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Joey looks at five starting pitcher fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers off to hot starts in 2026. Are Griffin Jax, Tatsuya Imai, Joey Cantillo, Brady Singer, Jake Bennett for real?
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another week of breakout pitchers. Each week of the fantasy baseball season, we dive into five pitchers on the verge of breaking out and determine whether these potential breakout pitchers should be added or left on waivers.
Last week, we analyzed pitchers Stephen Kolek, Andre Pallante, and Shane Drohan. For this week, we will look at five more potential breakout pitchers that are rostered in under 40% of Yahoo! leagues. Each pitcher on this list has thrown the ball well recently and could be on the verge of becoming a strong fantasy option.
So, should fantasy managers look to add these five starting pitchers before they continue their breakout season? Let's find out.
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Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays
35% Rostered
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Griffin Jax really struggled as a reliever to begin the season. He had an 8.00 ERA in his first 11 relief appearances and allowed 11 runs (eight earned runs) across nine innings pitched. Those struggles led the Rays to test out Jax as a starter in late April, where he has posted solid numbers over the past two months.
Jax has a 2.70 ERA and 36 strikeouts across 40 innings pitched as a starter. He has given up two earned runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts and threw five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts against the Washington Nationals last week. Outside of a six-run clunker against the Tigers on June 1, the 31-year-old veteran has been a consistent fantasy option since moving to Tampa Bay's rotation.
However, Jax is not really a solid add in most 12-team leagues at this time. He is due for some negative regression over the next few weeks, as his FIP (4.00) is 130 points higher than his actual ERA (2.70) as a starter, and he usually doesn't pitch more than five innings. The Rays right-hander has yet to throw more than 72 pitches or pitch into the sixth inning in any start this season.
With a .289 expected batting average against, 10.9% barrel rate, and a league-average strikeout rate (22.8%), Jax isn't anything more than a streamer right now. His expected slugging (.479) and xwOBAcon (.432) both also rank in the bottom 10% of the league.
Tatsuya Imai, Houston Astros
34% Rostered
Houston Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai is starting to get into a groove on the mound. After posting an 8.31 ERA in his five career starts, Imai has looked much better on the mound over the past month. He has delivered a quality start in three of his last five outings, which included throwing six innings of three-run ball with a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Guardians his last time out.
Imai was on another level in that start against Cleveland. He struck out 11 batters, induced a career-high 20 whiffs, and had 12 called strikes. His slider was the star of the show in that game, as he generated 14 swings and misses on that pitch alone.
Most Ks by an Astros pitcher this season. 🔥#ChaseTheFight x @budweiserusa pic.twitter.com/hiyxH3gltk
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 20, 2026
When Imai's slider is working like it was in his last outing, the Astros right-hander is untouchable on the mound. That has easily been his best pitch to begin his MLB career. Opposing hitters are batting just .198 with a .304 expected slugging, .267 xwOBA, and a 39.6% whiff rate against his slider in 2026.
Given the way Imai has pitched recently, he's worth a look in some 12-plus team leagues. Both his whiff rate (32%) and strikeout rate (26.5%) continue to trend up, his swinging strike rate (13%) ranks in the upper half of the league, and his 70th percentile expected batting average against (.229) offers some optimism moving forward.
It might not be totally smooth sailing for Imai with a 13.3% walk rate, but the potential is there for him to fully break out this season.
Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians
28% Rostered
Fantasy managers should be intrigued by Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Joey Cantillo's recent performance on the mound. Cantillo has struggled for the most part this season with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP across 80 innings pitched. But the southpaw looked like a completely different pitcher in his last start, as he threw eight innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts against the Astros.
Cantillo was poised on the mound in this start. He generated 20 whiffs, and the only trouble that he got into was when he allowed three straight singles to open the bottom of the second inning. However, he eventually got out of it by striking out both Jake Meyers and Brice Matthews to end the inning. The left-hander then proceeded to set down 14 of the next 16 batters he faced before departing.
This 3-pitch strikeout by Joey Cantillo is filthy. He sets up Jeremy Pena with 2 change-ups and finishes him off with a curveball. #GuardsBall @PitchingNinja pic.twitter.com/8IWF8Yxmog
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) June 21, 2026
The Guardians have tweaked Cantillo's arsenal just a bit over his past few starts, which has helped him post better numbers. He is relying more on his curveball and changeup and less on his four-seam fastball. The 26-year-old threw a career-high 44 curveballs against the Astros in his last start, with nine of those curveballs resulting in first-pitch strikes.
If Cantillo continues to attack the zone with his offspeed stuff, he has the potential to mold into a really good starting pitcher. He has walked just one batter in his last 13 innings pitched since utilizing his curveball more. Before this two-start stretch, the southpaw had a 12.4% walk rate in his first 14 starts.
That's enough reason to pick up Cantillo in most 12-plus team leagues right now.
Brady Singer, Cincinnati Reds
15% Rostered
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer has posted strong numbers on the mound recently. He has a 1.64 ERA and 23 strikeouts across four June starts, and is coming off his best start of the season against the Brewers on Monday. Singer threw seven shutout innings with two hits allowed, two walks, and a season-high seven strikeouts.
There hasn't been a noticeable difference in Singer's recent stretch from earlier in the season. He continues to lean on his sinker the most at around 47%, followed by his slider (32%), sweeper (11%), cutter (7%), and four-seam fastball (3%). In that start against the Brewers, the veteran threw 49 sinkers (47%), 32 sliders (30%), 16 sweepers (15%), seven cutters (7%), and two four-seam fastballs (2%).
With no noticeable difference in arsenal or pitch mix in this recent four-start stretch, Singer should be left on waivers in most leagues. He currently ranks in the bottom 30% of the league in expected ERA (5.44), expected batting average against (.274), average exit velocity (91.2 mph), chase rate (28.3%), strikeout rate (17.9%), and barrel rate (10.9%).
There's no need to add the Reds right-hander at this time.
Jake Bennett, Boston Red Sox
5% Rostered
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jake Bennett could be here to stay. The rookie left-hander has thrown the ball well since being called up by the Red Sox earlier this month. He allowed four runs across five innings against the Rays on June 10, threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts against the Blue Jays on June 17, and threw six shutout innings with nine strikeouts at Coors Field against the Rockies on Monday.
Jake Bennett sets a new career high with his 6th K of the night 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zpAJCXgNFE
— NESN (@NESN) June 23, 2026
Monday's start against the Rockies was easily Bennett's best of his young career. He generated 15 swings and misses, had nine called strikes, and his velocity was slightly up. With Garrett Crochet still a ways away from returning and Sonny Gray being a potential trade deadline target for contenders, the 25-year-old left-hander could have a spot in the rotation for the rest of the year.
While this is only a small sample size, Bennett could be a solid fantasy pitcher moving forward. He has a 96th percentile expected ERA (2.50), an 82nd percentile (.210), a 100th percentile chase rate (40.3%), a 97th percentile walk rate (4.7%), and a 94th percentile groundball rate (56.4%). Those metrics could help the rookie break out in his first season.
He also has an above-average fastball that has a 26.1% putaway rate, and his offspeed stuff continues to carry him on the mound. The whiff rate on his changeup (35.9%) and sweeper (40%) both rank extremely well.
That's enough reason to give Bennett a look in some 12-team leagues and most 15-plus team leagues.
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