Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 22)

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 22 of 2025. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters so far.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 22 of the 2025 MLB season. The focus of this article is to highlight players who could be on the verge of a breakout, citing current active hitting streaks along with recent leaders in batting average, stolen bases, and isolated power (ISO).

This week, we'll check in on some hot names like Michael Harris II, Jake McCarthy, and Miguel Andujar. We'll also take a look at some guys stealing bases, one much more surprising than the other.

Who should fantasy managers look to grab off the waiver wire or even plug into their DFS lineup this week? Let's check it out below!

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Hit Streak Leaders

Data through 8/20

Tyler Soderstrom was the streak leader last week, and he remains atop the list. This week, let's talk about someone else instead.

Michael Harris II (11 games)

After a slow start to the season and hitting just .238 on June 13, Michael Harris II went into an even worse funk, going 7-for-75 (.093) over his next 22 games, leaving his batting average sitting at .205 after an 0-for-4 day at the plate on July 10.

Searching for an answer, Harris made an adjustment to his swing, raising his hands and opening his batting stance, and it has completely turned around his season.

Maybe the craziest turnaround of the second half has come from Michael Harris II 👏

(MLB x @MattressFirm) pic.twitter.com/dftp2CpxA5

— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2025

The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year has gone 54-for-142 (.380) in the 35 games since, which includes 10 doubles, three triples, and 10 home runs during that time, good for a 1.097 OPS and 203 wRC+.

The only two players with a higher wRC+ during that stretch were Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (204) and Nick Kurtz (266).

Now riding an 11-game hit streak, the 24-year-old shows no signs of slowing down, and if history is any indication, he could keep rolling right on through to the end of the year as August and September have been his best months in terms of wRC+ so far in his young career, posting a 152 and 136 in those months, respectively.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 8/20, minimum 13 at-bats

Jake McCarthy (.538 BA)

My initial reaction was to talk about Brooks Baldwin, but then I saw McCarthy staring me in the face, and I flashed back to last season when he got scorching hot for a stretch in the second half of the season. That was a 17-game stretch that ran from late July to mid-August.

Over that span, the left-handed slugger went 29-for-63 (.460) with two doubles, three triples, three home runs, and four steals. It also included 19 RBI and 11 runs scored. I add that context to remind you what he's capable of when he gets on a roll.

It hasn't been quite the same season for the 28-year-old, as he's spent much of 2025 at Triple-A, but it's worth noting that he slashed .314/.401/.440 at Reno with a low 13.9 percent strikeout rate, 12 steals, and 43 runs scored in 49 games.

It took a little while to get going once back with the D-backs, but he is once again on a roll. The 39th overall selection from the 2018 Draft has collected multiple hits in four of his last five games, going 10-for-21 (.476) with a double, a home run, three RBI, four runs scored, and three steals during that time.

Jake McCarthy - Arizona Diamondbacks (3)
pic.twitter.com/OGGlModEl2

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 20, 2025

He doesn't get much play against left-handed pitchers, but hit them well last season when given the chance (albeit without any power), batting .284 versus lefties (147 PA) and .286 versus righties (348 PA).

He's been hitting up and down the batting order for Arizona, but if he can settle into the upper part of the lineup, then it would make him all the more appealing, especially if his hot hitting can earn him more playing time.

At just 10 percent rostered, McCarthy is still available in most leagues, but can contribute across categories if given the chance, and could be that late-season pickup that helps send fantasy managers to the playoffs.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 8/20, minimum 13 at-bats

Myles Straw is an interesting name, but when you look closer, much of his production in the last week came from a 4-for-5, two-homer game. Still, he's also the only one listed here who has any steals over the last seven days (although both of those also came in a single game).

Mike Yastrzemski (.476 ISO)

Yastrzemski hit a home run in his first game as a Royal back on August 1, and his next a week later on August 8, but then endured a 0-for-16 stretch over the next five games. That stretch included five walks, though, showing that he can still get on base even if the bat goes cold.

The veteran has followed that miserable stretch with a five-game hit streak, during which time he's hit a double and slugged three more home runs, in addition to recording a 3:1 BB:K in 20 plate appearances.

Jake McCarthy - Arizona Diamondbacks (3)
pic.twitter.com/OGGlModEl2

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 20, 2025

Notably, the 34-year-old has hit leadoff for the Royals in 11 of the last 12 games he's played. While he doesn't run much, he has set a new career high in stolen bases with six this year, so it's possible that if he continues to get on base out of the leadoff spot, he racks up a few more steals down the stretch.

If you're not sold on his services as it relates to season-long leagues, so long as he's hitting atop the lineup in Kansas City, he should be in play for DFS.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 8/20

Jose Caballero (five SBs)

Did you know that Caballero is the league leader in stolen bases? Well, he is, and he has 40 of them in just 302 plate appearances. That's more than the speedy Chandler Simpson, who has the second-most with 36 in 303 PA. Jose Ramirez is tied for second-most with 36, but it took him 527 PA to get there.

José Caballero picks up stolen base No. 4️⃣0️⃣! pic.twitter.com/2DRmkYn0X4

— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2025

The problem for Caballero is playing time. Despite being eligible all over the diamond (2B, 3B, and OF on Yahoo!), the 28-year-old does not earn everyday at-bats. It explains why he's only 29 percent rostered, but be on the lookout -- if he earns more playing time due to an injury, he could be off to the races.

Jared Triolo (three SBs)

Triolo sticks out in this group. He's got eight stolen bases all season, but three of them have come in the last week alone.

The 27-year-old's .193 batting average for the season surely turns managers away, but if you just focus on August, he's 15-for-51 (.294). If you're scraping the bottom of the barrel for steals at this point in the season, Triolo might just steal a few more while he's hitting better.

August wRC+ Leaders

Data through 8/20

I spoke about Brice Turang, Jakob Marsee, and Shea Langeliers in last week's article, and Michael Harris II above, so let's talk about the next player on the list...

Miguel Andujar (202 wRC+)

Andujar has made a good first impression on his new team. Since being dealt to Cincinnati from the Athletics, the 30-year-old has gone 18-for-47 (.383) with four doubles and three home runs.

Miguel Andujar just destroyed a baseball, folks. pic.twitter.com/Y1lN2wyKRd

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 10, 2025

He's also tallied 11 RBI while hitting predominantly in the middle of the order, and so long as that's where he continues to hit, the Dominican should continue to pile up the RBI.

He was hitting the ball well with the A's as well, so this isn't something new for him, now slashing .313/.350/.475 on the year with nine home runs and a low 14.1 percent strikeout rate. The right-handed slugger is available in over 60 percent of Yahoo! leagues and is eligible at both 3B and OF.

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