Chicago White Sox rookie outfielder Braden Montgomery got his MLB career started with a bang, clubbing a walk-off home run to beat the Atlanta Braves on June 9. The 23-year-old switch-hitting outfielder finished the first half strong, too, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a career-best four RBI in Sunday's win over the Athletics, but in between, he left a lot to be desired, and the former first-rounder out of Texas A&M has hit just .231/.302/.394 with a .696 OPS, three home runs, eight doubles, 12 RBI, 15 runs scored, 10 walks, and 24 strikeouts in 29 games and 116 plate appearances. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has a bright future because of his ability to generate elite bat speed that gives him plus-plus raw power at the plate. Montgomery should absolutely be rostered in all dynasty/keeper leagues, but until he improves his plate discipline and quality of contact at the big-league level, he'll be a fringe asset in mixed leagues. He's currently rostered in only 10% of Yahoo leagues and was hitting .216 (8-for-37) with a homer, two doubles, four RBI, four runs, two walks, and six strikeouts in his first 10 games in July.

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Minnesota Twins infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper (glute) hasn't played in a game since June 30 after dealing with hand and glute injuries, but played well enough in the first half to earn a nomination to the All-Star Futures Game anyway. The Twins' second-ranked prospect slashed .272/.376/.492 with 14 home runs and 15 steals through 63 games at St. Paul, and appeared to be on the verge of a debut in the majors before going down with injuries. The former first-rounder is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he hit .289 with 20 home runs and 25 steals in 113 games across two levels, so there is a history of multi-category production with Culpepper. As such, the 23-year-old makes for an appealing stash candidate in most 12-team leagues and deeper, assuming the glute injury doesn't linger into the second half.

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New York Mets right-hander Christian Scott hasn't provided much length as a starting pitcher in his 12 starts for the Mets through the first half of the season, but other than that, he's looked strong in 2026 in his return from Tommy John surgery. Scott hasn't gone six innings in any of his starts this year, but he's gone 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA (4.10 FIP) and 1.29 WHIP with 65 strikeouts and 26 walks in 54 innings in his second year in the big leagues. The 27-year-old former fifth-round selection from the University of Florida in 2021 has improved his strikeout rate from 19.8% in his rookie year in 2024 to 27.9% this year, but his 11.2% walk rate isn't ideal. It's also not that big of a surprise for a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery. If Scott can improve his control and command while inevitably increasing his workload, he could quickly become a must-roster starting pitcher in fantasy. Managers in deeper leagues may want to get a head start during the All-Star break after Scott threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts in his final start before the break on July 8 against the Kansas City Royals. He's rostered in only 16% of Yahoo leagues currently.

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Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark's first half ended quietly with a 0-for-7 two-game stretch over the weekend, but he had been rolling in the lead-up to that. The Tigers' top-ranked prospect had been riding an eight-game hit streak and had hit safely in 20 of 22, going 30-for-92 (.326) with five doubles, four home runs, eight steals, and an 11:9 BB:K from June 12 to July 10. For the season, the left-handed hitter is slashing .264/.351/.404 with eight home runs and 20 steals through 81 games at Toledo. Though the organization has been slow-playing a promotion to the majors, a debut in the second half is highly likely, and the former third-overall draft pick has the potential to be a multi-category contributor, making the 21-year-old one of the top offensive stashes in most fantasy leagues.

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Washington Nationals third baseman Curtis Mead hit the All-Star break at .247 with 17 home runs, 44 RBI, 42 runs, and five steals in 259 at-bats. He got there hot, going 11-for-26 with three homers over his final seven games. Mead did not start Sunday but came off the bench and homered for the second straight day. He is still only 28% rostered on Yahoo. This is not just a weeklong heater. Meads 11.9% barrel rate and .478 expected slugging percentage back up the power, and he has cut his strikeout rate to 18.6%. The 42.6% hard-hit rate is another career best. First, second, and third base eligibility helps, too. RotoBaller ranks him 49th for Week 16 and recommends him in 12-team leagues. At 28%, he should not make it through the break on many waiver wires.

