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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Franklin Arias, Cam Cannarella, Theo Gillen - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Over the first half, managers have seen many top prospects earn the call to the majors and make an impact, like Pittsburgh's Konnor Griffin and New York's A.J. Ewing.
In this piece, we will look at three of the hottest prospects in the entire minor leagues, including two surging hitters who have recently earned the call to the Triple-A level.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Franklin Arias, INF, Boston Red Sox
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 4 G, .118/.158/.294, 1 HR
After excelling in Double-A for nearly four months, Franklin Arias is now one step closer to Boston after his promotion to Triple-A Worcester this past weekend. Bonus points to any of you who know how to pronounce "Worcester" the correct way...
In 75 Double-A games, Arias slashed .318/.407/.587 with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, five steals, and nearly as many walks (37) as strikeouts (46). The 19 home runs is the key metric in that last sentence. Arias has always displayed a high-level blend of contact and approach, but he's really tapped into his power much more consistently this season, which has been huge for his overall value and pushed him to elite prospect status.
#13 for Franklin Arias...a 430 foot home run with an exit velocity of 101 mph. pic.twitter.com/gTuMv0aWiq
— Portland Sea Dogs (@PortlandSeaDogs) June 2, 2026
Arias did all of this without sacrificing a ton of contact, which is always encouraging to me. Yes, the contact rate has dropped around 7% from last season, but Arias is still at an 81% contact rate to go along with a 10.9% walk rate and 14.1% strikeout rate.
Overall, I'm not sure Arias is up this season. But since he's an elite prospect now on the doorstep to the Majors, I felt it was beneficial to add him to the rankings and discuss him this week. I'd keep an eye on the Red Sox over the next week leading up to the trade deadline, as Arias' ETA could become a bit clearer after the Red Sox either trade for a shortstop or stand pat.
- Written by Eric Cross
Cam Cannarella, OF, Miami Marlins
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 9 G, .278/.381/.472, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 SB
Cam Cannarella is a name I believe we could see get a cup of coffee with the Marlins down the stretch. After starting the season in High-A, Cannarella flew through High-A and Double-A, and has now been at Triple-A for the last week and a half. In 62 games overall between the three levels, Cannarella has slashed a stellar .349/.438/.576 with 11 doubles, 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases.
First Triple-A home run for Cam Cannarella on the first pitch of the game.
101.9 mph, 416 feet.#Marlins pic.twitter.com/OMLlwfnAp4
— Fish On First Prospects (@FOFProspects) July 22, 2026
This is the type of fantasy-friendly offensive profile that could provide sneaky-good fantasy value once Cannarella gets the call to the Majors. Cannarella is a plus runner who has demonstrated a plus or better blend of contact and approach this season with an 80% contact rate, 13.8% walk rate, and 14.1% strikeout rate. There's sneaky power potential here as well, which Cannarella has been translating into games fairly consistently this season.
Even though he just got to Triple-A, Cannarella could be patrolling Miami's outfield before too long, especially if Jakob Marsee continues struggling at the plate.
-Written by Eric Cross
Theo Gillen, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Current Level: AA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AA Stats: 24 G, .292/.387/.563, 4 2B, 6 HR, 8 SB
Theo Gillen was a solid prospect last season, slashing .267/.433/.387 with five home runs and 36 stolen bases in 73 games at Low-A, but the one thing that he was clearly missing was power. There were hopes that he would grow into more power, and there were clear signs of it from the start this season, which is why I featured him in an early edition of this piece.
In that piece, I said that he could become one of the most highly-touted prospects in fantasy if he maintained that power, and now is a good time to check back in on Gillen and confirm that that's the case. He now enters August with 18 home runs on the season, including six of them coming at Double-A.
"Remember the name Theo Gillen!"@RaysBaseball's No. 1 prospect rips a walk-off homer to cap a multihit, three-RBI performance for Double-A @BiscuitBaseball: pic.twitter.com/sh4VVm5LcD
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 25, 2026
What's even more impressive is that the 20-year-old is now doing this at Double-A, where he has spent the past 21 games with a 20.8% strikeout rate, which is actually a three percent improvement over his rate at High-A. It's all coming together for the youngster, whose speed is still as apparent as ever, with 36 steals in 78 games on the year.
Gillen is shaping up to be a true five-category contributor with fantasy upside that is off the charts. There's no need to worry about him in redraft leagues for 2026, as he's still a 20-year-old getting his first taste of Double-A, but expect him to be one of the most talked about minor leaguers heading into 2027.
2026 Prospect Fantasy Baseball Redraft Stash Rankings
Who are the top fantasy baseball prospects to know? Check out our latest 2026 prospect fantasy baseball rankings which are updated regularly by Eric Cross:
Promoted Last Week: James Triantos (CHC)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Jonathon Long (CHC), Max Anderson (DET), Zach Ehrhard (LAD), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Yohandy Morales (WAS), Abimelec Ortiz (WAS), Lazaro Montes (SEA), Ryan Ward (LAD), Gavin Cross (KCR), Parks Harber (SFG), Jacob Melton (TBR)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): George Klassen (LAA), Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT), Brody Hopkins (TBR), Jonah Tong (NYM), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team |
| 1 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners |
| 2 | Walker Jenkins | OF | Twins |
| 3 | Joshua Baez | OF | Cardinals |
| 4 | Charlie Condon | 1B | Rockies |
| 5 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | Twins |
| 6 | Max Clark | OF | Tigers |
| 7 | Hector Rodriguez | OF | Reds |
| 8 | Seaver King | SS/2B | Nationals |
| 9 | George Lombard Jr. | SS | Yankees |
| 10 | Franklin Arias | SS | Red Sox |
| 11 | Angel Genao | INF | Guardians |
| 12 | Cam Cannarella | OF | Marlins |
| 13 | Zac Veen | OF | Rockies |
| 14 | Ralphy Velazquez | 1B | Guardians |
| 15 | Jhostynxon Garcia | OF | Pirates |
| 16 | Cooper Ingle | C/OF | Guardians |
| 17 | Karson Milbrandt | SP | Marlins |
| 18 | Quinn Mathews | SP | Cardinals |
| 19 | Luke Adams | 1B/3B | Brewers |
| 20 | Michael Arroyo | 2B | Mariners |
| 21 | Hagen Smith | SP | White Sox |
| 22 | Jett Williams | SS/OF | Brewers |
| 23 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees |
| 24 | James Tibbs III | OF | Dodgers |
| 25 | River Ryan | SP | Dodgers |
Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pick up someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Franklin Arias, Cam Cannarella, Theo Gillen, Nick Gonzales, Kyle Karros, Carter Jensen, Caleb Durbin, Zach Thornton, Cole Carrigg, Ian Seymour, Heriberto Hernandez, Yoendrys Gomez, Ty France, Luke Keaschall, Jose Caballero, Heliot Ramos, Josh Bell, Alex Lange, Christian Scott. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Looking to pick up someone else instead? Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Franklin Arias, Cam Cannarella, Theo Gillen, Nick Gonzales, Kyle Karros, Carter Jensen, Caleb Durbin, Zach Thornton, Cole Carrigg, Ian Seymour, Heriberto Hernandez, Yoendrys Gomez, Ty France, Luke Keaschall, Jose Caballero, Heliot Ramos, Josh Bell, Alex Lange, Christian Scott:
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