Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report: Ryan Waldschmidt is 2 Legit 2 Quit

Last week, we saw Ryan Waldschmidt quickly make his name known to all fantasy baseball managers. The #1 prospect for the Arizona Diamondbacks tops my rookie report. He will still likely have some growing pains adjusting to big-league pitching, but he definitely filled the stat sheet for the 6% of fantasy managers who have him on their rosters.

If he keeps performing like this, then he won’t be sitting on the waiver wire long. In my rookie report, I break down some of the performances and share who was hot, mild, and cold. I also share how the rookie pitchers have performed.

More great Fantasy Baseball Analysis: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire | Weekly SP Rankings | Pitching Streamers | Two-Start Pitchers | Lineup Analysis | MLB Injury Report | Rookie Report | Advanced Stats | Under the Radar | Overvalued & Undervalued | Bullpen Report

Updated Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report

Rookie Batters Who Had a Hot Week

Ryan Waldschmidt – OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

2026 Stats – 57 PA, .353/.411/.471, 0 HR, 9 R, 7 RBI, 5 SB

Ryan Waldschmidt exploded onto the fantasy baseball scene last week. Alek Thomas was designated for assignment on May 8, so the Diamondbacks could promote their #1 prospect, Waldschmidt. He had a .241 batting average to start the week, but he quickly boosted that above .300 after a 3-for-3 game on Monday. Throughout last week, he went 11-for-22 (.500) with eight runs, two RBIs, and four stolen bases.

Waldschmidt doesn’t offer fantasy managers much power production with only 18 homers over 601 plate appearances across High- and Double-A last season, and he only had three in 156 plate appearances in Triple-A before his call-up this season. However, he has produced in every other offensive category.

I wish his plate discipline were better (0.33 walks per strikeout), but that may just be him figuring out big league pitching. It may still be too early to make a decision to add Waldschmidt to your fantasy team, since this was his first big fantasy-producing week, but keep an eye on him over the next few weeks.

It has been less than 2 weeks since Ryan Waldschmidt was called up, and his metrics are awe-inspiring!

– 91st percentile sprint speed
– 16.7% Barrel%, 33.3% LD%
– 3 OAA | 2 FRV | 2 DRS in CF
– .313 AVG, .809 OPS#Dbacks have a true superstar in the making! pic.twitter.com/aZcEgZ9W61

— Diamondbacks Prospects 🐍 (@dbacksprospectz) May 19, 2026

Carson Benge – OF, New York Mets

2026 Stats – 190 PA, .246/.305/.337, 3 HR, 25 R, 17 RBI, 9 SB

Carson Benge started last week with back-to-back three-hit nights on Monday and Tuesday. He also scored five runs and had four RBIs in these games. The only downside to the six-hit performance was that five of them went for singles, and the other was a double. I talked in my rookie report last week that fantasy managers shouldn’t expect much power from Benge, but seeing him in the leadoff spot in the batting order is a welcome sight.

He slowed down the rest of the week, getting only two hits combined over the last five games. However, Benge’s turnaround in May is nice to see after seeing him slash .189/.247/.278 through April. Batting at the top of the order will continue to give him ample opportunities to produce. If only the rest of the Mets could start getting hot at the plate to help Benge’s fantasy value.

TJ Rumfield – 1B, Colorado Rockies

2026 Stats – 212 PA, .284/.354/.453, 7 HR, 22 R, 27 RBI, 0 SB

TJ Rumfield continues to be a nice surprise fantasy baseball contributor. Last week, he went 8-for-23 (.347) at the plate with two runs, a homer, and four RBIs. He’s only 12% rostered in fantasy baseball leagues; however, he can be comfortably rostered in deeper leagues and held on to in case of an injury. If you’re in a small league, then you can probably find a first baseman with more power.

Konnor Griffin – SS, Pittsburgh Pirates

2026 Stats – 186 PA, .266/.323/.391, 3 HR, 26 R, 20 RBI, 12 SB

Konnor Griffin is continuing to hit in May. Last week, he went 6-for-20 (.300) with seven runs and two stolen bases. He displayed some power through Single- and Double-A last season, hitting 21 home runs in 563 plate appearances. However, that power hasn’t translated to the major leagues, so it’s nice to see him producing in the other offensive categories.

Konnor Griffin has been one of the hottest hitters in MLB this month pic.twitter.com/zmfY2Iobrd

— Kody Duncan (@KodyDuncanPGH) May 22, 2026

JJ Wetherholt – 2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals

2026 Stats – 233 PA, .237/.356/.402, 9 HR, 36 R, 25 RBI, 6 SB

JJ Wetherholt hasn’t been explosive at the plate lately, but he did hit his second home run in the month. However, he’s been a steady producer. Last week, he went 6-for-22 (.272) with three runs, a home run, three RBIs, and a stolen base. Wetherholt can be a five-tool player after stealing 23 bases combined over Double- and Triple-A last season. Hopefully, we’ll start seeing the Cardinals’ rookie be more aggressive on the bases, but if not, he’s at least being productive in all other offensive categories.

