Believe it or not -- we're not far from the All-Star break. Sure, it's roughly a month and a half away, but before you know it, we'll be there, just like we're already at the season's tertiary mark. It always surprises me how a seemingly long and arduous campaign can blow by in a flash. It's also starting to feel like baseball season, with most organizations returning to full strength and reacquiring their early-injured assets. It's a critical time of year for fantasy managers, too. Despite us finally, mostly, being able to differentiate between the early-season fake-outs and breakouts, it's important not to become too complacent with your team. I noted this a few weeks ago regarding roster construction and trades, but it's also crucial to ensure you don't fall into the trap of relying on an early-season breakout that was, in all actuality, a fake-out.

Another week, another injury to a prominent pitcher. After searching out a second opinion, Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery. It's an unfortunate blow to the Astros and fantasy managers, and we'll likely see him close to the end of next year, if not in 2027. Ditto for the Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow), who suffered a torn UCL on Friday -- one day after his start against the Phillies. Speaking of the Phillies, their outfielder, Bryce Harper (elbow), has yet to return to action since exiting their game on Tuesday when a pitch plunked him. It's an elbow contusion, with initial tests coming back negative. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday with a mysterious hamstring strain. After a few days of rest earlier in the week, he was abruptly put on the list without an update on the mechanism or severity of injury. Lastly, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays (foot) is heading to the injured list retroactive to Thursday with a foot contusion. It's his third trip to the injured list already in 2025.

As a reminder, this column typically assumes point formats and will only feature athletes at or around 50% ownership on Yahoo!. A player will only appear on this list twice if they continue to perform well from weeks prior. Happy hunting!

Waiver Adds

TJ Friedl, OF - Cincinnati Reds (52% Owned)

TJ Friedl has been a base-hit machine over the last two weeks. I've covered him already this season, but he's recently put together one of his best stretches. In his previous 11 contests, the 29-year-old is a blistering 19-for-46 (.413) with an eye-popping eight multi-hit performances. It's a ludicrous stretch that's brought his May triple slash to a robust .337/.442/.477.

To put it plainly -- he's been superb in 2025. Friedl holds an excellent .301 average, which would be a career-high by a significant margin if it holds. I don't expect it to be this good for the entire campaign, but there's no doubt he's leveled up, as his swing stays in the zone for such a long time. That, coupled with his 95th percentile chase percentage, has made him a mainstay on the bases.

When I featured him here a few weeks back, I noted that he should see some positive run regression, and that's come to fruition -- notching seven in his last six games.

Update: Upon completion of the above writing, Friedl smacked a leadoff home run in his outing against the Chicago Cubs.

Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF - Baltimore Orioles (49% Owned)

Ryan O'Hearn has been just as good as TJ Friedl, offering quite a bit more power during his recent hot-hitting. Like Friedl, he's been white-hot for roughly two weeks, but his streak is a bit more extended. O'Hearn has been excellent the entire month, batting .375 with a 1.023 OPS, four home runs, four doubles, ten RBI, and 13 runs scored. Furthermore, he's displaying excellent plate discipline (13:19 BB: K ratio).

It feels unlikely that the former Kansas City Royal will be available on waiver wires for much longer. That is, if he's even still unclaimed. Admittedly, his roster percentage feels low and should keep ticking up while he continues to produce. There's no reason to believe he won't, considering O'Hearn is sporting a wildly high .327 xBA. Not only is he making excessive contact, but they aren't cheapies -- evidenced by a strong 90.6 MPH average exit velocity and 87th percentile hard-hit rate (50.7%).

The Sam Houston State product holds one of the highest xWOBA figures in the MLB (.405) and will only benefit further when the Orioles start to gel offensively. 

Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B/OF - Chicago White Sox (41% Owned)

Miguel Vargas has taken the step forward in 2025, I thought he would in 2024. He's sporting career-highs in average exit velocity (90.5 MPH) and hard-hit rate (43.0%), vastly outperforming the marks he posted last season. In addition, he's under a 20% strikeout rate for the first time in his career (17.7%) and holds an above-average barrel rate (10.3%).

