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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Franklin Arias, Kade Anderson, Joshua Baez - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Throughout the campaign, many high-end prospects have earned the call to the majors and are emerging as must-start options like Carson Benge, Payton Tolle, and Konnor Griffin, before his serious injury.
In this piece, we will spotlight three prospects who are not only top stash targets, but are quickly approaching their MLB debuts.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Franklin Arias, SS, Boston Red Sox
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 13 G, .298/.359/.509, 3 2B, 3 HR
As a 20-year-old in Triple-A, Franklin Arias has shown zero signs of slowing down following his promotion to the level back in late July. In his first 13 games with Worcester, Arias has slashed .298/.359/.509 with three doubles and three home runs. Arias is now up to 20 doubles and 22 home runs in 87 games for the season while slashing an impressive .313/.399/.576.
107.8 mph | 419 ft 💥
MLB’s No. 7 prospect Franklin Arias (@RedSox) blasts his 22nd homer of the year, 3rd for the Triple-A @WooSox: pic.twitter.com/qFTCdmU5G1
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 5, 2026
Arias has continued to make plenty of contact, both in the zone and overall this season, but the power progression has been the key to him ascending to elite prospect status. He's wasted no time showing that power in Triple-A, recording a 91.3 mph AVG EV, 48.8% hard-hit rate, and 9.8% barrel rate in his first dozen games at the level.
I'm still not sure if Arias is up this season, but I'm also not sure if Trevor Story can come back and be useful, or if Andruw Monasterio can hold down the shortstop gig for the remainder of the season. Arias might force Boston's hand at some point, and if he doesn't, you're going to want to pick him up immediately in all fantasy leagues.
-Written by Eric Cross
Kade Anderson, SP, Seattle Mariners
Current Level: AA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AA Stats: 87 2/3 IP, 1.13 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 128 SO, 12 BB
The biggest news regarding Kade Anderson isn’t actually about him personally, but it’s that the Mariners shipped Luis Castillo to the White Sox at the trade deadline. That freed up some space in their already log-jammed rotation, so now they’re back to five capable major league starters instead of six.
That makes Anderson the next man up if an injury occurs, or if they decide to go to a six-man rotation or piggybacking situation once again to preserve their starters’ arms. No matter what ends up happening, we don’t have to worry about Seattle placing the rookie in the bullpen down the stretch, as Jerry Dipoto, the president of baseball operations, clarified that he will serve as a starter once they do decide to call him up.
In terms of his performance, it’s been business as usual for the lefty, who most recently struck out nine over 5 ⅓ scoreless innings against the Amarillo Sod Poodles. It was his third consecutive scoreless outing, and this streak has just added to his already spectacular year.
Kade Anderson was awesome again. Final line: 5.1IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 9K, 19 whiffs, 78 pitches, 58 strikes.
12th start without allowing a run.
Anderson in his first professional season:
17G, 1.13ERA, 87.2IP, 45H, 12BB, 128K. pic.twitter.com/YshHD76jle— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 8, 2026
In 87 ⅔ innings at Double-A, the phenom has posted a 1.13 ERA and 0.65 WHIP with 128 strikeouts and 12 walks. Those are numbers you'd expect to see in a video game, as that's about as dominant a season a pitcher could have at any level. The 22-year-old already has the stuff to be a frontline major league pitcher in his first professional season, featuring a four-pitch arsenal that is polished from all angles.
Fantasy managers have been waiting months for the youngster to finally get the call, and it may finally be on the horizon. Of course, the caveat is that you won't end up getting a ton of starts out of him for your fantasy team by the time he's called up, but he'll be a must-add nonetheless. Especially in head-to-head leagues where playoffs determine your league's champion, he could be a league winner.
Joshua Baez, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 101 G, .254/.325/.570, 22 2B, 33 HR, 20 SB
Update - Joshua Baez has been promoted to the major leagues. He is a top waiver wire target in all formats.
Joshua Baez has been on the brink of a promotion for a while now, ever since his four-homer game in mid-June. He's gotten hot and cold many times this season, and the cold spells were enough to make the Cardinals hesitate up until this point. That could change soon once the August 14th deadline hits, and St. Louis trading away Lars Nootbaar at the trade deadline might have been the first hint.
That leaves a platoon of Bryan Torres and Everson Pereira in left field, which is not a situation a major league team should find themselves in for very long, especially when they have a much better option waiting in Triple-A. Baez most recently homered on Friday, and he's recorded at least one hit in seven of eight games in August.
