Marlins is the second MLB player in the modern era (rookie or not) to have a .750+ OBP with 5+ XBH and no strikeouts over his first 3 games of a season.
The other was Barry Bonds in 2002. pic.twitter.com/ZDOhc51naE
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 26, 2025
As a result, the 23-year-old should be held in most leagues. There aren't many elite catchers in fantasy, and Ramirez has the potential to be a solid all-around option for managers this year. He hit 25 home runs, drove in 93 runs, and stole 22 bases in 2024. So, don't give up on the talented prospect just yet.
Max Meyer, SP, Miami Marlins
It was just two weeks ago that Miami Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer delivered the best start of his career. He threw six shutout innings with a career-high 14 strikeouts against the Cincinnati Reds on April 21. However, Meyer hasn't been able to build off that outing and has struggled in each of his past two starts.
He allowed five runs on five hits with four walks against the Seattle Mariners on April 27 and then gave up five runs on 10 hits with two walks in his most recent start against the Athletics. In that outing against the Athletics on Saturday, Meyer really had a hard time commanding the strike zone and didn't have his best stuff on the mound.
Nonetheless, the right-hander should be held in most formats heading into Week 6. It's too fast to give up on a pitcher of his caliber, and Meyer is set to face the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Therefore, fantasy managers should give him at least one more start. There is a good chance the pitcher does rebound in that outing.
His 31.1% whiff rate and 28.1% strikeout rate both rank in the 80th percentile or better, and Meyer has delivered some brilliant pitching lines this season. He has thrown four quality starts over his seven outings in 2025. That makes him a strong hold in most formats, especially with a matchup against the White Sox on deck.
Jackson Jobe, SP, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe has the potential to be a really good starter in the majors one day. He has an elite fastball/slider combo and was basically untouchable throughout his minor league career. Jobe finished with a career 2.97 ERA and 261 strikeouts across 233 innings pitched in his three minor league seasons.
However, it has been a bit of an adjustment period for Jobe in his first full major league season in 2025. While he does have a solid ERA (3.38) through his first five outings, the right-hander hasn't pitched as well as his ERA would suggest. He has had some command issues on the mound and isn't displaying a ton of swing-and-miss stuff.
Jacson Jobe had yet another start where he struggled to generate whiffs with his fastball
It ranks near the bottom of the league with an 8.8 Whiff% pic.twitter.com/8k8ndidfLh
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 30, 2025
Both his walk rate (13.7%) and strikeout rate (17.6%) rank in the bottom 25 percent of the league. Given that Jobe hasn't thrown more than 92 innings in a season in his career, it might be time to drop MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect in some formats.
Jobe hasn't looked fantastic on the mound in 2025, and major league hitters are all over his fastball in the early going. Opposing hitters have a .286 batting average against his four-seam fastball while whiffing on it just 8.8% of the time.
With low strikeout numbers and a high WHIP to begin the season, there are likely better starting pitchers to roll with moving forward.
Matt McLain, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
There have been a lot of fantasy managers disappointed in Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain to start the season. He is batting just .165 with four home runs, 12 RBI, and six stolen bases through his first 26 games. McLain also spent some time on the injured list earlier this year due to a hamstring issue.
There's no doubt that McLain has gotten off to a slow start in 2025, and it's not a complete surprise after he missed the entire 2024 season due to a shoulder injury. Fantasy managers should expect better overall numbers for the 25-year-old in the coming weeks. His barrel rate (13.3%), chase rate (21.6%), walk rate (12.8%), and hard-hit rate (45%) all rank well entering Week 6.
That means McLain should be held in all fantasy leagues. He will eventually pick things up offensively and should be an all-around contributor for fantasy managers for the rest of the year.
In his last season in 2023, the Reds infielder hit .290 with 16 home runs, 50 RBI, 65 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases across 89 games. So, don't drop or sell him after just one month.
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
Many fantasy managers had high hopes for New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez in 2025. He entered the season as MLB Pipeline's No. 25 overall prospect and was set to be New York's everyday left fielder. Nonetheless, Dominguez has looked overmatched in his first 97 at-bats this year.
The 22-year-old is batting just .227 with two home runs, 12 RBI, and three stolen bases across 28 games. Given how Dominguez has looked at the plate to start the season, it is becoming more difficult to hold him in most leagues. He hasn't been hitting the ball hard, and his barrel rate (6.7%), squared-up rate (20.1%), and whiff rate (31.2%) all rank in the bottom half of the league.
As a result, see what you can get for Dominguez in a trade. He has sat out three of the Yankees' past eight games, and it's hard to see him becoming a strong fantasy option in Year 1, considering his poor metrics. While the young outfielder might not have much trade value right now, try to get something in return for him.
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