2026 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings: Bobby Witt Jr. leads star-studded position

Both the deepest and most star-studded position in fantasy baseball, shortstops are ready for another banner season.

Bobby Witt Jr. followed up his historically good 2024 season with a 2025 that didn’t quite match the sky-high expectations. He still wound up as the top shortstop, but only by a thin margin over the recently-injured Francisco Lindor and Geraldo Perdomo. All eyes will be on Perdomo this year with doubts he can repeat a near-MVP campaign.

The rest of the group is strong with 11 shortstops currently being drafted in the top-100 picks according to the NFBC and 14 of them returned at least $10 in earned value last season according to the FanGraphs Player Rater.

A step forward is always in the offing for Elly De La Cruz. Gunnar Henderson is being drafted at a discount after a down year. Trea Turner looks elite once again. Zach Neto is a strong bet to put up his first 30-30 season. Trevor Story finally stayed healthy. Jeremy Peña just received MVP votes. Mookie Betts is an afterthought relative to how he’s been seen during his career. Bo Bichette is joining an incredible Mets lineup and will pick up third base eligibility. There are stars everywhere at this position.

Otherwise, Willy Adames, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson offer quality floors. Corey Seager will mash (when he’s on the field). Jacob Wilson could lead the league in batting average. Xavier Edwards could lead the league in steals. Konnor Griffin might be one of the most valuable hitters in the league once he gets the call up to the Pirates. Colson Montgomery needs more attention for what he did last season, albeit with a flawed profile.

There is just so much talent here.

Below you’ll find what the Rotoworld staff forecasts for shortstop heading into spring drafts, along with profiles and projections for all the top options. More fantasy baseball draft prep content is on the way in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Other position previews:

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⚾ 2026 Fantasy Baseball Shortstop Rankings

** Rotoworld staff consensus rankings **

Editor’s Note: Projections and dollar values courtesy of Matthew Pouliot; player rankings are based on consensus.

⚾ 2026 Shortstop Projections and Previews

1) Bobby Witt Jr. – Kansas City Royals

2026 Outlook: The best player in baseball that we don’t talk about enough, Witt would be a hands down, consensus number one overall pick in a parallel universe where Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani didn’t exist. Alas, there are still few other players that can push for 30 homers, 40 stolen bases, and a .300 batting average like Witt can. That being said, a season like his last is also well within the range of outcomes. It was a great year by regular standards, but caused him to fall outside the top-five overall players in earned value by season’s end and the margins are that slim when picking at the top of a draft. Based on his raw power, Witt should be flirting with 40 homers. Perhaps the fences moving in at Kauffman Stadium could help nudge him there. There would also probably need to be a slight tweak to his approach to coax more power production. Witt lets the ball travel a bit deeper than others and uses all the fields well. In turn, he pulls his fly balls at a below league average rate and only had three opposite field homers last season. Of course, we should never fix what isn’t broken. That’s just the last piece that could get Witt in range of Judge and Ohtani.

2026 projection: (Mixed $47) 616 AB, 106 R, 29 HR, 95 RBI, 33 SB, 37 2B, 6 3B, .294/.357/.515

2) Elly De La Cruz – Cincinnati Reds

2026 Outlook: There was some disappointment surrounding De La Cruz last season mostly because his stolen base total fell from a league-leading 67 in 2024 down to 37. Despite that, he was the 15th overall hitter in earned value. The stakes were simply higher after he became a consensus top-five pick in drafts last winter and funny enough, he made some improvements under the hood that could be missed given the discourse that surrounds him. The main gripe with De La Cruz was always that his high strikeout rate was untenable for what some considered an elite player. Well, he finally got that in check and whiffed at far fewer breaking balls in the process. He also did far less damage and it’s fair to wonder if he can ever marry his outrageous power with an acceptable contact rate or if he’ll be spending the next few years on this same seesaw. There’s also a growing trend that he’s a much, much better hitter from the left side compared to the right. Still, the floor here is probably higher than some realize and the ceiling could be the number one overall player.

