Some players, most actually, just have a bad year during the course of their career. Often, it can be largely attributed to an injury, perhaps multiple. At other times, it can be difficult to explain. Whatever the case, for fantasy baseball purposes, a sub-par season can lead to a valuable “buying” opportunity. The purpose of the list below is to point out some of the potentially strongest bounce-back candidates for 2026.
- Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings
- Fantasy Baseball Research & Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position (ADP)
- 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
2026 Fantasy Baseball Bounce-Back Targets
Corey Seager (SS – TEX)
Injuries are nothing new for Corey Seager, which has led to him being a regular on these types of lists over the years. Over the last five seasons, the five-time All-Star has played more than 123 games just once.
Seager saw just 445 plate appearances last season. As usual, he produced when he was in the lineup, turning in an .860 OPS with 21 homers. Still, he ended a streak of three straight years with 30+ home runs, but continued to crush the baseball (53.6% hard-hit rate, 15.3% barrel rate).
Seager looks healthy at present, and if he can stay in the lineup, the 50-RBI tally he delivered in 2025 should rise significantly with Brandon Nimmo and Wyatt Langford setting the table.
Jackson Merrill (OF – SD)
Jackson Merrill burst onto the MLB scene in 2024, finishing second in a close National League Rookie of the Year race opposite Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes. Merril hit a cool .292 with 24 deep drives and 16 steals, as he earned an All-Star selection and Silver Slugger award. His sophomore season was not awful, but it was a far cry from the expectations following such a splendid career opening act.
Merrill missed most of last April, and despite a hot start going into and out of his month-long injured list (IL) stint, the young centerfielder just could not sustain much more than mediocre production. However, the results did not match the metrics.
Per Statcast, Merrill posted a .490 xSLG along with a solid 42.9% hard-hit rate, 13% barrel rate and 22.2% line-drive rate. Hamstring and ankle injuries seemed to make Merrill hesitant to run as well. His home run and stolen base totals should both be on track for notable increases this year.
Austin Riley (3B – ATL)
Austin Riley is the first of two Braves on this list, as the club on the whole is in search of a bounce-back season. Following All-Star selections in both 2022 and 2023, Riley has been hampered by injuries each of the last two seasons. He did rip 16 homers over the 102 games he played in 2025, but his overall offensive numbers lagged behind his career norms.
Riley put up just a .737 OPS across 447 plate appearances last season, which is his lowest mark since the shortened 2020 campaign. He also struck out at a 28.6% clip. That goes down as his worst rate since his rookie year (2019). Riley’s season was cut short by hernia surgery, forcing him to miss the final couple of months.
Back healthy at spring training this year, Riley recently stated that he feels “really good” with his swing. The two-time Silver Slugger even smoked a couple of balls out of the yard over his first five preseason games.
Cole Ragans (SP – KC)
Cole Ragans met the hype as a potential breakout candidate in 2024. The hard-throwing southpaw was named an All-Star and finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting, recording a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts across 186.1 innings. Ragans’ 29.3% strikeout rate was good enough for sixth among all qualifying pitchers, and that number was significantly higher in 2025.
Ragans struck batters out at a ridiculous 38.1% rate last year. That was the entirety of the progress he would make year over year, as he was limited to 13 starts due to multiple IL stints. Ragans never really settled in for a long stretch, and his HR/FB (12.3%) rate and batting average on plays (BABIP) mark of .354 strongly suggest he dealt with more than his share of poor luck. Backing that up, his 4.67 ERA covered up a 2.67 expected ERA. The 28-year-old is healthy now and ready to return to ace form for the Royals.
Spencer Strider (SP – ATL)
Spencer Strider missed almost all of 2024 after having elbow surgery following his second start of that season. Many expected 2025 to be a bounce-back campaign, but he was only able to make one start before May 20th.
After Strider was back for good, the results were a roller coaster, and he really struggled through a three-start stint in August. He did follow that up with a strong finish, though, posting a 2.50 ERA over his final six outings of the season.
The former All-Star also finished the season with 131 strikeouts across 125.1 innings. Strider may never regain the elite velocity and movement he once possessed, but he should still be far better than a 4.45 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn
