Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 18)

July 24, 2026

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 18 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 18 of the 2026 MLB regular season. The goal of this article is to highlight players who could be breaking out, diving into current active hitting streaks, along with recent leaders in batting average, isolated power (ISO), stolen bases, and more.

In this week's article, we're going to cover players like Nick Gonzales, Luis Rengifo, and Tyler Stephenson. The good news for you is that most of the hitters discussed in this column are widely available, so you can use this article to unearth some gems to help out your fantasy teams.

Remember 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 18 of the 2026 MLB season.

Hit Streak Leaders

Data through 7/22

Jacob Wilson (10 games)

It's no secret that Jacob Wilson is a fantastic hitter, especially coming off a 2025 campaign in which he batted .311 on the back of a 91.7 percent contact rate and 7.5 percent strikeout rate, the latter of which ranked best in the majors last season.

The former first-round draft pick has been quite good again this season, but shoulder and thumb injuries have resulted in two separate injured list stints already, missing about a month and a half worth of games. That, combined with some lower productivity compared to 2025 (121 wRC+ vs. 104 wRC+), may have led some managers to drop him.

However, that may be misguided, as the 6-foot-2 slugger is more than capable of boosting a fantasy team's batting average, while chipping in some home runs, RBI, and runs scored along the way (13-63-62 in 125 games in '25). The right-handed hitter is heating up, too, now riding a 10-game hit streak that includes a triple and three of his seven home runs so far this year.

The 24-year-old had a 12-game hit streak earlier this year, too, so his name could appear on this list regularly over the remainder of the season so long as he manages to stay healthy. He's 62 percent rostered, which is up 10 percent from last week, but there have to be more teams out there that he can help out.

Nick Gonzales (seven games)

Nick Gonzales was highlighted in my Week 6 article because of a 10-game hit streak, and popped up again in Week 16 because of a high batting average over the previous week. He caught my eye again due to a seven-game hit streak that he is currently in the midst of. The difference since that Week 6 article? The power.

Nick Gonzales clears the deck 💪 pic.twitter.com/fXDPGn6y6P

— MLB (@MLB) July 22, 2026

The former first-rounder had zero home runs back then, and zero through his first 53 games (212 plate appearances), but has six home runs in the 44 games since then (187 plate appearances), and hasn't sacrificed batting average in pursuit of that power, hitting .325 over that span.

For the season, the New Mexico State product is hitting .313 with a .349 wOBA and 118 wRC+ through 97 games. He probably won't win a batting title, but his .313 average is good for fourth-best in the majors right now. The 27-year-old is well on his way to a career year, and with eligibility at 2B, 3B, and SS, he's worth a look in most leagues, yet is rostered in only 44 percent of leagues.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 7/22

Steven Kwan (.524 BA)

Steven Kwan makes a ton of contact, and even combined it with a little bit of power a couple of seasons ago, hitting .292 with 14 home runs back in 2024. He's also stolen more than 20 bases in two of the last three seasons, so there has been enough there to warrant fantasy consideration the last couple of seasons.

In 2026, however, the left-handed hitter is batting just .245 with just one home run and six steals, so there hasn't been much reason to roster him, let alone deploy him. The 28-year-old could be turning the corner, though, hitting well over the last week and beyond. Since June 23, the Oregon State product has hit safely in 20 of 24 games, going 28-for-76 (.368) over that timeframe, including four doubles and two triples.

Despite the hot stretch, the counting stats have been light, with just five RBI and 10 runs scored over the aforementioned 24-game stretch, but that could change after moving back to the top of the order over the Guardians' past four contests (batted seventh or ninth for the most part before that).

Still available in over 50 percent of leagues, Kwan could offer batting average help with multi-category upside if he stays hot and atop the lineup.

Luis Rengifo (.467 BA)

Luis Rengifo began the season with the Brewers, but struggled to a .205 average with zero home runs and a .049 ISO through 57 games before being released. The Padres picked him up, and the veteran has garnered consistent playing time over the last week, making the most of it, too.

Luis Rengifo has made it a 1-run game against the Braves in the 9th with a 2-run home run

His first in a #Padres uniform pic.twitter.com/WkYVxvY7ms

— Padres Highlights (@FriarHighlights) July 23, 2026

The switch-hitter is 7-for-15 (.467) in his last four games, including his first home run of the season while earning a start at second base, two starts at DH, and he also came on as a pinch-hitter and then played some outfield.

That type of versatility could give him opportunities to play regularly, and there is potential in his bat. Despite his early-season struggles, the 29-year-old currently owns the best contact and strikeout rate of his career, and is just a couple seasons removed from a 2024 campaign in which he registered a .300 batting average and 24 steals (in only 78 games). He also hit at least 16 home runs in each of the two previous seasons.

