It was a great week for most MLB rookies, with a majority of the hitters in the “hot” category of my fantasy baseball rookie report. We are nearing the All-Star break, which will be welcomed by the rookies who began the season in the big leagues, as the grind of a full season will be the most games they’ll play.
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In my rookie report, I’ll break down their performances from last week and place them into three categories: hot, mild, and cold. I also mention how the starting pitchers’ seasons are going. Check out how your favorite rookies performed last week.
Updated Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report
Rookie Batters Who Had a Hot Week
Esmerlyn Valdez – OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 78 PA, .310/.359/.662, 6 HR, 13 R, 17 RBI, 0 SB
Esmerlyn Valdez has been a stud since being called up on May 22. He lost a nine-game hit streak on Sunday, July 5, and added five runs and seven RBIs last week. Running isn’t in his skill set, but he did get caught stealing on Saturday, July 4.
Valdez is only owned in about 35% of fantasy baseball leagues, so if he’s still available, go pick him up. There will likely be some regression, as there typically is for rookies, but enjoy the hot streak.
Konnor Griffin – SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 247 PA, .276/.332/.404, 5 HR, 35 R, 25 RBI, 20 SB
Konnor Griffin was relatively quiet last week, going 8-for-27 (.296) with four runs and two RBIs, but he did excel at stealing six bases. He returned from an IL stint due to a forearm flexor strain on June 26 and has gotten a hit in seven of his eight games, including a leadoff home run off Andrew Abbott in his first game back. Griffin was heating up before his injury, so it’s reassuring to see he’s still hitting well. Plus, it’s possible he won you the week’s steal category on his own.
Sal Stewart – 1B, Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 387 PA, .254/.339/.466, 17 HR, 48 R, 61 RBI, 11 SB
Sal Stewart also had a hit streak going last week that ended at eight games on Friday, July 3. It’s nice to see him getting consistent hits again. He had multiple hits only once in seven games, but he did get two home runs. Stewart also added four runs and four RBIs to his weekly totals.
His aggression on the bases early in the season was a nice addition to his skill set, but he hasn’t stolen a base since June 15. Hopefully, the All-Star break will freshen up his legs, or teams may just be more aware of his speed. Anyway, it’s nice to catch a glimpse of Stewart’s early-season form.
Kevin McGonigle – SS/3B, Detroit Tigers
2026 Stats – 387 PA, .284/.395/.422, 7 HR, 55 R, 31 RBI, 11 SB
Kevin McGonigle continues to pull further away as the favorite in the AL Rookie of the Year odds, with Munetaka Murakami still on the IL. Last week, he continued his stellar rookie season by going 8-for-25 (.320) with four runs, a home run, and three RBIs.
The Tigers’ leadoff hitter has also had phenomenal plate vision, posting a 1.08 BB/K. McGonigle is only one of nine MLB hitters with more walks than strikeouts. Which is a massive accomplishment for any player, let alone a rookie. The Tigers’ season isn’t going as well as they had hoped, but McGonigle gives them some hope for the future.
TJ Rumfield – 1B, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 355 PA, .301/.380/.494, 12 HR, 42 R, 47 RBI, 0 SB
TJ Rumfield had an outstanding week at the plate, but he didn’t do much with his hits. He went 9-for-23 (.391) with six runs, but he only had two RBIs. It’s hard to believe he didn’t drive in more runs. He hits in the middle of the lineup. The Rockies went 4-2 while scoring 48 runs, and both series were at Coors Field.
Rumfield had 17 RBIs last month, so it was just a case of bad luck not having runners on base when he stepped up to the plate. Despite his lack of power last week, Rumfield is off to a sensational start to his rookie campaign. He’s only owned in 57% of fantasy leagues, but he can safely be added in all league formats.
Cole Carrig – OF, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 92 PA, .268/.382/.518, 4 HR, 18 R, 19 RBI, 2 SB
Cole Carrig has been hot lately with 11 hits in his last 13 games, but playing all week at Coors Field helps. Last week, he went 7-for-20 (.359) with seven runs, a homer, and eight RBIs. He’s been excellent since his call-up on June 9. It’s hard to believe that the Rockies may have a bright future, but this offense is fun to watch, even away from Denver. If only they could convince better pitchers to come throw in the high altitude of Coors Field.
Chase DeLauter – OF, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 306 PA, .272/.337/.420, 8 HR, 29 R, 41 RBI, 3 SB
Chase DeLaughter has been another rookie with an up-and-down season, but he’s been red-hot since June 6. He had an 11-game hit streak before going hitless on Friday, July 3. However, that didn’t slow him down as he got a hit in both of his last two games to end the week.
