The MLB trade deadline expires at 6:00 pm EST today, August 3. We’ve seen the rich get richer, with the Los Angeles Dodgers acquiring Tarik Skubal to further boost their already high odds of being the first team to three-peat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees in 1998-2000. The deadline likely won’t affect where the rookies in my fantasy baseball rookie report will be playing, but it was a down week for a majority of the players.
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We saw more rookies have a cold week than we’ve seen all season. It could be that the wear and tear of a long MLB season could be affecting the players who started the season in the majors. It’ll be something to watch as the fantasy baseball season nears an end. In my rookie report, I break down last week’s performances and categorize the players into three groups based on their production. I also update the rookie starting pitcher’s season stats. This week’s report is headlined by a Detroit Tigers rookie who made his MLB debut and burst onto the scene.
Updated Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report
Rookie Batters Who Had a Hot Week
Max Clark, OF – Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 15 PA, .500/.600/.917, 1 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB
What a start Max Clark has had to his MLB debut. He’s played in three games, going 6-for-12 with four runs, a home run, and three RBIs. The success was to be expected out of the Tigers’ #1 prospect. In 418 plate appearances with Triple-A Toledo this season, Clark slashed .276/.368/.434 with a .310 BABIP and a 116 wRC+. The Tigers have a valuable weapon to utilize, as the rookie offers a five-tool skillset that could give fantasy baseball managers a nice boost as we near the fantasy playoffs.
Sal Stewart – 1B/2B/3B, Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 482 PA, .254/.334/.479, 24 HR, 59 R, 85 RBI, 12 SB
Sal Stewart must have finally read my rookie reports. I’ve been begging my preseason pick to be the top rookie to get back to being aggressive on the base paths, not stealing a base since June 15. However, he snapped the drought on Tuesday, July 28. The power was also on display, hitting three home runs while going 7-for-26 (.269), while adding four runs and nine RBIs. Although Stewart’s production has wavered throughout the season, he’s been a rather consistent bat in the heart of the Reds’ lineup. His latest production has narrowed the gap to the current favorite, JJ Wetherholt, for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
Munetaka Murakami – 1B, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 331 PA, .244/.378/.546, 24 HR, 59 R, 51 RBI, 1 SB
Munetaka Murakami had a hit in all seven of his games last week, but only had one multi-hit game, going 8-for-28 (.285), with six runs, two home runs, and three RBIs. Strikeouts have been an issue all season, which was to be expected for the slugger, but he’s at a 32% rate. While starting August with five strikeouts in nine plate appearances.
The power has been down since Murakami’s return from the IL on July 10, with his two homers last week being the fourth since his return. It was a six-week absence, so it makes sense to have a slow start, but maybe last week’s production is a sign that the Japanese slugger is revving back up.
Kevin McGonigle – SS/3B, Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 486 PA, .287/.393/.431, 11 HR, 71 R, 41 RBI, 11 SB
July was a down month for Kevin McGonigle, as he had 20 hits, 10 runs, and five RBIs over the first 19 games. However, he turned it up in the last four games of July and into August, going 10-for-25 (.400), with nine runs, two home runs, and six knocked in.
The rookie is running away with the AL Rookie of the Year Award, rightfully so. McGonigle also continues to show elite plate discipline at the top of the Tigers’ lineup. In July, he posted a 13:15 walk-to-strikeout ratio, giving the team solid production in a young lineup with a bright future, especially with Clark’s hot start mentioned earlier.
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B/1B, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 444 PA, .229/.304/.447, 24 HR, 57 R, 69 RBI, 1 SB
Kazuma Okamoto got a hit in four of the five games last week, going 7-for-23 (.304), which is a nice change of pace from getting a hit in two of 10 games before the week began. However, we knew contact wasn’t the third baseman’s strong suit, and fantasy managers will gladly substitute the contact for the power he’s displayed. Okamoto also added five runs, a home run, and four RBIs to his weekly total.
He’s been the lone bright spot in the Toronto Blue Jays’ power department, with his 24 homers contributing towards 22% of the entire team’s long balls. They sit tied for 27th in homers, but no help appears to be coming, as their Japanese slugger will be stuck doing the heavy lifting through the last couple of months of the season.
A.J. Ewing – 2B/OF, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 265 PA, .264/.338/.413, 7 HR, 29 R, 25 RBI, 11 SB
A.J. Ewing has been a prototypical leadoff hitter for the Mets against right-handed pitchers. He’s getting on base and then is a threat to run. Last week, the rookie went 6-for-24 (.250), with three runs, three RBIs, and three stolen bases. However, he has to work on his plate discipline as a leadoff hitter. Ewing is chasing pitches too often, resulting in a 26.1% strikeout rate. In July, the rookie struck out 31 times, including 15 over an eight-game stretch. Pitchers are taking advantage of this by extending the zone when Ewing steps in the box, so being more selective will be an offseason focus for the outfielder.
