Mike

Yastrzemski

It was Yastrzemski’s sixth home run of the spring to go along with a .400/.512/1.000 slash line. The 35-year-old is not going to be an exciting pick in fantasy leagues, but he is going to start against all right-handed pitching, and this is by far the friendliest home park he’s ever played in during his career. He’s a better fit in daily moves leagues, but is worth a look near the end of 15-team league drafts as well.

Yastrzemski struck out in his other two at-bats, so his spring average fell from .571 to .529 today. Yastrzemski is due to move up at least one spot in Atlanta’s order with Jurickson Profar gone, and he might get a look as the No. 2 hitter against righties if the Braves want to go back to batting Drake Baldwin cleanup. He’s still probably not a mixed-league guy as a platoon player, but the Braves are fortunate to have him.

Profar will get the full-season ban for testing positive for a PED for the second time. The 33-year-old missed 80 games due to suspension in 2025 and hit .243/.353/.434 with 14 homers in his 318 at-bats. Mike Yastrzemski and Eli White seem likely to platoon with Profar unavailable in 2026, but it’s possible Atlanta could look outside the organization.

Yastrzemski already has three homers in five games this spring. He had 25 homers for the Giants in 2021, but he’s come in at 15-18 each of the last four years and probably won’t do much better there as a platoon player in Atlanta.

It was surprising when the Braves signed Yastrzemski for $23 million while possessing a full outfield, but putting him in left field against righties and using Jurickson Profar as a DH definitely seems like an upgrade. Because Yastrzemski won’t play much against lefties and doesn’t offer much in terms of batting average or steals, his fantasy ceiling is quite low.

The club option is for $7 million and contains a $4 million buyout. The veteran outfielder should be in the lineup on a consistent basis against right-handers, but doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy upside as a player who will turn 36 in August with so-so results over his last few campaigns.

The deal also contains a club option for 2028, according to Passan. Yastrzemski spent 2025 with the Royals and Giants and hit 17 homers while stealing seven bases in 146 games with the two clubs. The 35-year-old will likely be in the lineup against right-handed pitching, and doesn’t project to be much more than a bench piece in fantasy lineups outside of NL-only formats.

Yastrzemski wound up hitting .232/.355/.477 with eight homers in 50 games for the Royals, giving his stock a little boost as he heads off into free agency for the first time. One imagines the Royals will show some interest in bringing him back as a platoon outfielder. He lacks upside, but he’s been one of the game’s most consistent hitters since debuting as a 28-year-old rookie in 2019. With the win, the Royals finished 82-80, giving them consecutive winning seasons after seven in a row with losing records.

Jensen will hit higher than eighth for the first time. The 22-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance — albeit in a small sample — and he’ll hit leadoff with Mike Yastrzemski not in the lineup.

As a team, the Royals were only able to muster five total hits in the contest, so the blame wasn’t entirely on Yastrzemski. The 35-year-old outfielder has had a rough season overall at the plate, slashing just .228/.322/.389 with 15 homers and 43 RBI in 524 plate appearances.