Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Adley Rutschman enters 2026 as a clear fantasy rebound candidate after a disappointing, injury-shortened 2025 season. His production dipped across the board (.220/.307/.366, 90 OPS+), driven in part by a career-low .240 BABIP and a sharp decline in run value (89 Rbat+), despite maintaining solid underlying quality of contact (89.4 mph EV, 38.6% HardHit). The erosion from his 2022-2023 peak — when he posted back-to-back seasons with a 127+ Rbat+ and elite OBP skills — raises some concern, but his plate discipline remains above league average and the power indicators weren't catastrophic. With 2026 projections forecasting a bounce-back toward his career norms, Rutschman profiles as a discounted catcher who could outperform his draft slot if the batted-ball luck normalizes.