Time is running out for MLB rookies to show their teams what they can do. In my fantasy baseball rookie report, I break down last week’s performances. We saw one rookie who was struggling throughout his first full season, but he flipped a switch. He went on to produce one of his best weeks in the early parts of his career. Check out how your favorite rookies performed.
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Updated Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report
Rookie Batters Who Had a Hot Week
Spencer Jones – OF, New York Yankees
2026 Stats – 178 PA, .233/.315/.428, 7 HR, 20 R, 22 RBI, 8 SB
Jones has looked like a bust of a prospect with constant inconsistency, but he may be starting to turn it around. Last week was one of the better performances of his MLB career, going 8-for-21 (.380) with seven runs, two homers, four RBIs, and two stolen bases. He lit up the stat sheet as he’s getting maximized opportunities platooning with Heliot Ramos.
JJ Wetherholt – 2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 571 PA, .244/.347/.377, 17 HR, 87 R, 48 RBI, 14 SB
Last week was one of Wetherholt’s best as he has stumbled in the second half of the season. He went 10-for-34 (.294) with six runs, a home run, two RBIs, and a stolen base. It was his first home run since July 30. He’s been a consistent on-base guy, but 10 of his 17 strikeouts in August came last week, which is unlike the rookie. It also included a golden sombrero four-strikeout game, the first time all season that the shortstop struck out more than twice in a game.
Wetherholt is doing everything he can to hold onto the NL Rookie of the Year Award. His odds to win sit around +110, but Sal Stewart has caught steam and has moved to within +135. So it’ll be a tight final month of the season.
Sal Stewart – 1B/2B/3B, Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 568 PA, .263/.336/.472, 27 HR, 73 R, 98 RBI, 12 SB
Speaking of Stewart, he started a new hit streak on Monday, August 17, getting a hit in all seven of his games last week. He went 11-for-34 (.323), while adding five runs, a home run, and seven RBIs to his season totals. I’m running out of ways to describe Stewart’s strong season. He’s been consistent for the most part of the season, and it’s understandable that he’s had the surge in the Rookie of the Year talk. We may have a new leader in next week’s rookie report.
Kevin McGonigle – SS/3B, Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 569 PA, .283/.385/.430, 14 HR, 83 R, 56 RBI, 12 SB
It was a massive week for McGonigle. He went 8-for-25 (.320) with three runs, two home runs, and eight RBIs. He has the AL Rookie of the Year Award locked up, with -1000 odds at most places. It’s about the only thing Tigers fans can look forward to as their season is slowly drifting away after going 2-8 in their last 10 games before August 24.
Carson Benge – OF, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 516 PA, .278/.337/.428, 16 HR, 68 R, 53 RBI, 19 SB
Benge did it with his bat and glove last week. At the plate, he went 9-for-24 (.375) with five runs, two home runs, four RBIs, and a stolen base. In the field, he did something I don’t remember happening before. In the first inning of the August 17 game against the Padres, on back-to-back hits, Benge threw out a runner at the plate. The second assist came off his 103.9 mph throw, the third-hardest outfield assist since 2015. The Mets are having an unexpected down season, but the future looks bright.
Chase DeLauter – OF, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 466 PA, .288/.363/.450, 13 HR, 52 R, 59 RBI, 9 SB
DeLauter had a short week, missing three games with a mild hamstring injury. However, he went 4-for-10 (.400) with three runs and two RBIs. Injuries have been an issue for the rookie in an otherwise strong rookie campaign.
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B/1B, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 520 PA, .230/.302/.439, 26 HR, 68 R, 74 RBI, 1 SB
We are seeing a side of Okamato that we haven’t seen before. He currently has a nine-game hitting streak. Last week, he went 7-for-25 (.280) with three runs, two home runs, and three RBIs. He’s been the lone power source for a surging Blue Jays team. Okamoto will need to keep hitting like this if the Blue Jays are to make a postseason appearance.
