Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 9)

May 22, 2026

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 9 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 9 of the 2026 MLB regular season. The focus of this column is to highlight players who could be breaking out, taking a look at current active hitting streaks along with recent leaders in batting average, isolated power (ISO), stolen bases, and more.

Some of the highlights for this week include Alec Bohm, Jake Bauers, and Jakob Marsee. Most of these hitters are widely available in fantasy leagues, so it's a good move to give them a chance here.

Do note that any time we talk about rostered percentages or positional eligibility, we're referring to Yahoo! leagues. With that in mind, let's dive into potential hitter breakouts for Week 9 of the 2026 MLB season.

Hit Streak Leaders

Alec Bohm (11 games)

Bohm was highlighted in last week's article after he popped up for having a strong batting average over the prior week, and now here he is, tied for the longest hit streak in the majors at 11 games. The former third-overall draft pick struggled out of the gate, so much so that he was given two "reset" days, and since returning to the lineup, he's collected at least one hit in every game.

Bohmer homer 💥 pic.twitter.com/zf8JHakQjG

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 20, 2026

The 6-foot-4 slugger is 17-for-42 (.405) during the streak, with four doubles, four home runs, seven RBI, eight runs scored, and a 3:5 BB:K. The off days appear to have worked, and he makes plenty of contact that could allow this to continue. The 29-year-old is still available in 60 percent of leagues, and is eligible at both 1B and 3B.

Jake Bauers (11 games)

Bauers was also highlighted in this article ahead of Week 4, and it was specifically stated, "Although the former seventh-round draft pick owns just a .226 batting average, an xBA of .266 and an xwOBA of .367 implies there is potential for an increase there as the season moves along. An ultra-low BABIP of .194 seems to indicate that some of his hard-hit balls are simply not falling for hits, so there is batting average upside to go along with his power."

Lo and behold, the 30-year-old is in the midst of an 11-game hit streak and has seen his batting average rise all the way to .291 since then. The left-handed slugger is 17-for-41 (.415) during the streak, including five doubles and two home runs. He's eligible at both 1B and OF and can still be had in almost 70 percent of leagues, so what are you waiting for?

Spencer Steer (11 games)

Spencer Steer is also riding an 11-game hit streak and has hit safely in 21 of his last 22. Over that 22-game stretch, the right-handed hitter is 28-for-84 (.333) with four doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI, 16 runs scored, two steals, and an 8:11 BB:K. It has pushed his season-long slash line to .273/.340/.448 with a .350 wOBA and 118 wRC+.

Number 7 for number 7❗️@spenc__er pic.twitter.com/7brBgF3ynD

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 10, 2026

Steer has had at least 20 home runs in the three previous seasons, and even stole 25 bags as recently as 2024. The 28-year-old's xBA of .289 and .386 xwOBA suggest things could be going even better than they are, so there could be more room for this hot stretch to run. He's available in over 60 percent of leagues and is eligible at both 1B and OF, adding to his fantasy appeal.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 5/20

Keibert Ruiz (.571 BA)

Keibert Ruiz was another one of the players highlighted in last week's article because of the big ISO number he produced over the prior week. As mentioned in that piece, Ruiz makes a ton of contact, so combined with an increased barrel rate, it was confusing to see him with such a low batting average earlier in the year.

The switch-hitting backstop has made three starts since last week's article, and has gone 6-for-10 since then, and he's also now collected at least one extra-base hit in five consecutive contests. The 27-year-old has seen his batting average rise to .250 (better than the league average of .245), and with four home runs on the year, has eclipsed last year's total of two.

respectfully, pic.twitter.com/D9KvqraIHY

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 16, 2026

The Venezuelan's rostership has gone from one percent rostered to 15 percent rostered over the last week, but can still be found in most leagues. His hot hitting and ability to hit from both sides of the plate should start to give him preference over the light-hitting Drew Millas, so managers looking for help at catcher should give Ruiz a look.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 5/20

There are some interesting names here for sure, including Dane Myers and Kyle Manzardo. Myers has appeared in this article on multiple occasions in the past (first time this year), and every time he appears, stolen bases follow, so keep an eye out! Manzardo bashed 27 home runs a season ago but has just four to date in 2026, so to see him pop here could mean more are on the way.

Gavin Sheets (.526 ISO)

Gavin Sheets hit a career high 19 home runs last season in San Diego, but is on pace to blow that number out of the water. With nine home runs in 151 plate appearances, if he can record 545 PA like last year, the left-handed slugger is trending for 30-plus homers this year. His contact (82.4 percent) and barrel rate (10.7 percent) are the best of his career, and a 145 wRC+ makes him very interesting for fantasy.

Like the others outlined here, the 30-year-old is available in far too many leagues, at just 35 percent rostered as of this writing (up 32 percent since last week!). With eligibility at both 1B and OF, there is added appeal here.

Jacob Young (.500 ISO)

I had to do a double-take on this one, as Jacob Young is well known for his speed but not so much for his power. In fact, with six home runs on the season, the former seventh-rounder has doubled the number of home runs he hit in 2025 but needed half the at-bats.

The 26-year-old's xBA is .266, but his batting average is sitting at .231, so perhaps this recent hot stretch is the start of normalization to the expected outcome. If he can continue to hit and raise his batting average, then steals should follow (he had 33 in 2024 and owns a 95th percentile sprint speed). Any additional home runs would be gravy.

While he popped here because of the power, managers scouring the waiver wire for steals should consider Young, who is rostered in just two percent of leagues.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 5/20

Ryan Waldschmidt (three SB)

It seems like this game of baseball is just going to come easily to Ryan Waldschmidt. The former 31st-overall draft pick breezed through High-A and Double-A in 2025, then made quick work of Triple-A in 2026, recording a .289 average with 21 home runs and 35 steals in 168 minor league games between last year and this year.

"Welcome to the big leagues, Ryan Waldschmidt!"

The @Dbacks top prospect picks up his 1st MLB hit in at-bat No. 1. pic.twitter.com/tOUTTyeYR4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 9, 2026

Now, he's hit the ground running in the majors, literally and figuratively. The multi-talented 23-year-old is 12-for-37 (.324) to begin his career, including four doubles, along with three steals. With six RBI and six runs scored, he's been plenty productive for fantasy early on, and with strikeout and walk rates right around league average, the right-handed hitter is fitting in just fine.

At just 15 percent rostered, he can be found in most leagues, but carries multi-category potential for the rest of the season, so that number should be higher, especially once he starts hitting higher than ninth in the order.

wRC+ Leaderboard May 14 - May 20

Up until now in this section, we've looked at players who have underperformed their xwOBA, and last week we took a look at players with large discrepancies between their batting average and expected batting average (xBA).

This week, I wanted to check in on hitters who had the highest wRC+ over the prior week to see if anyone stuck out. One player did.

Data through 5/20

Jakob Marsee (295 wRC+)

Many were starting to wonder if they'd spent too much draft capital on Marsee after last season's breakout performance, but the left-handed hitter began to turn it around this past week, including two three-hit efforts. His average has risen 38 points, from .176 to .214, and his .338 OBP is better than league average (.319) thanks to a strong walk rate (13.5 percent).

Getting on base is necessary in order to unleash his true fantasy asset, which is his ability to steal bases. The 24-year-old has 13 swipes already this year, and he could pick up the pace if he continues to hit. At 75 percent rostered, he can't be found in many leagues, but managers who were about to give up hope might want to give him some more leash.

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