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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Franklin Arias, Lazaro Montes, Jonathon Long - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
In the opening months of the season, managers have seen several top prospects earn the call and flash elite fantasy upside, showing the importance of stashing and how it can be the difference between winning and losing your league.
In this piece, we will take a look at three intriguing hitter prospects to stash, including one who is viewed as one of the top prospects in the entire sport.
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: 18 G, .297/.365/.514, 4 2B, 4 HR
Franklin Arias signed with the Red Sox out of Venezuela in 2023, looking like one of the best defensive shortstops in his class. That’s certainly a big part of what drives his ranking as the third overall prospect in baseball, but his offensive game has also developed much more rapidly than anyone expected. That started from the moment he started his professional career, but he’s taken an especially big leap in 2026.
While initially projected to possess 10-15 home run power, his early strides offensively had scouts bumping up his peak projection to 25. Arias wasted no time proving them right, as he already has 23 this season at just 20 years old. While most of it has come at Double-A, the youngster hasn’t missed a beat since moving up to Triple-A on July 25th.
Through his first 17 games, he’s batting .300 with four home runs and four doubles. On the season, he’s slashing .314/.400/.575 with 23 home runs, 69 RBI, 62 runs, and five stolen bases. His plate discipline is also very advanced for his age, as he's posted a 14.8 % strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate.
MLB's No. 3 prospect Franklin Arias is tearing up Triple-A 🔥
In his 15 G with the Worcester Red Sox:
.313/.384/.563
4 2B, 4 HR
17 RBI pic.twitter.com/hkVrPnOSDC— MLB (@MLB) August 14, 2026
It's very unlikely for a player who is in Double-A at the All-Star break to make his major league debut in the same season, but Arias has a real chance to do so with the Red Sox looking more and more like a playoff team. With Nick Sogard manning second base and Andruw Monasterio at shortstop, it's likely that the prospect would give them the best shot at winning games down the stretch.
They'll be getting a reinforcement soon with Trevor Story starting a rehab assignment, which likely also explains why Arias has been seeing starts at second base recently. It certainly looks like Boston wants him to be prepared to play both infield spots, and the only reason for that is if they expect to promote him at some point soon.
With shortstop being one of the deepest positions in fantasy, it's not worth stashing him unless you play in an extremely deep league. However, he's certainly a name to watch, as he'd be worth adding as a middle infield option if he does get the call.
-Written by Jeremy Heist
Lazaro Montes, OF, Seattle Mariners
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 32 G, .288/.367/.598, 11 2B, 10 HR, 1 SB
Lazaro Montes is also a relative newcomer to Triple-A, being promoted there on July 7th. He didn't let the new level slow him down, as he already has 10 home runs with his new squad. That number has been increasing exponentially as of late, as his homer on Saturday marked three games in a row, bringing his total to seven in August alone.
Lazaro Montes becomes the 2nd Minor Leaguer to reach the 35-HR plateau this season 🚀
Make it 3 straight games with a roundtripper -- this one at 107.6 mph -- for the @Mariners' No. 5 prospect.@RainiersLand | @MsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/ln1dkgYzBM
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 15, 2026
For the season, he's slashing .253/.370/.573 with 35 home runs, 87 RBI, 91 runs, and six stolen bases. Clearly, the 21-year-old has a knack for power, as seen by his 112.1 mph max exit velocity, 14.5% barrel rate, and 51.3% hard-hit rate so far at Triple-A. The youngster could be promoted today and instantly become one of the biggest power threats in the majors, although there are some clear weaknesses that are holding him back.
His Z-Contact rate sits at a remarkably terrible clip of 70.3%, as does his 31.4% strikeout rate. If he struggles that much to make contact in Double-A and Triple-A, those concerns would only be amplified at the major league level. To make matters even worse, Seattle is known as one of the most pitching-friendly parks in the league, with many hitters noting that the batter's eye makes it hard to track the ball coming in.
The Mariners also don't need outfield help, especially after acquiring Taylor Ward at the deadline. For those reasons, I'm not expecting Montes to be promoted this season, but you never know. Either way, his recent dominance at Triple-A is worth noting here, as it could put him on the fast track for a spot on the team in 2027.
-Written by Jeremy Heist
Jonathon Long, 1B, Miami Marlins
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 109 G, .285/.376/.450, 30 2B, 12 HR, 3 SB
In nine games with his new squad, the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Miami Marlins corner-infield prospect Jonathon Long is 9-for-25 (.360) at the plate with three RBI and 11 runs scored. The right-handed hitting third base/first base prospect was traded from the Chicago Cubs organization to the Marlins. He started at Triple-A Iowa with 12 homers and 62 RBI in 99 games with a .283 average and 67 runs scored.
Long slots in at the No. 19 prospect in the Marlins system, but he might have a clearer path to the majors than he did with the Cubs. The Marlins are playing Javier Sanoja at third base and now have Kyle Stowers on the IL at first base. So there looks to be an opportunity for Long to make his big-league debut. If he does, he would be a solid bat for fantasy managers down the stretch.
-Written by Brian Buckey
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** Promoted | 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
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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 Samuel Basallo, Abimelec Ortiz, Francisco Alvarez, Travis Bazzana, Luis Robert Jr., JJ Bleday, Jackson Holliday, Agustin Ramirez, Keider Montero, Tyler Mahle, Sam Antonacci, Carter Jensen, Kody Clemens, Jake Burger, Braden Montgomery, Kade Anderson:
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