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Jake Burger's Power Is Worth the Batting-Average Risk
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger is batting .236/.297/.426 with 19 home runs, 66 RBI, 45 runs, and two stolen bases across 385 at-bats. The average remains a drag, but the power is legitimate. Burger owns a 90.0 mph average exit velocity, 46.2% hard-hit rate, and 11.1% barrel rate, and he has already surpassed the 16 homers he hit during an injury-plagued 2025 season. Managers still need to accept the volatility. Burger's .231 expected average and 26.6% strikeout rate leave him vulnerable to prolonged cold stretches, and his value is concentrated in home runs and RBI. That tradeoff remains worthwhile when a regular first baseman with this kind of power is available in 78% of Yahoo leagues. Burger ranks 54th in RotoBaller's Week 18 waiver rankings and carries an add recommendation for 12-team formats. He belongs on rosters at that league depth wherever power is the priority.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jake Burger Losing Waiver Steam Amid Slow Start in July
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has reached the 30-homer mark in his career before (in 2023) and has already matched his home run total (16) from his first year in Texas in 2025, making him a deep-league target for power. Through his first 95 games and 386 plate appearances with the Rangers in 2026, Burger is slashing .239/.301/.415 with a .715 OPS, 16 homers, 59 RBI, 41 runs scored, and two stolen bases. The caveat to suggesting the 30-year-old veteran as a waiver-wire addition is that he's pretty streaky at the plate, and right now, he's struggling offensively. Through his first 12 games (51 plate appearances) in July, he's gone 7-for-48 (.146) with two home runs, seven RBI, three runs scored, two walks, and 15 strikeouts. Burger's .236 expected batting average and .306 xwOBA don't exactly give hope for the rest of the second half, either, and he's in the 25th percentile in strikeout rate, the 15th percentile in chase rate, and the seventh percentile in whiff rate. He's currently rostered in just 23% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Jake Burger a Viable Power Target in Fantasy Baseball?
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has a .240/.304/.423 slash line with a .727 OPS, 16 home runs, 58 RBI, 41 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 92 games across 372 plate appearances in 2026 at the halfway point. If he stays healthy the rest of the way, Burger could reach the 30-homer mark for the second time in his career, yet he's only rostered in 24% of Yahoo leagues. He hit .270 (24-for-89) with four home runs, three doubles, 15 RBI, nine runs scored, and a steal in 26 games in June, but in nine games in July before the All-Star break, Burger hit .118 (4-for-34) with two homers, six RBI, three runs, two walks, and 12 strikeouts. The former 11th overall pick by the Chicago White Sox in 2017 out of Missouri State University has a 26.3% strikeout rate, which is his highest mark since 2023 with Chicago and the Miami Marlins. Burger's swing-and-miss tendencies aren't going to help fantasy managers' average or on-base percentage, but the power is still real. He sits in the 77th percentile in hard-hit rate, 65th percentile in barrel rate, and 48th percentile in xSLG.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Jake Burger an Overlooked Waiver-Wire Pickup for Home Runs and RBI?
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger is not going to fill every category, but few hitters this available can match his home run and RBI production. The Texas Rangers first baseman is batting .246/.310/.425 with 14 homers, 52 RBI, and 38 runs across 313 at-bats. He has appeared at first base in 84 of his 85 games, so playing time is not the concern. Burger's 46.5% hard-hit rate and 90.1 mph average exit velocity also back up the power case. Managers will have to live with some empty stretches and almost no speed. Burger has only two steals, and his 9.3% barrel rate is solid rather than elite. That is a reasonable tradeoff for a regular bat who can help in two scarce categories. RotoBaller recommends him in leagues with 10 or more teams, while he remains rostered in just 28% of Yahoo leagues. In those formats, he should be added wherever home runs and RBI are the priority.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jake Burger Reclaiming Power Form, Maintaining Waiver-Wire Value
Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has maintained the strong production he found in May, slashing .270/.359/.438 in June while adding four home runs. His season numbers now sit at .253/.316/.438 with a .754 OPS, a significant improvement from his 2025 campaign in his first year with the Rangers. After a dip in power last season, Burger's 14 home runs suggest a return to his expected production, with his pull fly ball rate rising from 13.5 percent in 2025 to 24.1 percent in 2026. The 30-year-old has also improved his plate discipline with an 8.1 BB%. The underlying numbers support continued success, making Burger a strong power target for fantasy managers.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ezequiel Duran's Multi-Positional Eligibility Makes him Priority Waiver-Wire Target
Across 212 plate appearances in 2026, Texas Rangers utility man Ezequiel Duran is hitting .292/.346/.453 with four home runs, 35 RBI, 27 runs scored, and five stolen bases. The 27-year-old is outperforming his underlying metrics at the plate, as he's benefitted from a .375 batting average on balls in play despite posting an underwhelming 38.9% hard-hit rate. Still, Duran's ability to play basically any position other than pitcher, catcher, and center field makes him an incredibly valuable asset to the Rangers and allows him to find everyday playing time while cycling around the diamond. Even if Duran's batting average comes down a bit as his BABIP regresses, he should still provide relatively balanced five-category production for fantasy managers. With his multi-positional eligibility, Duran should be a priority waiver wire target for deep-league fantasy managers.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jake Burger Still Worthy of a Waiver-Wire Pickup Despite Recent Slump?
