Hitter Fantasy Baseball Breakouts - Risers to Watch and Waiver Wire Outlooks (Week 6)

May 3, 2026

Jarod's hitter fantasy baseball breakouts, sleepers, and risers to watch for Week 6 of 2026. His list includes waiver wire outlooks and underachieving hitters.

Welcome back to my Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters article for Week 6 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, Nolan Arenado, Miguel Vargas, and Kevin McGonigle were a few 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 Josh Jung, Cole Young, and Nathaniel Lowe.

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 fifth 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 4/29

Ildemaro Vargas (22 games)

Ildemaro Vargas was included in my Breakout Watch article for Week 3 when he was available in nearly every league, and was outlined again ahead of Week 4 and Week 5, so I won't spend much time on him here. However, he's still hot, riding a 22-game hit streak, and is still available in 40 percent of leagues.

(Update: Vargas went 2-for-4 on Thursday to extend his streak to 23 games)

Nick Gonzales (10 games)

Nick Gonzales is swinging a hot bat right now, currently in the midst of a 10-game hit streak, which includes six multi-hit efforts, during which time he is 18-for-40 (.450) with five RBI, six runs scored, and a stolen base. The recent stretch has pushed his season-long slash line to .324/.361/.373 with a .333 wOBA and 107 wRC+.

The drawback here is that there isn't a lot of power, with just two doubles during the recent hot streak, and he's yet to hit a home run this year. Still, hitting in the middle of the Pirates' lineup should continue to present RBI opportunities, and in addition to being available in over 90 percent of leagues, the former seventh-overall draft pick is eligible at 2B, 3B, and SS.

(Update: Gonzales went 0-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch, but his streak came to an end)

Josh Jung (nine games)

In last week's Breakout Watch article, Josh Jung was highlighted because of the barrage of extra-base hits he had been producing over the previous week, but he's also consistently getting hits now, too. The former eighth-overall draft pick is riding a nine-game hit streak, during which time he's gone 12-for-32 (.375) with four doubles and two home runs.

Josh Jung's 4th homer of the year is a go-ahead shot for the @Rangers 😤 pic.twitter.com/9MV7lcU3qW

— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2026

The right-handed slugger is now the author of a .317-4-17-12-1 stat line through 28 games, with a .403 wOBA and 158 wRC+. The Texas Tech product has been added in 19 percent of leagues since last week, but is still available in about half of leagues despite being a top-10 producer at the third base position for fantasy so far.

Having hit 23 homers in 122 games in 2023, the power is there, and with the ability to hit for a solid average, Jung should be rostered in most leagues (just make sure you're adding him and not his brother, Jace Jung!).

Marcelo Mayer (eight games)

Marcelo Mayer's Baseball Savant page looks a lot like Gonzales' page -- a lot of blue when it comes to the power indicators. However, Mayer is swinging a hot bat, too, so we want to have him on our radar for fantasy.

The former fourth-overall draft pick has an eight-game hit streak, going 10-for-23 (.435) over that stretch, with four of his seven RBI coming in this span. The season-long line doesn't look great (.253-1-7-7-2), but one would expect more than one home run with a 9.4 percent barrel rate, and he's not striking out much (15.3 percent, 84th percentile), so perhaps the extra-base hits are forthcoming.

The former top prospect is available in most leagues and is eligible at both 2B and 3B.

Highest Batting Average Last Seven Days

Data through 4/29, minimum 13 at-bats

Carlos Cortes (.692 AVG)

Carlos Cortes has caught fire, and he's been hot for more than just the last seven days. The former third-round draft pick is 17-for-30 (.567) over his last nine games, which includes three doubles, a triple, and three home runs (you'll also see his name at the top of the ISO table below as a result).

Carlos Cortes decimates his second homer of the night 😮 pic.twitter.com/5s4mLBRoCW

— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2026

With all that hitting, there is a bit to be desired when it comes to counting stats, with 13 RBI and eight runs scored thus far, but the hot stretch has moved the 28-year-old up to predominantly third in the batting order, which could mean more production is on the horizon. The left-handed slugger can be had in almost 75 percent of leagues.

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

Cole Young (.500 AVG)

Outside of a 0-for-13 four-game stretch in mid-April, Cole Young has been hitting well all season and is now producing multi-hit performances in bunches, with four such efforts in his last five games. The former first-rounder is 10-for-18 (.556) over his last five games, including a pair of doubles and a home run.

What's more is that the left-handed slugger has at least one RBI in six straight games and has surged into the top 10 at the position for fantasy. For the season, he's produced a strong .286-3-19-20-2 line in 32 games, and is surprisingly still available in over 80 percent of leagues.

This is a guy who had a highly rated hit tool as a prospect, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he is showing he can hit at the major league level. The 22-year-old should be a roster consideration in most leagues, and if his hot bat eventually sends him higher in the batting order (currently batting eighth), then look out, even more production would follow.

Highest ISO Last Seven Days

Data through 4/29, minimum 13 at-bats

Nathaniel Lowe (.632 ISO)

After spending parts of 2025 with Washington and Boston, finishing with his first season with a sub-100 wRC+ (91), Nathaniel Lowe is getting a fresh start with Cincinnati in 2026. The veteran had been used sparingly over his first 13 games of the season, going just 6-for-26 (.231) with zero home runs during that time, but over the last week, he has been the team's preferred option at designated hitter with Eugenio Suarez (oblique) hitting the injured list.

NATHANIEL LOWE

WALK-OFF HOME RUN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EXfCfsvGO2

— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2026

The 6-foot-4 slugger has made the most of his newfound opportunity, going 7-for-23 (.304) over his last six games, including all four of his home runs for the year, with six RBI and six runs scored during this hot stretch. The left-handed hitter's barrel rate (9.8 percent) is as high as it has been since 2022, the same season in which he set a career high in home runs with 27.

With contact (83.6 percent) and strikeout rates (14.5 percent) at career-best levels, there are no signs of a slowdown. In fact, his BABIP stands at .243, much lower than his career mark of .328, and his expected batting average (xBA) sits 40 points higher than his actual batting average (.265 vs. .305). Fantasy managers have been slow to respond, as Lowe is still available in most leagues for the taking.

(Update: Lowe went 2-for-3 on Thursday with a walk, a double, another home run, and he scored twice)

Most Steals Last Seven Days

Data through 4/29

Caleb Durbin (three SBs)

Caleb Durbin got off to a painfully slow start to the season, going 5-for-47 (.106) over his first 14 games. He's been better since mid-April and has also now hit safely in five of his last six games, going 6-for-21 (.286) with a double and his first home run of the season. One of his main appeals for fantasy was the ability to steal bases, but you can't do that if you aren't getting on base.

With this recent bout of solid hitting, though, and three walks to boot, the 26-year-old has been getting on base at a decent rate and was able to steal his first three bags of the year over the past week. With an 87th percentile strikeout rate (14.5 percent) and 95th percentile whiff rate, he's putting the bat on the ball plenty; along with a super low BABIP of .195 and an xBA 46 points higher than his actual BA, Durbin could continue to hit, and with that should come additional opportunities to steal more bases.

For managers desperate for steals, Durbin is available in over 85 percent of leagues, is eligible at 2B and 3B, and was a bit of a preseason fantasy sleeper, so perhaps that belief is starting to come to fruition.

xwOBA Underachievers April 23 - April 29

Fernando Tatis Jr. (.279 vs. .354)

Ok, Fernando Tatis Jr. is not a player who is available in any leagues, so he is not a waiver wire pickup, but a disenchanted manager in your league may be more willing to part ways with him in a trade after an underwhelming start to the year.

The three-time All-Star is hitting just .250 with zero home runs and a measly .609 OPS through 30 games. It is hard to believe that he's gone a month without a home run, but it's even harder to believe when you see that his 64.7 percent hard-hit rate is the absolute highest in all of baseball, his 14.1 percent barrel rate ranks in the 86th percentile, and his average exit velocity of 93.7 is in the 93rd percentile.

The guy is hitting the ball as hard as anyone in the game, and sooner rather than later, those balls will start falling for hits or leaving the yard entirely. Add in the fact that, with eight steals in 131 plate appearances, the 27-year-old is on pace for nearly 40 stolen bases (which would be a career high), he should be the valuable fantasy asset managers drafted him to be soon.

xwOBA Overachievers April 23 - April 29

Mickey Moniak (.432 vs. .317)

You may have noticed Mickey Moniak in the first table at the top of the page, showing that he is currently on a 13-game hit streak that has pushed his season-long slash line to .310/.358/.655 with a .432 wOBA and 162 wRC+. It is a confirmation that his 2025 breakout (.270, 24 home runs) was no fluke.

However, he may be a bit out over his skis, and it may be hard to continue at this pace for long. His bat speed and barrel rate are solid, but many other stats are more or less "meh," with his Baseball Savant page smattered in blue:

The left-handed hitter's actual batting average is .310, but his xBA is way down at .229, along with the largest discrepancy of any qualified player in terms of wOBA vs. xwOBA. On top of that, the 6-foot-1 slugger is 1-for-15 (.067) this season against left-handed pitchers, and is a .181 hitter for his career versus southpaws.

Now, will he end up batting .229 like his xBA? Not likely, and somewhere in between is certainly usable, especially when the league average is about .246. But it looks like the 27-year-old is overachieving and could be due for a pullback, so fantasy managers should be ready for it.

(Update: facing a lefty, Moniak did not start Thursday's game, but came on later and went 1-for-2 with an RBI)

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