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2026 Fantasy Baseball Breakouts: Who's ready to make a splash at C, 1B, 2B, SS and 3B?
Drafting a team of safe, boring players is a great way to finish in third place. While those with a high floor have their place in a fantasy baseball draft, managers need to chase high ceilings at some point in the selection process if they want to build a truly special roster. The infielders listed below have a good chance to take a major step forward this year and are excellent targets in any draft.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]
Please note that I omitted rookies, as any production from first-year players would constitute some degree of a breakout season.
Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics
Coming off a pair of productive seasons, Langeliers is a step away from a Cal Raleigh-esque campaign. The slugger was dominant in the second half of 2025, when he used improvements in fly ball rate and pull rate to hit .328 with 19 homers and 45 RBI in 57 games. He boosted his year-over-year batting average by more than 50 points, thanks to a vastly improved 19.7% strikeout rate. Langeliers barrels up the ball often, is part of a rapidly improving lineup and calls home to a hitter-friendly venue. He could produce 35-40 homers and 100 RBI.
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins
Managers in categories leagues should be excited to draft Keaschall at his ADP (123.6), as he will be among the steals leaders this year. The 23-year-old has an exceptional ability to get his bat on the ball and maintains a strong line drive rate, which will ensure a high batting average. He also knows how to use his plate patience to reach base, as he posted elite walk rates in the minors and logged an impressive 9.2% mark as a rookie. Keaschall doesn’t hit the ball hard, but that is the case with several speedsters, and his 86.2 mph average exit velocity is similar to the mark Brice Turang posted when he stole 50 bases in 2024. The rebuilding Twins will let Keaschall run aggressively from a premium lineup spot, which will result in 40 steals and 85 runs.
Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, Chicago White Sox
In some cases, breakout seasons are merely a repeat of skills shown in smaller sample sizes, but this time stretched over a full campaign. That will be the case with Montgomery this season, after he homered 21 times in 71 games as a rookie. Although he won’t stay on that 45-homer pace, the 24-year-old will use his penchant for pulled fly balls to go deep 35 times, and even in a weak White Sox lineup, he can drive in 85 runs. It’s also worth noting that although Montgomery could stand to lower his strikeout rate, he achieved his .239 average with a .263 BABIP, which means that his batted-ball luck could improve in Year 2.
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies
Several small changes could lead to a breakout season for Tovar, who has already had some solid campaigns and is still just 24 years old. The youngster will never be confused with Juan Soto or Bryce Harper when it comes to plate discipline, but he made minor improvements to his strikeout and walk rates last year. He also posted a career-best 89.4 mph average exit velocity, and his xBA, xSLG and xwOBA were career-high marks. Finally, his line drive improved to a lofty 27.8% last year, and he dealt with an unfortunate 9.0% HR/FB rate that held his home run total down.
Beyond his skill gains, Tovar should be helped by the fact that the Rockies offense is bound to improve. The team scored just 587 runs, which was the lowest total in a 162-game season in franchise history. Even in a down year, Colorado’s lineup uses the benefits of Coors Field to score roughly 700 runs. I’m not predicting the Rockies to make major strides as a team, but their offense should be significantly more productive this year.
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Think that we saw the Lopez breakout season last year? Think again. Through a consolidation of skills he has already shown, Lopez could take another step forward this year. Thanks to more playing time and an improved fly-ball rate, the infielder produced a career-high 15 homers, which is a repeatable total. This year’s improvements will come in the batting average category, as last year he was hampered by a .264 BABIP, which negated an improved 13.8% strikeout rate.
With better batted-ball luck, Lopez could hit .280 while using the increase in base knocks and his 81st percentile sprint speed to post career-high marks in steals and runs scored.
Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, Chicago White Sox
For the deep-league crowd, I offer Vargas as a late-round breakout candidate. The 26-year-old who debuted way back in 2022 finally played a full season in 2025. The results were respectable but not impressive. Still, we saw some improvements, most notably major strides with a strikeout rate that was cut to 17.6%. Vargas has always produced many fly balls (career 50.3% rate) and respectable exit velocities but has been saddled by a lowly lifetime 7.3% HR/FB rate. That mark will finally push past 10% this year, which will give Vargas 25-homer potential.
War disrupts sports with doubt over Messi's 'Finalissima,' Ronaldo games and F1 races
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton are among the sports stars whose schedules are in doubt because of the spreading war in the Middle East.
Cancelations and travel shutdowns are already affecting events since the United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran on Saturday. Organizers of Formula 1 and major soccer games face deciding within weeks whether they can go ahead as scheduled.
Middle Eastern nations have become crucial to the world sports landscape over the last decade as event hosts, financial backers and employers for some of the world's top athletes.
Key upcoming events
The clock is ticking for a decision on whether to cancel or move the “Finalissima” soccer game on March 27 between Spain and Argentina, the champions of Europe and South America. That match would offer Messi a chance to win yet another trophy in a glittering career.
Qatar suspended all soccer games until further notice Sunday. Argentina was also scheduled to play Qatar in a friendly March 31.
“UEFA is monitoring and carefully assessing all developments of the situation in cooperation with (South American soccer body) CONMEBOL and the (local organizing committee),” European soccer body UEFA told The Associated Press on Monday.
Ronaldo's soccer team, Saudi club Al Nassr, has already been affected by a wave of cancelations of Asian Champions League games. His team was scheduled to play Wednesday in Dubai.
Formula 1 has races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month. F1 and its teams typically start to fly in staff and freight weeks in advance, limiting the time to make a decision on whether to go ahead. Governing body FIA says its priority is “safety and wellbeing.”
The men's and women's tennis tours and golf's European tour have just finished their Middle East tournament swings and aren't due back for months.
Iran is set to play in US at the World Cup
Iran is due to send its men's soccer team to the U.S. for the World Cup in just over three months, with a first game June 16 against New Zealand in Inglewood, California.
There's doubt over whether Iran can or will take part in the tournament. Iranian soccer federation president Mehdi Taj has said “we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope.”
The U.S. government has promised exemptions from its travel bans for athletes and coaches at events like the World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Airspace closures leave athletes stranded
Even if some events go ahead, a major concern for athletes and teams will be how they can travel in and out of the region safely.
Former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev is among a group of tennis players waiting in Dubai for a chance to fly out after a tournament there concluded last week. If they can't travel soon, it will affect the BNP Paribas Open starting Wednesday in Indian Wells, California.
Cricket and basketball players are facing challenges, too, along with thousands of foreign tourists, while F1 personnel are seeking alternative travel to avoid the region on their way to this week's Australian Grand Prix.
A key region for world sports
The Middle East's influence on world sports has surged in recent years as countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have hosted major events and become crucial financial backers.
Besides soccer and auto racing, Qatar has a World Endurance Championship sportscar race this month, a MotoGP motorcycle race, a gymnastics World Cup next month and hosts the first Diamond League track meet of the year in May. Qatar also owns Champions League-winning soccer team Paris Saint-Germain.
Saudi Arabia, which will host the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer, has funded the LIV Golf breakaway league and become a major player in world boxing.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Reading Women 0-0 Southampton Women’s FC: Match Report
Reading Women’s first league match in exactly a month finished all square on Sunday, with the points shared in a goalless draw against an in-form Southampton Women’s team at Arbour Park, Slough.
Before yesterday, the Royals’ last three games had all been postponed due to waterlogged pitches. This meant the team hadn’t played a competitive match for three weeks: since their 5-1 victory over Larkspur Rovers, to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.
Reading were in great form before the weather-enforced break, winning their last four, in the process scoring 14 goals and conceding just three. It therefore, perhaps, didn’t come as a surprise that Reading looked a little ring-rusty and just couldn’t find their rhythm against opponents in good form.
