Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates: Players rostered in too many leagues despite minimal production

Spencer Strider, SP, Braves, 90%: Admittedly, the Braves didn’t roll out the red carpet for Strider when they scheduled his return from the IL to take place at Coors Field. But regardless of the location of that start (3.1 IP, 3 ER), it was his velocity that most of us were watching. And unfortunately, it was down. Strider struggled last season and during spring training. There are more exciting options with lower roster rates.

Tanner Bibee, SP, Guardians, 81%: At this point, I’m not sure what Bibee does well. His strikeout rate is mediocre (20.9%), he gives up his share of homers (1.4 HR/9 rate) and this year he walks more batters than most pitchers (9.3%). The right-hander is an innings eater who is a streamer in 12-team leagues.

Michael Busch, 1B, Cubs (78%): The degree to which Busch’s quality of contact stats have declined is astonishing. Normally a powerful slugger, the first baseman is logging the type of average exit velocity (86.4 mph) that we normally see from a slap hitter. In shallow leagues, there is no reason to wait around for him to heat up.

Jeff Hoffman, RP, Blue Jays, 69%: I am firmly of the opinion that Hoffman will not regain the closer’s role in Toronto at any point soon. The right-hander’s inconsistency is much less of a problem when he pitches in earlier innings, as manager John Schneider can pull him during his poor outings before he gives the game away. Louis Varland has looked good in the ninth inning, and the Blue Jays need every win they can get. If it ain’t broke …

Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies (66%): Awful ratios this year (5.06 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) after awful ratios last year (6.01 ERA, 1.35 WHIP). Even if the 32-year-old improves, it may not happen to a degree that makes him a mixed-league asset.

Ryan Walker, RP, Giants (60%): San Francisco’s ninth-inning picture is clear as mud, and Walker hasn’t pitched well (4.64 ERA, 1.54 WHIP). There are better closer speculations with a lower roster rate.

Ernie Clement, 1B/2B/3B/SS, Blue Jays (59%): I like Clement as a player, but as a fantasy asset he offers little category juice. Early in the season, managers should aim higher than someone who will have single-digit totals in homers and steals.

Zac Gallen, SP, Diamondbacks (58%): Similar to Nola, with a bad start to 2026 (4.45 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) after a rough 2025 season (4.83 ERA, 1.26 WHIP). For the second straight year, his strikeout rate is in decline, which is robbing the right-hander of any upside.

Agustín Ramírez, C, Marlins (57%): Ramírez has produced a .645 OPS since the 2025 All-Star break and was sent to the minors on Monday. Sure, he steals more bases than other catchers, but that may not make up for mediocre plate skills. He isn’t worth waiting for.

Jack Flaherty, SP, Tigers (57%): His control skills have been abysmal this year (7.7 BB/9 rate). Until that changes, I would rather give other starters a chance on my roster.

Yainer Diaz, C, Astros (55%): Diaz rarely draws a walk and has unimpressive power skills, which makes him a mediocre option even when things are going well. So far this year, he has not been at his best (.621 OPS), and there are some exciting catchers on waivers, such as Dillon Dingler, Carter Jensen and Moisés Ballesteros.

Andrew Abbott, SP, Reds (55%): His strikeout and walk rate have trended sharply in the wrong direction, which is bad news for someone who had outperformed his ERA estimators in 2024 and 2025. There are many pitchers on waivers who are showing better skills.

Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF, Royals (54%): We have reached the point where fantasy managers should ignore Caglianone’s past prospect status and allow him to spend time on the waiver wire. The slugger isn’t slugging, having gone deep just four times this year and a total of 11 times in 93 career games. And the career .190 hitter has needed a .355 BABIP to post a mediocre .257 average this season.

Marcus Semien, 2B, Mets (50%): Semien has had an excellent career, but at this point, each season seems more disappointing than the last. His time as anything more than an occasional streamer in mixed leagues seems to be over.

Ryan Pepiot, SP, Rays (49%): Without much fanfare, the Rays recently ruled Pepiot out the season. He can be dropped everywhere.

Ryne Nelson, SP/RP, Diamondbacks (47%): Nelson bounced back with a decent start last time out, but he had allowed 14 earned runs over 5.1 innings in his previous two outings. He has low upside, which means that he can stay on waivers until he gets back on track.