3 Impact Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash - Hagen Smith, Jack Wenninger, Jonah Cox

May 20, 2026

Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Hagen Smith, Jack Wenninger, Jonah Cox - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.

Finding high-upside lottery tickets on the waiver wire can provide your fantasy team with a massive spark. So far, we have already seen top prospects make an impact, such as Payton Tolle of the Red Sox and Travis Bazzana of the Guardians.

Below, we will look at two of the top pitching prospects at the Triple-A level and an underrated hitter and team to see if they are worth starting in all fantasy formats in Week 8.

Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!

Hagen Smith, SP, Chicago White Sox

Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 30 IP, 3.90 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 41 SO, 23 BB

With Triple-A teammate Tanner McDougal on the 7-day IL, Hagen Smith stands alone as the clear "next man up" on the South Side. Smith is viewed as the team's No. 4-ranked prospect on MLB.com. He joined the White Sox with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and is inching toward his MLB debut.

Smith spent the entire 2025 campaign with Double-A Birmingham, where he logged just 75 2/3 innings with a 3.57 ERA. He totaled an impressive 108 punchouts, but his command was a major issue, as he served up 56 free passes.

However, seeing the White Sox immediately push White to the upper minors, despite him logging only 7 2/3 professional innings after the 2024 draft, suggests they believe he is already nearing the end of his development.

At the start of the 2026 season, the White Sox moved Smith up to Triple-A Charlotte despite his shaky command. With Charlotte, the southpaw has racked up 35 punchouts over 26 1/3 innings while holding a slightly higher 4.10 ERA.

However, his ERA became inflated by his four-run performance on May 9. Removing this lone tart, Smith would carry a much stronger 2.82 ERA over his first 22 1/3 Triple-A frames.

Command was an issue last summer, and it is rearing its head once again. After walking only 3.5 hitters per nine in his first four games, Smith has seen this mark jump to 8.8 BB/9 over his last four games. The former Arkansas standout will need to lower this number significantly before being in serious competition for his MLB debut.

For now, like the other names below him, the 22-year-old is a far tier drop below White and Anderson and remains an option for those in 12+ team leagues with several NA spots.

Hagen Smith ends the third inning with a nasty slider and his fourth strikeout of the night. He is at 48 pitches and Noah Schultz is warming in the bullpen. He has been really crisp since his first-inning struggles.@FutureSox pic.twitter.com/4gPN4I91o0

— jeff cohen (@TripleAJeff) March 27, 2026

-Written by Andy Smith

Jack Wenninger, SP, New York Mets

Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 35 2/3 IP, 1.51 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 39 SO, 22 BB

Rounding out our list will be another name from the Mets system. Even though Tong will likely earn the call before Wenninger, given the team's current rotation depth, he may not be far behind. While Tong may have more experience both in the upper minors and the majors, Wenninger has actually been far more effective this season.

Through 33 1/3 innings with Triple-A (his first stint at Syracuse), Wenninger has been nothing short of dominant, holding a 1.08 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP. During this stint, Wenninger has struck out 38 hitters while serving up 13 free passes. In his last three outings, Wenninger has not allowed a run while striking out 19 hitters over 16 2/3 innings.

While his current 4.9 BB/9 (12.9% BB%) is a concern, Wenninger has been able to not only tally strikeouts at a high rate but also limit nearly all of this damage in the box score, as evidenced by his low ERA.

Last summer, the former sixth-round pick out of Illinois spent his entire campaign at the Double-A level, where he posted a strong 2.92 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP over 135 2/3 innings. He flashed just as much strikeout potential at Double-A, totaling 147 (26.4% K%), but walks were somewhat of an issue there as well, as he allowed 42 (7.6% BB%).

If Wenninger can continue to extend this scoreless streak, there is a chance that the Mets will turn to him before Tong. Last week in Miami, it appeared that Garrett would be the "favorite" to earn the position ahead of Snelling, but instead the team turned to the inexperienced rookie. The same could occur for the Mets, especially since Wenninger has been the far better pitcher in 2026.

Like his current Triple-A teammate, he is a fine stash option in all 12+ team leagues with multiple N/A spots.

Jack Wenninger fires a 1-2-3 inning 🔥

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/fcdKMauwm3

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 7, 2026

- Written by Andy Smith

Jonah Cox, OF, San Francisco Giants

Current Level: AA
Availability: 20% rostered
2026 AA Stats: 34 G, .420/.466/.706, 9 2B, 5 HR, 20 SB

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 This Week: Colt Emerson (SEA)

Promoted Last Week: Henry Bolte (ATH), A.J. Ewing (NYM), Carson Williams (TBR)

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Gabriel Gonzalez (MIN), Zac Veen (COL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Hector Rodriguez (CIN), Blaze Jordan (STL), Jacob Melton (TBR), James Tibbs (LAD), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Jonathon Long (CHC), Jacob Gonzalez (CHW), Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (ATH), Aidan Miller (PHI), Pedro Ramirez (CHC)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Hagen Smith (CHW), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Brody Hopkins (TBR), Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT)

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2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pick up someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Hagen Smith, Jack Wenninger, Jonah Cox, A.J. Ewing, Henry Bolte, Justin Crawford, Colt Emerson, Travis Bazzana, Jonah Tong. 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 Hagen Smith, Jack Wenninger, Jonah Cox, A.J. Ewing, Henry Bolte, Justin Crawford, Colt Emerson, Travis Bazzana, Jonah Tong:

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