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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Ralphy Velazquez, River Ryan, Jett Williams - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
This past week, fantasy managers watched Cole Carrigg and Braden Montgomery join fellow top prospects in the majors leauges who have made a high impact in their first taste of MLB action, such as Gage Jump and Sam Antonacci.
Below, we will look at three prospects who have flashed high upside at the Triple-A level who could be worth stashing in Week 12 of the fantasy season.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 19 G, .213/.289/.373, 7 2B, 1 HR
Velazquez is currently slashing .282,/.373/.500 with eight home runs in 2252 plate appearances across all minor league levels. The 21-year-old first baseman was recently promoted to Triple-A, where he's slashing .213/.289/.373 with one home run in 83 plate appearances.
The Guardians may want to give him some time to get acclimated at Triple-A before providing an opportunity for at-bats at the big league level, but it's encouraging to see that Velazquez is slowly getting going.
Ralphy Velazquez's big season has reached new heights at Triple-A.
MLB's top 1B prospect (#Guardians) clubbed a big homer and set another first at the new level: https://t.co/GXFEjR5FPt pic.twitter.com/FsejeqU1AJ
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 8, 2026
The Guardians have Kyle Manzardo at first base, but he's not exactly tearing the cover off the ball, so there's a chance that Velazquez could supplant him at some point. After all, Manzardo has an underwhelming .235/.325/.399 slash with seven home runs in 209 plate appearances.
The one issue here is that the Guardians are a contending team, and Velazquez is still only 21 years old. There's a good chance that they'll be patient with him. With that in mind, you're likely only to see Velazquez if the Guardians have an injury.
But that doesn't mean we shouldn't monitor how he's doing, as a power-hitting corner infielder is always intriguing.
-Written by Frank Ammirante
River Ryan, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 32 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 40 SO, 7 BB
River Ryan was enjoying a dominant stretch in his return form, but he had a bit of a road bump in his most recent showing. Facing Triple-A Round Rock, the right-hander ran into some trouble, allowing four runs and six hits across six innings of work. His command was shaky in this outing as well, as he walked three hitters and only struck out four.
While Ryan was able to log at least six innings of work in his second straight outing, he saw his impressive run take a bit of a halt. However, managers looking to stash the team's No. 6-ranked prospect should still view him as an elite option among the pitching prospects.
Before this modest showing, Ryan was enjoying an elite stretch at Triple-A since returning from his minor injury. From May 15 through May 28 (15 innings, three games), Ryan posted a 0.60 ERA with a near-perfect 19:1 K:BB.
Fortunately, Ryan quickly rebounded into form on June 10, tossing four innings of one-run ball with a 7:1 K:BB.
While the other names on this list have no MLB experience, Ryan is the exception in this column, as he not only enjoyed a cup of coffee on the big league roster but was also very productive. In 2024, the 27-year-old logged 20 1/3 innings with the Dodgers and posted a 1.33 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP (four starts). However, Tommy John would keep him on the shelf for most of the second half and the entirety of the 2025 season.
With his workload nearly fully ramped up and several injuries on the MLB roster, including to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, Ryan's path to return to the majors remains quite clear heading into Week 12. Additionally, Justin Wrobleski left his outing on Thursday early, which could open another spot in the starting rotation for Ryan.
Managers should continue to view him as a strong stash option in 12-team leagues, as he should return to Los Angeles before the end of June.
Rollin' on the River (Ryan)!
The @Dodgers No. 6 prospect strikes out seven in five scoreless frames for the Triple-A @OKC_Comets: pic.twitter.com/2dvOa7BcUx
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 22, 2026
- Written by Andy Smith
Jett Williams, INF, Milwaukee Brewers
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 65 G, .224/.336/.358, 7 2B, 6 HR, 13 SB
Jett Williams came over to the Brewers in the Freddy Peralta trade with the Mets, so he's a relatively highly touted prospect. Williams is currently slashing .224/.336/.358 with six home runs and 13 stolen bases in 292 plate appearances at Triple-A. While it's an underwhelming slash line, you have to like the 13.4% walk rate and the power-speed upside that Williams brings to the table.
On top of that, Williams is slowly heating up at the plate. Perhaps if he can have a sustained hot streak at Triple-A, the Brewers may give him a chance in their infield to provide a spark to their offense.
Jett Williams just went deep to lead off the bottom of the first for Nashville. His sixth.
100.5 MPH, 414 FT pic.twitter.com/EBkZPkMNSY
— Spencer Michaelis (@smichaelis234) June 10, 2026
Right now, the Brewers have Luis Rengifo getting most of the at-bats at third and David Hamilton sharing time with Joey Ortiz at shortstop. These players profile more as utility players, so they're not big obstacles to Williams' path to playing time in the major leagues.
All we need to see from Williams is a rock-solid performance at Triple-A, and he'll be up with the Brewers sooner than later. You can consider him more of a target in deeper leagues, where he can provide a power and speed boost at middle infield. If you're in OBP formats, Williams gets a boost there due to his high walk rate.
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: Braden Montgomery (CHW), Cole Carrigg (COL), Blaze Jordan (STL), Cooper Pratt (MIL), Denzer Guzman (LAA)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Jacob Melton (TBR), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Jonathon Long (CHC), Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (ATH), Zach Ehrhard (LAD)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT), Owen Murphy (ATL), Quinn Mathews (STL), George Klassen (LAA)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | Twins | June |
| 2 | Joshua Baez | OF | Cardinals | July |
| 3 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners | July |
| 4 | Charlie Condon | 1B | Rockies | July |
| 5 | River Ryan | SP | Dodgers | June |
| 6 | Max Clark | OF | Tigers | August |
| 7 | Ryan Waldschmidt | OF | Diamondbacks | July |
| 8 | Walker Jenkins | OF | Twins | August |
| 9 | James Tibbs III | OF | Dodgers | June |
| 10 | Karson Milbrandt | SP | Marlins | August |
| 11 | Luis Lara | OF | Brewers | June |
| 12 | Zac Veen | OF | Rockies | July |
| 13 | Hector Rodriguez | OF | Reds | August |
| 14 | Yohandy Morales | 1B/3B | Nationals | June |
| 15 | Hagen Smith | SP | White Sox | July |
| 16 | Jett Williams | SS/OF | Brewers | July |
| 17 | Ralphy Velazquez | 1B | Guardians | August |
| 18 | Jonah Tong | SP | Mets | July |
| 19 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees | July |
| 20 | George Lombard Jr. | SS | Yankees | July |
| 21 | Jaxon Wiggins | SP | Cubs | July |
| 22 | Kemp Alderman | OF | Marlins | July |
| 23 | Abimelec Ortiz | 1B | Nationals | July |
| 24 | Brody Hopkins | SP | Rays | July |
| 25 | Wei-En Lin | SP | Athletics | August |
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 Ralphy Velazquez, River Ryan, Jett Williams, Cooper Pratt, Bryce Eldridge, Gage Jump, Braden Montgomery, Cole Carrigg, Henry Bolte, Carson Benge, Kade Anderson. 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 Ralphy Velazquez, River Ryan, Jett Williams, Cooper Pratt, Bryce Eldridge, Gage Jump, Braden Montgomery, Cole Carrigg, Henry Bolte, Carson Benge, Kade Anderson:
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