2026 Fantasy Baseball: Rookie Second Basemen to Watch

This season doesn’t shine a bright light on rookie second basemen being significant fantasy baseball contributors. The position overall is pretty thin in terms of fantasy baseball production, but let’s be honest, it’s never been a position that produced massive contributors in fantasy baseball. However, you can find some power and speed combinations that are valuable.

I took a look at the rookie class for 2026 to see which second basemen would be ones to watch this season. It wasn’t easy to find standout players, as only one of the three listed below has a shot in Spring Training to make their team’s Opening Day roster, barring any injuries. Take a look at the three rookie second basemen I suggest fantasy managers keep an eye on during draft day.

Rookie Second Basemen to Watch for 2026 Fantasy Baseball

JJ Wetherholt – 2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals (ADP: 158)

The St. Louis Cardinals needed to find a way to clear room for their explosive prospect JJ Wetherholt. Trading away Brendan Donovan did just that by clearing up the second base position. The prospect has shown the skills to handle three infield positions during his two minor league seasons.

Last season alone, he played more than 110 innings at all three positions while in Double- and Triple-A. Shortstop is Wetherholt’s primary position, but Masyn Winn blocks him, and Nolan Gorman blocks the prospect at the hot corner.

A strong Spring Training for Wetherholt should allow him to break camp with the Cardinals, handling second base. The position was his strongest defensively in 2025, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage, though a small sample size of only 84 chances. That beat out the .959 and .949 fielding percentages at shortstop and third, respectively.

Offensively, last season, Wetherholt displayed skills that would have helped fantasy managers across the board. He slashed, .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers, 82 runs, 59 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. The prospect even displayed great vision at the plate, posting a 0.99 walk per strikeout ratio.

Second base is often the weakest position regarding fantasy production, so if Wetherholt can break camp with the big league club, he should be an attractive player to draft with his five-tool potential. He has a real chance at winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award if he can make the Opening Day roster.

Sung-Mun Song – 2B/3B, San Diego Padres (ADP: 534)

The San Diego Padres went overseas to add to their infield depth by signing 29-year-old Sung-Mun Song out of the Korean Baseball Organization. He signed a four-year, $15 million contract, but the issue is that there isn’t a clear path to the starting lineup.

Song has been told he’d handle third base, second base, first base, and the outfield. However, the Padres have Jake Cronenworth at second, Manny Machado at third, and Ramon Laureano, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the outfield.

First base is an option over Gavin Sheets, but a platoon situation wouldn’t work since both hit left-handed. Also, the Padres recently added Nick Castellanos (a right-handed bat), who will handle first base and the outfield, even though he’s never played first base in the big leagues. It looks like an injury is needed to open the door for Song, who possesses a five-tool skill set that is being wasted on the bench.

Last season, he hit .315/.387/.530 with 26 home runs, 103 runs, 90 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases. There have been rumors all offseason and in previous years about a trade involving Cronenworth. However, a move doesn’t look likely unless a sizeable return is included.

If Song isn’t in the starting lineup to begin the season, fantasy managers need to add him to their watch list and keep an eye on the Padres’ injury statuses. If Song can get regular at-bats, he’d be a valuable player to add to your fantasy roster.

Travis Bazzana – 2B, Cleveland Guardians (ADP: 724)

The first overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, Travis Bazzana, has generated massive hype that hasn’t quite translated to the minor leagues. During his final season (Junior year) at Oregon State, he posted a .911 slugging percentage, 28 home runs, and a .407 batting average.

However, last season he hit only 9 home runs across 374 minor-league combined plate appearances in Double- and Triple-A. Bazzana’s batting average has also struggled, hovering around .240 in his minor league career, but he posted a .322 BABIP last season. This shows that when he puts the ball in play (excluding home runs, strikeouts, and walks), he can find a hole. The power and contact consistency may improve with more seasons professionally.

If the Guardians want to be contenders, they may want to allow Bazzana to prove himself. The team doesn’t have much offensive competition at second base with either Brayan Rocchio or Gabriel Arias (the other would start at shortstop), who both hit under .235 last season in at least 380 plate appearances.

However, it’s still likely that Bazzana will break camp and return to Triple-A. Another issue for the former Oregon State player is that the Guardians also have Juan Brito on the cusp of breaking into the big leagues. He, too, plays second base.

Bazzana is not a name managers in redraft leagues need to know before draft day, but they should keep him on their watch list. He is more of a dynasty draft candidate this season, as his value for 2026 may not come until later in the season unless injuries to Rocchio and/or Arias occur. However, a standout Spring Training performance from Bazzana may quicken his call-up.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.