Sal Stewart – 1B, Cincinnati Reds

2026 Stats – 205 PA, .243/.337/.458, 10 HR, 26 R, 31 RBI, 10 SB

After being one of the hottest hitters in MLB through April, May hasn’t been as friendly. However, he looked back to form last week, going 7-for-18 (.388) at the plate. He also added two home runs (his first in nearly two weeks), six runs, and three RBIs. Fantasy managers will be happy to see Stewart back to hitting the ball out of the ballpark. Hopefully, his turnaround will continue.

Travis Bazzana – 2B, Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats – 100 PA, .294/.400/.424, 3 HR, 11 R, 10 RBI, 7 SB

Travis Bazzana has been a consistent producer across the board since May 2, when, after the game, he had a .077 batting average. Through the week, the second baseman added three runs, two home runs, and three RBIs. He also saw a seven-game hitting spree come to an end on May 21. Bazzana is only 25% owned in fantasy leagues. If you’re in a shallow league, then I would continue to sit and watch how the next few weeks go, but in deep leagues, you should get him on your roster since he’s been producing across the board.

My goodness 😳

Travis Bazzana sends one to the second deck 😮 pic.twitter.com/8DSqCx5iDP

— MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2026

Rookies Who Had a Mild Week

Munetaka Murakami – 1B, Chicago White Sox

2026 Stats – 226 PA, .235/.376/.530, 17 HR, 36 R, 36 RBI, 0 SB

If Munetaka Murakami isn’t hitting home runs, then it feels like a lackluster week for fantasy baseball managers. It was a typical week regarding contact skills for the Japanese slugger, going 5-for-21 (.238), while adding two runs and four RBIs.

MLB teams knew Murakami had tons of power, though no one expected him to adjust to MLB pitching so quickly. He trails Kyle Schwarber and is tied with Aaron Judge in the home run race, not bad company to be in for the rookie.

Sam Antonacci – 2B/3B/OF, Chicago White Sox

2026 Stats – 132 PA, .273/.377/.382, 1 HR, 20 R,10 RBI, 5 SB

This week, the White Sox’s utility player didn’t provide the consistent contact he’s shown in May, going 4-for-19 (.210), but he did fill up the stat sheet elsewhere. He scored four runs, drove in a run, and stole two bases.

Batting at the top of a White Sox team that is second in the surprisingly weak AL Central will continue to provide plenty of run and stolen base opportunities. The one downfall is he’s a platoon player, but being a left-handed hitter has him on the strong side of the platoon.

Chase DeLauter – OF, Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats – 207 PA, .261/.348/.450, 7 HR, 12 R, 22 RBI, 2 SB

The early power Chase DeLauter displayed in March, when he hit four homers in his first three games of the season, has vanished. He’s played in 44 games since March ended and has homered only three times. It’s been a roller coaster of a rookie campaign as DeLauter is adjusting to big league pitching. Last week, he also added a run, two RBIs, and stole his first two bases of the season.

Owen Caissie – OF, Miami Marlins

2026 Stats – 143 PA, .213/.273/.362, 4 HR, 15 R, 24 RBI, 3 SB

The contact skills for Owen Caissie during his rookie debut are still pretty weak. He went 4-for-16 (.250) last week, but he hasn’t had a multi-hit game since April 3, only his second career such game. Though he’s not getting on base much, he did add a run, a homer, and five RBIs.

Strikeouts are a massive issue for Caissie as he is currently matching the strikeout rate (40.7%) he had through 12 MLB games with the Chicago Cubs last season. He’s safe to keep on the waiver wire until he starts to show more consistency and the ability to get more than one hit in a game.

Yohendrick Pinango – OF, Toronto Blue Jays

2026 Stats – 71 PA, .313/.352/.418, 1 HR, 5 R, 10 RBI, 0 SB

Kevin McGonigle – SS/3B, Detroit Tigers

2026 Stats – 227 PA, .284/.388/.412, 3 HR, 32 R, 19 RBI, 7 SB

Carter Jensen – C, Kansas City Royals

2026 Stats – 175 PA, .232/.320/.397, 6 HR, 20 R, 23 RBI, 0 SB

A.J. Ewing – OF, New York Mets

2026 Stats – 50 PA, .275/.396/.400, 1 HR, 6 R, 4 RBI, 3 SB

Rookie Batters Who Had a Cold Week

Kazuma Okamoto – 3B/1B, Toronto Blue Jays

2026 Stats – 210 PA, .214/.295/.406, 10 HR, 25 R, 27 RBI, 0 SB

Kazuma Okamoto started May off hot, with a home run in four of the first five games, but the homer on May 5 is the last time he’s hit a long ball. Last week, he went 2-for-24 for an ugly .083 average, and his lone production was two runs. He got the day off Saturday to clear his head, and it may have worked as he was 1-for-4 on Sunday with a double. It was his first hit after five straight hitless games.

