Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates: Drew Rasmussen, Tommy Edman and More

After taking a look at fantasy baseball waiver wire options and streaming pitchers for Tuesday, let's now go over some drop candidates.

More droppable player data can be located on the waiver wire trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any fantasy baseball page here at FantasySP. 

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Should You Drop Drew Rasmussen?

Rasmussen is owned in 86% of leagues after a 4.7% dropoff today.

Rasmussen has been stellar this season, but he's going to have his innings limited going forward, so his fantasy outlook has taken a big hit. 

He worked just two innings for his last start, and went three innings before that. Rasmussen won't have much fantasy value if he's pulled way sooner than five innings in.

Over 18 appearances this season, Rasmussen is 7-5 and sports a 2.82 earned run average over 89 1/3 innings. He's allowed 28 runs on 69 hits and 21 walks, while also striking out 76 batters.

Limiting his innings makes sense in the real world, but it's a devastating blow for his fantasy owners. You can basically view him as a multi-inning reliever, and those guys only have value in deeper leagues.

Rasmussen should be dropped in standard leagues for now, but late in the season, he might ramp things back up, so keep an eye on his outings as the season progresses.

He doesn't have a ton of fantasy value, but he's usable in some deeper leagues at least. Don't hold on to him if you are needing starting pitcher results from that roster spot.

We'll keep tabs on Rasmussen and let you know when to add him back in all leagues, if that happens later this season.

Should You Drop Tommy Edman?

Edman is down 2.8% and sits at 82% overall now.

Edman is dealing with a toe injury, but could be back in the lineup on Wednesday. His last game was on July 5.

Edman's bat has slowed a bit of late too. He has two hits over his past six games and 23 plate appearances. Edman singled for both of the hits, and didn't have an RBI in that stretch. He does have two runs scored, five walks and six strikeouts in that span.

In 71 games and across 273 plate appearances, Edman has a .239 average and .297 on-base percentage for the season. He has 59 total hits, including 13 doubles, 10 homers and a triple, along with 38 RBIs, 39 runs scored, three stolen bases, 17 walks and 45 strikeouts.

He's played second base and center field most often this season, but could have additional eligibility from past seasons. That gives Edman a fantasy boost.

When he's in the lineup, he's usually hitting in the bottom third. That's usually not a good thing for a fantasy hitter, but in a loaded lineup like LA has, Edman can still be a good fantasy asset.

Looking at his season numbers though, I think Edman is overrated from a fantasy perspective. His average and OBP are weak, and while he has power and good run production numbers, that doesn't equal where he sits with his own percentage, even after the dropoff from the injury.

He's still someone to own in all deeper leagues, but he shouldn't be rostered in nearly as many standard leagues. Depending on your team setup, it might not make sense to keep rostering Edman in standard leagues.

I'd probably only keep rostering him in standard leagues if I was weak at second base and in the outfield. Otherwise, I'd drop Edman and look for another versatile player who has a better average or OBP.

Should You Drop Clarke Schmidt?

Schmidt was let go in 4.7% of leagues as well. He sits at 40% overall.

Schmidt was recently placed on the injured list and is likely headed to having Tommy John surgery. That would knock him out the rest of this season, and most of the 2026 season.

When an official announcement is made, Schmidt's own percentage will really plummet. He's already been let go in standard leagues, and is dropping rapidly in deeper leagues too. Schmidt should only be held onto in dynasty/keeper leagues, and maybe only if an IR spot is available for you (if he's eventually ruled out for the season).

Schmidt was having a good season, so his absence is going to be a blow to his fantasy owners. Across 14 starts, Schmidt had a 4-4 record and 3.32 ERA over 78 2/3 innings. He allowed 29 runs on 56 hits and 30 walks, while striking out 73 batters.

You can only hope your next waiver wire pickup is someone who can stick on your roster all season. You probably will end up picking up the hottest fantasy pitchers, or streaming in Schmidt's roster spot though.

Should You Drop Otto Lopez?

Lopez is down to 68% rostered. He was over 70% on July 3.

Lopez has had a slow start to July, collecting three hits over six games and 24 plate appearances. He has a homer among the hits, along with four RBIs, two runs scored and walks and four strikeouts.

He's played in 73 games and logged 302 plate appearances on the season. Lopez has a .250 average and .321 OBP, along with 44 RBIs, 38 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 27 walks and 42 strikeouts. He has nine doubles and home runs among his 68 total knocks.

Lopez has played second base and shortstop this season, but also might be eligible elsewhere from past seasons. He was benched on Monday, but started the four games before that and hit third in each contest. It will be worth watching his lineup spot for his next start, in case it wasn't just an off day for Lopez.

He's a fine deep-league option, but I think there are better options out there in standard leagues. Lopez is fine to roster in standard leagues when he's hot, but more often than not, he's a better deep leaguer.

So, I'd be dropping Lopez in standard leagues, but holding on to him in deeper setups. He's a player to keep tabs on throughout the season, and to add and drop in standard leagues as he goes in and out of hot/cold stretches.

Should You Drop TJ Friedl?

Friedl is at 74% owned after being near 90% on June 27.

He has four hits over six games and 24 plate appearances in July. Friedl has a double among the hits, along with no RBIs, two runs scored, a walk and three strikeouts.

Friedl has a .277 average and .364 OBP over 87 games and 385 plate appearances this season. He has 92 total hits, including 14 doubles, eight home runs and two triples. Friedl has 31 RBIs, 50 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 42 walks and 61 strikeouts.

There's plenty of fantasy value in those numbers, but he's fallen off over the past several weeks. He had a .306 average and .390 OBP in late May and a .293 average and .380 OBP on June 23. 

It makes sense to see his own percentage falling off looking back at those numbers and then looking at his current marks. There's still reasons to roster Friedl in standard leagues, just not all of them.

He ranks in the 30s among fantasy outfielders in points leagues, so he's just on the outside of being a daily option in standard leagues. Friedl should definitely be held in all deeper leagues as a result.

If you are piecing together a fantasy outfield, then dropping Friedl for the hottest fantasy outfielder makes plenty of sense. He's likely to heat back up again this season though, so don't write Friedl off for good.