Fantasy Baseball Rookie Report: Travis Bazzana Has Arrived

Rookies are starting to show that they can hang in the big leagues collectively. In my fantasy baseball rookie report, I break down which players had hot, mild, or cold weeks. There are quite a few more rookies who have performed well. It’s more than any of my past reports. You can follow along with the series here.

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 Hot Weeks

Travis Bazzana – 2B, Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats – 48 PA, .194/.396/.278, 1 HR, 7 R, 4 RBI, 7 SB

Travis Bazzana went hitless in his first three MLB games. However, he has gotten a hit in six of his last eight games, including hitting his first home run on May 8. Last week, Bazzana also added four runs, two RBIs, and five stolen bases. Now may be the time to get him off the waiver wire if he’s still available. With the high stolen base total, if he can start adding power, he’d be a popular pickup.

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

2026 Stats – 163 PA, .248/.331/.483, 10 HR, 20 R, 26 RBI

The hitting spree continues for Kazuma Okamoto. He had dropped to a .188 batting average on April 17, but since then, he has steadily increased his average, especially over the last two weeks. Last week, the Japanese slugger added another home run to his total and four RBIs. He has also gotten a hit every day of May. Okamoto has been the main power supplier for the Blue Jays, who rank 21st in home runs (37).

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

2026 Stats – 87 PA, .268/.376/.392, 1 HR, 12 R, 9 RBI, 2 SB

Sam Antonacci is known for contact and speed, but through April, the White Sox rookie was struggling to do both. His batting average stayed under .230, and he was 0-for-2 in steal opportunities throughout the month. He flipped a switch in May and has succeeded in both areas.

So far in May, Antonacci is 10-for-31 (.322) and is 2-for-2 stealing bases. He’s not a power hitter; he’s starting to bat leadoff against right-handed pitchers, which also creates ample run opportunities with Munetaka Murakami batting behind him.

He’s working his way to becoming fantasy relevant, but he needs to up his stolen bases. He had 48 steals last season combined over High- and Double-A, so Antonacci has the speed to swipe more bags. Fantasy managers need to keep an eye on the utility player.

Munetaka Murakami – 1B, Chicago White Sox

2026 Stats – 173 PA, .232/.364/.556, 15 HR, 28 R, 29 RBI, 0 SB

The Japanese slugger had another great week, though it’s kinda mild for the standards he’s been producing this season. He did add two homers, five runs, and three RBIs to his season totals, though. Aaron Judge retook the lead in MLB home runs by hitting his 16th long ball Sunday. However, Murakami has been going toe-to-toe with the reigning AL MVP in home runs.

Fantasy baseball managers who drafted Murakami will gladly put up with his poor contact skills, given the power he’s been displaying. American pitchers haven’t been able to figure out how to keep the first basemen’s hits inside the ballpark, so fantasy managers can continue to enjoy the light show.

Konnor Griffin – SS, Pittsburgh Pirates

2026 Stats – 140 PA, .256/.321/.400, 3 HR, 15 R, 19 RBI, 9 SB

The 20-year-old rookie is continuing to produce across the board. Konnor Griffin’s average was down to .231 through April, but he’s been more consistent at the plate in May. He has a hit in eight of his nine games in the month, but he only has one multi-hit game. This week, Griffin scored twice, hit a homer, had three RBIs, and stole two bases, while going 5-for-22 (.227) at the plate.

Samuel Basallo – C, Baltimore Orioles

2026 Stats – 126 PA, .270/.333/.470, 5 HR, 14 R, 15 RBI, 0 SB

Samuel Basallo has been a steady contributor for fantasy managers, but he hasn’t homered since April 26. However, he has seen a massive boost in his batting average. In April, he hit .250, but in May, he’s hitting .364. This week, he’s gone 9-for-25 (.360) with four runs and five RBIs. Despite the home run drought, Basallo is finding ways to continue to provide fantasy managers with reliable production.

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

2026 Stats – 183 PA, .235/.350/.405, 7 HR, 30 R, 20 RBI, 5 SB

The down contact numbers are a surprise for JJ Wetherholt, but he has shown some early power after hitting 17 last season over 496 Minor League plate appearances. He has yet to homer in May, but last week he added three runs, four RBIs, and a stolen base while going 5-for-18 (.277). Despite hitting .167 over the month, Wetherholt is still an everyday starter in every f, especially with the ability to be slotted into either middle infield position.

TJ Rumfield – 1B, Colorado Rockies

2026 Stats – 163 PA, .272/.337/.429, 5 HR, 15 R, 21 RBI, 0 SB

The 25-year-old rookie continues to be a surprise fantasy producer this season. Rumfield was considered a deep sleeper preseason, but consistent playing time and home games at Coors Field have led to a fantasy explosion.

Last week, he went 6-for-20 (.300), with three runs, a homer, and two RBIs. As long as Rumfield is playing every day, feel confident sliding him into your lineup if in deeper leagues.

Carson Benge – OF, New York Mets

2026 Stats – 127 PA, .207/.276/.328, 3 HR, 15 R, 11 RBI, 6 SB

Carson Benge used his hot week of hitting to go above the .200 mark for the first time in his rookie season. He went 6-for-19 (.315) with four runs, a homer, and four RBIs last week. Benge still isn’t a trustworthy fantasy producer, but keep an eye on how the next few weeks unfold.

Rookies Who Had Mild Weeks

Chase DeLauter – OF, Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats – 153 PA, .299/.379/.522, 6 HR, 15 R, 25 RBI, 0 SB

Two weeks ago, Chase DeLauter hit his first home run since April 3. He looked to be warming up at the plate, but he has returned to his lackluster production. DeLauter went 6-for-22 (.272), but he only had four RBIs, with no runs or homers.

