Shortstop 2026 Fantasy Rankings

Bobby Witt Jr. was fantastic, but just didn’t hit for quite the power he did in 2024 and 2023. However, some of that can be chalked up to the injuries he played through. In spite of that, he still got to 687 plate appearances and stole 38 bases. If he is back to being full healthy, there is no reason to think that he cannot only be the top SS but challenge for the top player in fantasy not named Shohei.

There is an argument that Elly De La Cruz should be in the first tier with Witt, but there is just a bit more risk to his profile. He is making small improvements in the contact skills which is encouraging, but he definitely struggled in the second half, only hitting four home runs and stealing 12 bases. Manager Terry Francona stated that he would likely be giving him more days off after the break next year which could help but would lower his plate appearance upside a little. There upside is immense and at some point he could easily be the top player in fantasy, but the floor keeps him from challenging Witt for now.

Gunnar Henderson started the year on the IL and never really had the hot streak from a power perspective that one would have expected after his 2024 breakout. The more concerning part is the struggles versus lefties that plagued him in his rookie season returned. I do believe the power returns and he is better in 2025, but it may not be back to the 2024 levels and may look more like his 2023 season.

In spite of starting the year on the IL due to offseason injury, Zach Neto still posted a 26/26 season and has made improvements on the underlying contact skills and power metrics. If not for starting the year on the IL and then ending it on the IL with a hand strain, he would have likely had a 30/30 season. The only issue for Neto is the lineup around him as the Angels have traded away Ward and it doesn’t seem like they will add much to support Neto and Trout.

Trea Turner still is a premium talent, but the power decline has been noticeable as he has had a dip in two straight seasons in homers and fly balls. He has also missed more time than he used to over his last two seasons, but still offers quality production in runs, stolen bases, and average.

Francisco Lindor has gone 31/31 in two of the last three seasons and the one time he didn’t, he missed it by just two stolen bases in 2024. His profile is about as consistent as they come and the only thing that could change his rank is the talk that he could be traded this offseason.

Maikel Garcia has elite contact skills, but the addition of some power was the nice surprise. he improved his is barrel rate, his hard hit percentage and his exit velocities. Now, he is never going to be a massive homer or RBI threat, but to go from someone who hurt you in two categories to a contributor in five is massive. If the young offense behind him can continue to grow, Garcia could find himself pushing up into the next tier.

In spite of a terrible approach and questionable defense, CJ Abrams has turned into a pretty good fantasy option as a player who makes enough contact and then uses his speed to rack base hits and stolen bases. He likely won’t take another step forward until he improves his approach, but there isn’t a reason to believe he will until we see or hear something different.

Remember when Mookie Betts got sick during the Tokyo Series and lost 20 lbs because he vomited up every time he ate? We have to wonder if that was responsible for a lot of his struggles in the first half of the season. Obviously, it may just be natural regression as he ages into his 30s, but there are reasons to be concerned at this point. This will be the cheapest you will have been able to draft him ever and there isn’t much risk of him completely falling off, but the upside certainly seems limited. I agonized over where to rank him because this does feel low, so he could find himself moving up as the offseason rolls on.

Nico Hoerner was an afterthought in drafts last season due to concerns he could start the year on the IL since he was recovering from offseason surgery. However, he ended up being ready for the start of the actual season (missing the Tokyo Series) and being the guy he has been his entire career which is be a good asset in runs, stolen bases and batting average. He can actively hurt you in home runs and RBI which holds him back from moving up with Turner and Garcia, but he is a safe bet for a 30+ stolen bases and a good average and there is a range of outcomes where he competes for a batting title.

Death, taxes, and Justin Mason giving up on a player a year before his breakout are the most guaranteed things in this world. Geraldo Perdomo was unreal in 2025, hitting .290/.389/.462 with 20 home runs and 27 stolen bases. The power is likely to regress with his 6.2% barrel rate and a 32% hard hit percentage. However, the stolen bases can definitely stick around and he is a very good in-zone hitter which I always love. The most important thing is the health. This was Perdomo’s first season in which he was able to stay on the field and get over the 500 plate appearance mark. If he can stay on the field, he can accumulate and be very valuable.

Corey Seager is a stud on a per plate appearance basis, but he struggles to stay on the field. In shallow leagues, that’s fine because of the replacement value at the position, but it becomes harder to roster him the deeper the league gets. The skills are immaculate and there is talk he could be moved this offseason which would likely be a park upgrade, but that is a discussion for a different day.

Prior to 2025, Trevor Story had not been able to stay on the field since arriving in Boston. It all came together in 2025 when he put together his best season since 2019. He is 33 and has a long injury history at this point, so there is a ton of risk that he doesn’t get back to 600 plate appearances, but especially in shallower formats where there is plenty of replacement value, he is well worth the risk.

Willy Adames really struggled in the his first few months with the Giants, but once July hit, he was a different player, hitting .242/.341/.512 with 21 home runs and eight stolen bases in 328 plate appearances. The park and team do not do him many favors and while it’s hard to know for sure how new manager Tony Vitello will approach things, Vitello did not push things on the basepaths in Tennessee in 2025 so a bump in stolen bases may not be on the horizon. He did become the first Giant to hit 30 homers since Barry Bonds left so you should get power and good counting stats at worst.

Jacob Wilson was on pace for a Rookie of the Year caliber season before he broke his forearm and missed a month of the season. Wilson has one of the best hit tools in all of baseball, but there isn’t a lot else in the profile. He did hit 13 home runs which was surprising especially because half of those happened on the road. The problem with one category guys is if they get hurt or slump, they can really make it hard to replace their value on the wire, but the price is fair and if you need average, he will definitely give you plenty.

