It’s still early, but that doesn’t mean fantasy baseball managers can ignore the warning signs.
Every season, a handful of players stumble out of the gate, whether it’s a dip in underlying metrics, reduced playing time, or simply results that don’t match expectations. While some slow starts are just noise, others signal deeper concerns that could linger well into the season.
In this Featured Pros roundup, our experts break down 12 fantasy baseball players who are causing early concern in 2026. From struggling stars to surprising disappointments, these insights will help you decide whether to stay patient, explore trade options, or start planning an exit before it’s too late.
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Tools
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Baseball Players Experts are Worried About
Which underperforming pitcher are you most worried about? Why?
Nathan Eovaldi (SP – TEX)
“Outside of Garrett Crochet, I’m not overly concerned about many starting pitchers this early in the season. My expectations for the SP class were low, and early on, most have overperformed. However, Nathan Eovaldi has me worried. Eovaldi is a pitcher that owners drafted late with hopes that he could be a guy who made a decent Fantasy rotation a better one, at a cheap draft-night cost. So far, he has been a starter who has cost you early-season wins in head-to-head formats due to a bloated 5.40 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. Eovaldi has always been a bit of an enigma. A hard-throwing righty who, early in his career with the Miami Marlins, had K/9’s in the sixes and sevens. Eovaldi has only had one season in which he pitched over 100 innings and struck out a batter per. For an upper 90’s/100+ MPH flame thrower, that’s always struck me as odd. In 2026, he’s on pace for the best K/9 of his career, currently sitting impressively at 10.80. And yet, many of his underlying metrics are the worst of his career. His HR/9 (1.66), BB/9 (2.91), GroundBall% (50.8%), and HR/FlyBall% (19%) are all career worsts in ’26. Add up all those metrics, and you have an ERA of 5.84, an xERA of 3.84, a FIP of 4.27, and an xFIP of 3.20. A pitcher that is getting more swings and misses than he ever has is also allowing more hard contact, more home runs, subsequently more earned runs allowed, and he’s also walking more batters too. Feels to me like he’s overthrowing and struggling with command. An easy fix? Maybe… but concerning for a guy aging with a cannon still attached to his right shoulder. Owners weren’t relying on Eovaldi to be their ace, but he could have been a back-of-the-rotation guy who was their MVP. So far, not so good.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)
Tatsuya Imai (SP – HOU)
“Tatsuya Imai has failed to live up to the pre-season hype as the prized free-agent signing to fix an underwhelming Houston rotation. The right-hander posted an 11.42 BB/9 and 7.27 H/9 ratio while also posting a .368 BABIP prior to being placed on the injured list due to a tired arm. Fantasy managers can only hope the rookie can turn things around and work out his command issues to return to their good graces moving forward.”
– Chris Schommer (FantasyPros)
Logan Webb (SP – SF)
“Logan Webb thrived on Patrick Bailey‘s framing pitches and umpires ringing up batters on borderline calls. With the ABS in place, Webb has had to go over the middle more often than not, and his fastball does not have the speed to overpower any hitter in the MLB. Logan Webb was the Greg Maddux of today’s baseball, painting corners, with ABS, an artist for a pitcher is not as much of an advantage as it once was showcased by Logan and his 5.25 ERA.”
– Muntradamus (Beast Dome)
“The underperforming pitcher that I am most worried about is Logan Webb. He’s showing inflated ERA (3.22 –> 5.25) and WHIP (1.24 –> 1.38) compared to last season. Opposing hitters are making harder contact than usual with an average exit velocity of 91.5 MPH and a hard hit rate of 46%. Webb’s sinker location seems to be off, and his changeup command is not sharp yet. I would hold on to Webb, but fantasy managers may want to consider benching him in tough matchups until his ERA and WHIP stabilize.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy baseball, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you navigate your season. From our Lineup Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball season.