5 Fantasy Baseball Bounce-Back Candidates (2025)

Players have bad years. They happen. Perhaps it was a nagging injury, something in their personal life or a consistent bit of bad luck that prevented them from hitting their typical norms. Along with that bad year is a corresponding drop in value at the draft table the next season.

It’s then up to the fantasy managers to determine if the bad year is a one-off fluke or the start of a trend. Below are five players who are coming off down seasons and who could be bounce-back candidates in 2025.

Bounce-Back Candidates

Cody Bellinger (1B, OF – NYY)

Expecting a bounce-back to the MVP days of Cody Bellinger’s early career isn’t what this is saying. But can he bounce back to the 20/20 season he posted in 2023?

Bellinger’s 2023 season included 95 runs, 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a .307 batting average. It earned him a long-term contract with the Chicago Cubs, but he took a step back across the board in 2024 — 72 runs, 18 home runs, 78 RBI, nine stolen bases and a .266 batting average.

The Cubs traded him to the New York Yankees this offseason. The famous short porch in left field should help Bellinger boost his home run total. We also saw how aggressive the Yankees were with Jazz Chisholm Jr. stealing bases when he arrived in a mid-season trade.

Bo Bichette (SS – TOR)

It’s not very often a 26-year-old with a career .299 batting average bottoms out completely, but that was what happened with Bo Bichette in 2024. There are a lot of reasons to think he can bounce back in 2025.

Let’s start with all the injuries Bichette dealt with in 2024. He was placed on the injured list (IL) three different times with calf and finger injuries. The injuries limited him to 81 games, where he delivered 29 runs, four home runs, 31 RBI, five stolen bases and a .225 batting average. They were nearly career-worsts across the board.

While Bichette’s stolen bases have dropped consistently over the past four seasons, it is one aspect that a player has direct control over. He will be a free agent after this season. Don’t be surprised when his stolen bases spike this season, similar to what Willy Adames did in his last season before free agency.

Luis Robert Jr. (OF – CWS)

The 2024 Chicago White Sox finished as one of the worst baseball teams of all time, with a record of 41 wins and 121 losses. The struggles of superstar outfielder Luis Robert Jr. were a big reason for that.

Robert only played 100 games, as he missed some time with a hip injury. Even with the injury, he was still able to steal a career-high 23 bases. It was the other statistics that dropped to unexpected levels. He only scored 47 runs with 14 home runs and 35 RBI. That was a 24-home run drop from his 2023 breakout season.

Robert is just entering the prime of his career at 27 years old. We’ve already seen him perform as a top-tier fantasy outfielder option. He could bounce back to being one again in 2025.

Kevin Gausman (SP – TOR)

On the surface, Kevin Gausman’s 2024 season wasn’t that much of a step back from the baseline he had already established with the Blue Jays. However, beneath the surface were some concerning signs.

Gausman tied a career-high with 14 wins in 2024. He has become a durable innings-eater, starting over 30 games in the last four seasons. The issue last season was that his strikeout rate wasn’t what we’ve come to expect. In 181 innings, he only struck out 162 batters. That’s 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings, his worst mark since 2014. If he can raise that rate, it should help him lower the ratios back to the levels we’re more accustomed to from Gausman.

David Bednar (RP – PIT)

In David Bednar’s first few seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he established himself as one of the most reliable closers in fantasy baseball. That’s what made his 2024 challenges so surprising.

Bednar was able to win three games, but he also lost eight games. That was tied with the mark he lost in his first three seasons in Pittsburgh combined. Fantasy managers have gotten wise enough to realize that win-loss records aren’t everything. However, the ratios supported his struggles with a 5.77 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. It was the perfect storm of more hits and home runs allowed, with a decrease in strikeouts. If he can get back to his previous Pittsburgh baseline, he could be a real value now with his lower average draft position (ADP).