Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates for Friday: 5 Players You Can Cut

Let's now turn our attention to some fantasy baseball drop candidates.

Here are drop articles we did on Monday and Wednesday. 

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. 

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant.

Geraldo Perdomo - Arizona Diamondbacks

Perdomo is at 92% rostered right now. He's trending slightly down now, and started the year at 100% owned.

He has two hits over his past six games played. Perdomo hasn't struck out a ton in that timeframe, but the lack of hits is obviously not good for his fantasy production.

After breaking out in 2025, Perdomo has regressed hard in 2026. Over 77 games and 325 plate appearances, he has a .233 average and .349 on-base percentage. Perdomo has 10 doubles, four homers and three triples among his 62 total hits, plus has 27 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 48 walks and 40 strikeouts.

The shortstop is not hurting himself much with strikeouts, but the lack of hits and a lower OBP means he isn't worth holding in all leagues. He's at a stacked position too, so if you have better options at shortstop, Perdomo is droppable today.

Kevin Gausman - Toronto Blue Jays

Gausman was another player at 100% rostered when the season started. He's sitting at 97% owned right now.

He has been rocked in each of his past two outings. Gausman allowed seven runs over just two innings against the Cubs two starts ago, then gave up six runs over six frames against the Rangers on Thursday.

In 17 starts overall, Gausman now has a 4.36 earned run average, which is more an average mark. He's 4-6 and has allowed 48 runs (46 earned) on 91 knocks and 22 walks. Gausman has 93 strikeouts over 95 innings pitched.

There's still numbers to like in there, but with a rising ERA and poor outings in two straight, Gausmas is trending down. I'd try to trade him away before dropping him outright. I'd really try to stash him through the struggles, as he can be a pretty good fantasy pitcher when he's going well. Be ready to add him if he becomes available in your league.

Jarren Duran - Boston Red Sox

Duran is owned in roughly 89% of leagues at the moment. He was another guy who was at 100% rostered to kick off the season.

He has just one hit over his past five games, and two knocks across his past eight contests. Duran has struck out 11 times over that eight-game stretch, so that's a lot of negative showings for a high-end fantasy bat.

Duran has logged 322 plate appearances across 73 games played this season. He has a .200 average and .258 OBP, which would be career low marks, by a lot. Duran has 38 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 21 walks and 96 strikeouts. He has 12 homers, nine doubles and two triples among his 59 total hits.

Duran really probably shouldn't be owned in as many leagues as he is now, but he's a big name, and many are expecting him to turn it around eventually. He's droppable in standard leagues, especially if there's better fantasy outfielders out there for you.

Jose Soriano - Los Angeles Angels

Soriano was an early-season fantasy surprise, and rose to 100% owned. He's trending down now, and currently sits at 92% owned.

He has allowed four or more runs in three of his past four starts. Soriano has allowed five homers in that stretch, while walking 10 and striking out 17.

Soriano still has a 3.41 ERA and 8-4 record over his first 17 starts this year, so you can see how well he was pitching early on. In 95 innings, he's allowed 38 runs (36 earned) on 77 hits and 48 walks, while striking out 102 batters along the way.

He's trending toward being a better standard league streaming option. The time to sell high was a couple weeks ago, but you might still be able to trade him away for someone better than you'll find on the waiver wire. Don't be afraid to drop him in standard leagues, especially if there's good pitchers out there to add instead.

Austin Riley - Atlanta Braves

Riley was yet another player who was rostered in all fantasy leagues when the year kicked off. He's sitting at 85% rostered right now.

He had a three-hit game three games ago, but is still trending down. Strikeouts could be the culprit, as he has eight straight games with at least one K - he has 11 strikeouts total in that stretch.

Riley has struggled mightily in 2026, sitting with a .214 average and .296 OBP over 79 contests and 321 plate appearances. He has 61 total hits, including 12 doubles, eight homers and a triple, plus 36 RBIs, 32 runs scored, four stolen bases, 28 walks and 93 strikeouts.

The third baseman has been a good fantasy asset in the past, and could bounce back eventually. Right now though, he's not worth holding in all fantasy leagues. You could look to trade him away before outright dropping him, but he doesn't have much value left. Keep tabs on Riley, but don't be afraid to drop him today.