The jitters may be wearing off as my fantasy baseball rookie report series has yet to see this many players in the “hot” section. Sal Stewart continues to be one of the more consistent all-around rookies, and Munetaka Murakami is showing he can smash home runs no matter the continent he’s located in. These rookies are showing that they can hold substantial value in redraft and dynasty leagues. In my breakdown, I’ll share who had a hot, mild, and cold week.
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
Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report
Rookie Batters Who Had a Hot Week
Sal Stewart – 1B, Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 122 PA, .291/.385/.602, 9 HR, 18 R, 29 RBI, 7 SB
If you’ve read my past rookie reports, you know that Sal Stewart was my top pick for rookies this season, and he’s proving that he can’t be stopped. He’s the leading hitter on the Cincinnati Reds and is slowly pulling away from Nolan McLean as the NL Rookie of the Year Award favorite. In the past week, Stewart lit up the stat sheet by producing two home runs, 10 RBIs, three runs, and three stolen bases. The five-tool player is turning in one of the best offensive rookie performances in many years.
Kevin McGonigle – SS, Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 123 PA, .330/.423/.528, 2 HR, 22 R, 12 RBI, 2 SB
Kevin McGonigle is continuing to display his elite contact skills, but the power is still missing. He scored a run in every game week last week. Plus, he added a homer, three RBIs, and a stolen base to his weekly total. He’s fallen behind Munetaka Murakami in the AL Rookie of the Year race, due to the power of the Chicago White Sox slugger. If McGonigle can find his power swing, he should reclaim the top AL rookie spot, but Murakami has been a long-ball machine.
Munetaka Murakami – 1B, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 122 PA, .232/.369/.566, 11 HR, 20 R, 20 RBI, 0 SB
Speaking of Murakami, he hit a home run in five straight games during the past two weeks. He is now tied for the MLB lead in homers with the Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez. Last week, Murakami hit three homers, scored four times, and drove in four runs. He was on the verge of dropping below a .200 batting average, but has adjusted to American pitching the last two weeks, raising it to .232. The slugger is starting to turn into a well-rounded power hitter.
TJ Rumfield – 1B, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 111 PA, .255/.333/.408, 3 HR, 9 R, 16 RBI, 0 SB
Rumfield has been a welcome surprise for a Rockies team off to a great start. They had only 43 wins all of last season, but they have already grabbed 13 wins, including a three-game sweep of the Mets last week. Rumfield contributed by adding a home run, three runs, and six RBIs. The Rockies hit it out of the park after acquiring Rumfield from the New York Yankees for Angel Chivilli during the offseason.
Carter Jensen – C, Kansas City Royals
2026 Stats – 92 PA, .275/.359/.525, 6 HR, 12 R, 16 RBI, 0 SB
The Royals’ DH and backup catcher is riding a hot April where he’s hitting .313, five home runs, 11 runs, and 14 RBIs. The month started slowly, with his batting average dropping to .118 at its worst, but last week, going 8-for-21 helped boost it. Jensen is DHing nearly every day when not relieving Salvador Perez behind the plate, and is proving to be a fantasy baseball asset at the catcher position.
Jose Fernandez – SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
2026 Stats – 78 PA, .342/.359/.500, 3 HR, 17 R, 12 RBI, 1 SB
Jose Fernandez has been providing substantial fantasy production when playing. The Diamondbacks can’t afford to keep their hot rookie out of the lineup. He’s mainly been DHing but has also played shortstop and the corner infield positions. Last week, Fernandez continued to display elite contact skills, going 8-for-16 with a home run, seven runs, and three RBIs.
Samuel Basallo – C, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 83 PA, .233/.325/.452, 5 HR, 10 R, 8 RBI, 0 SB
Basallo has finally jumped above a .200 batting average after going 9-for-16 last week. He also added two home runs, four runs, and four RBIs.
Nathan Church – OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 74 PA, .269/.311/.507, 5 HR, 12 R, 13 RBI, 3 SB
A four-home run week for Church has boosted him to the hot list. Two weeks ago, he was only hitting .143, but going 8-for-19 last week has raised his average significantly. He also added four runs, seven RBIs, and a stolen base.