2026 projection: (Mixed $37) 589 AB, 91 R, 25 HR, 86 RBI, 40 SB, 31 2B, 6 3B, .265/.340/.465

3) Gunnar Henderson – Baltimore Orioles

2026 Outlook: In retrospect, it seems clear that an oblique injury last spring set Henderson off-kilter. His average bat speed fell by a full mile per hour compared to the previous season and his power output dramatically lagged because of it. Also, he uncharacteristically chased more pitches out of the strike zone than he did the year before. In the past, some star players have talked about further expanding the zone in an attempt to do more damage and ‘save’ their teams. Anecdotally, this makes sense for Henderson after his Orioles were in the hole early last season with an abysmal April and May. There’s no proof, but it was strange to see a skill of his that seemed so secure fall off that drastically. Nevertheless, he appears to be a value in drafts right now going after the first 15 picks.

2026 projection: (Mixed $38) 576 AB, 96 R, 30 HR, 92 RBI, 25 SB, 31 2B, 5 3B, .276/.360/.503

4) Trea Turner – Philadelphia Phillies

2026 Outlook: Turner turned in his best overall season as a Phillie that likely would’ve seen him in the top-three among all shortstops if not for a hamstring injury that knocked him out for September. Still, he hit .300 for the first time since 2021 and stole 30 bases for the second time since then. His home run power appears to be gone though, a trend that has held up for a few years now and is matched by fading underlying power metrics. There remains an avenue for him to stay near-elite through his 30s with a speed and contact-based profile, just without the gaudy ceiling that pushed him to the front half of the first round for many of the last five years.

2026 projection: (Mixed $25) 596 AB, 96 R, 20 HR, 71 RBI, 28 SB, 30 2B, 3 3B, .285/.338/.446

5) Francisco Lindor – New York Mets

2026 Outlook: Even in his age-31 season Lindor did not miss a beat. He hit 30 homers for the third straight year and was one of seven players to go 30-30. In fact, he’s a short-term back injury in 2024 and one stolen base away from joining Barry Bonds as the only players ever to have three straight 30-30 seasons. His power and rate stats lagged a bit compared to last year due to an early summer toe injury and prolonged slump that followed, but all of his numbers wound up exactly where we’d expected them to by season’s end. Now, his status for Opening Day is in jeopardy after breaking the hamate bone in his left hand. His power is likely to lag for the first month or so after returning, which knocks him down a bit in these rankings. Hitting ahead of Juan Soto – and probably Bo Bichette – after he returns will likely help him get his counting stats back where they’re used to being by season’s end.

2026 projection: (Mixed $33) 626 AB, 104 R, 29 HR, 81 RBI, 26 SB, 31 2B, 2 3B, .256/.331/.450

6) Zach Neto – Los Angeles Angels

2026 Outlook: Neto’s breakout last season was somewhat hidden in plain sight mostly due to only playing in 128 games due to an early shoulder injury and late hand injury. Nevertheless, he played at better than a 30-30 pace and made massive improvements with his swing decisions to the point where that facet of his game should be considered elite. He also figured out how to go out and get the baseball, making contact further out in front of the plate compared to 2024. That’s how he gets to so much power without top-end bat speed. With 30 homers and 30 stolen bases as something like the 50th percentile outcome, there are plenty of ways for Neto to justify his ADP approaching the top-30.

2026 projection: (Mixed $34) 593 AB, 94 R, 32 HR, 84 RBI, 26 SB, 33 2B, 2 3B, .261/.327/.486

7) Mookie Betts – Los Angeles Dodgers

2026 Outlook: It’s unlikely Betts’ poor 2025 has signaled the end of his prime, right? I mean, he had a 154 wRC+ collectively through the two seasons prior to this most recent one (after he’d already turned 30) and felt age-less. Yet, Betts’ meaningful power metrics all took a big step down two years ago which could have foreshadowed this downturn. His average bat speed fell below 70 mph which was near the bottom of the league and in turn, he didn’t hit the ball as hard. Betts’ batted ball quality was even worse last year, but a lot of those woes could be written off to a March virus he caught in Japan that reportedly caused him to lose 20 pounds and a toe injury he played through for most of the first half. Through it all, his swing decisions remained excellent and his contact rate elite. He’s likely not as bad as he was last season. It would also be a surprise for him to return to the level he showed in 2023 or 2024. Also, it’s rare for 33-year-olds like Betts to play every day at shortstop. The Dodgers don’t have any meaningful alternatives at the position though.

