After evaluating the catcher and first base spots, we shift to the keystone to examine two players who could surprise and two who could fall short of expectations as part of RotoWire's 2026 fantasy baseball Breakouts and Busts series.
Fantasy Baseball Second Base Breakouts
In an otherwise disappointing season for Minnesota, Keaschall provided flashes of promise. He burst onto the scene following his April promotion from Triple-A, posting a 1.065 OPS over his first seven games. The fun came to an early end, as he sustained a right forearm fracture on a hit by pitch that sidelined him until August. He returned and played 42 games before a left thumb sprain cut his season short in late September. All told, the Arizona State product slashed .302/.382/.445 with four homers, 14 doubles, 28 RBI and 14 stolen bases across 49 MLB appearances -- impressive production for a rookie, even if it came in a limited sample.
A look at the underlying metrics suggests some natural regression could be in play. Keaschall finished with a .340 BABIP and produced a .363 wOBA that outpaced his .324 xwOBA -- numbers that typically signal potential decline in rate stats. Still, that's far from a blazing red flag. The 23-year-old's contact skills are legit, highlighted by a 34.9 percent squared-up rate that would have ranked in the 90th percentile if he had qualified. His approach further supports the profile, as he posted an 18.5 percent whiff rate and 14.0 percent strikeout rate. He
After evaluating the catcher and first base spots, we shift to the keystone to examine two players who could surprise and two who could fall short of expectations as part of RotoWire's 2026 fantasy baseball Breakouts and Busts series.
Fantasy Baseball Second Base Breakouts
In an otherwise disappointing season for Minnesota, Keaschall provided flashes of promise. He burst onto the scene following his April promotion from Triple-A, posting a 1.065 OPS over his first seven games. The fun came to an early end, as he sustained a right forearm fracture on a hit by pitch that sidelined him until August. He returned and played 42 games before a left thumb sprain cut his season short in late September. All told, the Arizona State product slashed .302/.382/.445 with four homers, 14 doubles, 28 RBI and 14 stolen bases across 49 MLB appearances -- impressive production for a rookie, even if it came in a limited sample.
A look at the underlying metrics suggests some natural regression could be in play. Keaschall finished with a .340 BABIP and produced a .363 wOBA that outpaced his .324 xwOBA -- numbers that typically signal potential decline in rate stats. Still, that's far from a blazing red flag. The 23-year-old's contact skills are legit, highlighted by a 34.9 percent squared-up rate that would have ranked in the 90th percentile if he had qualified. His approach further supports the profile, as he posted an 18.5 percent whiff rate and 14.0 percent strikeout rate. He also put up a respectable 9.2 percent walk rate after topping out at 13.0 percent in each of his two full minor-league seasons. On top of that, Keaschall brings wheels, ranking in the 85th percentile in sprint speed. Over a full season, 30 steals are a realistic outcome, which would help cushion any potential regression at the plate.
From a playing time standpoint, Keaschall appears positioned to open 2026 as the everyday second baseman for the Twins. Brooks Lee is tracking toward the starting shortstop role, and while Kody Clemens logged time at second last season, he profiles more as a utility option. Keaschall has already shown he can handle big-league pitching, with health being the primary variable. If he stays on the field, he has a strong chance to build on his 2025 results and return great value at an ADP around 150.
In his first full MLB season in 2025, Edwards hit .283/.343/.353 with three homers, 20 doubles, five triples, 43 RBI and 27 stolen bases across 139 games -- good for a 95 wRC+ that placed him just below league average. That marked a step back from his 2024 campaign when he hit .328 with a 129 wRC+ over 70 games, though that performance was fueled by an astronomical .398 BABIP.