It was a close-fought match, with nudges and tackles flying in, but neither team managed to find that extra bit of quality to break the deadlock. It was Southampton who came closest, with a few long-range efforts, but for the agility of young Reading goalkeeper Sophie Butler.
“It was the second attempt at this fixture, after the initial scheduled match in December was abandoned”
Both sets of defenders could return to the dressing room and say “we did our job”.
Southampton and Reading are both among the contenders for the top three places, so it could be viewed as a glass-half-full ‘valuable point for both teams’ or, rather more likely, a glass-half-empty ‘two points dropped’ (especially with the Royals winning the reverse fixture 3-1, back in September, in only their third league match of the season).
The Sirens arrived at Arbour Park in confident form, undefeated in their last four league matches, after holding the league leaders, including an impressive 2-2 draw at Wycombe Wanderers last weekend. They would also consider themselves very much among a small group of teams looking to get out of a difficult and competitive Southern Region tier five league, after their relegation last season.
It was the second attempt at this fixture, after the initial scheduled match in December was abandoned when Keren Banduka required medical treatment following a nasty collision 30 minutes in. The Reading striker, thankfully, has since made a full recovery and was named among the starting XI for this encounter.
Reading manager Ed Jackson-Norris’ line-up showed four changes from the cup match played three weeks ago. Butler was back in goal (in place of Eliska Simpson – the dual-registered Bristol City player) for her seventh start of the season. Tyra Wilson, Poppy Whitburn and Bethan Poole were all named among the starters, with Ellie Manners, Belle Rowden and Lauren Knight missing from the squad.
Team: Sophie Butler (GK), Poppy Whitburn, Sarah Thompson, Keziah Banduka, Bethan Poole, Jazz King, Mia Parker (captain) (Ellie Szekeres, 74) , Emmi Tong (Lucy Bolitho, 59), Keren Banduka (Tia Johnson, 64), Nat Cowell (Georgia Hayes, 74), Tyra Wilson (Assia Fatri, 90)
Reading goalscorer(s): None
Southampton Women goalscorer(s): None
Reading yellow cards: None
Southampton Women yellow cards: None
Reading red cards: None
Southampton Women red cards: None
First half
In the opening couple of minutes, Southampton strikers Liv Glover and Emily Wilson both danced into the Royals penalty area, only to be closed down, with the chances quickly snuffed by the Reading defence – in what was to become a theme throughout the first half (and the remainder of the match too, really).
After a foul on Wilson, King’s inswinging free-kick was delivered to the back post, narrowly avoiding the incoming Reading attack and going out of play for a goal kick.
Both sides continued to deliver balls into the danger zone, with neither able to get that decisive attempt on goal, amid some robust defending from each team.
Southampton attempted to pile pressure on Reading through a series of corners, with Reading’s stalwart defender Thompson commanding and able to head away most threats.
The Sirens did come close when, from only their second corner, a near-post effort from captain Lucy Mear was blocked on the goal line by Keziah Banduka.
With the first half drawing to a close, Keziah Banduka looked to have played the pass of the first half with a beautiful ball to release her sister Keren through on goal – only for an equally great bit defending and recovery from Southampton’s number six, Ash Mills, to close down the chance.
It was Southampton’s Mills again who nearly had the final say, into time added on. Her ferocious free-kick strike was tipped onto the crossbar in the first of three super saves by Reading goalkeeper Butler.
Half-time: 0-0
There was a busy start to the second half with a flurry of chances in the opening 10 minutes.
The Reading goalkeeper was called into action again, with Butler alert, positioned well and agile enough to tip over what was a great strike – and unexpected long-range effort – from the Sirens’ Dani Kjaer.
Shortly after, Southampton won a couple of corners, with another dangerous set-piece flashed across the Reading penalty area and – fortunately – out to safety.
