Marcus Semien changed teams during the offseason and went from the Texas Rangers to the New York Mets in a deal that sent outfielder Brandon Nimmo the opposite way. Semien is expected to be the Mets’ everyday second baseman, but he’s been trending in the wrong direction for a few years now. That trend isn’t expected to change in 2026, meaning he’s not going to have a lot of upside in most fantasy formats.
Semien offers elite defense at second and won the second Gold Glove of his career after an impressive campaign in which he collected 5 defensive runs saved and 7 outs above average, leading the AL in both categories. He also led the AL in fielding percentage with a .996 mark, but those metrics won’t be game-changing in fantasy. His offense, which is what matters the most in fantasy, has been trending downward for a while now.
The 35-year-old veteran posted a career-low .669 OPS in 2025 while notching 15 homers, 62 RBI, 62 runs scored, and 11 steals through 127 games. Those numbers weren’t worthy of fantasy consideration outside the very deep formats, but could he deliver a bounce-back effort in 2026?
Marcus Semien’s Strengths, Weaknesses, and 2026 Fantasy Baseball Projections
Semien will benefit from playing in a better lineup in 2026, as the Mets are projected to be one of the best teams in the National League. However, they were projected to be such in 2025 and didn’t even make the playoffs, so take that with a grain of salt. Regarding Semien, a better lineup usually means better protection, and the Mets still have Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, and Juan Soto as the biggest threats on offense.
Semien isn’t expected to hit in a prominent role in the lineup, especially since his offensive numbers have been trending in the wrong direction for a while now. He’s hit below the .250 threshold in back-to-back seasons and also failed to reach the 20-homer mark in 2025, something he hadn’t done since the 2020 shortened season. He’s also posted an OPS below .740 in three of the last four campaigns.
Thus, despite being as durable as they come, don’t expect Semien to make a big impact in most fantasy formats. He’s a player worth targeting in deep formats, but he’s not even considered among the top 15 players in his position, so the best course of action with him would be to leave him on waivers and look for other alternatives for your roster. Semien’s marked downward trajectory makes him a risky option in most point-based formats.
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