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger got off to a rough start to June, going hitless in his first 19 plate appearances over five games with a run scored, two walks, and six strikeouts. He closed out May with six hits in 11 at-bats with three doubles and an RBI in three games, though, and he's recorded four hits (one double) and two RBI in eight plate appearances in his last two contests. Overall, the 30-year-old right-handed slugger is batting .238/.293/.414 with a .708 OPS, 10 home runs, 39 RBI, 30 runs scored, and a stolen base in 64 games and 259 plate appearances in his second year with the Rangers. Burger hit a dismal .170 in April, but he bounced back in May to hit .290 (27-for-93) with five home runs, seven RBI, 18 RBI, 18 runs, and a steal in 26 games. He still strikes out 26.3% of the time, which isn't ideal for fantasy managers looking for a boost in average or on-base percentage, but Burger still has enough pop to be worth a look off the waiver wire for corner-infield depth. He's currently rostered in just 22% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Jake Burger Emerging as Priority Pickup for Power Upside
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger is starting to look like a legit waiver wire target for managers needing corner infield help. The 30-year-old has already mashed 10 home runs with 37 RBI in just 215 at-bats, and he's shown real signs of a resurgence this year. After a rough April, Burger has been much better in May, with a .284 average, improved plate discipline, and a surging pull rate that has led to more hard contact and higher home run totals. He's been hitting in the middle of a decent Rangers lineup and continues to post elite exit velocities. He's still only rostered in 30% of Yahoo leagues in most formats, which feels way low for a guy with this kind of raw power. If you're thin at 1B or looking for some cheap pop down the stretch, Burger is a strong add right now as he has begun to find his footing.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Ezequiel Duran Back From Illness on Thursday
Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran (illness) is feeling better on Thursday and is back in the starting lineup for the series finale against the visiting Houston Astros, starting at shortstop and batting seventh against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, according to MLB.com. Duran was pulled from Wednesday's loss to the Astros due to an illness, but he's back in there the very next day. The 27-year-old Dominican utility man doesn't have much power or speed, but he can rack up counting stats for fantasy managers in a variety of roles in Texas like he has been of late. Duran has been serving as the team's primary shortstop with Corey Seager (back) on the injured list, and he'll enter play on Thursday evening with a .279/.333/.456 slash line with a .789 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, and four steals in 47 games across 163 plate appearances in his fifth year in Texas. He's most valuable in fantasy because he's eligible at first, second, third, shortstop, and the outfield in Yahoo leagues. Duran is hitless in just three career at-bats against Arrighetti.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Jake Burger a Waiver-Wire Target for Power After Strong May Performance
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has cooled off slightly at the plate in recent days, but overall in May, he's hitting .284 (21-for-74) with five home runs, four doubles, 17 RBI, 14 runs scored, and even a stolen base in 21 games across 82 plate appearances. He's added a .354 on-base percentage, .541 slugging percentage, and an .894 OPS to raise his season slash line to .240/.289/.434 with a .723 OPS through 52 games and 211 plate appearances in his second year in Texas. Burger has 10 total home runs, 36 RBI, 25 runs scored, and one stolen base. The 30-year-old right-handed slugger hit a career-high 34 home runs with the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins in 2023 in his first full year in the big leagues, so he's certainly capable of providing relevant over-the-fence pop for fantasy managers. However, with a career OBP under .300 and a strikeout rate at 26.9% in his six years in the majors, Burger isn't going to help your team's average or OBP in the long run. But while he's swinging the bat well, he's a power option off the waiver wire if you need a corner infielder. Burger is available in 71% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Jake Burger Off to Slow Start, Power Still Worth Monitoring
Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has struggled through the early portion of the 2026 season, slashing .208/.242/.362 with a .604 OPS across 38 games. The power remains present for Burger, as he has already launched six home runs, but his 27.4 K% has continued to hurt his overall offensive production. Burger has not appeared in a game since Friday and could be receiving additional time away from the lineup to reset at the plate. The 30-year-old is now in his second season with Texas and has yet to fully recapture the form he showed in 2023, when he posted a .827 OPS with 34 home runs.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