The 5-foot-9 Venezuelan is available in nearly all leagues and is eligible at 2B, 3B, and OF. Managers in deeper 12+ team leagues should give him a look.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 7/22

Victor Mesa Jr. (.600 ISO)

Victor Mesa Jr. missed some time while with Triple-A Durham earlier this year, but in the 21 games he played, he hit a sizzling .350 with seven doubles, a triple, and three home runs while adding three steals (caught six times, too). The 5-foot-11 Cuban failed to translate that success to the majors after his recall in May, producing a lowly .171/.281/.303 slash line over a 28-game stretch.

However, the 24-year-old is 11-for-28 (.393) over his last 10 games, with five of his eight home runs coming during that time, along with eight RBI, five runs scored, and two steals (one caught).

Victor Mesa Jr. goes yard for a 3rd straight game 💥 pic.twitter.com/1qJi9i4ZbG

— MLB (@MLB) July 20, 2026

A high-ish strikeout rate of 23.3 percent may limit his batting average, but an 11.5 percent barrel rate could foretell more home runs to come, or at least more extra-base hits.

He's available in over 90 percent of leagues, but could be a speculative power option in deeper leagues (think 14+ teams or five-plus outfield position leagues).

Tyler Stephenson (.533 ISO)

Tyler Stephenson popped here mostly due to a game in which he doubled and hit two home runs, but he's actually been hitting well for a while now. Despite a .244 average on the season, the former first-rounder is 19-for-53 (.358) over his last 15 games, so perhaps he's shaking off some early-season struggles.

The veteran backstop was highlighted in my Week 5 article as an "xwOBA Underachiever" who, based on his expected stats, was looking ready for an eventual rebound. It took a while, but better late than never, I suppose.

The 29-year-old's expected stats are still higher than his actual stats, so this run could have some legs. Even if the batting average doesn't hold up, though, with hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity (EV) all coming in at 76th percentile or better, the home runs and extra-base hits should continue. The 6-foot-3 slugger is available in over 90 percent of leagues, but could be viable in deeper and two-catcher leagues.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 7/22

Joey Ortiz (three SB)

There hasn't been much to get excited about with Joey Ortiz, with a .239/.310/.352 slash line, .295 wOBA, and 85 wRC+ so far this season, but three steals in a week will get you noticed here.

When we look closer, the season-long numbers disguise what has been a productive last 20 games for the former fourth-round draft pick, who is hitting .344 (21-for-61) with four doubles, a triple, three home runs, 11 RBI, and nine runs scored with a .421 wOBA and 169 wRC+ over that span, not to mention the three steals.

He's got eight steals now on the year, and had 14 last season in 149 games, so with 91st percentile sprint speed, more could be on the way so long as he keeps hitting. Managers searching for steals should give him a look, with the 28-year-old available pretty much everywhere, while also being eligible at both 3B and SS.

xwOBA Leaders July 16 - July 22

Data through 7/22

Austin Riley (.507 xwOBA)

We usually like to highlight players that are underowned here, but this top 10 is full of highly-rostered players, except maybe Gabriel Moreno, but I've discussed him in three previous articles, so if you haven't rostered him already, it's probably too late. So, we'll just put Austin Riley managers' minds at ease.

Riley has struggled mightily this year to the tune of a .216/.295/.355 slash line with a .291 wOBA and 81 wRC+. Not the kind of stats you want from your starting fantasy third baseman that you likely used a relatively high draft pick on. The previous two seasons were torpedoed by injuries, but fully healthy, this was supposed to be a bounce-back year for the two-time All-Star.

Austin Riley's second homer of the game is a frozen rope over the wall 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/GHmNAIZ0HX

— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026

Well, the good news for fantasy managers is that he is 8-for-23 (.348) over his last six games, but not only that -- he is finally hitting the ball hard. After posting a 90.3 average EV over the first 95 games of the year with a 9.9 percent barrel rate and 41.8 percent hard-hit rate, the 29-year-old has recorded an average EV of 96.5 with a 31.3 percent barrel rate and 75.0 percent hard-hit rate during this six-game hot streak.

When he gets going like this, a stout batting average along with a plethora of home runs usually follows, so hang in there, Riley managers; it should be a bountiful second half.

xwOBA Laggards July 16 - July 22

Data through 7/22

Cooper Pratt (.181 xwOBA)

Cooper Pratt had a four-game stretch just before the All-Star break in which he collected two hits in each of those four games, and within the past week, the former sixth-rounder had a three-hit game that also included his first MLB home run. That may look appealing, and even more so given his ability to steal some bases, but if the above stat is any indication, maybe take a minute before you decide to roster him.

Despite the seemingly nice stretch recently, the 6-foot-4 slugger's wOBA over the past week came in at just .294, but his xwOBA was even worse, coming in at just .181. The right-handed hitter's average EV over the past week was just 86.9, so, unlike Riley, Pratt is not hitting the ball hard. It could be a sign of some upcoming struggles at the plate, so maybe hold off on picking him up.

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