Through the week, he went 10-for-31 (.322) with four runs, five RBIs, and a rare stolen base. DeLauter also homered on Sunday, July 5, which was his first since May 17. The power drought was a surprise after hitting four in his first three games of the season. Hopefully, the hot hitting and seeing a ball go over the fence will lead to a return to the rookie’s power swing.
Nathan Church – OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 233 PA, .255/.300/.417, 8 HR, 30 R, 28 RBI, 5 SB
Nathan Church only had five hits last week, but three of them were home runs. Along with the homers, he also scored five runs and drove in eight RBIs. This was an unexpected performance from the rookie, as his last home run before the week came on April 26.
Don’t count on this type of week to repeat, because the three RBIs he got on June 30 accounted for only five total during the entire month, though he missed the first week while on the IL. If you’re in a deep league and have Church, enjoy the power display, because you may not get many weeks like this.
Samuel Basallo – C, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 277 PA, .256/.321/.468, 14 HR, 31 R, 42 RBI, 0 SB
Samuel Basallo didn’t have the most exciting week, but I couldn’t drop him to the “mild” section after he hit two home runs and drove in six. He went 5-for-15 (.333) with two runs too, but he sat out two games when the Orioles faced a lefty. Basallo is having a solid season, but if you have him on your roster, you need to check who the Orioles are facing on the mound before you lock him in.
Owen Caissie – OF, Miami Marlins
2026 Stats – 243 PA, .236/.292/.444, 12 HR, 29 R, 49 RBI, 4 SB
Owen Caissie has been a frustrating player for fantasy baseball managers all season long. Either he’s extremely hot, or he’s ice cold. The inconsistent play has affected his playing time, but last week he was solid in his limited at-bats, going 5-for-17 (.294). He also homered twice, scored four runs, and drove in six. Striking out is a major concern for Caissie with a 39.5% rate. Don’t expect this hot streak to continue.
Justin Crawford – OF, Philadelphia Phillies
2026 Stats – 275 PA, .255/.304/.341, 2 HR, 26 R, 19 RBI, 10 SB
Justin Crawford won’t light up the stat sheet, but he has been a steady bat at the bottom of the Phillies’ lineup. Last week, he went 8-for-20 (.400) with three runs, three RBIs, and a stolen base. This is about the ceiling that fantasy managers can expect from Crawford, but he is still not addable unless in extremely unique league configurations.
Rookies Who Had a Mild Week
Carter Jensen – C, Kansas City Royals
2026 Stats – 320 PA, .247/.309/.443, 13 HR, 41 R, 47 RBI, 1 SB
Carter Jensen’s hit streak ended at 20 games on Wednesday, July 1. He went from one of the hottest hitters to ice cold. During the week, he went only 4-for-25 (.160) at the plate, but he scored twice and drove in two runs on two home runs. Jensen has come a long way from the batter who was hitting below .100 early in the season. The Royals have been a disappointment this season, but their young player’s future is bright.
Sam Antonacci – 2B/3B/OF, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 283 PA, .284/.377/.412, 5 HR, 46 R, 25 RBI, 11 SB
The hits keep coming for Sam Antonacci with 19 hits in 25 games since June 1, but he went hitless in his last three games last week. He’s showing he’s an exceptional leadoff man for the White Sox, well, at least against right-handed pitchers. Against lefties, he either sits or gets moved towards the bottom of the lineup.
Last week, Antonacci went 5-for-24 (.208), scored five runs in the first four games of the week, and drove in two runs. He also homered once, but don’t get used to the power. I want more steal chances before he can be trusted in shallow fantasy leagues, but he did get thrown out once last week. The White Sox are a big surprise this season, and their rookies are contributors.
