JJ Bleday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder JJ Bleday may only be hitting .230 (70-for-304) on the year in 86 games and 361 plate appearances, but he reached the 20-homer mark for the second time in the last three seasons in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Athletics and is worth waiver-wire consideration down the stretch in fantasy baseball leagues if you need power. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has had a resurgence in 2026 in his first season in Cincinnati, and he has also dropped his strikeout rate from 26.5% last year to 21.3% this year while posting a career-best 14.4% walk rate. The former fourth overall pick by the Miami Marlins in 2019 from Vanderbilt University has hit under .200 with just five of his 20 homers on the year, and although he hit just over the Mendoza Line in 25 games in July, he did manage to hit six home runs in the month. Bleday definitely has his flaws, but fantasy managers shouldn't ignore his power from the left side. He's currently rostered in only 26% of Yahoo leagues.