Outlook Jake Bauers
Jake Bauers rides a career-best campaign into a challenging week of matchups for the first-place Brewers.
Bauers continues to serve as the everyday starter at first base for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who currently sit at 45-26. While he has cooled off over the last seven days with a .154 batting average, his overall 14-day trending numbers remain excellent, featuring three home runs, 10 RBI, and a robust 1.109 OPS. His strong play has cemented his role in the middle of Milwaukee's lineup.
The veteran's 2026 performance represents a true breakout, currently batting .270 with 13 homers on the season, far outstripping his .201 mark from 2024. While our models project a rest-of-season average of .213 with 12 additional homers over 254 at-bats, his improved eye at the plate—demonstrated by 11 walks over his last 10 games—suggests his on-base skills should prevent a total collapse. Expect some regression, but he remains a solid power contributor.
For the rest of this weekly stretch, Bauers and the Brewers wrap up a series against Cleveland's Parker Messick (2.76 ERA) before heading to Atlanta for three games. The road trip features difficult matchups against Chris Sale (2.30 ERA) and Bryce Elder (3.23 ERA) before easing up against Grant Holmes (4.33 ERA). Given the tough slate of opposing starters over the next few days, fantasy managers should sit him. Verdict: Sit.
Updated 3 days ago