Reading composed themselves and created a chance of their own. Whitburn released Wilson down the Royals’ right (Wilson and Keren Banduka swapping flanks for the second half), and her strike was saved at the near post by Grace Jenman in the Southampton goal.
Butler was alert again, diving to her left, to block and save a shot from Kaur from the edge of the area.
On the hour mark, both managers started to make changes to see if their ‘finishers’ could not only change the dynamics but also the scoreline. Jackson-Norris made the first and second of five (eventual) changes throughout the second half, bringing on Bolitho and Johnson for Tong and Keren Banduka.
Even with the changes, Reading still struggled to get into their stride and rhythm, with Southampton continuing to battle. However, the visitors only really looked dangerous from their numerous set-pieces: their seventh inswinging corner of the match bounced off the crossbar, to the relief of Reading players and fans alike.
With the match drawing to a close, the final chance fell to Reading. Substitute Fatri tried her luck from a tight angle, her shot looking like it might squirm under the Southampton goalkeeper, who did just enough to recover and hold the ball.
Full-time: 0-0
It’s the second 0-0 of the season for the Royals (the first coming against Wycombe, in Burnham, at the beginning of December), in contrast to their recent goalscoring form.
Reading are also the lowest-scorers in the division, both home and away (outside of the bottom two teams), but with an extremely stingy defence, only rivalled by league leaders Wycombe.
Although this result means Reading have fallen one place to fifth (Beaconsfield Town having leapfrogged the Royals with their victory over bottom-of-the-league Badshot Lea), it’s an artificial position, with some teams having played more or fewer matches.
AFC Porchester are the dark horses, and potential disrupters, with three to six matches in hand over other sides. They’re also a team Reading are still to face, including the tantalising semi-final in the League Cup later this month.
Next up for the Royals is an away league fixture against Sholing on Sunday March 8, kicking off at 2pm. With metrological spring upon us, the sun shining and a 3G pitch, there’s a very good chance this match will be on. See you there!
Other results
- Beaconsfield 2-1 Badshot Lea
- Fleet Town 2-7 Oxford City
- Woodley United 0-4 AFC Porchester
- Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Winchester City Flyers
League standings
- Wycombe Wanderers: 38 points from 15 matches
- Southampton Women: 25 points from 13 matches
- Winchester City Flyers: 25 points from 12 matches
- Beaconsfield Town: 25 points from 16 matches
- Reading: 23 points from 12 matches
- AFC Porchester: 20 points from nine matches
Positive injury updates won’t help Chelsea in time for huge Aston Villa clash
Liam Rosenior has just given a press conference update on the fitness of a few of his key players ahead of our game against Aston Villa.
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We’re desperately trying to find some positives from Chelsea’s horrible loss to Arsenal yesterday, featuring as it did another red card and two more goals conceded from set pieces.
The one place we could turn to was the team news, where it sounds like we’re close to getting some important players back. Rosenior had positive updates on a few of his first team squad members.
Rosenior drops update on Cucurella, Lavia and Gittens
Liam Rosenior speaks to the media after Chelsea’s loss to Arsenal.
“[Players are] getting closer. [Marc] Cucurella is looking really good. Hopefully, we can get him back involved, if not for Wednesday, for Saturday, for sure, which is great for the schedule we’ve got coming up,” Rosenior said.
“Estevao [Willian] is back on the pitch running, which is great. Jamie Gittens is doing really well. It’s been brilliant to have Romeo Lavia get his first minutes in a long time. I felt he looked really strong. So, yeah, the quicker we get all of our players healthy, the better.”
It certainly was nice to see Lavia back in the team – how long that will last is another question, of course. With Pedro Neto suspended for Wednesday’s game after his yellow card, it’s vital that Estevao and Gittens get fit as soon as possible too – although neither sound like they will be ready for this one.
In other news…
Cole Palmer took a knock in the game against Arsenal and looked like he wanted to come off, even though he ended up playing on.
Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here: