Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 5)

April 26, 2026

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 5 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 5 of the 2026 MLB regular 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, isolated power (ISO), stolen bases, and more.

In last week's article, Daniel Schneemann and Jeremiah Jackson were a couple of good callouts who kept on hitting, and we'll take a look again to see who are some worthwhile waiver pickups or DFS plays. This week, we'll check in on some hot names like Ildemaro Vargas, Nolan Arenado, and Josh Jung.

Note that when we talk about availability or position eligibility here, we're referring to players' rostership in Yahoo! leagues. So, who should fantasy managers consider grabbing off the waiver wire after the fourth week of the season, or even plug into their DFS lineup in the coming week? Let's check it out below!

Hit Streak Leaders

Data through 4/22

Ildemaro Vargas (17 games)

Yes, you see that correctly, Vargas owns the league's longest hit streak at 17 games. He was featured in my article two weeks ago and again in last week's Breakout Watch article, so hopefully you picked him up and rode out this hot streak, yet the 34-year-old is still available in over 70 percent of leagues.

Ildemaro Vargas will not be stopped. pic.twitter.com/mQXBiMTPN3

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 23, 2026

The switch-hitter isn't just hitting singles either, with five doubles, a triple, and five home runs during this hot stretch, not to mention 14 runs scored and 16 runs driven in. In all, it equates to a .467 wOBA and 197 wRC+.

Perhaps some managers are assuming the drop-off in production is right around the corner, but he's making a lot of contact (84.6 percent) and doesn't strike out much (13.0 percent), so expect him to keep putting the bat on the ball.

One more interesting note... the Venezuelan ended 2025 on a three-game hit streak, so technically his streak is 20 games long. Furthermore, if you take away the three times he went hitless as a pinch-hitter, he's hit safely in 34 of his last 36 games! Vargas has been locked in since late last year and shows no signs of slowing down. He's also eligible at both 1B and 3B, adding to his appeal. What are you waiting for?

(Update: Vargas went 1-for-4 on Thursday, extending his streak to 18 games)

Masyn Winn (eight games)

Masyn Winn is an intriguing name who can be found in around 60 percent of leagues. He hit 15 home runs, scored 85 runs, and stole 11 bases in his 104 wRC+ season of 2024. Currently riding an eight-game hit streak, the former second-round draft pick has also scored at least one run in four straight and six in this hot stretch.

Notably, he's even driven in eight runs during the hit streak, something he hasn't been known to do much of. While that type of RBI production may not last, the run-scoring should continue, and the steals are what stand out. With three so far in 82 plate appearances, that's a 20-steal pace if he can reach just 550 PA this season. That alone is worth giving him a look.

Kevin McGonigle (seven games)

For anyone who wasn't sold on Kevin McGonigle, the rookie is proving he belongs in the major leagues. The youngster is currently in the midst of a seven-game hit streak and has hit safely in 19 of the 23 games he's started this season. Although he's got just one home run thus far, the left-handed slugger has nine doubles and two triples on the season, and has an extra-base hit in three consecutive games.

Maybe most impressive of all is that he's walked (14) more times than he's struck out (13). Remember, this kid never even played a single game at Triple-A! All in all, the former 37th-overall draft pick is slashing .322/.413/.500 with a .407 wOBA and 159 wRC+. At 89 percent rostered, you won't find him on the wire in many leagues, but he looks like a solid DFS play most days, especially against right-handers.

(Update: McGonigle went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored on Thursday)

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 4/22, minimum 13 at-bats

Nolan Arenado (.471 AVG)

A four-hit game on Wednesday is a big reason Arenado is on this list; however, it was just one of five multi-hit performances over his last eight games, during which time he's gone 12-for-30 (.400) with four home runs, 11 RBI, and seven runs scored.

Nolan Arenado puts the @Dbacks in double digits! pic.twitter.com/D2KWPjTST1

— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2026

For the season, the veteran is striking out (20.2 percent) and making less contact (75.2 percent) than he has over the course of his career, but perhaps this recent stretch is the beginning of regression to the mean.

The 35-year-old is just 13 percent rostered, but managers looking for a hot third-base bat should give the eight-time All-Star a look, as he doesn't look done yet.

(Update: Arenado went 1-for-4 on Thursday)

Eloy Jimenez (.467 AVG)

Look who's back! Eloy Jimenez began his career with a 31-homer campaign back in 2019, but injuries limited him to less than 100 games every year since, except for 2023. Since leaving the White Sox, the right-handed hitter has spent time with Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and now Toronto.