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Colorado Rockies outfield prospect Zac Veen capped off a phenomenal first half by belting a double in a 1-for-4 day at the plate on Sunday, his 26th double of the season, which makes him the leader in doubles at Triple-A. The Rockies' 13th-ranked prospect slashed .311/.385/.578 with 16 home runs and 14 steals through 81 games at Albuquerque, providing lots of potential multi-category appeal for fantasy. Although the 6-foot-3 slugger tends to chase, he doesn't strike out excessively (21.4 percent) and is able to draw walks at an average rate (10.6 percent), giving him a solid all-around approach to go with his power/speed combination. There is no room for him on the big league roster at the moment, and he has added competition with fellow prospect Charlie Condon making the case for a call-up as well, but Veen should have the opportunity to show off his skills sometime in the second half. The 24-year-old's tools and success this season at Triple-A portend better results than his 12-game cup of coffee with the Rockies last year, and should be considered a high-end offensive stash option in deeper fantasy leagues.

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Los Angeles Angels pitching prospect George Klassen's first half ended with a thud after allowing four earned runs on six hits and three walks while failing to strike out even a single batter in his last outing before the break. While the right-hander had been able to limit damage over his previous eight starts, pitching to a 2.27 ERA in 43 2/3 innings pitched, walks still plagued him for much of that run, conceding at least four walks in five of those eight contests. For the season, the Angels' fourth-ranked prospect has recorded a 4.48 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and a lowly 6.6 percent K-BB% across 16 starts. The 6-foot-2 hurler already debuted with the team earlier this season without much success, yielding six earned runs on seven hits and 10 walks in just 4 2/3 IP (six strikeouts). The 24-year-old will likely get another shot in the majors this season, and if he can get his command under control, his fantasy outlook may improve. Until then, however, he's a risky speculative stash for pitching-needy managers in deeper 12+ team leagues.

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli returned from a five-game suspension Sunday and held the Yankees to two runs over six innings, striking out five without taking a decision. That pushed him to 5-4 with a 3.83 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings. Even with the rough, heat-shortened outing against Pittsburgh, Cavalli has 21 strikeouts against three walks over his last three starts. The swing-and-miss is not coming from nowhere. Cavalli averages 96.7 mph with the four-seamer, while his curveball has a 39.0% whiff rate and has held hitters to a .214 average. There will still be uneven starts, as the 1.35 WHIP suggests, but he is no longer just a matchup stream in 12-team leagues. RotoBaller ranks Cavalli 65th for Week 16 and recommends him in that format. At 36% rostered on Yahoo, the strikeouts are worth chasing after the break.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen gave fantasy managers a sour finish to an otherwise excellent first half, allowing six runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings against the Yankees on July 9. That one start raised his ERA from 2.78 to 3.26. The rest still looks clean: a 0.95 WHIP, 98 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings, and only 17 walks. The new changeup is doing real work. Rasmussen barely used it last season, but the pitch is up to 12.2% usage with a .178 xwOBA and 38.9% whiff rate. His strikeout rate has climbed from 21.7% to 25%, while the walk rate has dropped from 6.3% to 4.3%. The elbow history and likely 170-inning cap remain the concern, not what he is doing on the mound. If the Yankees blowup softened the price, buy.

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Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk hit the break at .202/.273/.315 with two home runs and nine RBI in 99 plate appearances. Not much there. July at least brought some better at-bats: 6-for-25, five walks, two strikeouts, and a .367 on-base percentage. Kirk remains ahead of Brandon Valenzuela behind the plate, so the playing time is there. This is more about buying last year's hitter at a thin position than chasing current production. Kirk batted .282 with 15 homers and 76 RBI in 2025, and the fractured left thumb that sidelined him from early April until June 12 offers some context for the slow return. Still, managers in one-catcher 10- and 12-team leagues can wait. RotoBaller ranks him 80th overall and recommends him in 15-team formats. With Kirk still available in 78% of Yahoo leagues, he is a deep-league rebound target rather than a priority add.

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Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit the break at .169/.271/.310 with nine home runs in 65 games, a brutal drop after last year's 60-homer season. The oblique strain explains some of it. Raleigh missed 33 days, returned June 16, and has not looked right for long stretches. Still, the underlying damage goes beyond a low average. His hard-hit rate has fallen from 49.6% to 32.5%, his barrel rate from 19.5% to 11%, and the strikeout rate is up to 32.5%. Statcast gives him only a .179 expected average and .356 expected slugging percentage. Seattle has kept him in the heart of the order, so the opportunity is not going anywhere. The old ceiling makes him tempting as a buy-low. Just don't pay for 2025. This version of Raleigh has real second-half risk.