Vargas is locked in at the dish, tallying a double in five straight appearances with two home runs in that span. He's been binging on extra-base hits for a few weeks, picking up 13 in his last 15 games (seven doubles, six homers). He's already set a personal best with eight home runs, and matched his high-water mark with 15 doubles he set in 2023.

It's looking like a legitimate breakout for the 25-year-old, and it seems like a good time to buy in if you have the chance.

Gabriel Moreno, C - Arizona Diamondbacks (37% Owned)

Gabriel Moreno is also enjoying an extended hot streak, rocking a stellar .324/.351/.592 triple slash line in the month. He's also been even better in recent days. In 12 appearances, he's hitting a crisp .333 average (16-for-48) with four doubles, a triple, three home runs, nine runs scored, and six RBI. It's an impressive stretch that's pushed his OPS to a strong .943 in 20 May appearances.

It'd be nice to see him walk a bit more, particularly because he boasted a 92nd percentile BB% in 2024 (11.7%). He's also taken a step back regarding his strikeout rate -- hovering around 17% after recording 14.8% last year. It appears, though, that he's traded some of his patience to sell out for power -- notching career-best quality of contact metrics.

Moreno was better known for his hit tool in the minors, but players evolve and mature, and it's likely he's not done yet. The 25-year-old is well on his way to setting a new career-best in home runs.

Cam Smith, 3B/OF - Houston Astros (15% Owned)

The one thing I'll quibble about with Cam Smith's production in May is his lack of dingers. However, he may be turning a corner in his development. The former No. 14 overall pick's first month and a half in a big-league uniform were abysmal, and that might be an understatement. After a .213 batting line through his first 75 at-bats, it looked like MLB pitching might be too much for him. Turns out, he's adapted quickly yet again -- a theme prevalent throughout his career.

Smith obliterated minor-league pitching in 2024 through three levels (never taking a Triple-A at-bat) and continued his development in spring training with an absurd .342/.419/.711 (1.130 OPS [!]) triple slash. Now, he's picked it up in the pros with a hit in 12 of his last 13 appearances and five multi-hit games during the span.

Houston has moved the rookie up to seventh in the order, and he's getting consistent playing time with 13 straight starts. I expect the power to start to show. If Smith plays to his potential, he could be one of the more entertaining players to watch over the season's final months.

Deep League Adds

Mike Tauchman, OF - Chicago White Sox (1% Owned)

Mike Tauchman had a dismal showing while working back from a hamstring injury during his minor-league rehab assignment. He was hitting .111 in 11 games after being sidelined since early April with a Grade 2 strain. Strangely, that hasn't affected his performance with the pro club. Tauchman is sporting a .314 average in ten games with one longball, four RBI, and eight runs scored. He's strictly occupied the two-hole since his return from the IL, and has more walks (six) than strikeouts (five). Overall, he's at an 8:7 BB: K ratio, with one homer, three doubles, and a .928 OPS. Tauchman has 20/20 potential and should accrue a decent number of runs while hitting at the top of the order. I don't project his average to stay so high all season, but a 20.5% BB rate will play.

Two-Start Streamers

Landen Roupp, RHP - San Francisco Giants (18%/37% Yahoo!/CBS)

Giants' starter Landen Roupp has been impressive in his second stint with the team. In addition to a two MPH drop in his average exit velocity, he's seen a stark decline in the hard-hit percentage against him (93rd percentile). Furthermore, his curveball is a legitimate weapon. It's his primary pitch, and he tosses it more than 40% of the time (40.5%) -- garnering a ridiculous 42.4% whiff rate. His changeup is also a plus-pitch, boasting a 30% whiff percentage of its own. He's fun to watch, and we could be seeing a mini-breakout this season.

The UNC Wilmington alum doesn't have it easy this coming week, with two tough home matchups against the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. Despite the level of difficulty, I'm throwing him out there. I've been holding Roupp for a little over a month, and it feels like he's due for a gem. I usually wouldn't project it to come against the Friars or a team that just regained Ronald Acuna Jr., but I'm feeling froggy.

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your matchups next week!