Travis Bazzana – 2B, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 254 PA, .249/.339/.412, 7 HR, 28 R, 27 RBI, 12 SB
Carson Benge – OF, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 356 PA, .255/.312/.392, 10 HR, 45 R, 34 RBI, 11 SB
JJ Wetherholt – 2B/3B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 376 PA, .269/.364/.416, 13 HR, 54 R, 36 RBI, 9 SB
Rookie Batters Who Had a Cold Week
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B/1B, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 355 PA, .235/.315/.451, 19 HR, 44 R, 54 RBI, 0 SB
A.J. Ewing – OF, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 190 PA, .265/.346/.410, 5 HR, 20 R, 20 RBI, 8 SB
Braden Montgomery – OF, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 97 PA, .233/.309/.395, 2 HR, 20 R, 8 RBI, 0 SB
Dylan Beavers – OF, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 135 PA, .222/.313/.342, 2 HR, 18 R, 13 RBI, 3 SB
Henry Bolte – OF, Athletics
2026 Stats – 182 PA, .291/.370/.367, 2 HR, 16 R, 14 RBI, 11 SB
Alex Freeland – 2B/3B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
2026 Stats – 212 PA, .223/.306/.310, 3 HR, 23 R, 17 RBI, 1 SB
Colt Emerson – SS, Seattle Mariners
2026 Stats – 145 PA, .212/.283/.424, 7 HR, 17 R, 19 RBI, 2 SB
Brice Matthews- 2B/OF, Houston Astros
2026 Stats – 211 PA, .191/.244/.320, 6 HR, 20 R, 18 RBI, 2 SB
Sung-Mun Song – 2B/3B, San Diego Padres
2026 Stats – 74 PA, .214/.323/.250, 1 HR, 9 R, 9 RBI, 7 SB
Cooper Pratt – SS, Milwaukee Brewers
2026 Stats – 60 PA, .200/.317/.220, 0 HR, 5 R, 2 RBI, 6 SB
Yohendrick Pinango – OF, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 160 PA, .267/.313/.413, 5 HR, 11 R, 20 RBI, 0 SB
Blaze Jordan – St. Louis Cardinals
2026 Stats – 68 PA, .246/.265/.377, 1 HR, 8 R, 13 RBI, 0 SB
Rookie Starting Pitchers
Nolan McLean – SP, New York Mets
2026 Stats – 18 GS, 6-5, 3.73 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 118 SO, 37 BB
Parker Messick – SP, Cleveland Guardians
2026 Stats – 18 GS, 7-5, 2.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 109 SO, 32 BB
Bubba Chandler – SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
2026 Stats – 17 GS (1 relief), 3-8, 4.82 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 79 SO, 52 BB
Payton Tolle – SP, Boston Red Sox
2026 Stats – 13 GS, 4-6, 3.39 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 74 SO, 23 BB
Brandon Sproat – SP, Milwaukee Brewers
2026 Stats – 15 GS (2 relief), 3-4, 5.13 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 84 SO, 37 BB
Foster Griffin – SP, Washington Nationals
2026 Stats – 18 GS, 9-2, 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 100 SO, 26 BB
Trey Yesavage – SP, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 13 GS, 4-4, 3.31 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 68 SO, 32 BB
Connor Prielipp – SP, Minnesota Twins
2026 Stats – 12 GS, 2-5, 4.96 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 65 SO, 23 BB
Tatsuya Imai – SP, Houston Astros
2026 Stats – 12 GS, 5-, 6.14 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 60 SO, 30 BB
Gage Jump – SP, Athletics
2026 Stats – 8 GS, 3-3, 3.98 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 41 SO, 13 BB
Rhett Lowder – SP, Cincinnati Reds
2026 Stats – 13 GS, 3-6, 5.31 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 56 SO, 30 BB
Noah Schultz – SP, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 9 GS, 2-5, 5.86 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 40 SO, 26 BB
New Additions to the Rookie Report
Sean Keys – 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
2026 Stats – 21 PA, .190/.190/.381, 1 HR, 3. R, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Sean Sullivan – SP, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 5 GS, 0-3, 8.87 ERA, 2.01 WHIP, 16 SO, 11 BB
Injuries/Demotions
Munetaka Murakami – 1B, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 246 PA, .240/.378/.560, 20 HR, 43 R, 41 RBI, 1 SB
Placed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring injury on May 29
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
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
Jose Fernandez – SS, Arizona Diamondbacks
2026 Stats – 166 PA, .258/.290/.361, 3 HR, 23 R, 15 RBI, 6 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Ryan Waldschmidt – OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
2026 Stats – 122 PA, .259/.314/.357, 0 HR, 11 R, 8 RBI, 5 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Andrew Painter – SP, Philadelphia Phillies
2026 Stats – 12 GS (2 relief), 1-8, 7.06 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 53 SO, 24 BB
Optioned to Triple-A
Moises Ballesteros – C, Chicago Cubs
2026 Stats – 171 PA, .235/.304/.392, 6 HR, 15 R, 23 RBI, 1 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Sterlin Thompson – OF, Colorado Rockies
2026 Stats – 77 PA, .232/.312/.377, 2 HR, 7 R, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Spencer Jones – OF, New York Yankees
2026 Stats – 73 PA, .219/.315/.344, 2 HR, 5 R, 7 RBI, 1 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
Connelly Early – SP, Boston Red Sox
2026 Stats – 17 GS, 7-5, 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 93 SO, 34 BB
Placed on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation
Trey Gibson – SP, Baltimore Orioles
2026 Stats – 7 GS (1 relief), 1-3, 7.36 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 30 SO, 25 BB
Optioned to Triple-A
David Sandlin – SP, Chicago White Sox
2026 Stats – 3 GS (1 relief), 2-1, 6.05 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 20 SO, 10 BB
Optioned to Triple-A
LuJames Groover – Arizona Diamondbacks
2026 Stats – 54 PA, .167/.259/.271, 1 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB
Optioned to Triple-A
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