Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Yandy Diaz made the most of the Rays' season at George Steinbrenner Field, cracking the 25-HR mark for the first time in his career while maintaining a .300 average. With the return to much less hitter-friendly Tropicana Field, fantasy managers should not expect another 25 homers, but 20 is within reason. Diaz is a middle-round pick best used to boost batting average, but there is more power to be had elsewhere at the position.

Jonathan Aranda broke out in 2025, slashing .316/.393/.489 with a 146 OPS+ across 422 plate appearances, supported by elite quality of contact (93.0 mph average exit velocity, 54.8% hard-hit rate). His .409 BABIP and 30.5% line-drive rate fueled the batting average spike, while his 147 Rbat+ confirms the impact was more than just surface-level production. The 2026 projections dial back the average but maintain strong on-base skills and mid-20s homer pace, reflecting some regression without dismissing the skill growth. With no speed component and most of his value tied to bat-first production, Aranda profiles as a high-floor corner infield option in OBP formats, though managers should price in batting-average normalization rather than paying for a repeat of the .300-plus mark.