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

August 21, 2026

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 22 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 22 of the 2026 MLB regular season. The goal of this article is to highlight players who could be getting hot, review current active hitting streaks, and look at recent leaders in batting average, isolated power (ISO), stolen bases, and more.

This week, we'll take a look at players like Alejandro Kirk, Rafael Flores Jr., and Kody Clemens. The focus in this column is on players who have a good chance to be available on your waiver wire.

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 22 of the 2026 MLB season.

Hit Streak Leaders

Data through 8/19

Taylor Walls (10 games) 

At just one percent rostered, Taylor Walls has clearly been flying under the fantasy radar, but it might be time to take notice. The veteran is the owner of a 10-game hit streak, during which time he's 11-for-33 (.333) with a pair of home runs, eight RBI, six runs scored, and one stolen base.

The last statistic is the key here, with the 30-year-old having swiped 19 bags so far this year despite hitting just .224 on the season and logging only 360 plate appearances (for comparison, Xavier Edwards also has 19 SB in 537 plate appearances).

Should more hits follow, so will the stolen bases. Don't expect much power production, but the switch-hitter is putting the bat on the ball well as of late, with just an 8.3 percent strikeout rate during the hit streak. Expected stats don't provide much hope for continued success (.192 xBA, .249 xwOBA), but fantasy managers could ride the wave until it stops and collect the steals along the way.

Alejandro Kirk (eight games)

A four-hit game back on August 6 may have foretold a coming breakout for Alejandro Kirk. The diminutive backstop is riding an eight-game hit streak, which includes five multi-hit efforts, going 14-for-33 (.424) with two doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, five runs scored, and more walks (five) than strikeouts (two).

ANOTHER ONE 🚀

Back-to-back games with a Kirk blast! pic.twitter.com/uOce30msD9

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 19, 2026

The right-handed hitter is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and is on track to match that performance in many respects, although he's missed quite a bit of time to injury this year. Last year, he hit .282 with a .334 wOBA and 116 wRC+ in 130 games. This year, he's hitting exactly .282 again, with a .340 wOBA, and 119 wRC+ in 52 games.

His low strikeout rate should allow him to continue to put the bat on the ball, and hitting in the middle of the Jays' lineup should continue to provide plenty of RBI opportunities. The 27-year-old has seen a 16 percent jump in rostership week-over-week, but can still be found on the wire in over 50 percent of leagues. He could be a sneaky difference-maker for the fantasy stretch run.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 8/19

Michael Massey (.529 BA)

With a pair of three-hit efforts over the past week, Michael Massey finds his way onto this list. But he hasn't just been hitting well lately. The left-handed hitter batted .294 in June, .266 in July, and stands at .327 so far in August. The result is a .292/.329/.449 slash line with a .338 wOBA and 114 wRC+ since June 1.

Michael Massey sends one to the seats! pic.twitter.com/soyrqbA20j

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) August 15, 2026

He's been manning second base for the Royals, but is eligible at both 2B and OF, adding some flexibility for fantasy. Like the aforementioned Walls, expected stats say he's been more successful than the numbers indicate he should have been, but there's at least more power upside here, with 11 home runs so far in 2026. The 28-year-old is available in nearly all leagues for the taking.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 8/19

Rafael Flores Jr. (.696 ISO)

Rafael Flores Jr. has received regular at-bats over the past week and has made the most of them, going 10-for-23 (.435) with a double, five home runs, 10 RBI, and eight runs scored over the last seven games. The 6-foot-3 slugger has seen time at both catcher and first base over the past week, both of which are positions he's eligible for fantasy, too.

Rafael Flores Jr. ties the game with his second homer of the day! pic.twitter.com/YOL71hAMDo

— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2026

If he can continue to earn playing time, perhaps even mixing in as designated hitter as well, then additional production should follow. The right-handed hitter blasted 22 home runs in the minors last year and 21 the year before, so the power potential is there. The 25-year-old has seen his rostership increase 10 percent week-over-week, but is still available in over 85 percent of leagues.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 8/19

Connor Norby (two SB)

Connor Norby got off to a slow start with his new club after being dealt to the Rockies, going 0-for-7 in his first three games there, although he was able to draw four walks over that span compared to only three strikeouts. Since then, the former second-round draft pick has collected a hit in five consecutive games, going 6-for-16 (.375) during that time, with four of the six hits going for extra bases (all doubles).

The East Carolina product has decent speed, and his eight steals so far this year have already matched a career high. That may not move the needle for most fantasy managers, but those scouring the wire for stolen base production should take note, especially given the recent success at the plate, which could lead to additional opportunities to steal.

The 26-year-old is available in most every league and is eligible at 1B, 2B, and 3B, adding to his fantasy appeal.

xwOBA Leaders Last Seven Days

Data through 8/19

Kody Clemens (.451 xwOBA)

The next two hitters have swapped places, as Kody Clemens' xwOBA was recently surprisingly low for a player with decent pop. Well, the left-handed hitter has turned it around over the past week and could be primed to go on another power surge.

During his current four-game hit streak, the former third-rounder owns an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph, a barrel rate of 21.4 percent, and a hard-hit rate of 50.0 percent. He's up to 21 home runs so far this year, which is a new career high. With 34 games left for the Twins to play, he should top 25 home runs in 2026.

The 30-year-old could be a drain on batting average at times, but with 61 RBI, 58 runs scored, and eight steals to boot, he's been a solid multi-category contributor this season (.326 wOBA, 108 wRC+). Hopefully the high xwOBA is an indicator of a rebound in batting average, but for managers who can stomach the risk, Clemens should be a roster consideration. He is still available in over 60 percent of leagues.

xwOBA Laggards Last Seven Days

Data through 8/19

Spencer Jones (.153 xwOBA)

Spencer Jones looked like he was potentially turning things around recently, but his xwOBA over the past week could indicate some bouts of futility could still be in the offing. It's not surprising for someone with such a propensity to swing and miss, but what is especially concerning is that he's now gone 15 games without a home run.

For a guy who relies on the long ball for fantasy relevance, if he's not hitting home runs and driving runners in, then the 6-foot-7 slugger isn't worth playing, let alone rostering. A 36.2 percent strikeout rate during the drought and a 37.4 percent rate for the season is only bearable if the power production is flowing -- think Kyle Schwarber, who strikes out at a 33.8 percent clip but has 37 home runs and a 139 wRC+.

Jones, on the other hand, owns an 89 wRC+ this year.

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