Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 14)

June 26, 2026

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 14 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 14 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.

Last week, Zack Gelof (hand) and Samad Taylor were some solid callouts who kept on producing, though Gelof is now on the injured list with a hand contusion. Some of the highlights for this week include Jake McCarthy, Jasson Dominguez, and Lars Nootbaar. Many of the hitters discussed here 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 14 of the 2026 MLB season.

Hit Streak Leaders

Data through 6/24

Carter Jensen was highlighted in last week's article, and you fantasy managers did the right thing, as his rostership increased 23 percent week over week. Now, the 22-year-old owns the longest hit streak in the majors at 15 games. Donovan Walton was highlighted, too, and he's on this list with a nine-game streak. The case for a Gabriel Moreno (nine games) was outlined in Week 12's article.

Jake McCarthy (13 games)

Jake McCarthy has been hitting well for a while now, but has been particularly productive as of late, now riding a 13-game hit streak that includes multi-hit efforts in four of his last eight. During the 13-game hit streak, the left-handed hitter is 19-for-58 (.328) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases.

JAKE McCARTHY LEADOFF INSIDE-THE-PARKER! pic.twitter.com/uVdLaFZnie

— MLB (@MLB) June 21, 2026

For the season, the 28-year-old is slashing .296/.338/.465 with five home runs, 12 steals, a .347 wOBA, and 107 wRC+. The former 39th-overall draft pick had a down season in 2025, but hit .285 with eight home runs and 25 steals in 2024 and had a nearly identical season in 2023, so this run of production is not unprecedented.

The counting stats like RBI and runs scored may not amount to much, but McCarthy could provide useful average and stolen base production. Then again, some may recall his August to remember in 2024 when he hit .311 with five home runs, 25 RBI, 17 runs scored, and five steals in 26 games, so his statistical ceiling is pretty high. The 6-foot slugger is rostered in just 16 percent of leagues, but that number should be higher.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 6/24

Caleb Durbin (.458 BA)

It took a couple of weeks, but the Caleb Durbin rebound that I made the case for in my Week 6 article back on May 3 appears to have fully taken shape, with his BABIP normalizing and the disparity between his BA and xBA shrinking considerably between then and now.

Since May 28, the right-handed hitter is hitting .317, and has been even hotter lately, going 11-for-24 (.458) with three doubles, two home runs, four RBI, four runs scored, and two steals over his last seven games.

The former 14th-round draft pick makes plenty of contact, with his Whiff% and K% both 86th percentile or better, per Baseball Savant. Continuing to hit should be a boon to his stolen base output, and hitting atop the Boston lineup should afford ongoing run-scoring opportunities.

Many disenchanted managers cut bait with the 26-year-old, and although his rostership increased eight percent week over week, he's still available in over 80 percent of leagues. Eligible at both 2B and 3B, Durbin is worth another look here.

Owen Caissie (.438 BA)

Owen Caissie had the look of a value pick very early on in the season, collecting a hit in six of his first seven games with two home runs, nine RBI, four runs scored, and a steal. However, he followed that up with a 55-game stretch in which he batted just .188 with a .254 wOBA and 56 wRC+.

Such is the life of an MLB power hitter who owns a lowly 67.5 percent contact rate and league-worst 39.2 percent strikeout rate. The former second-round draft pick is hot lately, though, going 8-for-21 (.381) with a double, three home runs, eight RBI, five runs scored, and a steal over his last seven games.

Owen Caissie blasts a three-run home to extend Miami's lead to 5-1.

14 RBI in the month of June

What a swing. pic.twitter.com/9kewh4LOX8

— Isaac Azout (@IsaacAzout) June 24, 2026

The 6-foot-4 slugger's power was always his calling card in the minors, not so much his hit tool, so there will be some high peaks and very low valleys, but right now, he's usable for fantasy. The 23-year-old is rostered in just five percent of leagues, and if you don't feel confident about using him in season-long, make sure he is facing a right-hander if deploying in DFS, as he's recorded a .074 ISO and 63 wRC+ against LHP compared to a .217 ISO and 96 wRC+ versus RHP so far this year.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 6/24

Randal Grichuk (.611 ISO)

Randal Grichuk has always boasted good power, even belting as many as 31 home runs back in 2019, but the veteran has played for six different teams and hasn't played in more than 118 games since 2023, which has limited his output. The 34-year-old is once again showing off the power stroke as of late, tallying two doubles and three home runs in his last six games.

Many of his at-bats have come as a pinch hitter, as the right-handed hitter has become a lefty-hitting specialist over the years. For his career, the former first-rounder owns a .352 wOBA and 121 wRC+ versus LHP compared to .310 and 92 versus RHP. In 2026, the contrast is even more stark, with a .457 wOBA and 196 wRC+ versus LHP compared to .240 and 48 versus RHP.