Currently healthy (knock on wood), the former top prospect has been back in the majors since mid-April and has been collecting hits, going 7-for-14 (.500) over the last five games as the Jays' designated hitter (1-for-1 as a pinch hitter). Unfortunately, the 6-foot-4 slugger has yet to record an extra-base hit, but with an average exit velocity (EV) of 92.9 on the last 13 batted balls, there's sure to be some on the way.

The 29-year-old is available in nearly all leagues and is worth a look while he's getting at-bats. Those may dwindle once the Jays get some key offensive pieces back, but for now, Jimenez is in the lineup and producing.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 4/22, minimum 13 at-bats

Josh Jung (.583 ISO)

After starting the season 0-for-17, Jung has turned it around. Since then, in a stretch of 17 games, the former first-rounder is 23-for-59 (.390). It was not until April 12, though, that the extra-base hits started flowing. The right-handed slugger has eight doubles and three home runs since April 12, a period of 10 games.

During that time, he also recorded 10 of his 11 RBI and scored seven of his nine runs, while posting a 5:6 BB:K. The productive stretch has pushed his season-long slash line to .303/.357/.526 with a .386 wOBA and 147 wRC+.

Jung had a 23-homer season back in 2023, so we know there's power in his bat, but that season came with a 29.3 percent strikeout rate. The 28-year-old is striking out at just a 17.9 percent clip in 2026, so he may be able to contribute a solid average, too. He's available in about 75 percent of leagues, but that number should be lower.

(Update: Jung went 1-for-3, was hit by a pitch, and a run scored on Thursday)

Miguel Vargas (.480 ISO)

Taking a leap on Miguel Vargas is not for the faint of heart, as he was batting .153 after the conclusion of games on April 18, and despite going 5-for-11 (.455) since then, he's still below the Mendoza Line at .193.

Miguel Vargas has now homered in three games straight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kCbmgUbuFH

— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2026

However, when a player homers in three straight games, we as fantasy managers and DFS players need to take notice. The 26-year-old is coming off a 16-homer campaign in 2025, a number that is in play for 2026, and could be on his way to blowing past his career-high six steals that were set last year. With four swipes already, he's on pace for 20 or more, which substantially increases his fantasy value.

The right-handed hitter is available in over 70 percent of leagues and is eligible at both 1B and 3B. For some decent power and maybe some sneaky steals, Vargas is worthy of roster consideration.

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 4/22

Jose Caballero (three SBs)

With three steals this past week and nine on the year, Jose Caballero is well on his way to his third consecutive season with at least 40 steals. What's different right now is that he's also hitting well, going 13-for-40 (.325) over his last 11 games, with three doubles, a home run, seven RBI, and six runs scored over that stretch.

The 29-year-old owns just a 73 wRC+ thus far, but for managers looking for steals, he should be under consideration. Add in the fact that he's eligible at 2B, 3B, SS, and OF, there's even more appeal. The right-handed hitter is available in more than 30 percent of leagues.

(Update: Caballero went 2-for-4 with a double on Thursday)

xwOBA Underachievers April 16 - April 22

Tyler Stephenson (.259 vs. .344)

Have a look at the following chart from Baseball Savant:

This looks like a player you'd be interested in, right? A solid 13.2 percent barrel rate, a 94th percentile hard-hit rate with an average EV higher than nearly every player in the league, and someone who does not chase pitches, which leads to a ton of walks. That's Tyler Stephenson's Baseball Savant page, and with all that hard contact, it's unfortunate that he's hitting just .158 with a .259 wOBA and an ugly 55 wRC+.

BUT, the 6-foot-3 backstop is in this section of the article because, based on his expected stats, we should see those numbers begin to rise. His expected batting average is .230 with an xSLG of .424 and an xwOBA of .344, all of which are much more respectable levels. With 19 home runs as recently as 2024 on the back of just a 7.6 percent barrel rate, there's reason to believe that once he gets going, the home runs should follow.

He may not be in consideration in shallow leagues, but for managers in deep and two-catcher leagues, Stephenson could be a viable option. Keep an eye out for a big game, and watch the momentum continue.

xwOBA Overachievers April 16 - April 22

Hunter Goodman (.383 vs. .320)

Hunter Goodman is off to a nice start this season, batting .264 with six home runs, a .383 wOBA, and a 128 wRC+. But can it last? Last season, the former fourth-rounder finished the year with a large discrepancy between wOBA (.359) and xwOBA (.324), as well as batting average (.278) and xBA (.244), so perhaps this is nothing.

The problem right now is that Goodman has a sky-high strikeout rate (37.1 percent) that is more than 10 percent higher than last season's number, and he owns a poor contact rate (64.4 percent), which is over five percent worse than last year. This makes his strong start feel tenuous, and that a cold stretch could be on the way. There's likely no concern about the power, but it could come at the expense of very poor batting average in the short-to-intermediate term.

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