Bichette has signed a multi-year deal with the Mets to play third base. He is moving to a worse park for his power and will be seeing pitchers he is much less familar with. He could get a boost in stolen bases as the Mets did run much more than the Blue Jays, but this isn’t the best overall fit for him. Picking up third base will be nice, but he does drop a little bit in the ranks.

Jackson Holliday was decent in his first full season in the Majors and while there wasn’t a ton to do backflips over, he just turned 22 and the underlying skills are pretty well set for the future. We know there is good underlying power in Jackson’s bat and when it finally shows, he could be a stud, but it’s hard to know when that will happen. For now, he is a high floor guy that should continue to get better as he matures, but if people start paying for the breakout, that might be premature for 2026. Holliday will now miss Opening Day after getting surgery on his broken hamate bone. Expect him to miss most of the first month of the season.

Ezequiel Tovar lost over 60 games in 2025 to injuries and when he returned in the second half, he struggled to get going completely. He still has terrible plate discipline and is not a great in-zone hitter and while there is pop and Coors helps, the underlying skills are a problem.

It’s hard to know what to make of Matt McLain at this point. He broke out of nowhere in 2023, missed all of 2024, and then was extremely uneven in his return to the field in 2025. A lot of the skills we saw in 2023 were still intact in 2025, but he was unable to maintain the high BABIP rate and he lifted the ball too much which caused his line drive rate to drop from 24% (9th best in baseball) to 17% (14th worst in baseball.) The question is whether his 2026 will look more like his 2025 season than his 2023 debut which I tend to believe it will unless we get more of a reason to think otherwise before drafts are in full force.

Brendan Donovan is a high floor, low ceiling glue guy that could be a runs/average play in a lot of leagues if he can stay healthy. Unfortunately, he has struggled with that in all, but one of his seasons in the Majors. He is was traded to the Mariners and moving there hurts his offensive upside some, but he should lead off for a good offense which offsets it some.

Colson Montgomery has power and a pretty good approach, but he struggles with consistent contact. That won’t be a problem on a rebuilding team in Chicago, but he could hurt your batting average in a ton of formats. If he can make just a bit more contact, he could jump up a few tiers and at 24 years old, there is still room for skills growth.

Ernie Clement had an unreal postseason run, hitting .411/.416/.562. Add that into his fantastic positional eligibility and there is going to be some hype on him heading into drafts. He makes a ton of in-zone contact, which I love but he also struggled with swinging too much outside the zone and his lack of punch paints a mediocre picture. Right now, he has a full time role, but if the Blue Jays bring back Bichette or someone else, that would like disappear back to being a utility guy.

Nasim Nuñez has speed and is good defensively, but not a ton else in the profile. He does walk some, so if he can make league average contact, there could be some upside here on a guy that is penciled into a regular role right now in Washington.

Willi Castro signed a deal to be the everyday third baseman in Colorado. Castro will benefit from the new home park and playing time and has been a 30 stolen base threat in the past and if the Rockies let him run, he could be a nice value on draft day.

Anthony Volpe has all the talent in the world, but has struggled over the course of his first few seasons. A lot of people in and out of New York seem ready to give up on him, but he still has power and speed along with a better hit tool than he gets credit for. He is low on these ranks because he is likely to begin the season on the IL and there is a chance the Yankees move on from him, but I am not ready to completely disregard him at 25 years old.

Jose Caballero has a ton of speed and he puts it to good use when he gets playing time. Unless the Yankees bring in someone else, he will get that shot to begin the year with Volpe being on the IL. Even if you get nothing else from him in 2026, he could steal 50-60 bases this year.

With Kim out for the first half of the season, Mauricio Dubon is expected to get most of plate appearances at shortstop for the Braves. There isnt a ton of upside here but he will get plate appearances.

Find someone who loves you as much as the Rays love Taylor Walls. Just don’t draft them or Walls for your fantasy team.

The trade to Milwaukee is a nice change of scenary for David Hamilton, but it doesn’t really improve his chance to be a starter unless Jett Williams struggles.

Thomas Saggese moves up a bit with the trade of Donovan, but it looks like Wetherholt will get the shot before him at second base.

Ha-Seong Kim is going to be missing 4-5 months with another injury. He is not draftable in most formats.

With the trade of Brendan Donovan, JJ Wetherholt has a real shot to win a roster spot in St. Louis. The Cardinals top prospect has a great hit tool and approach but he doesn’t have immense power or speed so for him to be a vaulable fantasy player, he needs that playing time to accumulate. He has that chance now and St. Louis is not going to block him off from doing so.

Konnor Griffin is the top prospect in baseball for a reason. Recent reports say the Pirates will give him a shot to break camp camp with the team. I am still dubious that they actually start his clock, but there is amazing upside if they do. He could shoot up this list into the top 20 if it seems like he will be on the Opening Day roster.

With the trade of Caleb Durbin to Boston, Jett Williams will be given a chance to make the team as either the starting shortstop or third baseman in Milwaukee. Williams is a former first round pick that has power and speed, but struggles with consistent contact. The Brewer mold is a heavy contact and glove first type which Williams is not, but if he wins a role, he has a lot of upside in the bat. The addition of Luis Rengifo makes it harder for Williams to make the roster which is the reason for his fall.

Kevin McGonigle doesn’t have a ton of power or speed, but what he does do is rake. His highest strikeout rate at any level was 12.6% and does a bit of everything. He won’t have to stay in the minors for long once the Tigers realize he is better than Baez and McKinstry already.

Carson Williams struggled in his debut in 2025 and while he has a shot to make the team as the everyday shortstop, the lack of hit tool is a huge problem. With the Rays shedding salary, he probably will get a good amount of PAs, so chances are that he is further up this list next update.