2026 projection: (Mixed $10) 548 AB, 89 R, 21 HR, 80 RBI, 11 SB, 27 2B, 2 3B, .265/.349/.436

8) CJ Abrams – Washington Nationals

2026 Outlook: Still only 25 years old, Abrams has all the tools to be one of the league’s most dynamic players. He just lacks the consistency required to make the leap. Impatience from fantasy managers is fair at this point. Abrams has learned to be a bit more selective compared to the free-swinger he came in the league as and can do more damage now than ever before. Maybe his on-base percentage or defensive ability rise enough to be considered a star in real life, but more slight incremental improvements to his swing decisions can fairly easily push him to a 30-30 season with a high batting average. New coaches and a new philosophy in Washington could help him move in the right direction this coming season. Or, frustration continues to mount and he becomes some other organization’s dilemma.

2026 projection: (Mixed $19) 601 AB, 87 R, 23 HR, 77 RBI, 30 SB, 31 2B, 4 3B, .260/.320/.439

9) Geraldo Perdomo – Arizona Diamondbacks

2026 Outlook: Respectfully, where on earth did Perdomo’s 2025 season come from? He’d spent the first few years of his career as a contact-oriented, slap-hitting shortstop who was best known for his silky smooth defense. Before this breakout campaign, his career-highs were six home runs, 47 RBI, 16 stolen bases, 30 extra-base hits, and a .718 OPS. He didn’t just improve on each, but blew them so far out of the water they seem comical looking back. If you played in a points-based league, Perdomo was more than likely the top shortstop and one of the five or so highest scoring players overall last year. It was nothing short of a legendary breakout which has pushed his draft cost well inside the top-100 picks. There’s ample reason for caution that he can repeat that same level of production though given lackluster power metrics and an ultra-passive approach at the plate. He’ll be one of the more interesting players to track this coming season.

2026 projection: (Mixed $13) 588 AB, 96 R, 14 HR, 71 RBI, 21 SB, 31 2B, 4 3B, .274/.364/.412

10) Jeremy Peña – Houston Astros

2026 Outlook: If not for two trips to the injured list resulting in nearly 40 missed games, Peña could have flirted with a seven-WAR season and received even more than the handful of down-ballot MVP votes he wound up with. That being said, it’s difficult to see how he repeats anything near last year’s production at the plate. Being more selective helped him bump up his walk rate and find better pitches to hit. In doing so, it seems like he was more prepared to hunt fastballs as he went from a .284 batting average and .397 slugging percentage against them in 2024 to an eye-popping .370 BA and .704 SLG last season. He did manage to hit the ball harder overall, so the jump isn’t completely out of left field, just so statistically stark that it’s worth calling into question. There’s reason to believe he’ll be around 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a .280 average again though, which would justify his draft cost around pick 100 as the 10th shortstop off the board.

2026 projection: (Mixed $13) 580 AB, 84 R, 20 HR, 72 RBI, 23 SB, 30 2B, 3 3B, .266/.328/.431

11) Bo Bichette – New York Mets

2026 Outlook: One of the true shocks of the offseason, Bichette was signed by the Mets to be their third baseman this year. Picking up that eligibility will boost his fantasy value dramatically and potentially hitting third behind Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto could put him in play for 120 RBI or so if he’s able to stay healthy all season. Hitting in that spot last season, Pete Alonso had the highest rate of plate appearances in the league with men on base. Bichette is elite with runners on because his primary weakness – swinging at pitches out of the zone – is somewhat neutralized. His profile reads like someone who could be among the top-five third basemen by season’s end again, should he stay healthy. Which is always a big if for Bichette.

