Multi-positional eligibility is a key component of roster construction in fantasy baseball. It allows for more flexibility when deciding who to roster and where. It also gives more options in-season for optimizing the day-to-day management of a roster by allowing more opportunities for players to be inserted into a lineup. There’s no worse feeling in fantasy than when you have a roster filled with talent, but you have no spot for them to play. Benching valuable bats is a tough pill to swallow and can be overcome with multi-positional eligibility. Overall, it’s something that fantasy owners should pay more attention to because it can make or break a season.
Eligibility Requirements
That being said, every platform has its own rules and specifications for a player to gain eligibility at a position. Some sites require five games played in-season while others require much more than that. It’s all dependent on where you play fantasy baseball. The following are the rules for the major platforms:
Fantrax
Position Eligibility
- Games needed from previous season for a player to qualify at a specific hitting position : 20
- Games needed from current season for a player to qualify at a specific hitting position: 10
- Starts needed from previous season for a player to qualify as a Starting Pitcher : 5
- Starts needed from current season for a player to qualify as a Starting Pitcher : 3
- Relief appearances needed from previous season for a player to qualify as a Relief Pitcher : 8
- Relief appearances needed from current season for a player to qualify as a Relief Pitcher: 5
- Use Fantrax’s default position(s) in addition to any position(s) a player qualifies for based on above criteria: No
- Note: If a player does not qualify for any positions based on the above selections, he will qualify at the position(s) played most in the previous MLB season. If he did not play at all last season, then the default position(s) will be used.
CBS
During the fantasy season, all MLB players will remain eligible at their initial (pre-season) designated primary position and will also be eligible at any position at which they played at least 20 games in 2023 or at least five (5) games in 2024. Also, be aware that a player’s primary position may change at any time.
ESPN
Batters
- At least twenty (20) games played at a position during the previous season OR at least 25% of their total games played at a position in the previous season (minimum five games at that position). DH counts as a position.
- At least ten (10) games played at a position during the current season. The eligibility will take place on the 11th day, even if no game is played that day.
Pitchers
- Previous Season: 5
- Current Season: 3
Relief Pitcher
- Previous Season: 8
- Current Season: 5
NFBC
The NFBC will use the following position eligibility rules in 2023:
- Players who played at least 20 games at any position in 2023 will qualify at that position for the entire 2024 NFBC season. Players who play 10 games at a new position in 2024 will be eligible for that position after they have played there for the 10th time during the 2024 MLB regular season.
- If a player did not appear in 20 games at any position, he qualifies at the one position he played most frequently the prior season in the majors. Designated Hitter is considered a position for these purposes (pinch-hitting is not). A player who only qualifies as a DH may only be assigned to the UT position. If a player’s most games played at a position is less than 20 and tied among more than one position, the NFBC commissioner will assign eligibility at one position only.
- Those players who only pinch-hit in the majors in 2023 will be position-eligible according to their minor-league games played status in 2023. They would qualify at the position they played the most games in the minors.
- Players who played all of 2023 in the minor leagues will be awarded position eligibility for the 2024 NFBC season based on the most games played at all levels in the minors. The NFBC will determine that one eligible position before Draft Day and that will determine that player’s status for 2024 once he is called up to the majors. Those players who only pinch-hit or DH in the minors will only be UT-eligible.
- The NFBC commissioner will rule on player eligibility prior to the draft as he deems necessary. Those eligibility lists are final and will be available to all owners prior to Draft Day.
Yahoo
The number of games a player completes determines position eligibility.
- Position eligibility – 5 starts or 10 total appearances in a position.
- Pitcher eligibility – 3 starts to be a starter, or 5 relief appearances to qualify as a reliever.