Sal Stewart – 1B, Cincinnati Reds

2026 Stats – 177 PA, .245/.328/.484, 10 HR, 23 R, 30 RBI, 8 SB

Sal Stewart somewhat bounced back this week after a 0-for-19 slump he suffered two weeks ago. His home run on May 7 was his first since April 25. It was also his first RBI in that same time span.

The Reds’ rookie had a hit in six of seven games this week, but he didn’t have any multi-hit games. Hopefully, the resilience he showed in recovering from his first adversity this season is a sign that he will become more consistent in the power department again.

Brice Matthews- 2B/OF, Houston Astros

2026 Stats – 95 PA, .212/.277/.424, 4 HR, 10 R, 13 RBI, 2 SB

Dylan Beavers – OF, Baltimore Orioles

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

Rookie Batters Who Had a Cold Week

Moises Ballesteros – C, Chicago Cubs

2026 Stats – 110 PA, .265/.327/.500, 6 HR, 14 R, 19 RBI, 0 SB

Despite being a platoon player, Moises Ballesteros has been somewhat productive throughout the early part of the season. That production came to a halt this week after he went hitless over 16 at-bats. His only relevance was a sac fly on May 7. There’s no reason Ballesteros should be on anyone’s fantasy roster with his inconsistent playing time unless you’re in an NL-only league and you can have him on your bench.

Justin Crawford – OF, Philadelphia Phillies

2026 Stats – 128 PA, .276/.344/.397, 1 HR, 10 R, 10 RBI, 3 SB

Congrats, Justin Crawford, on hitting your first Major League home run. Fantasy managers, don’t get used to it, though, if you drafted him. Only three stolen bases is a massive surprise out of the Phillies’ nine-hole hitter.

He stole more than 40 bases in each of his last two Minor League seasons, so not sure why he’s not being more aggressive on the base paths, especially with Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber hitting under .250. You’d think Crawford would want to get into scoring position since the top two hitters aren’t reliable to get a hit.

Kevin McGonigle – SS/3B, Detroit Tigers

2026 Stats – 147 PA, .293/.395/.435, 2 HR, 26 R, 16 RBI, 5 SB

This is the first time that Kevin McGonigle has dropped below a .300 batting average since April 10. He went 2-for-17 (.117) last week with only two runs scored. The rookie snapped a 0-for-12 streak last week, showing, like Stewart, that McGonigle can fight and bounce back from adversity. If you have McGonigle on your team, you can still feel comfortable slotting him in your lineup, but keep an eye on him.

Nathan Church – OF, St. Louis Cardinals

2026 Stats – 124 PA, .252/.290/.426, 5 HR, 15 R, 17 RBI, 3 SB

Carter Jensen – C, Kansas City Royals

2026 Stats – 138 PA, .218/.312/.395, 6 HR, 16 R, 18 RBI, 0 SB

Jose Fernandez – SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

2026 Stats – 107 PA, .287/.327/.406, 3 HR, 19 R, 12 RBI, 2 SB

Owen Caissie – OF, Miami Marlins

2026 Stats – 114 PA, .198/.254/.317, 2 HR, 11 R, 17 RBI, 2 SB

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

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

Rookie Pitchers

Nolan McLean – SP, New York Mets

2026 Stats – 8 GS, 1-2, 2.78 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 57 SO, 12 BB

Parker Messick – SP, Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats – 8 GS, 4-1, 2.30 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 51 SO, 11 BB

Andrew Painter – SP, Philadelphia Phillies

2026 Stats – 6 GS (1 relief), 1-4, 6.89 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 30 SO, 12 BB

Rhett Lowder – Cincinnati Reds

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

Bubba Chandler – SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

2026 Stats – 8 GS, 1-4, 4.62 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 34 SO, 27 BB

Connelly Early – SP, Boston Red Sox

2026 Stats – 8 GS, 3-2, 3.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 39 SO, 18 BB

Brandon Sproat – SP, Milwaukee Brewers

2026 Stats – 5 GS (2 relief), 0-2, 5.87 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 30 SO, 18 BB

Foster Griffin – SP, Washington Nationals

2026 Stats – 8 GS, 4-1, 2.12 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 42 SO, 15 BB

Payton Tolle – SP, Boston Red Sox

2026 Stats – 4 GS, 1-2, 2.78 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 27 SO, 6 BB

Trey Yesavage – SP, Toronto Blue Jays

2026 Stats – 3 GS,12-1, 0.68 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 15 SO, 5 BB

Connor Prielipp – SP, Minnesota Twins

2026 Stats – 4 GS, 1-1, 3.32 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 21 SO, 7 BB

Noah Schultz- SP, Chicago White Sox

2026 Stats – 5 GS, 2-2, 4.68 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 23 SO, 16 BB

Injuries/Demotions

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 finished his rehab assignment and will be a two-start pitcher this week.

Nick Yorke – 2B/3B, Pittsburgh Pirates

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

Nick Yorke got demoted to Triple-A with Jared Triolo returning from an injury list stint on May 2.

Juan Brito – 2B, Cleveland Guardians

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

Juan Brito got demoted to Triple-A with the promotion of Bazzana on April 28.

Yohendrick Pinango – OF, Toronto Blue Jays

2026 Stats – 27 PA, .423/.444/.462, 0 HR, 1 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB

Yohendrick Pinango was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on May 9, with Addison Barger returning from the injury list. However, that lasted only two days as Pinango is being called back up, because Barger is going back on the IL.