Top 20 Fantasy Baseball Designated Hitters Rankings 2026

4. Brent Rooker, Athletics

From relative obscurity just a few years ago, Rooker now has three straight seasons of 30 home runs for the Athletics. While the power is nice, the rest of his stats are all over the place. In the past three years he has scored everywhere from 61 to 92 runs, he has driven in between 69 and 112 runs and has hit between .246 and .293. If he can hit toward the high end of those three categories and hit 30 homers again, Rooker is a beast. He has some question marks, but you have to love a big power hitter in that ballpark again.

Tier 3: Solid Mid-Tier & Power Bats

5. Jarred Duran, Boston Red Sox

He took a decent step back in almost every category except RBI last year, but it seems like we set the bar too high after his 2024 breakout. His numbers last year still weren’t bad, and a slight uptick back makes him a great second outfielder for your team. He has been incredibly durable the last two seasons, which in itself is a nice feature. He feels like he is in for a slightly better 2026 and at his price tag that would be worth the investment.

6. George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

He had a bounce back season for the ages with 32 home runs, 18 steals and a .309 average, but at age 36 you have to wonder if it is sustainable. Although the stolen bases have been fairly consistent, he hadn’t had 25 home runs since 2022, and he hadn’t hit over .270 in six years. It was a bit of a magical season for the Blue Jays and while Springer can still be valuable with 20-22 home runs and 70-75 RBI, I think expecting last year’s production again will have your fantasy team turn into a pumpkin.

Tier 4: Upside & Risk Plays

7. Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays

The 25 home runs hit by Diaz in 2025 likely represents his ceiling. His hard-hit rate is very good, but his fly ball rate doesn’t scream “big home run hitter” at all. However, if you prioritize power at some of the other positions, Diaz can be a great fit for your team as he still should hit 17-20 home runs, and his batting average will be elite for first basemen. Diaz will give you the average, but you will have to make up home runs elsewhere.

8. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

Although he is slightly younger than Springer, this is another guy who seriously turned back the clock in 2025. You have to go back to 2019 with Yelich to get anything that resembled his statistics from last year. Health was certainly a factor, but he had played 140+ games in three of the past four years, so it wasn’t just that he was on the field more. Like the Blue Jays, everything broke the Brewers way last season, but I don’t see any way that Yelich gets back to near 30 home runs and 100 RBI. There is still definitely a place for him on a fantasy roster, but paying the price based on 2025 production would be ill advised.

9. Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros

He absolutely gets a bump from his home park as Paredes is known to pull the ball right to those cheap seats in Houston. Could he hit 30 home runs for the Astros? It is definitely possible, heck he did it in Tampa once. But he needs to stay on the field. He won’t bring you any stolen bases to speak of and the batting average has bounced around in his career, but he will give you among the best power at the position, and in that Houston lineup he should have opportunities for success.

10. Agustin Ramirez, Miami Marlins

His batting average took a dive in the second half of the season, but Ramirez had a very strong rookie season with 21 home runs and 16 stolen bases. He is young and exciting and is hitting in the middle of an equally young and exciting batting order. I believe the power is legit and his history says that his batting average should improve from the .231 he hit last year. The stolen bases could be cut nearly by half but all in all Ramirez has a very high ceiling and he is someone to target after the elites are off the board.

11. Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals

Health is the main barrier for Herrera to become a star. After getting off to a torrid start, he missed a month with a knee injury and then another IL stint in the summer cost him more time. Even with only playing 107 games he still hit 19 home runs and drove in 66 while stealing eight bases. His strikeout to walk ratio is fantastic, and he is going to bat in the top half of the lineup. If you can stomach injury anxiety, Herrera could give you top five numbers at the position.

12. Sam Basallo, Baltimore Orioles

A top-15 prospect in all of baseball, Basallo made good hard contact in his cup of coffee with the team, but he also struck out 25% of the time. He is likely to DH a lot, and share catching duties, but does he have an every day role to start the season? You have to figure that eventually he will force his way to that with his bat, but I don’t know that you should expect him to maintain catcher eligibility for a long time if you are in a dynasty format.

13. Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers

I feel like he has more potential, but also not sure if we will ever see it. Although he is on the good side of it, Carpenter is still in a platoon situation as he hit .217 off lefties in 2025. The hard-hit rate is very good, but the strikeout to walk ratio is borderline laughably bad as he struck out 106 times against 18 walks in 464 plate appearances. He will give you some power, that is for sure, but he offers no speed, and he doesn’t drive in or score as many runs as he should. There are some warts, but Carpenter does enough to warrant some fantasy consideration.