Here are the most prominent players that qualify for multi-positional eligibility. The minimum used for each position was five (5), which is also the lowest number from all of the aforementioned sites. The position where their highest totaled amount of games played is their primary listing, while their secondary positions are listed in parenthesis next to it. It is important to check your own platform to ensure that these players qualify for different positions in your drafts. That being said, here is the list of players:
Players with Multi-Position Eligibility for 2024 Fantasy Baseball
Catcher
Yainer Diaz – Houston Astros (1B)
Salvador Perez – Kansas City Royals (1B)
Blake Sabol – San Francisco Giants (OF)
Tyler Soderstrom – Oakland Athletics (1B)
First Base
Jake Cronenworth – San Diego Padres (2B)
Wilmer Flores – San Francsico Giants (3B)
Alex Kirilloff – Minnesota Twins (OF)
Elehuris Montero – Colorado Rockies (3B)
Ryan O’Hearn – Baltimore Orioles (OF)
Nick Pratto – Kansas City Royals (OF)
Donovan Solano – Free Agent (2B), (3B)
Spencer Steer – Cincinnati Reds (3B), (OF), (2B)
Justin Turner – Toronto Blue Jays (2B), (3B)
LaMonte Wade Jr. – San Francisco Giants (OF)
Second Base
Elvis Andrus – Free Agent (SS)
Luis Arraez – Miamia Marlins (1B)
Ji Hwan Bae – Pittsburgh Pirates (OF)
Rodolfo Castro – Philadelphia Philles (SS), (3B)
Brendan Donovan – St. Louis Cardinals ()F), (1B)
Brandon Drury – Loa Angeles Angels (1B)
Mauricio Dubon – Houston Astros (OF), (SS)
Tommy Edman – St. Louis Cardinals (OF), (SS)
Thairo Estrada – San Francisco Giants (SS)
Kyle Farmer – Minnesota Twins (3B) (SS)
Adam Frazier – Kansas City Royals (OF)
Nick Gonzales – Pittsburgh Pirates (SS)
Nolan Gorman – St. Louis Cardinals (3B)
Nico Hoerner – Chicago Cubs (SS)
Andy Ibanez – Andy Ibanez (OF), (3B)
Ha-Seong Kim – San Diego Padres (3B), (SS)
Nicky Lopez – Chicago White Sox (3B), (SS)
Jeff McNeil – New York Mets (OF)
Whit Merrifield – Free Agent (OF)
Jorge Polanco – Seattle Mariners (3B)
Luis Rengifo – Los Angeles Angels (SS), (3B), (OF)
Josh Rojas – Seattle Mariners (3B)
Brice Turang – Milwaukee Brewers (SS)
Luis Urias – Boston Red Sox (3B)
Jordan Westburg – Baltimore Orioles (3B)
Shortstop
Jon Berti – Miami Marlins (3B), (OF), (2B)
Elly De La Cruz – Cincinnati Reds (3B)
Ezequiel Duran – Texas Rangers (OF), (3B)
Enrique Hernandez – Boston Red Sox (2B), (OF), (3B), (1B)
Matt McLain – Cincinnati Reds (2B)
Liover Peguero – Pittsburgh Pirates (2B)
Geraldo Perdomo – Arizona Diamondbacks (2B), (3B)
Pablo Reyes – Oakland Athletics (2B)
Amed Rosario – Free Agent (2B)
Third Base
Alec Bohm – Philadelphia Phillies (1B)
Jeimer Candelario – Cincinnati Reds (1B)
J.D. Davis – San Francisco Giants (1B)
Jordan Diaz – Oakland Athletics (2B), (1B)
Tyler Freeman – Cleveland Guardians (2B), (SS)
Maikel Garcia – Kansas City Royals (SS)
Gunnar Henderson – Baltimore Orioles (SS)
DJ LeMahieu – New York Yankees (1B), (2B)
Nick Madrigal – Chicago Cubs (2B)
Ryan McMahon – Colorado Rockies (2B)
Andruw Monasterio – Milwaukee Brewers (2B), (SS)
Isaac Paredes – Tampa Bay Rays (1B), (2B)
Jace Peterson – Oakland Athletics (2B)
Emmanuel Rivera – Arizona Diamondbacks (1B)
Nick Senzel – Washington Nationals (OF)
Ramon Urias – Baltimore Orioles (2B), (1B)
Gio Urshela – Free Agent (1B), (SS)
Mark Vientos – New York Mets (1B)
Taylor Walls – Tampa Bay Rays (2B), (SS)
Patrick Wisdom – Chicago Cubs (1B), (OF)
Outfield
Cody Bellinger – Free Agent (1B)
Mookie Betts – Los Angeles Dodgers (2B), (SS)
Seth Brown – Oakland Athletics (1B)
Kris Bryant – Colorado Rockies (1B)
Alec Burleson – St. Louis Cardinals (1B)
Trey Cabbage – Houston Astros (1B)
Mark Canha – Detroit Tigers (1B)
Willi Castro – Minnesota Twins (3B), (2B)
Joey Gallo – Washington Nationals (1B)
Hunter Goodman – Colorado Rockies (1B)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa – Toronto Blue Jays – (3B)
Connor Joe – Pittsburgh Pirates (1B)
Nolan Jones – Colorado Rockies (1B)
Zach McKinstry – Detroit Tigers (3B), (2B), (SS)
MJ Melendez – Kansas City Royals (C)
Christopher Morel – Chicago Cubs (2B)
Ceddanne Rafaela – Boston Red Sox (SS)
Luke Raley – Seattle Mariners (1B)
Hunter Renfroe – Kansas City Royals (1B)
Anthony Santander – Baltimore Orioles (1B)
Chris Taylor – Los Angeles Dodgers (SS), (3B)
Matt Vierling – Detroit Tigers (3B)
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.