Edwards is a pure contact hitter. He ranked in the 91st percentile in squared-up percentage while posting a tiny 12.2 percent whiff rate (98th percentile) and a 14.2 percent strikeout rate (88th percentile). Hitting .300 is rare in today's game, but given his elite bat-to-ball skills, it's reasonable to believe he can flirt with that mark over a full season with positive batted-ball luck. While plate discipline isn't necessarily a standout trait, his 7.9 percent walk rate last season (46th percentile) and 8.4 percent career MLB mark are solid for a contact-oriented hitter. The real stabilizer in Edwards' profile is his speed -- he swiped 58 bases over the past two seasons and should again be a legitimate 30-plus threat.
There's minimal power upside here, but strong batting-average potential paired with impact stolen-base totals gives Edwards both a dependable floor and a useful ceiling. At his current price he's an appealing mid-round option who can provide positive return on investment and nicely supplement early power-heavy builds, which is the way RotoWire's Erik Halterman went in a recent draft.
Fantasy Baseball Second Base Busts
The immediate takeaway here is value. I have little doubt Turang will remain a productive player for the Brewers in 2026, but there are legitimate reasons to project regression and fade him in fantasy drafts. Last season the second baseman slashed .288/.359/.435 with a .794 OPS, 18 home runs, 28 doubles, two triples, 81 RBI and 24 stolen bases across 156 games. After posting OPS marks of .585 and .665 in his first two seasons, 2025 represented a true breakout.
Turang did make tangible improvements in contact quality -- his hard-hit rate jumped from 29.7 percent (9th percentile) in 2024 to 47.4 percent (75th percentile) in 2025 -- but batted-ball luck also played a significant role. Among 145 qualified hitters, he ranked second in the league with a .356 BABIP, trailing only Aaron Judge. That doesn't guarantee a sharp downturn, but marks that high are difficult to sustain. While the power increase could help cushion regression, there are reasons for skepticism. Turang's 18 home runs exceeded his combined 13 homers from his first two MLB seasons, and he reached double-digit home runs only once in his minor-league career. Add in the fact he ranked last among qualified hitters in pull rate (26.8 percent), and projecting a jump into the 20-homer range seems aggressive.
Turang's speed gives him a solid fantasy floor, but expectations should be tempered. A return to the 50-steal heights of 2024 seems unlikely, with a total in the 20s -- potentially pushing into the 30s -- more realistic moving forward. Turang should remain an impactful contributor on the diamond for Milwaukee thanks to his defensive acumen and improvement at the plate, but the regression indicators are difficult to ignore. That makes it challenging to justify spending a top-75 pick on him when high-end arms and more stable offensive profiles are still on the board.
Closing out this list is a legend and potential Hall of Famer whose peak production is likely behind him. In 2025, Altuve slashed .265/.329/.442 with 26 home runs, 24 doubles, 77 RBI and 10 stolen bases across 155 games. A .771 OPS and 113 wRC+ is still solid production, but it marked his second consecutive season with an OPS below .800, his lowest full-season OPS (excluding 2020) since 2013 and the lowest full-season batting average of his career.
The underlying data suggests the decline may be steeper than the surface stats indicate. Though the 35-year-old remained above average in whiff rate (20.7 percent) and strikeout rate (16.7 percent), his contact quality cratered. He ranked in just the 10th percentile in hard-hit rate (30.9 percent) and the fourth percentile in average exit velocity (85.1 mph), with other batted-ball metrics reinforcing the downward trend. His .283 BABIP was his lowest since 2021, but that appears more reflective of diminished contact quality than poor luck. On the bases, Altuve swiped 10 bags last year, and with a sprint speed in the 36th percentile it's reasonable to assume the days of high-end stolen-base output are over.
Altuve will be remembered as one of the defining players of his era, and he's still capable of providing respectable value. However, the signs of erosion are difficult to ignore, and Father Time remains undefeated. To Altuve's credit he has been durable, appearing in 150-plus games each of the past two seasons, but projecting another full season of clean health in Year 16 carries risk. With an ADP hovering around 125, the price appears rooted more in past production than future projection, making Altuve a viable bust candidate in 2026 fantasy drafts.
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