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Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson capped off a spectacular first half of 2026 with a one-inning start in the All-Star Futures Game, facing four batters in the contest with his only blemish coming via a base hit yielded to MLB's No. 1 overall prospect, Jesus Made. The left-hander earned the start for the AL after posting a 1.36 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, and an elite 37.5 percent K-BB% in 72 2/3 innings pitched, all ranking best in the minors among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched. The former third-overall draft pick looks poised to see some time at Triple-A in the second half and should have a good shot at making his major league debut later in the year. Given his workload, his 108 strikeouts equate to a fantasy-friendly 13.38 K/9, and although his debut is not imminent, the 22-year-old's stuff warrants stash consideration in all leagues with an NA spot for managers looking for pitching help.

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Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner limped into the All-Star break at .233/.305/.326, but his fantasy line was not empty. He still produced 37 runs, 38 RBI, and 14 steals in 94 games, and his 7.9% strikeout rate remained absurdly low. Hoerner appeared in 94 of Chicago's 96 games, though he spent the final week mostly batting sixth. The average is the reason to buy. Hoerner's .284 expected batting average sits 51 points above the real number, while his .243 BABIP is nowhere near last season's .313 mark. He is still making contact on 96.1% of pitches in the strike zone. Just do not pay for a power jump that probably is not coming. A 28% hard-hit rate and 0.9% barrel rate tell that story. Managers frustrated by the first-half slide may move him cheaply, and the average-steals rebound is worth chasing.

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New York Yankees shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. (finger) began a rehab assignment on Monday with the team's Florida Complex League affiliate and quickly made his presence felt. The Yankees' top-ranked prospect garnered three plate appearances, drawing a walk in one at-bat and homering in another. He also attempted a stolen base, and although he was caught, it was promising to see him kicking off the rust from his month-long layoff. The former first-rounder is working his way back from a sprain in two of his fingers, and with a successful rehab assignment, he should be on track to rejoin Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by next week. The 6-foot-2 slugger had begun to find his footing with the RailRiders just before the injury, going 12-for-34 (.353) during a nine-game hit streak, including seven doubles, a pair of home runs, and two stolen bases. The 21-year-old looks primed to make his major league debut later in the second half and should be considered a worthy stash option in deeper 12-team leagues for his potential to impact multiple fantasy categories.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell is a trendy waiver-wire pickup this week thanks to a strong finish to his first half. In 13 games so far in July, he's gone 18-for-47 (.383) with two home runs, six doubles, a triple, six RBI, and eight runs scored to boost his season slash line to .274/.362/.459 with an .822 OPS in 310 plate appearances. The 27-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has hit eight home runs, driven in 44 runs, scored 42 runs, and stolen six bases across 86 games in his fifth year in the big leagues through the first half in 2026. At the very least, fantasy managers looking for outfield upgrades should look Mitchell's way to begin the second half in hopes that he can continue his hot streak for the rest of the month. The oft-injured former first-rounder out of UCLA currently ranks in the 91st percentile in hard-hit rate and 89th percentile in barrel rate, but he also sits way at the bottom with a second percentile strikeout rate (32.9%) despite the fact that he's in the 90th percentile in chase rate. Strikeouts will continue to be a problem, but if Mitchell can stay healthy, he should be of use for power and speed the rest of the way. Mitchell is rostered in only 22% of Yahoo leagues.

