Dynasty/Keeper Corner Infield Buys Heading Into 2026

I suppose you could call this a buy week at the Dynasty Dugout. No, we are not taking a bye week; instead, we are giving you all the players to buy or pick up before the season ends.

This article series will feature some MLB hitters that may be worth buying low on. Today, we talk about five corner infielders who may be worth buying now. Maybe it is an injured player. Perhaps it was just someone who struggled and saw their stock fall, but still has things under the hood to like. All players can buy now!

Corner Infielders to Buy or Stash for 2026

Mark Vientos, CI, New York Mets

Vientos was on my 2025 offseason fade list due to what appeared to be an unsustainable performance given poor contact skills and a free-swinging approach. It looked like an okay pick through the beginning of June when Vientos went out with a hamstring injury. The slash was a poor .230/.298/.380, and there was not the power production that many hoped for when they selected Vientos in the top 100 of fantasy drafts.

Something clicked coming out of the All-Star break, and Vientos has posted a .277/.329/.582 slash line with 11 home runs and ten doubles in 155 trips to the plate. Vientos is hitting the cover off the ball, having a 92 mph average exit velocity and an insane 19 percent barrel rate.

Not only has Vientos put up huge power numbers, but the contact numbers have also improved, as Vientos has a second-half contact rate of 70 percent and an in-zone mark at 79 percent. Sure, those are both still lower than you would like to see, but they have become respectable.

Vientos ' late-season surge could see him reach 30 home runs in 2026 for the first time in his career. Even if he hits .250, the power is worth his current price tag, which is the lowest it has been since 2023.

Spencer Horwitz, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates

Horwitz’s Pirates debut in 2025 got off to a delayed start due to a wrist injury that ended in surgery. After struggling out of the gate in May, June was a solid month. But Horwitz fell off in July, at least until around the All-Star break. Over his last 175 plate appearances, Horwitz has hit five home runs and has 11 doubles while putting up a .284/.366/.452 slash line.

Under the hood, the exit velocity data is not great, but it’s the ideal launch angles that really help it play up. Horwitz’s 39 percent sweet spot rate is one of the best marks in the minors, and he pairs it with an impressive approach and contact rates.

As the air rate has risen, the next step forward for Horwitz would be to pull the ball more often, which should lead to more home runs. While he won’t steal bases, Horwitz should be a solid source of batting average and OBP. The power won’t be game-changing, but a full season in 2026, he could get north of 15 home runs, making him an interesting deep-league play.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians

We have waited a while for a Manzardo breakout, and it appears that it might be happening, though he has not gotten much buzz. In 464 plate appearances, Manzardo has hit 25 home runs, and while the slash line is modest, .239/.323/.470, things have improved all year.

Another launch angle guru, Manzardo, has a sweet spot rate of 39 percent, but his exit velocities help create a strong barrel rate of 12 percent. Since the All-Star break, Manzardo has had a 92.2 mph average exit velocity and a 51 percent hard-hit rate, both of which stand out.

Over those 160 plate appearances since the All-Star break, Manzardo has a .289/.388/.541 slash line and has shown improved contact rates. While the in-zone contact rate sits around 85 percent, it is up to 88 percent in the second half, with an overall contact rate of 77 percent.

The thing to note is that Manzardo is in a platoon and has only seen 77 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers. In those, he is slashing .188/.260/.464 with a 27.3 percent strikeout rate. The .724 OPS and 95 wRC+ could allow him to see more plate appearances against lefties next year, but regardless, Manzardo’s breakout is not being talked about enough.

Jordan Westburg, 2B/3B, Baltimore Orioles

Injuries have been the story of Westburg’s season as a hamstring injury bothered him early in the year, and then a finger injury kept him out for a week in late June. After finally getting on track, Westburg has an ankle injury that landed him on the injured list again.

After returning from the injury in early July, Westburg got 157 plate appearances before the ankle injury. He blasted eight home runs and slashed an impressive .320/.363/.510 with a near 91 mph average exit velocity and a barrel rate just shy of ten percent.

While his contact rates are slightly below average, the approach is good, and Westburg has tremendously improved his chase rate, which has sat around 25 percent this year.

We know that Westburg has the talent, and over the course of a full season, he could be a 20-25 home run bat with 5-8 stolen bases. I would expect a healthy Westburgh to put together a big season in 2026.

Brett Baty, 3B, New York Mets

Is the Bretty Baty breakout here? Already at a career-high 16 home runs in just 392 plate appearances, Baty has really taken a huge step forward during the second half of the season, and career-best metrics back it. Since July 4, Baty has gotten 173 plate appearances and is slashing an impressive .299/.370/.487 with eight home runs and five stolen bases.

Under the hood, Baty has elite bat speed with a 12.5 percent barrel rate and a 48 percent hard-hit rate on the year. The exit velocity data has been great all year, but what Baty has shown major improvements in is the contact and approach skills. Since the July 4 timestamp, Baty has an 87 percent zone-contact rate and a chase rate below 20 percent.

The interesting thing is that the ground ball rate has risen to 60 percent, but the number of pulled fly balls has also increased. The home run per fly ball rate of 32 percent is unsustainable, but it just shows you how hard Baty is hitting balls to the pull side. In fact, on pulled fly balls and line drives, Baty has a 97.5 mph average exit velocity this year.

The way Baty has ended the season has been a significant encouragement for the Mets and fantasy managers. Sure, Baty sits against lefties most days, but his performance has been so good against righties that it helps negate it. I am slowly getting on board more and more with Baty being a great target for 2026.