Is Keston Hiura back? That’s the obvious question after he homered yet again Monday against the Cubs. After going 2 for 4 with four RBI, one walk, and (amazingly!) no strikeouts, Hiura is now 6 for 17 with three home runs, nine RBI, two walks, and five strikeouts in five games since returning from Triple-A.

Hiura’s season OPS stands at .563, which is a lot more impressive than it sounds once you realize he was hitting .130/.217/.222 (.439) at the time of his most recent demotion. Hiura was one of the biggest disappointments in Fantasy this season, but he is showing signs that he can revive his value.

It’s worth noting that, for as bad as he’s been at the MLB level this season — and, really, dating back to the start of 2020 — Hiura has crushed the ball every time he’s been demoted to Triple-A. He hit .403/.506/.722 in 20 games at Nashville, and while we don’t get Fantasy points for that, it’s a sign that, at the very least, the talent hasn’t totally abandoned him. He’s been overmatched in the majors, but he hasn’t been totally hopeless.

We’re talking about just five games since Hiura’s latest return to the majors, which is a miniscule sample size, but it’s interesting that it has coincided with the crackdown on sticky substances across baseball. Pitchers were using said substances to increase the spin rate on their pitches, most notably their fastballs, which gain additional perceived “rise” from the hitter’s perspective when spin rate increases. It’s because of something called the “Magnus effect“, and the simplest explanation is that it makes baseballs harder to hit because it makes them move more. Or, in the case of four-seam fastballs, it makes them have less drop then they otherwise would.

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Hiura’s biggest issue early on this season was the fastball — especially up in the zone. He had just a .246 wOBA against fastballs in April, and went 0 for 7 with five strikeouts on at-bats that ended in strikeouts in May before his demotion. And … well, look at where Hiura’s home runs from Sunday and Monday were thrown:

High fastballs, crushed. Is this proof that Hiura is specifically benefiting from the crackdown? Of course not; correlation does not equal causation. Maybe he just guessed right and ran into a couple. That’ll happen, and a good five games doesn’t erase what has gone wrong for Hiura the past few seasons.

However, there aren’t any players available in more than half of CBS Fantasy leagues who have a .303/.368/.570 season under their belts. Hiura is eligible at first and second base and made his first appearance in the outfield the other day, so he could be looking at triple eligibility soon enough.

Hiura is still a very risky player, and it’s entirely possible he follows this little heater up with a 3-for-31 stretch that sends him right back to Nashville. But if you’re looking for a potential difference-making bat, Hiura’s the best you’re likely to find for some time.