Buy or Sell: Fantasy Baseball Roster Trends

We are now two months into the season, and I’m sure you have already dropped some highly drafted players. Or, you missed out on the early-season breakouts because you were afraid to give up on certain draft picks too early, right? We have all been there.

One of the most complicated, yet important, parts of managing your roster is knowing when to buy into a hot start or move on from a player who has gone cold. Sure, a great deal of luck plays into the equation, but one wrong move could cost you a spot in the standings.

Today, I am going to discuss the top players that are being added and dropped in ESPN fantasy baseball leagues and provide information to help you decide whether to follow each trend or stay far away from it.

Stats as of May 25. Percentages via ESPN. Added players threshold is under 50% rostered.

Players Being Added

Casey Schmitt – UTL – San Francisco Giants (+6.6%)

2026 Stats: .295/.337/.555, 11 HR, 3 SB, 151 wRC+

Casey Schmitt has been one of the more exciting breakouts from this season. He was a solid but unspectacular hitter in years prior, but the batted ball data took a jump, and so did the rest of his stats. He’s continued to lean into a pull-heavy approach, and the results speak for themselves.

As far as fantasy value, Schmitt’s versatility and eligibility at several positions make him a must-add. He does not strike out too much, and the power outburst might actually be real. Even if his power drops off, I think he’s well-rounded enough to better your team.

Buy – A chess piece you need to find room for

Joey Cantillo – SP – Cleveland Guardians (+6.4%)

2026 Stats: 56 IP, 3.05 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 8.20 K/9, 4.34 BB/9

Cantillo is the latest Guardians breakout, joining teammate Parker Messick. We know Cleveland has a way with spawning pitchers, and they have found success with these lower-velocity-type arms. While I like Cantillo as a player, I view him more as a streamer in shallow leagues but an add in deeper leagues.

He’s done a fine job at limiting hard contact and inducing groundballs, but a poor walk rate with an average strikeout rate doesn’t give him enough fantasy value for me to cement him on my team’s roster. He misses enough bats, but until he starts limiting walks, I will have hesitations.

Sell – Could go either way, but walks need to be corrected first

Cade Cavalli – SP – Washington Nationals (+5.5%)

2026 Stats: 53.2 IP, 3.86 ERA, 3.15 FIP, 10.23 K/9, 3.19 BB/9

We are finally seeing a healthy Cade Cavalli, and it has been worth the wait. Cavalli has given the Nationals rotation the boost and upside that they desperately needed coming into the year. His curveball looks great, but the fastball is getting hit hard at a 92 mph average exit velocity.

Cavalli has flirted with the middle of the zone a good amount this season but has avoided the long ball, for now. I view him as a similar value to Cantillo, but with higher strikeout upside. I am a bit weary of Cavalli keeping off barrels over a longer period of time, but I’m comfortable chasing strikeouts.

Buy – Strikeout upside has me interested

Ryan Waldschmidt – OF – Arizona Diamondbacks (+2.2%)

2026 Stats: .321/.377/.429, 0 HR, 5 SB, 130 wRC+

The Diamondbacks finally moved on from Alek Thomas and have replaced him with one of their top prospects, Ryan Waldschmidt. The move is paying off. Waldschmidt is a great athlete who does everything well while having a nice blend of power and speed.

I do think his power will not be a major driver in his fantasy profile, but if you need speed, he’s your guy. The bat-to-ball skills with a good eye for the zone should help him avoid the level of early struggles we see from some rookies.

Buy – Speed and a chance for power with a lot of playing time

Carlos Cortes – OF – Athletics (+2%)

2026 Stats: .341/.425/.540, 5 HR, 171 wRC+

What’s not to love about Carlos Cortes? He doesn’t strike out and draws walks. He makes plenty of quality contact, with the one issue being that he hasn’t lifted the ball. However, his average launch angle stayed consistently around 15% last year and in his minor league career.

If I had to bet, I’d say the power will start to come. Every other box is checked, and if the only adjustment is getting back to lifting the ball at his normal career level, then I like his trajectory.

Buy – Power might come

Players Being Dropped

Tanner Bibee – SP – Cleveland Guardians (-3.8%)

2026 Stats: 63 IP, 4.57 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 7.86 K/9, 3.00 BB/9

Bibee getting dropped likely has a lot to do with him allowing seven runs in his last outing. The three outings prior were all quality starts, and everything was trending in the right direction: two starts with at least seven runs allowed and nine starts with three or fewer.

The advanced metrics have not looked good. He’s allowing hard contact and not getting the groundballs he has in the past. Yet, I think I would hold on for now. I’m willing to stomach the bad start and see if he can get back to looking like he did in the starts leading up to his poor outing.

Sell – Keep for now

Lucas Erceg – RP – Kansas City Royals (-3%)

2026 Stats: 21.1 IP, 5.06 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 7.59 K/9, 5.48 BB/9

Erceg has been forced into the closer’s role after Carlos Estévez landed on the IL early in the season. Although he’s logged 11 saves and still seems to be the Royals’ preferred option in the ninth, I struggle to see how that lasts. Erceg has seen his walk rate climb, and considering the small number of strikeouts, his value simply is not there.

If you are in a league where saves are tough to come by, then I understand weathering the storm and hoping for the best. But, I would personally move on from Erceg. His role might not last much longer, and saves are the only thing keeping him relevant in the fantasy world.

Buy – Follow the lead

Zebby Matthews – SP – Minnesota Twins (-2.7%)

2026 Stats: 19 IP, 2.37 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 8.05 K/9, 0.95 BB/9

Matthews being dropped is likely the case of people picking him up as a streamer with no plans of keeping him long-term. Well, I’d say that is a mistake. Matthews has shown elite command and still has good enough stuff to see his strikeout rate climb up closer to last year’s 9.98 K/9.

The advanced metrics looked better than his ERA in 2025 (3.79 FIP, 5.56 ERA). Although it has only been three starts, there’s plenty of reason to get excited for Twins fans. I’m not saying this pace is going to hold, but I want him on my team as I find out.

Sell – Keep and see how it plays out

Ildemaro Vargas – 2B – Arizona Diamondbacks (-1.9%)

2026 Stats: .304/.333/.486, 7 HR, 128 wRC+

It was a fun ride, Ildemaro Vargas. A fun ride. We often see a veteran journeyman pop up in fantasy relevance each season, but we know it is unlikely to last. That can be said about Vargas, who started off scorching hot but has cooled to a .600 OPS over the past month.

As the D-backs get healthier, Vargas will see less and less playing time. We don’t have to get too deep into the weeds on this one. He’s a bench player who has never held fantasy value in his prior nine seasons, and I don’t think a rebound will happen this year.

Buy – April was fun, but it’s time to move on

Josh Jung – 3B – Texas Rangers (-1.7%)

2026 Stats: .302/.357/.462, 5 HR, 133 wRC+

Josh Jung was a solid baseball player for the past few seasons, but he has seen a jump in 2026. He’s improved his in-zone contact by a shocking 10%, while still hitting the ball hard. His line drive profile will likely cap his home run output, but collecting doubles, of which he already has 14, still plays.

Third base can be a weird position in fantasy. If you drafted one that you have soured on, I think Jung is a great pivot. Cutting down on his strikeouts has allowed for his fantasy value to tick up, even if the home run output does not.

Sell – Enough improvement for me to hold on