Fantasy Baseball Breakouts and Resurgent Hitters - Are They For Real? (Week 12)

June 15, 2026

Frank analyzes five fantasy baseball breakouts and hitter resurgences in Week 12 of the 2026 season. These batters are off to hot starts, but are they real fantasy breakouts to stay?

Putting together a team that can contend for a fantasy baseball championship means finding potential breakouts and resurgences. These can be late bloomers who have finally found their groove or veterans who have bounced back to career norms following down years.

In this article, we're taking a closer look at five hitters who check all of these boxes. Each of these hitters has either exceeded expectations or gotten back on track. Our goal here is to explore how legitimate these improvements or resurgences have been.

With that in mind, let's dive into Jake Bauers, Ivan Herrera, Bryan Reynolds, Liam Hicks, and Kody Clemens.

Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Coming into the 2026 season, Bauers was known as a valuable bench bat who could contribute in short stretches when forced into more playing time. He had registered double-digit barrel rates in each of the previous three seasons, so there was some intrigue here, especially in super-deep draft-and-hold leagues, where you're looking for bench bats who can provide volume if you're dealing with an injury.

But not even the biggest Bauers' supporters would have expected what he's doing so far this season. The 30-year-old is currently slashing .276/.374/.519 with 13 home runs and five stolen bases in 243 plate appearances. He's maintained a double-digit walk rate while trimming his strikeout rate from 27.1% to 23.9%. The barrel rate remains rock-solid at 13.8%.

Jake Bauers Continues to Rake, Becoming a Priority Target to Add if Still Available https://t.co/PNCkpvd4jY

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) June 14, 2026

What happened here is that Bauers was forced into more playing time when Andrew Vaughn went down with an injury. But he just kept hitting, so he won himself a more permanent role in the Brewers' lineup.

The Brewers need to be seen as an organization that can get more value from its players. Simply put, they know what they're doing. We saw how Vaughn took off with them once he was traded from the White Sox. Maybe the case with Bauers is a veteran hitter who has finally found his footing in the big leagues, once given more consistent playing time.

I'd continue riding the wave, since it looks like we have a .260 hitter with 25 home runs and 10 stolen bases, eligible at both 1B and OF.

Ivan Herrera, C, St. Louis Cardinals

Herrera was always considered an intriguing talent, especially in two-catcher leagues where we're always looking for a second catcher who can take the leap. So far, Herrera is showing why he's always been beloved by the fantasy community, currently slashing .267/.398/.431 with nine home runs and four stolen bases in 314 plate appearances.

He's building off what he did last year, when he slashed .284/.373/.464 with 19 homers and eight steals in 452 plate appearances.

You have to love how Herrera has improved his walk rate from 9.5% to 13.1% while trimming his strikeout rate from 18.6% to 15.9%. He's now put up a 128 wRC+, 137 wRC+, and 138 wRC+ in the last three seasons. While he's not as much of a household name yet, it's time to start recognizing Herrera as one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball.

Iván Herrera sends the first pitch he sees into the second deck 💪 pic.twitter.com/TvTGBeNXpu

— MLB (@MLB) June 13, 2026

What's great about Herrera's production so far is that he's been more than a second catcher. He's been good enough to roster even in one-catcher leagues. The Cardinals have exceeded expectations, but they're a rebuilding team. I wouldn't put it past them to try to trade Herrera at the deadline, attempting to sell high on a veteran who could be a valuable asset to a contender.

That could be a boon to Herrera's value as well, as he'd join a better offense, which could help his counting stats.

Simply put, Herrera is here to stay, and you should pat yourself on the back if you have him on your roster.

Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Reynolds has been a model of consistency throughout his career, posting 24+ homers and at least five steals in four consecutive seasons from 2021-2024. During that stretch, the veteran outfielder put up a 140 wRC+, 123 wRC+, 110 wRC+, and 118 wRC+. But last year, his production fell off, as he slashed .245/.318/.402 with 16 homers and three steals in 154 plate appearances, including a 99 wRC+.

But Reynolds has gotten back on track in a big way this season, slashing .270/.392/.441 with eight homers and five steals in 311 plate appearances. He's bumped up his walk rate from 8.7% to 15.4% while trimming his strikeout rate from 26.5% to 21.2%. He currently has a 134 wRC+, which is his highest since 2021.

For the 3rd time this week, Bryan Reynolds robs a player of a HR pic.twitter.com/lvAq2jF4Pw

— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) June 13, 2026

This is the case of a veteran hitter who is getting back on track after a down season. If you took Reynolds at a discount in drafts, you have to be loving this right now. There's no reason to be concerned with him slowing down, as the Pirates have a much better supporting cast this season, which includes Brandon Lowe.

Even though Reynolds isn't going to wow you with his numbers, this is the kind of dependable outfielder to round out your lineup, providing you with a high floor. If you're in OBP formats, he's even more valuable due to his elite walk rate.

Liam Hicks, C/1B, Miami Marlins

Hicks has been mostly a career minor leaguer. Last year, he slashed .247/.346/.346 with six homers and two steals in 390 plate appearances in his age-26 season, which was his first in the big leagues. That's why he was completely off the radar in fantasy leagues, unless you were in a draft-and-hold league, where you're looking for a backup catcher with a path to playing time.

That's why it's been so surprising to see Hicks slash .277/.361/.485 with 13 home runs in 269 plate appearances so far this year. What's most impressive is his 10.4% walk rate and 8.9% strikeout rate. Any time you have a hitter who walks more than strikes out, you have to be intrigued, especially when they're a catcher.

Another Liam Hicks RBI 🥱 pic.twitter.com/NgaE2wtNaY

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 13, 2026

While Hicks has more appeal in two-catcher leagues, where you can deploy him as an elite second catcher, this is still a player you can use in traditional formats with how well he's been hitting. Getting a .270+ BA at a position notorious for lower batting averages is a major boon to your fantasy team.

Even though I expect Hicks to slow down at some point, there's no reason not to ride the wave on this batting average asset right now.

Kody Clemens, 1B/2B/OF, Minnesota Twins

Clemens came into the 2026 season with a career-high of 386 plate appearances. But now, in his age-30 season with the Twins, he's shown a lot of improvements. Clemens is currently slashing .251/.317/.483 with 10 homers and six steals in 229 plate appearances. He's brought his strikeout rate down from 24.1% to 21.8% while maintaining a terrific 13.2% barrel rate.

What's great about the left-handed-hitting Clemens is that he's shown improvements against lefties, as highlighted by a 104 wRC+. Having a bench bat who is eligible at corner infield (CI), middle infield (MI), and outfield (OF) is highly valuable for your fantasy team, especially in deeper formats with longer benches.

While this isn't a player who is going to give you a ton of upside, stacking small wins with high-floor players like this is how you build a fantasy champion.

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