Washington Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro and the rest of the team were seeing the ball well on Friday night in their 23-4 trouncing of the Athletics at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. Chaparro went 4-for-5 at the plate as the three-hole hitter with two home runs, eight RBI, four runs scored, and a walk. The 27-year-old Venezuelan first baseman has only played in 32 games (71 plate appearances) in his third year in the big leagues with the Nats, and he's now hitting .220/.352/.424 with a .776 OPS, three home runs, 15 RBI, 13 runs scored, 11 walks, and 18 strikeouts. In an even smaller sample size since the start of July, Chaparro has gone 6-for-14 (.429) with all three of his home runs, 10 RBI, and five runs scored in seven games played. While Chaparro will likely continue to be a part-time player, it's hard to ignore his recent hot streak, potentially making him a short-term waiver-wire pickup in deeper fantasy leagues. Right now, he's not rostered in any Yahoo leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Peter Lambert continues to draw more eyeballs in fantasy baseball with another strong performance in his first outing following the All-Star break in Friday night's 3-2 loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Daikin Park. Lambert gave up just one earned run on three hits while walking three and striking out a career-high 10 in six innings of work for a no-decision. The 29-year-old is now 8-5 on the season with a 3.03 ERA (4.08 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with 91 strikeouts and 36 walks in 92 innings over his 16 starts in his first year with the Astros. The former second-rounder by the Colorado Rockies in 2015 now has three quality starts in a row in July against the Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers, allowing just two earned runs over that span with five walks, 23 strikeouts, and two wins. Lambert has a career-high 24% strikeout rate in 2026 in his fifth year in the big leagues and is deserving of some attention as at least a spot starter in deeper mixed fantasy leagues. He's currently rostered in only 54% of Yahoo leagues.

Minnesota Twins outfielder prospect Walker Jenkins extended his Triple-A surge Friday and has put himself in a great position to earn the call to Minnesota in the coming weeks. On Friday evening, the team's top-ranked prospect went 1-for-4 with a solo blast. Over his last 10 contests at Triple-A St. Paul, the outfielder has carried a sharp .325/.475/.600 line with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and two stolen bases. However, even though Jenkins has battled numerous injuries throughout his MiLB career (including the 2026 campaign), when on the field, he is among the top hitters across the minor leagues. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Twins, as an injury or opting to sell veteran pieces at the deadline could open a clear path for second-half at-bats for one of Triple-A's top hitters. He enters Week 17 as one of the top hitting prospects to stash.

Tampa Bay Rays outfield prospect Theo Gillen snapped his lengthy power skid at Double-A. On Friday evening, the team's No. 1-ranked prospect (according to MLB.com) went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run. This snapped a lengthy 14-game power drought for Gillen since moving up to the Double-A level. The outfielder spent the first half of the season at the High-A level, where he posted a .342/.449/.589 line with 23 doubles, 12 home runs and 28 sotlen baes. However, it took him some time to find his footing at Double-A, as he posted a low .190/.277/.241 line thorughh is first 14 games at the level. Dynasty managers should continue to keep a close eye on his progression at Montgomery as the No. 9-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline could put himself in a great position to begin the 2027 season at Triple-A Durham.