Travis Bazzana – 2B, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 413 PA, .240/.332/.370, 9 HR, 40 R, 39 RBI, 18 SB
August has been a rough month for Bazzana. Before last week, he last scored a run on August 1 and had only nine hits over 12 games. However, he rebounded during the week, going 7-for-23 (.304) with three runs, three RBIs, and a stolen base.
Luis Lara – OF, Milwaukee Brewers
2026 Stats – 121 PA, .259/.331/.380, 1 HR, 15 R, 16 RBI, 2 SB
Lara ended July strong, and he’s doing the same in August. Last week, he went 9-for-23 (.391) with four runs, a homer, and five RBIs. It was his first career home run, in what looks to be the start of a promising career.
Dylan Beavers – OF, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 247 PA, .241/.317/.382, 6 HR, 27 R, 28 RBI, 5 SB
Beavers had unexpected output as a platoon left-handed bat. He went 4-for-14 (.285) with three runs, three home runs, and four RBIs. The power was a surprise as he doubled his season home run total in one week. Don’t expect a repeat, but it was fun to watch.
Rookies Who Had a Mild Week
Joshua Baez – OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 41 PA, .139/.220/.472, 4 HR, 5 R, 9 RBI, 2 SB
The good news is that Baez homered, drove in four runs, and stole two bases. The bad news is that he plummeted back down to earth after his three-homer debut, going 2-for-23 (.086) and scoring a run. He also struck out 10 times. What a far drop from his debut, but it was nice to see him stealing bases already, as his speed was a known tool.
Braden Montgomery – OF, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 256 PA, .232/.324/.375, 5 HR, 32 R, 32 RBI, 1 SB
It was a mild production week from Montgomery, but that’s what fantasy managers have come to expect lately from the rookie. Last week, he went 4-for-22 (.181) with two runs, a homer, and four RBIs. Though he once again is the most productive rookie on the White Sox.
Henry Bolte – OF, Athletics
2026 Stats – 332 PA, .270/.345/.369, 6 HR, 34 R, 26 RBI, 14 SB
Brett Bateman – OF, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 65 PA, .305/.344/.390, 0 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 0 SB
George Lombard Jr. – SS, New York Yankees
2026 Stats – 66 PA, .288/.348/.407, 2 HR, 12 R, 5 RBI, 0 SB
Carter Jensen – C, Kansas City Royals
2026 Stats – 482 PA, .219/.301/.402, 17 HR, 57 R, 57 RBI, 1 SB
Justin Crawford – OF, Philadelphia Phillies
2026 Stats – 383 PA, .269/.315/.357, 2 HR, 40 R, 32 RBI, 16 SB
Max Clark, OF – Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 86 PA, .253/.314/.380, 1 HR, 10 R, 10 RBI, 1 SB
Nathan Church – OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 359 PA, .239/.282/.363, 9 HR, 41 R, 41 RBI, 8 SB
Jacob Gonzalez – 1B/2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 180 PA, .223/.274/.373, 6 HR, 19 R, 28 RBI, 2 SB
Moises Ballesteros – C, Los Angeles Angels
2026 Stats – 249 PA, .213/.281/.333, 6 HR, 20 R, 26 RBI, 1 SB
Kaelen Culpepper – SS, Minnesota Twins
2026 Stats – 50 PA, .289/.340/.444, 2 HR, 5 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Batters Who Had a Cold Week
Munetaka Murakami – 1B, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 415 PA, .235/.359/.516, 29 HR, 68 R, 58 RBI, 1 SB
It was a dud of a week at the plate with two hits over 26 at-bats (.076). However, he scored four runs, hit a homer, and drove in a run. He’s only hitting .152 in August and has seven RBIs, but the White Sox are still finding ways to win, holding on to first place in the AL Central.