The Blue Jays have been relying on him for their power, as they rank 21st in homers with 47. Someone will be expected to pick up the slack, especially if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. misses time after leaving Sunday’s game early when he was hit by a pitch on his elbow.

Samuel Basallo – C, Baltimore Orioles

2026 Stats – 158 PA, .269/.323/.476, 7 HR, 19 R, 19 RBI, 0 SB

Justin Crawford – OF, Philadelphia Phillies

2026 Stats – 165 PA, .240/.309/.353, 2 HR, 12 R, 12 RBI, 7 SB

Brice Matthews- 2B/OF, Houston Astros

2026 Stats – 141 PA, .200/.250/.338, 4 HR, 13 R, 14 RBI, 2 SB

Moises Ballesteros – C, Chicago Cubs

2026 Stats – 131 PA, .235/.313/.435, 6 HR, 15 R, 20 RBI, 0 SB

Jose Fernandez – SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

2026 Stats – 145 PA, .265/.296/.360, 3 HR, 22 R, 14 RBI, 6 SB

Henry Bolte – OF, Athletics

2026 Stats – 42 PA, .286/.381/.343, 0 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 3 SB

Sung-Mun Song – 2B/3B, San Diego Padres

2026 Stats – 25 PA, .190/.320/.238, 0 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB

Rookie Starting Pitchers

Nolan McLean – SP, New York Mets

2026 Stats – 10 GS, 2-3, 3.57 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 69 SO, 17 BB

Parker Messick – SP, Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats – 11 GS, 6-1, 2.24 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 70 SO, 19 BB

Andrew Painter – SP, Philadelphia Phillies

2026 Stats – 9 GS (1 relief), 1-5, 5.40 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 40 SO, 16 BB

Bubba Chandler – SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

2026 Stats – 10 GS, 1-6, 4.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 47 SO, 34 BB

Connelly Early – SP, Boston Red Sox

2026 Stats – 10 GS, 4-2, 3.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 50 SO, 19 BB,

Brandon Sproat – SP, Milwaukee Brewers

2026 Stats – 8 GS (2 relief), 1-3, 5.84 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 48 SO, 27 BB

Foster Griffin – SP, Washington Nationals

2026 Stats – 11 GS, 5-2, 3.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 60 SO, 19 BB

Payton Tolle – SP, Boston Red Sox

2026 Stats – 6 GS, 2-2, 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 39 SO, 9 BB

Trey Yesavage – SP, Toronto Blue Jays

2026 Stats – 5 GS, 2-1, 1.07 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 29 SO, 8 BB

Connor Prielipp – SP, Minnesota Twins

2026 Stats – 6 GS, 1-2, 4.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 30 SO, 12 BB

Noah Schultz- SP, Chicago White Sox

2026 Stats – 8 GS, 2-3, 5.35 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 33 SO, 22 BB

Tatsuya Imai – SP, Houston Astros

2026 Stats – 5 GS, 1-2, 8.31 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 21 SO, 14 BB

Injuries/Demotions

Nick Yorke – 2B/3B, Pittsburgh Pirates

2026 Stats – 78 PA, .221/.308/.309, 1 HR, 6 R, 6 RBI, 0 SB

Optioned to Triple-A

Juan Brito – 2B, Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats – 56 PA, .176/.250/.255, 0 HR, 7 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB

Optioned to Triple-A

Dylan Beavers – OF, Baltimore Orioles

2026 Stats – 119 PA, .243/.331/.369, 2 HR, 16 R, 12 RBI, 3 SB

On 10-Day IL with an onlique injury retroactive to May 11

Alex Freeland – 2B, 3B, SS – Los Angeles Dodgers

2026 Stats – 112 PA, .235/.309/.337, 2 HR, 11 R, 8 RBI, 0 SB

Optioned to Triple-A

Rhett Lowder – Cincinnati Reds

2026 Stats – 8 GS, 3-3, 5.40 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 27 SO, 18 BB

Placed on 15-day IL retroactive to May 10

Elmer Rodriguez – SP, New York Yankees

2026 Stats – 3 GS, 0-1, 4.15 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 6 SO, 9 BB

Optioned to Triple-A

Spencer Jones – OF, New York Yankees

2026 Stats – 27 PA, .167/.259/.426, 0 HR, 0 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB

Optioned to Triple-A

Nathan Church – OF, St. Louis Cardinals

2026 Stats – 156 PA, .247/.282/.390, 5 HR, 17 R, 18 RBI, 4 SB

Placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to May 21

Notable New Additions:

Colt Emerson – SS, Seattle Mariners

2026 Stats – 22 PA, .211/.318/.474, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB

Sterlin Thompson – OF, Colorado Rockies

2026 Stats – 16 PA, .143/.250/.214, 0 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI, 0 SB