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Philadelphia Phillies right-handed closer Jhoan Duran heads into this week's All-Star break with eight straight successful save conversions and a 1.38 ERA (1.08 FIP), 0.92 WHIP, 24 saves, 50 strikeouts, and six walks in 32 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in his first full season with the Phillies. The 28-year-old Dominican hurler also was rewarded with his first All-Star appearance as one of the most dominant closers in the game in the first half. But should fantasy managers be worried about regression in the second half? The answer is no. Duran sports a 39.7% strikeout rate (100th percentile) and a career-best 4.8% walk rate. Although he's in just the sixth percentile in hard-hit rate, he sits in the 88th percentile in barrel rate, the 100th percentile in whiff rate, the 90th percentile in chase rate, and the 99th percentile in xwOBA, which proves he's still one of the most dominant relief arms in baseball on one of the better teams in the league. And if Duran can stay healthy in the second half, he should easily set a new career high in saves after reaching 32 saves with the Phils and the Minnesota Twins last year. Since his last blown save on June 9 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Duran hasn't allowed a run in 11 innings while picking up eight saves, striking out 17, and walking only one.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper came into this week's All-Star break in a cold spell at the plate, and he didn't make it past the first round in Monday night's Home Run Derby in his home digs at Citizens Bank Park. Harper's fantasy managers could be souring on him going into the second half, which could present the perfect buy-low opportunity. In his first 11 games in July, the 33-year-old former two-time MVP and nine-time All-Star went 6-for-40 (.150) with three doubles, three RBI, three runs scored, eight walks, and 14 strikeouts in 48 plate appearances to drop his season line to .260/.365/.497. However, Harper still has an .862 OPS with 20 home runs, 57 RBI, 59 runs scored, and five stolen bases in his 342 at-bats in 2026 in his 15th big-league season (eighth in Philly). He also has a .278 expected batting average and the eighth-best xwOBA (.391), suggesting we haven't seen the best of Harper yet this year. Harper currently is ranked in the 76th percentile in hard-hit rate, the 72nd percentile in barrel rate, the 93rd percentile in xSLG, and the 97th percentile in xwOBA, so we're not completely sold that his cold spell in July is a sign of an offensive decline to close out 2026.

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Milwaukee Brewers left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby isn't a candidate for saves in Milwaukee, but he remains attractive on the waiver wire in fantasy with a league-high 12 wins and for his ability to contribute strikeouts and holds in high-leverage situations. In addition to his career-high 12 wins -- his previous career high was five victories in 2025 -- the 28-year-old southpaw has a 3.56 ERA (3.24 FIP), 1.44 WHIP, seven holds, 75 strikeouts, and 29 walks in 55 2/3 innings across 45 appearances (one start) in 2026. However, Ashby has met some adversity since the beginning of June, allowing 16 runs (14 earned) on 23 hits for a 6.41 ERA (5.13 FIP), 24 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 19 2/3 innings pitched. He's gone 3-2 in that span with four blown saves and six holds. Ashby has obviously been money for wins for fantasy managers, but you can't hang your hat on that alone in the second half. His career-high 30.6% strikeout rate has also been nice, but Ashby also has a career-high 11.8% walk rate that will continue to get him in trouble in the second half.

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Outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (back) has been just one of the many disappointments for the New York Mets in 2026, having played in just 24 games in his first year in Queens due to a back injury. The 28-year-old Cuban outfielder is now rostered in under half of Yahoo leagues. However, Robert began a minor-league rehab assignment on June 30 and could be making his return to the Mets' outfield sooner rather than later in the early portion of the second half of the season. He went 2-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored while playing eight innings in center field with Double-A Binghamton on Sunday and has hit .304/.360/.435 in 25 plate appearances in six games with Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. Barring a setback this week, Robert looks primed to come off the 60-day injured list for New York's first series of the second half against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets will likely ease Robert back in, but eventually, he's expected to settle in as the regular center fielder. Injuries have defined Robert's seven-year big-league career, but his power/speed upside cannot be denied, making him worth a waiver-wire pickup for outfield depth in the second half.

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Milwaukee Brewers rookie left-hander Shane Drohan began his MLB career working out of the bullpen for the Brew Crew, but he deserves a much longer look in their starting rotation going into the second half and off the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues after his strong start in 2026. In 19 appearances (nine starts) covering 70 innings, Drohan has gone 4-3 with a 3.09 ERA (3.24 FIP) and 1.20 WHIP with 67 strikeouts and 20 walks. The 27-year-old southpaw has a 3.38 ERA (3.78 FIP) with 39 strikeouts and 12 walks in 42 2/3 frames and eight starts since joining Milwaukee's rotation on June 1. Drohan has allowed more than three earned runs in just one of his eight starts up through the All-Star break and has quality starts in three of his eight starts, including in each of his last two appearances. His most recent start on Saturday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates was his first start of at least six innings with no walks. Drohan appears primed to stick in the Brewers' banged-up rotation to open the second half of the season, and if he keeps pitching like this, he could stick as a starter for the rest of the year. He's only rostered in 33% of Yahoo leagues.

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