2026 MLB Risers And Fallers: Suddenly Seymour For The Rays

Fantasy Baseball Risers

Javier Sanoja (2B/SS/3B/OF), Miami Marlins

Ian Seymour (SP/RP), Tampa Bay Rays

After being stretched out to over six innings in two of his last three starts, Ian Seymour has emerged as one of the more intriguing pitching pickups after earning a regular role in Tampa Bay’s rotation. The left-hander has impressed with his ability to become an immediate source of strikeouts (27 combined in his last three starts). Tampa Bay also has an excellent track record of helping young pitchers maximize their arsenals, making Seymour an appealing potential long-term add.

Seymour’s value extends beyond just his strikeout upside. His command has continued to improve, and he now has a 1.08 WHIP and just four earned runs allowed in his last 18 innings, leading to two quality starts and another start with 12 strikeouts. Seymour is now a fixture in the Tampa Bay Rays rotation.

Nico Hoerner (2B), Chicago Cubs

We don’t really like to look at statistical profiles in baseball and say that it’s just bad luck, but that might be what’s going on with Nico Hoerner. This is a player to trade for in the second half, and not someone you are looking to sell for 70 cents on the dollar. If nothing else, the runs and steals should ramp up this summer.

If you want a BABIP-correction regression champion for the second half of 2026, Hoerner has to be your man. Despite an 8% strikeout rate (second-best in MLB), Hoerner has a .242/.314/.337 line, including an 8.7% walk rate. However, all that is being dragged down by a .252 BABIP, which is a full 50 points below his career average.

That number is one of the 20-lowest BABIPs in the league right now, and it’s something that just has not improved over the first half of the season. All of Hoerner’s other stats are there. His line drives and fly balls are up. His ground balls are down. Hoerner’s hard-hit rate is just a smidge lower than last season’s. His bat speed is identical, as is his contact rate. It’s coming, just be patient.

Fantasy Baseball Fallers

Cody Bellinger (OF), New York Yankees

Let me throw some numbers at you for Cody Bellinger over the last two weeks. You decide what the worst is. Bellinger is hitting .106/.160/.149 in his last 50 plate appearances. He has a 30% strikeout rate and a 6% walk rate. He has no home runs, no runs, and no stolen bases. And just one RBI. His wRC+ is a staggering negative-16. Looking at the Yankees’ struggles over the last three weeks, one of the primary reasons has to be Bellinger.

Is he getting unlucky? Yes. He has a BABIP of .156, and his xwOBA is 70 points higher than his wOBA. Will that luck change? Perhaps. All of his plate discipline stats are the same or better than his career numbers. His home run per fly ball rate is lower than last year, but that could regress upwards. His exit velocity is slightly up from last year. There are some positive signs, but Bellinger has been simply abysmal lately.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Toronto Blue Jays

I’ve benched Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in a couple of fantasy baseball leagues. Have you? Guerrero Jr. has simply been the most disappointing first baseman in MLB in 2026, and there have been several of them. After the 2024-2025 seasons, in which he hit .323/.396/.544 and .292/.381/.467, Guerrero is hitting .263/.345/.344 with fewer home runs (five, he hit one Wednesday!) than stolen bases (six). His SLG is 2oo points lower than in 2024.

Now that Fernando Tatis Jr. has broken his home run slump, it’s time to turn our attention to why Guerrero is struggling so much. He still has a 10% walk rate and a 12% strikeout rate, but a barrel rate (6.8%) that is half what it was last year. What’s leading to that? It looks like it’s primarily his chase rate.

Last season, Guerrero had a 21% chase rate on pitches outside the zone. This year, that number has ballooned to over 31%, which has led to a first-pitch strike rate of almost 61%. That number simply can’t continue if Guerrero wants his power to continue. His expected stats say some improvement could be ahead, but for now, Guerrero is the most disappointing healthy hitter in fantasy baseball.

Ian Happ (OF), Chicago Cubs

Ian Happ’s production has fallen off dramatically over the past two weeks because he simply hasn’t been making enough quality contact. Over his last 15 games, Happ is batting just .164 (9-for-55) with a .225 on-base percentage despite hitting three home runs. Even more concerning is that he has struck out 20 times in those 55 at-bats, a 36.4% strikeout rate, well above his already elevated season mark (31.6%).

His inability to consistently put the ball in play has prevented him from taking advantage of his above-average power, and too many of his batted balls have come on pitches where he has been forced to protect the strike zone rather than attack it. When more than one-third of your plate appearances end in a strikeout, it’s difficult to let elite batted-ball metrics work in your favor. The Cubs have been a maddeningly inconsistent offense this year, and Happ shares in some of the blame for that.