After covering the starting pitchers and outfielders over the past few weeks, the Shuffle Up series rolls on. Our job is to try to rank the players as if we’re drafting starting from scratch today (something you can still do at Yahoo, by the way). Use this list for self-scouting, pickups, trades, any kind of player evaluation you like.
[Smarter waivers, better trades, optimized lineups — Yahoo Fantasy Plus unlocks it all]
Today we are raking the infield — everyone with infield eligibility should be here, other than any dual-position catchers (they get their own day).
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Everything to this point is an audition. Assume a 5×5 scoring system. Players at the same salary are considered even.
Tier 1: The Big Tickets
Witt has future MVP written all over him, especially when he stops chasing at pitches outside the strike zone. Keep in mind, he’s just shy of his 25th birthday. He’s as fast as anyone in baseball and has no platoon deficit. It would be nice if the Royals could build an A to Z lineup, but one step at a time. Despite being tied to the No. 26 scoring offense in baseball, Witt would be the standard No. 3 pick in pretty much any league starting fresh today, after Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
Cincinnati’s De La Cruz and Pittsburgh’s Cruz no longer play the same position, but they’re still young, ascending, jumbo-sized stars in the same division, so it’s fun to link them.
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De La Cruz is on pace for 200 strikeouts and his hard-hit metrics are down, but he still has the athleticism to outrun his mistakes — he’s projected for 25 home runs and 55 steals, with an average that won’t crush you. Cruz has almost doubled his walk rate this year and he’s running liberally — after stealing 15-for-15 in the second half of last year, he’s 18-for-19 this season (only a brief back problem slowed him down). Cruz strikes out even more than Elly, but when the category juice is this tasty, you live with the empty at-bats. We still haven’t seen the peak of either player, which is scary.
One reason Bregman came to Boston on his make-good contract was a dreamy career split at Fenway Park; so far, that hasn’t registered in 2025 (.330 average on the road, .263 average at home). Still, it all hashes to his best OPS+ since 2019, and a regaining of his power stroke. Bregman has excellent zone judgment and he knows when to look for his pitch, pulling the ball a whopping 55% of the time. Even if the bat speed might be slightly down, his experience makes up for it. He’s still close to peak in his age-31 season.
Tier 2: Legitimate Building Blocks
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The Blue Jays paid up for Guerrero, it felt like they probably had to. But a superstar contract doesn’t guarantee superstar returns. Guerrero still hits too many ground balls and for all of his batting skill, he’s merely headed for around 20 home runs. The supporting cast isn’t floating him, either — Toronto ranks 21st in runs scored. Guerrero’s name is still a little juicier than his game.
Fading injury optimism has been good to me through the years but I’d like a mulligan on Neto, who was nicked in March and wound up being a gigantic bargain. It’s interesting that Neto’s plate discipline has actually fallen off this year but with 25.3% line drives and the willingness to run aggressively, it hasn’t mattered. The .342 BABIP will likely fall a little, but remember he’s ripping line drives and is a fast runner; he owns a fair amount of that stat. Neto is also locked into the leadoff spot for the balance of the year, and we love a volume play in fantasy.
Tier 3: Talk Them Up, Talk Them Down
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The Diamondbacks obviously have a future star shortstop in Jordan Lawlar, but Perdomo isn’t giving up the job without a fight. He’s been one of the surprise stars of the year, currently the No. 3 shortstop in banked 5×5 value. His pitch-recognition skills are outstanding and he’s squaring the ball 36% of the time, an elite rate. His 11 steals are tied to his Baseball IQ; his sprint speed is below average. Perdomo is the most underrated offensive player in the National League right now.
Adames came with all the caveats — big contract, new park, team might not run — and so far those fears have been realized. Maybe he’s pressing to justify the big deal the Giants gave him. We know San Francisco doesn’t want to run much. Adames hasn’t hit much at home but it’s been even worse on the road (.189/.271/.305). I’ll buy the dip next year, steer into the back class. I’m out for 2025.
When it comes to steal-focused players, we’re always looking where they slot in the lineup. Turang’s excellent walk rate and improving average have pushed him to the top of the Milwaukee lineup, a major sea change for his fantasy value. We need that extra at-bat, gamers. He’s also not a zero in the power department — he’ll knock 10-12 homers while offering that plus average. He’s jumped about 40-50 slots from his March ADP.
Tier 4: Some Plausible Upside
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The Tigers are a hot story with the best record in baseball, but Torres isn’t getting much of the attention. He’s been a nifty addition. The .281 average is supported by his batted-ball profile, and he’s one of the hardest players to strike out (9.4 %). Heck, Torres rarely offers at a pitch outside the strike zone. He’s one of the slower players in baseball but he has enough guile to grab 10-13 steals, too. Torres figures to bat second in this plus lineup for the remainder of the year.
The White Sox are a fantasy wasteland but make an exception for Meidroth, who gobbles up three spots, can hit for a plus average and is willing to run aggressively. He’s been a little lucky with his average thus far — Baseball Savant suggests a .264 number — but Meidroth excels with plate discipline and rarely swings outside the zone. Chicago doesn’t have much to cheer for this year, but Meidroth is a welcome exception.
Tier 5: Bargain Bin
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Injured Players — Not For Debate
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