Esmerlyn Valdez – 1B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 243 PA, .248/.362/.530, 14 HR, 35 R, 41 RBI, 0 SB
A.J. Ewing – 2B/OF, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 317 PA, .244/.318/.363, 7 HR, 41 R, 28 RBI, 18 SB
TJ Rumfield – 1B, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 507 PA, .287/.369/.439, 13 HR, 54 R, 60 RBI, 0 SB
Cole Carrigg – OF, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 244 PA, .273/.358/.455, 5 HR, 35 R, 34 RBI, 7 SB
Ben Malgeri – OF, Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 78 PA, .234/.359/.406, 3 HR, 9 R, 11 RBI, 1 SB
Samuel Basallo – C, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 326 PA, .236/.301/.446, 17 HR, 35 R, 48 RBI, 0 SB
Brock Rodden – 2B, Seattle Mariners
2026 Stats – 28 PA, .250/.321/.417, 0 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Sam Antonacci – 2B/3B/OF, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 439 PA, .268/.365/.390, 8 HR, 64 R, 37 RBI, 16 SB
Blaze Jordan – 1B/3B, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 193 PA, .243/.269/.365, 2 HR, 15 R, 25 RBI, 0 SB
Owen Caissie – OF, Miami Marlins
2026 Stats – 295 PA, .225/.288/.427, 13 HR, 39 R, 52 RBI, 5 SB
Jim Jarvis – SS, Atlanta Braves
2026 Stats – 124 PA, .207/.267/.297, 1 HR, 10 R, 11 RBI, 0 SB
Jase Bowen – OF, San Diego Padres
2026 Stats – 82 PA, .167/.207/.269, 2 HR, 14 R, 7 RBI, 5 SB
Sung-Mun Song – 2B/3B, San Diego Padres
2026 Stats – 134 PA, .202/.305/.263, 1 HR, 19 R, 15 RBI, 12 SB
Drew Cavanaugh – C, San Francisco Giants
2026 Stats – 99 PA, .226/.330/.238, 0 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB
Tommy White – 3B, Athletics
2026 Stats – 126 PA, .262/.286/.336, 2 HR, 12 R, 6 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Starting Pitchers
Nolan McLean – New York Mets
2026 Stats – 26 GS, 9-8, 3.21 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 168 SO, 58 BB
Parker Messick – Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 25 GS, 9-8, 2.54 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 152 SO, 40 BB
Bubba Chandler – Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 24 GS (1 relief), 6-8, 4.38 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 114 SO, 66 BB
Payton Tolle – Boston Red Sox
2026 Stats – 21 GS, 8-6, 3.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 134 SO, 33 BB
Jake Bennett – Boston Red Sox
2026 Stats – 15 GS, 8-6, 3.49 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 67 SO, 18 BB
Foster Griffin – Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 26 GS, 15-4, 3.19 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 135 SO, 38 BB
Tatsuya Imai – Houston Astros
2026 Stats – 15 GS (3 relief), 6-4, 5.32 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 83 SO, 44 BB
Gage Jump – Athletics
2026 Stats – 16 GS, 5-8, 4.83 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 88 SO, 40 BB
Rhett Lowder – Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 20 GS (3 relief), 5-8, 5.13 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 83 SO, 43 BB
Mitch Bratt – Arizona Diamondbacks
2026 Stats – 9 GS, 1-2, 4.54 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 28 SO, 25 BB
Ryan Johnson – Los Angeles Angels
2026 Stats – 13 GS (3 relief), 3-7, 5.75 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 50 SO, 31 BB
Connor Prielipp – SP, Minnesota Twins
2026 Stats – 18 GS, 3-7, 5.57 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 101 SO, 38 BB
Carson Whisenhunt – San Francisco Giants
2026 Stats – 7 GS, 3-4, 7.03 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 23 SO, 20 BB
Zac Thornton – New York Mets
2026 Stats – 9 GS, 3-4, 3.04 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 36 SO, 14 BB
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