For the season, the 23-year-old is slashing .254/.325/.570 with 33 home runs and 20 stolen bases over 101 games. He has elite raw power, posting a 115.4 mph max exit velocity, a 51.9% hard-hit rate, and a 20.1% barrel rate, which all rank among the league's best in Triple-A.
Joshua Báez extends his Triple-A HR lead with a 112.7 MPH ROCKET 🚀
The @Cardinals' No. 3 prospect tallies his 33rd long ball of the season for the @memphisredbirds: pic.twitter.com/glOPfoOiVV
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 8, 2026
That doesn't mean he doesn't have his downsides, too, such as a 29.3% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate that both stand out as poor for the level. If those both get even worse in the big leagues, the youngster could have serious problems with consistency and batting average. However, people had that concern about Bryce Eldridge, too, and so far he's struck out three percent less in the majors.
If Baez follows a similar path, he could immediately ascend to must-start status for fantasy. Especially with less than two months left in the year, consistency starts to matter less and less. It's all about finding the hot streaks to ride to maximize as many stats as possible, and he definitely has the upside to carry your team over the final stretch of the year if he gets promoted and starts out hot.
- Written by Jeremy Hesit
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: George Lombard Jr. (NYY), Kaelen Culpepper (MIN), Angel Genao (CLE), Hagen Smith (CHW)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Zach Ehrhard (LAD), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Yohandy Morales (WAS), Ryan Ward (LAD), Gavin Cross (KCR), Jacob Melton (TBR), Manuel Pena (ARI), Jett Williams (MIL)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): George Klassen (LAA), Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT), Brody Hopkins (TBR), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Karson Milbrandt (MIA)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team |
| 1 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners |
| 2 | Joshua Baez | OF | Cardinals |
| 3 | Walker Jenkins | OF | Twins |
| 4 | Franklin Arias | SS | Red Sox |
| 5 | Charlie Condon | 1B | Rockies |
| 6 | Zac Veen **Promoted | OF | Rockies |
| 7 | Michael Arroyo | 2B | Mariners |
| 8 | Seaver King | SS/2B | Nationals |
| 9 | Ralphy Velazquez | 1B | Guardians |
| 10 | Cam Cannarella | OF | Marlins |
| 11 | Jonathon Long | 1B | Marlins |
| 12 | Cooper Ingle | C/OF | Guardians |
| 13 | Jhostynxon Garcia | OF | Pirates |
| 14 | Jonah Tong | SP | Mets |
| 15 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees |
| 16 | Parks Harber | 3B | Giants |
| 17 | Lazaro Montes | OF | Mariners |
| 18 | River Ryan | SP | Tigers |
| 19 | Luke Adams | 1B/3B | Brewers |
| 20 | Bo Davidson | OF | Giants |
| 21 | James Tibbs III | OF | Dodgers |
| 22 | Josue Briceno | 1B | Tigers |
| 23 | Michael Forret | SP | Orioles |
| 24 | Max Anderson | 2B/3B | Tigers |
| 25 | Charles McAdoo | 3B | Blue Jays |
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, Kade Anderson, Joshua Baez, Kaelen Culpepper, Mickey Moniak, TJ Rumfield, Carson Benge, Ian Seymour, Esmerlyn Valdez, Jared Jones, Royce Lewis, Nick Gonzales, Jake Bennett, Luke Keaschall, Isaac Paredes, Walbert Urena, Joey Cantillo, Brandon Pfaadt, Ty France, Christian Scott, Cole Carrigg, Daylen Lile, Zack Gelof, Brandon Marsh, Cole Young, Zac Veen, Ernie Clement, Eugenio Suarez, Gleyber Torres, Andruw Monasterio, Yoendrys Gomez, Kyle Karros. 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, Kade Anderson, Joshua Baez, Kaelen Culpepper, Mickey Moniak, TJ Rumfield, Carson Benge, Ian Seymour, Esmerlyn Valdez, Jared Jones, Royce Lewis, Nick Gonzales, Jake Bennett, Luke Keaschall, Isaac Paredes, Walbert Urena, Joey Cantillo, Brandon Pfaadt, Ty France, Christian Scott, Cole Carrigg, Daylen Lile, Zack Gelof, Brandon Marsh, Cole Young, Zac Veen, Ernie Clement, Eugenio Suarez, Gleyber Torres, Andruw Monasterio, Yoendrys Gomez, Kyle Karros:
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