Rookies Who Had a Mild Week
Moises Ballesteros – C, Chicago Cubs
2026 Stats – 65 PA, .397/.446/.690, 4 HR, 11 R, 12 RBI, 0 SB
Ballesteros is continuing to sit or be pinch-hit for when a left-handed pitcher is on the mound. This really limits the trust fantasy managers can put into the Cubs’ DH, despite having a solid start to the season. It seems like, no matter how good Ballesteros performs, he will continue to be a strong-side platoon player.
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 108 PA, .229/.315/.406, 5 HR, 12 R, 11 RBI
The Blue Jays’ third baseman hit two home runs last week, but that only accounts for three in April. The power numbers and contact have been missing for the Japanese slugger. There’s a lot to be desired when you see Murakami, who also came to America to play this, and is thriving.
Konnor Griffin – SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 84 PA, .224/.186/.316, 1 HR, 8 R, 12 RBI, 6 SB
JJ Wetherholt – 2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 101 PA, .238/.363/.406, 5 HR, 21 R, 13 RBI, 4 SB
Justin Crawford – OF, Philadelphia Phillies
2026 Stats – 87 PA, .244/.322/.333, 0 HR, 7 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB
Sam Antonacci – 2B, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 37 PA, .233/.351/.433, 1 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Dylan Beavers – OF, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 78 PA, .243/.308/.371, 2 HR, 10 R, 8 RBI, 1 SB
Rookie Batters Who Are Cold
Chase DeLauter – OF, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 90 PA, .233/.327/.478, 5 HR, 12 R, 16 RBI, 0 SB
Chase DeLauter started the season hot, hitting four homers in his first three games, but he has been in a power drought through April. His last long ball was on April 3. Last week, the rookie went 5-for-21 with one run and four RBIs. His RBI on April 21 was the lefty’s first RBI since April 11. Luckily, he’s still making decent contact, so DeLauter is still providing some fantasy production.
Owen Caissie – OF, Miami Marlins
2026 Stats – 86 PA, .218/.267/.372, 2 HR, 10 R, 14 RBI, 1 SB
Carson Benge – OF, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 85 PA, .179/.247/.282, 2 HR, 8 R, 4 RBI, 6 SB
Alex Freeland – 2B, 3B, SS – Los Angeles Dodgers
2026 Stats – 77 PA, .235/.303/.3389, 1 HR, 8 R, 6 RBI, 0 SB
Nick Yorke – 2B/3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 74 PA, .219/.311/.313, 1 HR, 6 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB
Brice Matthews- 2B/OF, Houston Astros
2026 Stats – 50 PA, ..136/.224/.273, 1 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB
Juan Brito – 2B, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 56 PA, .176/.250/.255, 0 HR, 7 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Starting Pitchers
Nolan McLean – SP, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 6 GS, 1-2, 2.55 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 45 SO, 10 BB
Parker Messick – SP, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 5 GS, 3-0, 1.76 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 29 SO, 8 BB
Andrew Painter – SP, Philadelphia Phillies
2026 Stats – 4 GS (1 relief), 1-2, 5.25 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 21 SO, 6 BB
Rhett Lowder, SP – Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 6 GS, 3-1, 3.18 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 25 SO, 10 BB
Bubba Chandler – SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 5 GS, 1-2, 4.88 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 21 SO, 16 BB
Connelly Early – SP, Boston Red Sox
2026 Stats – 6 GS, 2-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 28 SO, 14 BB,
Tatsuya Imai – SP, Houston Astros
2026 Stats – 3 GS, 1-0, 7.27 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, 13 SO, 11 BB
Imai was put on the injury list on April 12 due to arm fatigue. He has started a rehab assignment so that a return may be soon.
Brandon Sproat – SP, Milwaukee Brewers
2026 Stats – 3 GS (2 relief), 0-1, 6.45 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 20 SO, 13 BB
Foster Griffin – SP, Washington Nationals
2026 Stats – 6 GS, 3-0, 2.67 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 30 SO, 10 BB
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