Rookies Who Had a Mild Week
Carson Benge – OF, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 444 PA, .264/.327/.393, 11 HR, 55 R, 41 RBI, 17 SB
Carson Benge was hot at the plate, getting a hit in every game last week, going 8-for-22 (.363). However, he didn’t do much else, which is unexpected from the Mets’ four-hole hitter against right-handed pitchers. He added a run, an RBI, and stole a base during the week, but there weren’t many opportunities, as, aside from the 14 runs the Mets scored on Monday, July 27, they combined to score 11 in the remaining six games.
It’s just been a disappointing season for the team, which was rumored to be in a fire sale except for Benge, Ewing, Juan Soto, and a few other young players, but they’ve been quiet so far, aside from dealing away A.J. Minter and Freddy Peralta. Benge has shown he can handle the spotlight and could be a valuable five-tool player in the future.
TJ Rumfield – 1B, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 441 PA, .296/.376/.466, 13 HR, 48 R, 58 RBI, 0 SB
TJ Rumfield had a slow July with only one home run, nine runs, and nine RBIs over 94 plate appearances. However, he has started August off going 4-for-9 with two runs and four knocked in. As we get deeper into the season, we start to see the increased workload take its toll on rookies, as it’s their first time playing this many games in their professional careers. Let’s see if the early August spree continues and, hopefully, the power will pick up, or if Rumfield’s workload is catching up to him.
Cooper Pratt – SS, Milwaukee Brewers
2026 Stats – 139 PA, .291/.381/.393, 2 HR, 18 R, 16 RBI, 10 SB
It was a rough start for Cooper Pratt after his June 16 call-up, but he has been a consistent contributor since the second game of a doubleheader on July 7. Last week, the rookie went 5-for-17 (.294) with three runs, three RBIs, and two stolen bases. Looks like Pratt is starting to settle into the big league game and could give fantasy managers a boost through the remainder of the fantasy baseball season.
Chase DeLauter – OF, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 398 PA, .278/.347/.444, 12 HR, 41 R, 55 RBI, 7 SB
Chase DeLauter struggled through his last eight games of July with only four hits, four runs, and an RBI over 32 plate appearances. However, two games in August changed the trajectory of his week. Through the final two games of the weekend, DeLauter went 3-for-9 (.333) with three runs, a home run, four RBIs, and a stolen base. This is the type of roller coaster season he has had all season, extremely hot or extremely cold. Let’s see how long the rookie can keep this short production streak going.
Travis Bazzana – 2B, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 351 PA, .245/.342/.397, 9 HR, 37 R, 34 RBI, 16 SB
Cole Carrigg – OF, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 168 PA, .305/.389/.525, 5 HR, 32 R, 27 RBI, 5 SB
Luis Lara – OF, Milwaukee Brewers
2026 Stats – 59 PA, .240/.339/.380, 0 HR, 7 R, 10 RBI, 2 SB
Carter Jensen – C, Kansas City Royals
2026 Stats – 415 PA, .232/.304/.424, 15 HR, 48 R, 54 RBI, 1 SB
Justin Crawford – OF, Philadelphia Phillies
2026 Stats – 327 PA, .261/.308/.343, 2 HR, 32 R, 27 RBI, 14 SB
Henry Bolte – OF, Athletics
2026 Stats – 249 PA, .255/.340/.347, 4 HR, 22 R, 21 RBI, 12 SB
Ben Malgeri – OF, Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 50 PA, .268/.380/.290, 1 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Batters Who Had a Cold Week
Esmerlyn Valdez – 1B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 172 PA, .262/.366/.628, 14 HR, 27 R, 38 RBI, 0 SB
Esmerlyn Valdez was on fire the last few weeks, but that came to a halt this week, as the rookie struggled going 2-for-22 (.090). He added a run and an RBI to his week’s total. It’s the first adversity Valdez has seen since he started the season 2-for-24 in his first nine games. Let’s see how the rookie recovers.
