Cut or Keep? Breaking Down 5 Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates

Let's turn our attention to fantasy baseball drop candidates.

Here is the first drop article of the week.

More droppable player data can be located on the waiver wire trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any fantasy baseball page here at FantasySP. 

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant.

Michael King - San Diego Padres

King is rostered in 98% of fantasy baseball leagues right now. He's starting to be dropped after average-or-worse pitching results of late.

He has allowed between 3-5 runs in five straight outings. King has 14 strikeouts over that span, and has covered 26 2/3 innings.

King has made 15 starts overall, and he is 4-6 with a 3.60 earned run average now. Over 85 innings, he's allowed 35 runs (34 earned) on 66 hits and 35 walks. King has struck out 73 batters along the way.

King started the season well, and has pitched well over the past several years. He's trending down after so-so, or worse, results of late. Instead of outright dropping him, I'd look to trade him away first - a lot of fantasy owners would like to buy low on King.

Nico Hoerner - Chicago Cubs

Hoerner is another high-end fantasy asset, but is being dropped of late after poor results at the plate. He's sitting at 96% owned right now.

He is hitless over his past four games, but has struggled for a few weeks in a row now. Hoerner has a .233 average and .313 on-base percentage across 72 games and 326 plate appearances this year.

Hoerner has 15 doubles, four homers and 67 total hits. He has 34 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 31 walks and 23 strikeouts.

Hoerner has been a good fantasy asset over the past several seasons, even with low power numbers. He's struggling to hit this season, and he's now being let go in some fantasy leagues.

He is another fantasy player who I would look to trade away before outright dropping him. A lot of fantasy owners would be happy to buy low on Hoerner, so look into that move first.

Davis Martin - Chicago White Sox

Martin is rostered in 98% of leagues right now. He's trending down after two really poor starts this month.

Martin has made three starts this month - one was great, but two were awful. He allowed 15 runs over eight innings in the two bad outings.

He still has a 3.31 ERA over 14 appearances and 81 2/3 innings this season. Martin has given up 30 runs on 77 hits and 20 walks, while striking out 83 batters.

Martin has been a surprisingly good asset over the course of the year, but he's starting to regress a bit. The time to sell high has already passed, but many fantasy owners could still be intrigued enough to acquire Martin.

If you cannot find a trade partner, then dropping Martin is the next step. Give him another start to see if he bounces back, but if he struggles again, don't be afraid to let him go.

Josh Jung - Texas Rangers

Jung is sitting at 80% owned at the moment. He's being let go after a couple hitless games in a row.

He's still hitting .299 and getting on base at a .358 clip over 68 contests and 288 plate appearances this season. Jung has 30 RBIs, 32 runs scored, a stolen base, 21 walks and 46 strikeouts.

Jung has 78 total hits this season, with 16 being doubles and eight being home runs. He's having a career season in most stats.

The third baseman is a really good fantasy asset, and a couple slow games shouldn't change your opinion on him. Jung should only be let go after a week or more of struggles, so give him a little more leash before letting him go.

Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs

Palencia is rostered in just 58% of leagues today. He's being let go after hitting the injured list again.

He has right elbow inflammation, and is on the 15-day IL for now. There's no timetable for his return yet, but the team is hoping it's a short-term IL stay.

The longer he is out, the more fantasy leagues Palencia will be dropped in. He hasn't been a very good fantasy asset this season, and he's already been on the IL twice.

Palencia has pitched in 19 games, working 16 2/3 innings. He's allowed five runs on 17 hits and six walks, while striking out 19 batters. Palencia is 2-1 and he has three saves.

Palencia is a good fantasy asset when healthy and pitching well, but that hasn't happened in long stretches this year yet. He's droppable in standard leagues where you are out of roster/IR spots, and he could be let go in some deeper leagues as well. Be watching his status and add him back when/if he gets activated later this season.