Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low? (Week 15)

Joey Pollizze discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well recently. He looks at whether it's time to drop or hold these players.

At this point of the fantasy baseball season, results are either there or they aren't for players. In most cases, a player who struggled for the first three months of the season won't just magically break out of their slump and be a fantasy star for the rest of the year. 

As a result, fantasy managers should take that into account when looking at their roster in Week 15 (July 1 to July 7). It's different when a player like Paul Goldschmidt was struggling to start the season. It's a long year, and Goldschmidt has since been better for fantasy managers. 

However, if it's still July and a player on your roster is still struggling to put up consistent numbers, it might be time to cut your losses. So, let's look at five well-known fantasy baseball players who have not been solid options recently and determine what to do with them in fantasy right now.

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Jordan Montgomery - SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Spring training matters and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery is definitely starting to see that. After holding out for most of the offseason waiting for the right contract, Montgomery didn't sign with the Diamondbacks until March 27 -- one day before the team opened their season against the Colorado Rockies. 

With no spring training, Montgomery has looked awful on the mound in 2024. He currently owns a 6.03 ERA with just 45 strikeouts across 13 starts this season. To make matters worse, the left-hander has also allowed at least six runs on four different occasions already this year. In 2023, the veteran had just three such outings the entire season, so things are certainly rough for him at the moment. 

The complete collapse of Jordan Montgomery this season has been pretty wild to see. pic.twitter.com/x3dsmU0KRE

— Ryan Bloomfield (@RyanBHQ) June 27, 2024

Given the way Montgomery has pitched this season, fantasy managers should be selling him any chance they can get. His expected batting average against (.294), expected ERA (5.14), and strikeout rate (15.1%) all rank extremely low, and the southpaw just gave up eight runs (four earned runs) on nine hits across 2 2/3 innings his last time out against the Minnesota Twins. With a start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Week 15, things might not get better for him either.

So, try to trade him for cheap and hope a team in your league still believes he'll turn it around. 

Walker Buehler - SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler has surely had his struggles since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Buehler missed the entire 2023 season after injuring his elbow in 2022, and the right-hander is off to a slow start this year. He currently owns a 5.84 ERA with just 31 strikeouts across eight starts. 

On top of that, Buehler was recently placed on the 15-day injured list with a hip issue. His place on the IL comes after the 29-year-old allowed seven runs on seven hits across four innings against the Colorado Rockies on June 18. It was expected that the right-hander was going to struggle a bit in 2024 following his second Tommy John surgery and 22 months away from pitching in the majors.

That has surely been the case for him, as he allowed three earned runs or more in six of his eight starts this season. However, I'm still holding Buehler in most formats. Tommy John surgery is not easy to come back from, and while the 29-year-old is still on the IL, fantasy managers can just leave him in one of their IL slots for the time being. The right-hander definitely has the talent to be a consistent fantasy option down the stretch, assuming he can stay healthy.

Nick Pivetta- SP/RP, Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta has the privilege of having SP/RP eligibility in Yahoo! leagues, which makes him even more valuable in all formats. Nonetheless, the results haven't been there for Pivetta over the past few weeks. The right-hander has a 6.98 ERA in his last four outings, and opposing hitters are batting a whopping .337 against him during this span. So, it has been tough to start the 31-year-old in fantasy. 

However, managers should not be dropping or trading away Pivetta in fantasy by any means. Just three weeks ago, on June 5, the Red Sox starter had a 3.40 ERA after tossing seven innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves.

8 consecutive strikeouts for Nick Pivetta. 😳

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/MD7BO5qkxm

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 31, 2024

Pivetta is in a rough stretch on the mound right now, but fantasy managers should absolutely be holding onto him in all formats. In his first eight outings of the year, the right-hander allowed two earned runs or less six times while limiting opposing hitters to a .200 average. With a start against the Miami Marlins in Week 15, that matchup is the perfect chance for the veteran to bounce back. 

George Springer- OF, Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer was on this list last week, but a lot has changed since then. After struggling for most of the season, Springer has finally showed signs of life at the plate. He is 10 for his last 16 (.625 average) with three home runs, two doubles, and 10 RBI over the past five games through Sunday's contest. His best game of the year also came during this span, when he went 3-for-3 with two HRs and six RBI against the New York Yankees on June 27.

Is this just a hot streak for Springer, or a stretch that will finally get him going? It remains to be seen, but fantasy managers should pounce on this opportunity and trade him away immediately. 

The veteran has looked lost at the plate for most of the year, which dates back to his struggles in 2023. Springer posted career lows in several categories, including on-base percentage (.327), slugging (.405), and OPS (.732) last season. So, fantasy managers should take this hot streak with a grain of salt and trade him away immediately. You might not get a ton in return, but you could get something with how he has looked over the past week.

Sean Murphy - C, Atlanta Braves

It hasn't been the best year for Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy. He spent almost the first two months of the season on the IL with an oblique issue, but even when he's been healthy, he has put up poor numbers at the plate. The slugging catcher is hitting just .217 with three HRs, three doubles, and eight RBI across 25 games in 2024. 

As a result, it has been tough to start Murphy in your catcher slot. He has just five hits over his last 27 plate appearances since June 23. After a career year in 2023 -- in which the veteran totaled 21 HRs and 68 RBI -- the 29-year-old has failed to build on that campaign. 

Sean Murphy has a 129 wRC+ since 6/8. He has posted 0.6 fWAR in 25 games. That’s a 162 game pace of 3.9 fWAR. Pretty sweet down year he’s having.

— Beaneater Buzz (@BeaneaterB) July 1, 2024

Murphy is still a player fantasy managers should be holding. There aren't many solid catcher options on waivers right now, and things should eventually even out for the former All-Star. Don't forget, he's only played in 25 games this season, so he is still figuring things out at the plate. That's why he is a hold in most formats in Week 15. 

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