Managers scouring the wire in the deepest of leagues, looking for power production, could consider picking up Grichuk, who is available nearly everywhere, and if considering him in DFS, make sure he's facing a southpaw.

Jonny DeLuca (.444 ISO)

Jonny DeLuca stole 16 bags in 2024 in only 107 games and was off to a great start in 2025 before a shoulder injury sidelined him for a few months, and then a hamstring injury ended his season in August. He finished with a .333 average and six steals in 20 games last year. The University of Oregon product has already surpassed his steal total from a season ago, now with seven, but that's not why he's here in this article.

Jonny DeLuca knew he got all of this go-ahead homer 😤 pic.twitter.com/CA9DhdvRRS

— MLB (@MLB) June 21, 2026

The power is what put him here after he smacked two doubles and a pair of home runs over the last week. The right-handed hitter showed some pop during his time in the minors with multiple 20-homer seasons to his name, and is on pace for double-digits this season. Together with the potential for 15-plus steals makes him an intriguing add for fantasy.

A move to the second spot in the order in three of his last four should also help his counting stats, so the 27-year-old is worth a look in deep leagues. At just one percent rostered, he's available in most leagues.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 6/24

Some interesting names on here, particularly Cooper Pratt and Henry Bolte for those in deeper leagues looking for steals, but let's take a look at another low-rostered option that could help in shallower leagues, too.

Jasson Dominguez (four SB)

Once a top prospect in all of baseball, injuries, underperformance, and opportunity have eroded Jasson Dominguez's fantasy value, however, the switch-hitter has all of those things working in his favor right now. The 5-foot-9 Dominican is healthy and productive, going 7-for-23 (.304) over his last six games, including two doubles, a home run, and four steals.

He began the year in the minors with the Yankees having a glut of options in the outfield, but with Aaron Judge (ribs), Giancarlo Stanton (calf), and Trent Grisham (hamstring) all currently on the injured list, there should be no shortage of playing time for the youngster.

Yes, he is still young, so we can call him a youngster. It feels like he's been around forever, breaking in with the organization in 2018 and debuting in 2023, but he is still only 23 years old. Perhaps this is the chance for him to put it all together, and at the very least, maybe he can steal a bunch of bases. Managers looking for help in that department should pick him up, and any other production on top of that is gravy.

Dominguez is available in over 80 percent of leagues.

xwOBA Leaders June 18 - June 24

Data through 6/24

Lars Nootbaar (.450 xwOBA)

Lars Nootbaar returned from the injured list in early June, and after a rough 3-for-18 (.167) start, the left-handed hitter has gone 14-for-41 (.341) in the 12 games since and has been a run-scoring machine, scoring a run in 10 of those 12 contests. In the last four games, he's stroked a pair of doubles and a triple, so more extra-base hits could be on the way.

We are pleased to inform you that LARS NOOTBAAR IS BACK! pic.twitter.com/Jqz7RBV1uZ

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 6, 2026

The former eighth-round draft pick has two home runs so far through 17 games, and has had four straight seasons with double-digit homers, so he's got some power. It's a small sample, but his barrel rate of 13.3 percent is the best mark of his career so far, as is his 84.7 percent contact rate. As good as he's been lately, his xwOBA of .450 over the last week is higher than his actual wOBA of .424, so all in all, this hot stretch could have legs.

The 28-year-old is available in most leagues, but has the potential to be a solid multi-category contributor and is roster-worthy in deep leagues, and could eventually provide enough appeal for even standard 12-teamers.

xwOBA Laggards June 18 - June 24

Data through 6/24

Drake Baldwin (.093 xwOBA)

Drake Baldwin managers were loving life before his oblique injury, and in his first at-bat back from the injured list, the 25-year-old homered, proving he was healed and on back on his way to being the top-ranked catcher in fantasy, right? Wrong. Oh, so wrong. Since that home run, the left-handed slugger is 1-for-31 (.032) and hitless in six straight contests.

One would hope to chalk this up to rust and some bad luck, but the former Rookie of the Year simply isn't hitting the ball much, evidenced by a 57.6 percent strikeout rate, and when he does make contact, it isn't hard. Based on his 2025 season and how he was hitting to start the year, he'll likely turn it around at some point, but with a .093 xwOBA over the last week, it might not be any time soon.

As one of the best hitters in baseball against left-handers before the injury, the 6-foot backstop is now taking an occasional seat against southpaws, as he did on Wednesday, so even his playing time is being impacted by the underperformance. Managers certainly shouldn't cut bait, but there are plenty of reasons to bench him until he shows signs of breaking out of this terrible slump.

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