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2026 Fantasy Baseball Player Profile

Mookie Betts’ 2025 season was a case study in resilience, though statistically, it was his most human performance in nearly a decade. His campaign was derailed before it arguably began; a severe, undiagnosed stomach illness struck late in Spring Training, causing him to lose approximately 25 pounds in just two weeks. This forced him to miss the season-opening Tokyo Series and left him playing catch-up physically for the entire first half. While he managed to stay on the field for 150 games, the weight loss visibly sapped his trademark explosive power. He finished with a slash line of .258/.326/.406 and just 20 home runs—his lowest full-season power output since his early days in Boston.

The "power outage" was directly linked to his recovery; his hard-hit rate and average exit velocity dipped to career lows as he struggled to maintain muscle mass during the grueling schedule. Despite this, Betts’ elite baseball IQ remained intact—he still scored 95 runs, drove in 82, and swiped 20 bases, proving he could contribute even when not at 100%. By September, flashes of his old self returned, but the overall numbers were undeniably suppressed by the early-season health scare.

Entering 2026, Betts represents one of the most intriguing "buy-low" opportunities at the top of drafts. With a full, healthy offseason to regain his strength and weight, there is every reason to believe his bat speed and power will return. Projections largely ignore the context of his illness, meaning he may fall out of the first round in many leagues. Savvy managers should view 2025 as an outlier driven by a freak medical event, not an age-related decline. Expect a significant rebound to his usual .280+ average, 25-30 home runs, and elite run-scoring production as the catalyst of the Dodgers' offense.