Fantasy Baseball Panic Meter: Should You Worry About these Slumping Stars?

We're about two weeks deep into the MLB regular season now, and opinions are starting to be formed on a ton of players.

In this story, I'm going to identify top-end fantasy hitters who are struggling and then determine whether fantasy baseball owners need to be worried or not. Let's dive right in!

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Panic Meter for Yainer Diaz

Diaz is a top-end fantasy catcher who is struggling mightily to start the season.

He was the fourth catcher off draft boards overall, going around pick 75 on average. Using ESPN fantasy settings, Diaz has -3 points (yes, negative points so far).

In nine games and 36 plate appearances, Diaz has a .061 average, with two singles. He's got one RBI and run scored, three walks and 10 strikeouts.

Despite his horrendous start to the season, I'd put Diaz's panic meter at just a 3. Why just a 3?

Diaz is one of the top-hitting catchers in the league. Over 252 games the past two seasons, Diaz has a .293 average and .318 OBP. He was a point below being a .300 hitter last season.

Sure, it stinks that he's started the 2025 season slowly, but unless it extends another couple weeks, Diaz should be just fine. At a weak fantasy catcher spot, Diaz still has a great chance of being one of the top-end finishers by the end of the season.

Now would be a time to buy low on Diaz. If you roster him, I'd simply stash him on my bench until he heats up a bit. That should be coming soon.

Panic Meter for Christian Walker

Sorry Astros' fans, but I got to pick on another hitter of yours in Walker.

He was a top-100 overall pick, and was the eighth fantasy 1B taken. So far, Walker has scored 0 fantasy points (and yes, he's played in games).

In 12 games and 51 plate appearances so far, Walker has a .146 average and .196 OBP. He has a homer and double among his seven knocks, along with an RBI, four runs scored, two walks and 18 strikeouts.

I'd put Walker's panic meter mark at a 2. He's not struggling as much as Diaz, so I can't put his mark any higher.

We are talking about a .248 career hitter with a .328 OBP here, and he had a .251 average and .335 OBP last season. Even if we expect a little regression this year, Walker is still going to be a fine fantasy option at first base.

He's with a new team for the first time since 2017, and that's not always a smooth transition for players. In time, Walker will heat up, and he'll still have a great chance to finish inside the top-10 finishers at first base.

Panic Meter for Marcus Semien

Semien was selected around pick 40 on average this year, making him the second fantasy second basemen off draft boards. So far, he's scored just nine fantasy points.

In 13 games and 53 plate appearances, Semien has a .122 average and .189 OBP. He has a home run among his six total knocks, along with five RBIs, three runs scored, four walks and 12 punchouts.

I'm going to put Semien's panic meter at a 4. He's not struggling as much as Diaz is, but we're also talking about a hitter playing everyday and coming off a down 2024.

He hit .237 with a .308 OBP last season, which would be great numbers for Semien's fantasy owners to see right about now. He's got a career .254 average and .325 OBP, but his struggles early this season after a down 2024 definitely have me a bit more worried.

He's going to be 35 years old by the end of the season, so his best days are already behind him. Semien is going to be given a long leash to try to break out of this funk, but if he can't, there's a chance he gets traded or let go (that won't be easy with him making $20+ million a season for the next four years).

Keep rostering Semien for the time being, but he's probably someone to also bench until he heats up a bit. If you don't believe in him getting going, I'd wait for him to get heated up a bit and then try to trade him away.

Panic Meter for Austin Riley

Riley was a top-50 draft pick and the No. 4 fantasy third basemen off draft boards on average. So far, he's scored a whopping 12 fantasy points.

In 11 games and 48 plate appearances, Riley has a .200 average and .250 OBP. He's got two homers and three doubles among his nine total hits. Riley has five RBIs, two walks, four runs scored, but also 17 strikeouts already.

Really, Riley's numbers aren't nearly as bad as any of the other players we've discussed so far, but the big strikeout total has him as a really weak fantasy option at this point. He had between 168-172 strikeouts in full seasons from 2021-23, so the early strikeouts aren't really a surprise as much as the low average and OBP are.

I'm still putting Riley's panic meter at a 3 for the time being.

He's a career .271 hitter with a .337 OBP, but he also had a .256 average and .322 OBP across 110 games played a season ago. His fantasy owners would love for him to replicate last year's marks right about now, but until he gets going, it's tough to trust Riley.

He's another buy low trade candidate in my eyes, but I'd anticipate him putting up closer to last year's marks over a full season instead of the ones he posted a couple years back.

Panic Meter for Corey Seager

Seager was a top-40 draft pick and the sixth fantasy shortstop off draft boards this year. He has scored 15 fantasy points so far.

Seager has played in 11 games and gotten 44 plate appearances so far. He's hitting .220 and has a .273 OBP. Seager has three homers among his nine hits, along with three RBIs, four runs scored and three walks, but has struck out 13 times.

Much like Riley, Seager's fantasy total is being hampered by a good amount of strikeouts. He's a bit low in the RBI and runs scored departments as well.

I'm also putting Seager's panic meter at a 3. I really wanted to put it at a 2, but we also have an injury history to worry about, so the 3 mark felt more appropriate.

Seager is a career .290 hitter with a .360 OBP, and in time, I expect his numbers to rise significantly. A season ago, he hit .278 and got on base at a .353 clip while being slowed by injuries.

Fantasy owners would be happy if he was able to match those stats from a season ago, and I think he'll get there eventually. I am concerned about him getting injured again, and if you're in that boat, I'd wait until he heats up a bit and then try trading him.

Panic Meter for Yordan Alvarez

Alvarez was a borderline first-round pick in fantasy leagues, settling at pick 11 on average. He's scored only 19 points so far.

He's got eight hits across 41 at-bats for a .195 average. He's walked nine times across 53 plate appearances for a .321 OBP at least. Alvarez has a double and a homer among his hits, along with eight RBIs, one stolen base and run scored and 12 strikeouts.

My panic meter for Alvarez is at a 2 right now. It honestly could be at a 1 as well.

He's a career .296 hitter, and hasn't been below .293 since 2021. Alvarez has a .389 OBP as well, so you can still expect his strong mark now to rise even more.

Alvarez has started slow, but there's no reason to panic, and he's still getting on base enough to keep starting him every day.

Panic Meter for Anthony Santander

Santander was a top-50 pick, going at pick 41 on average. He's scored just nine fantasy points in the early going.

He's got a .184 average and .298 OBP across 13 games and 57 plate appearances. Santander has a double among his nine hits, two RBIs, three runs scored, eight walks and 14 strikeouts.

His panic meter is also at just a 2, although his is a more firm 2 than Alvarez.

Santander has a career .245 average and .307 OBP. He's with a new team this season, so like Walker, you can maybe chalk the slow start up to that. In time, he'll start producing more hits, and his other stats will grow when that happens. You don't need to worry much about Santander, and you can still start him based on his OBP mark.