
Moises Ballesteros
22-Year-Old
2026 Stats
AVG
.250
HR
6
RBI
20
R
14
SB
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
The biggest question surrounding Ballesteros in fantasy is if/when he will regain catcher eligibility, as the hitting savant enters 2026 UT-only in most formats. To say Ballesteros is a bat-first catching prospect is an understatement, as he is a plus hitter whose defense behind the plate is bad enough that he played 18 games at DH, two games at first base and just one game at catcher across multiple stints with the big club in 2025. Ballesteros slashed .316/.385/.473 with 13 home runs, a 9.6 percent walk rate and a 13.2 percent strikeout rate in 114 games as the second-youngest qualified hitter at Triple-A, behind Phillies slap hitter Justin Crawford. Despite his youth, the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Ballesteros is already a well below-average athlete, but his bat has a realistic chance to be good enough for him to play regularly at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. He may not access 20-homer power in his age-22 season, but he should hit 20-25 homers during his mid-20s while hitting for a high average with high on-base percentages. It's rare for a team to play a 22-year-old regularly at designated hitter, and teams are typically reluctant to give up on a young catcher's defense this early. If Ballesteros goes the Ben Rice route and adds catcher eligibility in 2026, it'll be a massive boon for those rostering him, but it's far from a guarantee. Read Past Outlooks
Sitting down Saturday
Ballesteros isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox.
Analysis
After going eight straight games without a hit, Ballesteros notched a single in Friday's win to break his streak. He'll step out of the lineup to begin Saturday's contest, putting Ian Happ in the DH spot and allowing Michael Conforto to start in left field.
After going eight straight games without a hit, Ballesteros notched a single in Friday's win to break his streak. He'll step out of the lineup to begin Saturday's contest, putting Ian Happ in the DH spot and allowing Michael Conforto to start in left field.
Batting Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
2026
2025
Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
11
2
10
6
1
#1
#2
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#9
1
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2024
+47%
OPS vs RHP
2026
+47%
OPS vs RHP
| OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024vs Left | .556 | 12 | 0 | 0 | .111 | ||||
| Since 2024vs Right | .820 | 174 | 8 | 31 | .276 | ||||
| 2026vs Left | .536 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .143 | ||||
| 2026vs Right | .788 | 112 | 6 | 20 | .257 | ||||
| 2025vs Left | .500 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 | ||||
| 2025vs Right | .878 | 62 | 2 | 11 | .309 | ||||
| 2024vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2024vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
| Minor League Splits→ | View Minor League Split Stats | ||||||||
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2024
+15%
OPS at Home
2026
+11%
OPS at Home
| OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2024Home | .852 | 106 | 4 | 16 | .290 | ||||
| Since 2024Away | .744 | 80 | 4 | 15 | .236 | ||||
| 2026Home | .805 | 68 | 3 | 10 | .267 | ||||
| 2026Away | .728 | 52 | 3 | 10 | .229 | ||||
| 2025Home | .936 | 38 | 1 | 6 | .333 | ||||
| 2025Away | .774 | 28 | 1 | 5 | .250 | ||||
| 2024Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2024Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Moises Ballesteros compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
BB/K
0.43BB Rate
8.3%K Rate
19.2%BABIP
.259ISO
.213AVG
.250OBP
.308SLG
.463OPS
.771wOBA
.334Exit Velocity
90.7 mphHard Hit Rate
40.2%Barrels/PA
9.2%Expected BA
.256Expected SLG
.449Sprint Speed
21.5 ft/secGround Ball %
44.8%Line Drive %
20.7%Fly Ball %
34.5%Prospect Rankings History
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Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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2025 Fantasy Outlook
A 5-foot-8, 200-pound catcher who many evaluators expect to be limited to first base or designated hitter, Ballesteros' bat is essentially big-league ready. Ballesteros slashed .286/.352/.469 with an 18.3 percent strikeout rate and 19 home runs in 124 games across Double-A and Triple-A as a 20-year-old, and if Ballesteros played good defense anywhere on the field, he'd be a much safer and alluring prospect. He looks like a less doughy Alejandro Kirk, and his athleticism, framing, blocking and throwing are all below-average relative to a typical big-league catcher. The Cubs will surely keep trying to develop Ballesteros into a passable defensive catcher, as finding at-bats for him at first base or designated hitter could be tricky when the Cubs are at full strength. However, those in dynasty leagues should be aware that he may lose catcher eligibility in the next couple years. On the slight chance he retains catcher eligibility while getting a lot of run at DH, then his dynasty managers will have hit the jackpot.
More Fantasy News
Taking seat Friday
Ballesteros isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.
Analysis
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Powers team Sunday
Ballesteros went 2-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Diamondbacks.
Analysis
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Will see more action at catcher
The Cubs are "accelerating the catching program" for Ballesteros, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Crushes grand slam in loss
Ballesteros went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Monday's 9-7 loss against the Padres.
Analysis
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Making first start at catcher
Ballesteros will start at catcher and bat sixth in Monday's game versus the Padres.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could see regular at-bats in 2026
Ballesteros could be in line to see regular at-bats with the Cubs in 2026, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic speculate.
Analysis
The Cubs could try to sign a high-profile designated hitter for the 2026 season to replace Kyle Tucker, but if they don't, expect Ballesteros to be in the mix to see regular at-bats alongside another high-profile prospect, Owen Caissie. Ballesteros, who came through the Cubs' system as a catcher but is likely to be a full-time DH at the big-league level, hit .298 with an .868 OPS across 20 games and 66 plate appearances during the 2025 regular season.
The Cubs could try to sign a high-profile designated hitter for the 2026 season to replace Kyle Tucker, but if they don't, expect Ballesteros to be in the mix to see regular at-bats alongside another high-profile prospect, Owen Caissie. Ballesteros, who came through the Cubs' system as a catcher but is likely to be a full-time DH at the big-league level, hit .298 with an .868 OPS across 20 games and 66 plate appearances during the 2025 regular season.