2026 projection: (Mixed $11) 598 AB, 82 R, 20 HR, 88 RBI, 5 SB, 32 2B, 2 3B, .289/.339/.450

12) Trevor Story – Boston Red Sox

2026 Outlook: A bounceback not many saw coming, Story finished last season just outside the top-20 of all hitters in earned value. That was astounding because he was yet to play 100 games in a single season since before signing his mega-deal with the Red Sox ahead of the 2022 season and had years worth of declining underlying metrics. Not to mention a handful of significant injuries that had mounted. He’s still a free-swinger and will not run a high on-base percentage, but got back to hitting the ball hard and was one of the most efficient base stealers in the league being caught only once in 32 tries. The power and speed will probably be there again, the big risk in targeting Story just comes back to health.

2026 projection: (Mixed $5) 526 AB, 67 R, 20 HR, 71 RBI, 23 SB, 27 2B, 1 3B, .243/.299/.413

13) Corey Seager – Texas Rangers

2026 Outlook: Seager is what he is at this point in his career: one of the best offensive players in the league who will probably miss a solid chunk of the season due to injuries. He’s only played more than 150 games once since he turned 23 years old. Once! And he’s only played more than 130 three times over that same span. He’s also a difficult player to place in the shortstop landscape because he will not steal more than a handful of bases and most other players at this position are expected to steal lots of them. The right roster that hasn’t taken on too much injury risk and has a stable floor of stolen bases can fit him well, it will just take some careful manicuring.

2026 projection: (Mixed $9) 505 AB, 84 R, 27 HR, 76 RBI, 2 SB, 26 2B, 0 3B, .285/.365/.497

14) Willy Adames – San Francisco Giants

2026 Outlook: A poor shape to Adames’ debut season with the Giants has him entering 2026 as a value. Through the end of June, he had a .210/.297/.339 slash line with just nine homers and four stolen bases. From that point onward, he hit 27 homers, stole eight bases, and had an .854 OPS. That strong second half put him inside the top-30 of earned value among all players after the All-Star break and made him the first Giant since Barry Bonds to hit 30 homers in a season. Yes, really, since Bonds in 2004. Adames’ batting average never recovered though, and that’s a good reminder as to the hole in his fantasy profile. Just don’t let his first three poor months after signing a new contract cloud your judgment on him as a player.

2026 projection: (Mixed $4) 567 AB, 82 R, 25 HR, 75 RBI, 11 SB, 31 2B, 2 3B, .238/.326/.432

15) Jacob Wilson – Athletics

2026 Outlook: Wilson impressed as a rookie and would have won the American League batting title if not for Aaron Judge’s remarkable .331 average. Alas, we knew Wilson could hold a high batting average as a big leaguer, the surprise was his 13 homers after hitting none in nearly a month of action during his debut the season before. Of course, a lot of that power production could have been due to the extreme hitter-friendly confines of Sutter Field in Sacramento. That is a non-issue heading into this year though because his Athletics will be playing their home games there once again. It’s impressive that Wilson can pair his extreme contact ability with pulling a near league-average number of fly balls and that approach is perfect for his home park. A .300 batting average and 15 or so homers outside the first 150 picks is a fun chess piece for managers building their teams.

2026 projection: (Mixed $7) 592 AB, 84 R, 13 HR, 73 RBI, 7 SB, 34 2B, 2 3B, .307/.354/.438

16) Dansby Swanson – Chicago Cubs

2026 Outlook: In a position filled with upside, excitement, and plenty of dynamic players, Swanson represents a boring alternative. He will play every day, hit something like 20 home runs, steal around 20 bases, and accumulate enough runs and RBI without being a drain on your batting average to return top-100 value. It’s difficult to find a 20-20 player this cheap and Swanson’s stability is a blessing for any deep league team or one that took a few too many risks in the early part of their draft.

2026 projection: (Mixed $3) 542 AB, 71 R, 20 HR, 73 RBI, 16 SB, 24 2B, 3 3B, .247/.310/.413

17) Xavier Edwards – Miami Marlins

*also shortstop-eligible

2026 Outlook: After a rollicking close to the 2024 season, Edwards came out of the gate with a .263/.337/.291 slash line and just four stolen bases over the first six weeks last year. At that point, he was placed on the injured list with a back strain and replaced at shortstop by Otto López. When Edwards came back, he was installed as the Marlins’ second baseman and closed the season with a .292 batting average and 16 stolen bases over his final 97 games. That’s not quite the level of production we saw to conclude 2024, but one that was good enough to be among the top-10 second basemen by year’s end. He profiles to be in that same range once again.