14. Jorge Polanco, New York Mets

It was a nice rebound for Polanco of sorts as his power and batting average got back to levels he hasn’t been at in four years. He now goes to the Mets and you have to wonder what guy are they getting? Is it the oft-injured guy who hits 15 home runs and hits .230 or will he repeat in the 25 homer and .260 range? His inability to stay healthy is a major factor as last year was the first time since 2021 that he played 120 games. He has a chance to make a nice impact in fantasy this season, but he also has the capability to drag your team down so build your roster accordingly.

15. Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees

Few players hit the ball harder or farther than Giancarlo Stanton. The problem with him has always been, and continues to be, his ability to stay in the lineup. He is a Herculean man at 6’6” and 245 pounds, but with the huge frame comes big injury concerns. He has played 120 games just once in the last seven seasons, but has still managed 24 or more home runs in five straight years. The issue is he is really home runs or nothing as his batting average is a drain, he doesn’t score a ton of runs and his RBI are fine but unspectacular. He is lethal with the bat, but not a fantasy baseball stalwart.

16. Jurickson Profar, Atlanta Braves

A PED suspension took half his season away, and when he returned he was very inconsistent. One incredible month made his season look reasonable. He should hit in an advantageous spot in the Atlanta lineup, and although it is not a great practice, but if you extrapolate out his numbers last season into a full year it doesn’t look bad at all. Profar is a decent fourth or fifth outfielder for your squad.

17. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

Once one of the most feared hitters in baseball, Trout played over 100 games for just the second time since 2020 when he was out there for 130 in 2025. He has shown when he plays, he still has plenty left in his bat, but it just seems like it is not if he will get hurt, but when and how bad. Even his batting average, which was once a strength, has gone south. He will turn 35 in August, and that is not a young man anymore. His price tag will have certainly gone up some after the fine performance last season, but he has turned into a very late in the draft option and just draft some depth to put in when he inevitably goes to the IL.

18. Mickey Moniak, Colorado Rockies

He took the next step from fantasy injury insurance piece to a guy who could be in a starting spot on your roster. He took a massive jump in hard-hit rate, his barrel rate was above average, and calling Colorado home doesn’t hurt as he did hit 70 points higher in batting average at home and 15 of his 24 home runs. He will hit towards the top of the lineup again in 2025 which could give him more of an opportunity to drive in more than the 68 runs he did last season.

19. Gavin Sheets, San Diego Padres

Moving to San Diego doesn’t usually lead to a batter having his biggest power season, but that is what happened with Sheets. I am sure having some protection in the lineup and something to play for, both of which he lacked for the White Sox, helped some. He still does not excel against left-handed pitchers, with just two of his 19 long balls coming against southpaws, but he at least hit for a respectable .255 average against them. He won’t play quite every day, but Sheets should be good for 500 at-bats in 2025. If he can keep his plate discipline reasonable and his batting average in the .250s he is at worst a fifth outfielder or utility guy on your roster.

20. Dominic Canzone, Seattle Mariners

He needs to do a little bit more to warrant draft day consideration, but Canzone continues to improve incrementally. He will need to show some sort of power against lefties as he hit just one of his 11 home runs against them, but also only had 58 at-bats with a left-hander on the mound. He had better power numbers in the Minors which suggest he could do more, but he is now 28 and those numbers seem less relevant. Canzone hasn’t been given a chance to be an every day player yet, but he has shown in streaks he can be very good. Wait and see what kind of start he gets off to, before making any commitment to him.

Ryan Hallam’s Fantasy MLB Top 20 Position Rankings

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Top 20 First Basemen

Top 20 Second Basemen

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Top 20 Designated Hitters

People Also Ask

Who is the top fantasy designated hitter for 2026?
Shohei Ohtani leads with elite power, speed, average, and run production.

Where does Kyle Schwarber rank in 2026 fantasy DH?|
No. 2 for his 40+ HR lock and massive RBI upside.

Is James Wood a breakout DH in 2026?
Yes, his elite hard-hit rate and young age suggest huge potential.

How fluid is the DH position in 2026 fantasy?
Very. Teams use it for rest/platoons; monitor daily lineups.

Should I draft DH early in 2026 fantasy?
Yes for elites; power anchors provide huge edges.