Week 22 in fantasy baseball centers on hitters riding momentum and playing time upside. Michael Harris II has turned his season around after a swing adjustment, riding an 11-game streak with strong counting stats and elite underlying metrics. Jake McCarthy has blasted to the top of the last-week batting averages, reminding managers of his spark Plug capability if he earns regular at-bats in Arizona. Miguel Andujar has made a standout impression with Cincinnati, delivering big RBI numbers and a high wRC+ while fitting neatly into middle-of-the-order spots.

Jose Caballero leads the league in steals while his playing time remains the gating factor; a hot minute or two of extra ABs could unleash even more baseline value. Myles Straw and Mike Yastrzemski have shown wheels and power in recent days, particularly when hitting leadoff or top of the lineup, making them solid cheap DFS or roto targets as the season winds down. August wRC+ leaders Brice Turang, Jakob Marsee, and Shea Langeliers headline the sprint for late-season breakouts, with Langeliers anchoring Oakland’s catching corps and Turang providing growing base-path value as the season nears its close.

Lineup optimization this week leans on strong batting averages, RBI potential, and stolen base upside from the new wave of breakouts. For fantasy managers, the takeaway is to roster Harris II, McCarthy, Andujar, Caballero, Yastrzemski, and Straw where possible, while eyeing Turang, Marsee, and Langeliers as longer-term upside bets who could fuel “Week 22” results and beyond.

The Atlanta Braves opened with an unexpected 0-7 stretch that put manager Brian Snitker’s future in question as contract negotiations loom. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report framed Snitker’s season as a rare mulligan given his track record, but age and timing complicate the outlook. The rest of the story centers on Michael Harris II, who endured a baffling slump before a swing tweak from Chipper Jones unlocked his bat. Harris has climbed into a key fifth spot and emerged as the Braves’ most dependable hitter, signaling a potential late-season surge for Atlanta.

Jones’s fix—raising Harris’s hands and favoring an up-to-down swing—has cleaned his approach and restored his confidence. Since the adjustment, Harris has looked more in control and more dangerous, a boon for Braves fantasy managers hoping for power and speed in the season’s stretch run. The narrative blends in Snitker’s contract dynamics with the team’s gradual on-field improvement, creating a must-watch arc for fantasy players tracking rest-of-season value.

The Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves played a pitching-focus finale after a 43-run opening duo, as Martín Pérez returned from the 60-day IL and limited Atlanta to one unearned run over 5 1/3 in a 1-0 loss. Hurston Waldrep matched the run-stopping theme with seven scoreless innings, using a splitter that kept Chicago's bats quiet for most of the night. The Sox totaled four singles (Tauchman, Robert Jr., Mead, Montgomery) and could not muster more than one run in the decider.

Ozuna delivered the Braves' lone RBI with a fourth-inning double, then advanced on a grounder mishandled by Colson Montgomery, allowing Ozuna to score. Atlanta nailed down two of three in the series as the Sox went 1-5 on the trip, a reminder that even with Pérez back in form, the offense remains uneven. Sox manager Will Venable lauded Pérez’s rhythm and the front-door sinker that worked to right-handed hitters, signaling some encouraging depth amid a volatile six weeks left in the season.

While the series had flashes of life (the 13-9 and 11-10 swings in the first two games), Wednesday’s contrast underscored how small gaps decide tight games. For Chicago, the returns of Pérez and a few competitive plate appearances are a hopeful sign; for Atlanta, Waldrep’s mastery provides a durable, high-upside pillar as the Braves push toward a playoff run.

Lineup shifts across MLB this week signal value plays for fantasy managers. Atlanta leaned hard into Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter, riding nine straight starts and a .981 OPS with five homers in that stretch, while Michael Harris II has surged in the second half to a .398/.413/.732 line with nine homers, moving up to the fifth spot against right-handers in most recent games. Sean Murphy’s playing time has cooled with the DH being less available, and others like Drake Baldwin have seen splits in starts.

Miami’s Troy Johnston has dominated versus righties, starting 11 of 14, with Marsee showing league-winning potential since arriving and a two-hole stint that energized offense. The Mets have shuffled top of the order, with Lindor back leadoff and Nimmo up the order, while Brett Baty and Mauricio work for at-bats. Philadelphia has Bohm back in the cleanup spot, with Castellanos sliding in and Harrison Bader mixing in more against righties as Kepler’s slump persists.

Across the league, DeJong has started nine of 12 and hit third or fourth for Washington, Ian Happ has faced a positional shuffle in Chicago, and Arenado’s playing time is impacted by injuries in St. Louis. These trends create new buying opportunities for under-the-radar bats while signaling potential risk for players with fragile roles.

Luis Robert Jr. blasted his 13th homer to ignite a six-run fourth, and the White Sox surged past the Braves 13-9 in Chicago’s high-scoring win. Chicago piled up 19 hits, with Andrew Benintendi and Kyle Teel joining in with four apiece, while Lenyn Sosa delivered a pivotal three-run shot as the offense rolled early and often.

Spencer Strider’s latest rough start continued the Braves’ slide, allowing seven runs and 10 hits in just over three innings. Michael Harris II stayed hot for Atlanta with four hits and a homer to extend his midseason surge, while Jurickson Profar supplied two homers in a losing effort. The late-inning drama saw Jordan Leasure strike out Eli White with the bases loaded to cap Chicago’s offensive outburst.

Fantasy takeaway: avoid chasing Strider’s recent results against a hot White Sox lineup, and consider deploying Harris II against pitchers with similar recent form. On the Chicago side, Benintendi and Robert Jr. offer steady fantasy floor exposure, with Teel continuing to contribute multi-hit games as he’s breaking out for the Sox. The series shifts as Bryce Elder faces Shane Smith in Tuesday’s rematch, with Chicago looking to sustain its offensive rhythm.