2026 projection: (Mixed $7) 580 AB, 77 R, 6 HR, 61 RBI, 30 SB, 24 2B, 6 3B, .291/.347/.384

18) Ezequiel Tovar – Colorado Rockies

2026 Outlook: Tovar has never seen a pitch he didn’t like. That’s led to some of the highest swing and chase rates in the league since he debuted. Given that, he has one of the game’s streakier offensive profiles. Some organizations more ready to win right now could hesitate to give Tovar a full-time job. That’s not a concern with the Rockies though! Plus, he’s a strong defensive shortstop which is all the more reason to run him out there every day and hope something clicks. Expect something like 20 homers, 10 stolen bases, and the dream of a high batting average. He, like the rest of his Rockies teammates, have increased value in daily-set leagues when you can start them at home in Coors Field and send them to the bench when the Rockies are on the road. It’s also worth noting that a hip injury then an oblique strain took more than two months out of his first half last season.

2026 projection: (Mixed $4) 577 AB, 72 R, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 8 SB, 33 2B, 4 3B, .265/.302/.440

19) Xander Bogaerts – San Diego Padres

2026 Outlook: Bogaerts rebounded reasonably well following a scary shoulder injury in 2024 and at least looks like a semi-useful offensive player again. He still has enough raw power to flirt with 20 home runs and just stole a career-high 20 bases. That plus his still solid hit tool should make him an incredibly boring sleeper that’s being taken outside the top-200 picks. Think about him like a more injury-prone Dansby Swanson.

2026 projection: (Mixed $3) 549 AB, 71 R, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 14 SB, 27 2B, 1 3B, .264/.331/.404

20) Konnor Griffin – Pittsburgh Pirates

2026 Outlook: Not to speak in hyperbole, but Griffin is the most gifted top prospect we’ve seen in quite some time and could take the entire league by storm. Think Ronald Acuña Jr. level. It’s plus-plus power, speed, defense, and contact ability with a howitzer for an arm. He just put up 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases with a .333 batting average and .941 OPS in his first season of pro ball. That wasn’t all in the low minors, either. He skipped the complex league altogether and closed the season with 21 games in Double-A where he didn’t miss a beat as a 19-year-old. He’s the best shortstop in the Pirates’ organization by far and should get a chance to show that at the big league level early on . If he winds up debuting before the Prospect Promotion Deadline (within two weeks of Opening Day) the Pirates can recoup compensation picks if he places in the top-three for Rookie of the Year this season or MVP before he qualifies for arbitration. That’s important for fantasy players because he could easily return top-50 value overall if he’s up and playing by mid-April.

2026 projection: (Mixed $2) 439 AB, 56 R, 12 HR, 54 RBI, 27 SB, 24 2B, 3 3B, .255/.315/.405

21) Colson Montgomery – Chicago White Sox

2026 Outlook: All Montgomery did during his 71 game debut for the White Sox last season was play at nearly a 50-homer pace and look like one of the best defensive shortstops in the league. Not too shabby. His power is unquestioned with an average swing speed between Nick Kurtz and Aaron Judge to go along with elite batted ball data. Also, and sometimes more important for young players like Montgomery, his batted ball distribution is excellent. He lifts the ball and pulls his fly balls far more than league average. That can take young players years to figure out and is why he so seamlessly converted his raw power to game power as a rookie. Of course, he comes with some massive risk as well. There’s a chance his whiff rate is untenable and pushes his strikeout rate past the near-30% mark it sat last year. Some elite young players like Kurtz and James Wood get by fine with the same issue, they just chase far fewer pitches out of the zone than Montgomery who does so at a rate slightly worse than league average. This is a tantalizing profile that could produce a top-30 value or need a stint in the minor leagues. Manage your risk wisely.

2026 projection: (Mixed $3) 541 AB, 76 R, 29 HR, 80 RBI, 4 SB, 22 2B, 2 3B, .231/.315/.440