Sam Antonacci – 2B/3B/OF, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 365 PA, .275/.365/.408, 8 HR, 59 R, 32 RBI, 14 SB
Braden Montgomery – OF, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 178 PA, .239/.315/.384, 3 HR, 22 R, 20 RBI, 0 SB
JJ Wetherholt – 2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 479 PA, .249/.347/.389, 16 HR, 69 R, 41 RBI, 12 SB
Jacob Gonzalez – 1B/2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 136 PA, .242/.296/.387, 4 HR, 15 R, 23 RBI, 1 SB
Dylan Beavers – OF, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 197 PA, .249/.332/.353, 2 HR, 22 R, 18 RBI, 5 SB
Cam Cauley – 2B/SS, Texas Rangers
2026 Stats – 51 PA, .217/.294/.391, 1 HR, 8 R, 1 RBI, 0 SB
Jim Jarvis – SS, Atlanta Braves
2026 Stats – 89 PA, .263/.314/.388, 1 HR, 9 R, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Jase Bowen – OF, San Diego Padres
2026 Stats – 66 PA, .159/.197/.238, 1 HR, 9 R, 6 RBI, 4 SB
Gabriel Rincones Jr. – OF, Philadelphia Phillies
2026 Stats – 89 PA, .167/.202/.286, 2 HR, 7 R, 7 RBI, 0 SB
Nathan Church – OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 303 PA, .228/.272/.352, 8 HR, 35 R, 31 RBI, 6 SB
Blaze Jordan – 1B/3B, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 134 PA, .240/.261/.352, 1 HR, 11 R, 22 RBI, 0 SB
Colt Emerson – SS, Seattle Mariners
2026 Stats – 215 PA, .200/.262/.349, 7 HR, 23 R, 22 RBI, 3 SB
Sung-Mun Song – 2B/3B, San Diego Padres
2026 Stats – 120 PA, .204/.305/.272, 1 HR, 16 R, 15 RBI, 11 SB
Drew Cavanaugh – C, San Francisco Giants
2026 Stats – 64 PA, .231/.355/.231, 0 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB
Tommy White – 3B, Athletics
2026 Stats – 62 PA, .283/.306/.317, 0 HR, 7 R, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Lucas Spence – OF, Houston Astros
2026 Stats – 41 PA, .162/.244/.189, 0 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Jhostynxon Garcia, OF – Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 47 PA, .178/.213/.200, 0 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Starting Pitchers
Nolan McLean – New York Mets
2026 Stats – 22 GS, 7-7, 3.29 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 148 SO, 45 BB
Parker Messick – Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 22 GS, 8-6, 2.57 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 122 SO, 36 BB
Bubba Chandler – Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 20 GS (1 relief), 3-8, 4.56 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 93 SO, 57 BB
Payton Tolle – Boston Red Sox
2026 Stats – 18 GS, 6-6, 3.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 110 SO, 29 BB
Brandon Sproat – Milwaukee Brewers
2026 Stats – 18 GS (2 relief), 3-6, 5.05 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 96 SO, 46 BB
Foster Griffin – Washington Nationals
2026 Stats – 22 GS, 12-3, 3.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 116 SO, 30 BB
Trey Yesavage – Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 17 GS, 5-5, 3.73 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 91 SO, 45 BB
Tatsuya Imai – Houston Astros
2026 Stats – 15 GS, 6-5, 5.83 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 72 SO, 40 BB
Gage Jump – Athletics
2026 Stats – 13 GS, 4-6, 4.59 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 73 SO, 31 BB
Rhett Lowder – Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 16 GS (3 relief), 3-7, 5.42 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 70 SO, 37 BB
Noah Schultz – Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 13 GS (1 relief), 3-7, 5.86 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 56 SO, 31 BB
Jake Bennett – Boston Red Sox
2026 Stats – 12 GS, 6-4, 3.06 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 48 SO, 12 BB
Mitch Bratt – Arizona Diamondbacks
2026 Stats – 5 GS, 0-1, 5.23 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 1 SO, 15 BB
Ryan Johnson – Los Angeles Angels
2026 Stats – 12 GS (3 relief), 2-6, 7.63 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 37 SO, 20 BB
Connor Prielipp – SP, Minnesota Twins
2026 Stats – 15 GS, 3-5, 4.75 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 81 SO, 30 BB
Carson Whisenhunt – San Francisco Giants
2026 Stats – 4 GS, 2-2, 6.63 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 16 SO, 12 BB
Zac Thornton – New York Mets
2026 Stats – 6 GS, 2-2, 2.88 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 24 SO, 10 BB
Newest Rookie Injuries/Demotions
Yohendrick Pinango – OF, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 180 PA, .260/.306/.396, 5 HR, 12 R, 20 RBI, 0 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Alex Freeland – 2B/3B/SS – Los Angeles Dodgers
2026 Stats – 223 PA, .231/.309/.313, 3 HR, 24 R, 19 RBI, 2 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Edwin Arroyo – 2B, Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 134 PA, .244/.288/.285, 0 HR, 12 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Jesus Rodriguez – C, San Francisco Giants
2026 Stats – 53 PA, .234/.308/.404, 2 HR, 5 R, 8 RBI, 1 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
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
