Mike

Yastrzemski

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.

Isbel left Wednesday’s game with left hamstring discomfort, and with just a week left in the season, this injury might mean the end of his 2025 campaign. For Thursday, Mike Yastrzemski will shift to center field, and Adam Frazier will start in left field. This may be the alignment the Royals use for the final games.

Yastrzemski has six homers in 24 games for the Royals after hitting eight in 96 games for the Giants. As a platoon player with little speed and a history of low batting averages, he typically hasn’t been very attractive as a fantasy option. However, he’s thriving right now and has the improved exit velocity numbers to back it up. He’s an option in deeper formats.

Yastrzemski got the day off on Tuesday with a left-hander on the mound, but returns to the lineup on Wednesday. He’s gone 6-for-31 (.194) in 10 games since coming to the Royals with two home runs and five RBI. He has started pretty much every game against a right-handed pitcher as the leadoff man, and that can give him some deep-league value if the hits start to fall.

Yastrzemski’s home run was his 10th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Joe Ryan to lead-off the game in the first inning. Yastrzemski has woken up at the plate since being moved to the Royals. He’s even hitting in the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching. Yastrzemski is hitting .235 with a .707 OPS and 32 RBI this year. He’s an AL-Only league option.