Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Roman Anthony, C.J. Kayfus, Noah Schultz - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
This season, fantasy managers have seen numerous top prospects make an immediate impact at the major league level. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz has begun to flash elite power, and Boston Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer has begun to earn a full-time role in the starting nine.
In this piece, we will look at one recently promoted prospect and two who are currently with Triple-A and determine if they should be rostered in most fantasy leagues.
Should those players be left on the waiver wire, or should fantasy managers add them before their breakout? Let's dive in!
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Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
Current Level: MLB
Availability: 55% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 58 G, .288/.423/.491 9 2B, 10 HR, 3 SB, 51 BB, 56 SO
Anthony's big league career is off to a slow start as he has a .080/.148/.240 line in his first 27 plate appearances, but the sample is far shy of anything meaningful. Scouts love the top hitting prospect in the game, but that doesn't mean he's ready to replace Rafael Devers as the centerpiece of the Red Sox lineup.
Anthony has done nothing but hit on the farm, suggesting he knows how to translate his tools into baseball production.
He first reached Double-A (Portland) in 2023, slashing .343/.477/.543 with a homer and three steals across 44 PA. It's a small sample, and his .393 BABIP reads fluky, but you're doing something right if your BB% (18.2 percent) exceeds your K% (13.6 percent). The only red flag was a 20.7 percent FB%, roughly half of what's expected from a slugger.
Anthony opened the season with Worcester and did more of the same. He hit .288/.423/.491 with 10 HRs and three steals in 265 PAs. His plate discipline was superlative with a 19.2 percent BB% and 21.1 percent K% backed by chase rate (18.6 percent) and SwStr% (9.1 percent).
Anthony was extremely young for his level throughout his time in the high minors, so his numbers are better than they appear. However, both environments are extremely hitter-friendly.
The Red Sox also seem committed to using Anthony regularly. Before the Devers trade, the team had three spots for four outfielders: Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Anthony. Moving Devers clears the DH slot, allowing the team to use all four nightly. Masataka Yoshida still doesn't fit on the roster, but he's just a sunk cost at this point.
Anthony has been hitting fifth since being called up, giving him a decent number of counting stat opportunities. He might move up the order that Devers is gone, potentially giving him fantasy upside.
Overall, Anthony has an advanced plate approach that should help him establish a solid floor. His outstanding eye makes him particularly appealing in OBP leagues and formats that care about walks. His lineup position also has inherent fantasy value, especially in hitter-friendly Fenway Park.
However, he doesn't lift the ball often enough to access his plus-plus raw power in games yet, and he probably won't run very much. It's tough to make a fantasy impact in standard leagues without homers or steals, and the hype surrounding him is insane.
While Anthony needs to be rostered in all leagues and carries a very high ceiling, selling high on his prospect pedigree is not a bad idea, as he could show some growing pains as he gets acclimated to MLB pitching.
Someone go get that ball!
Roman Anthony's first Big League dinger! pic.twitter.com/jXNYv7M6BN
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 17, 2025
-Written by Rick Lucks
C.J. Kayfus, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
Current Level: Triple-A
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA stats: 40 G, .318/.386/.583, 11 2B, 7 HR, 17 BB, 45 SO
C.J. Kayfus has been having a sneaky-good season so far in the minors, which has him knocking on the door to Cleveland. In 58 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Kayfus has slashed .332/.414/.585 with 15 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, and three steals.
He's been especially hot at the plate over the last month with 17 extra-base hits and a .340/.408/.623 slash line over his last 28 games.
Top 100 prospect C.J. Kayfus (@CleGuardians) takes 3-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer WAY out at Triple-A 😳
425 ft | 105.9 mph
Watch the rest of the action between the @CLBClippers and @BuffaloBisons FREE: https://t.co/lX9hi2VM6p pic.twitter.com/hJRRs2h8dz
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 13, 2025
The profile of Kayfus doesn't stand out or dazzle you, but he has a 50% hard-hit rate and 10.8% barrel rate in Triple-A, along with an 83% zone contact rate. For the season, Kayfus has walked 11.3% of the time while keeping his strikeout rate in check at 23.9%.
With Kyle Manzardo struggling out of the DH spot, currently slashing .208/.289/.425, it wouldn't surprise me to see Cleveland make the switch to Kayfus over the next month or so.
If Kayfus continues to hit this well during his first taste of Triple-A, the Guardians could call his name before the All-Star break. For now, he is worth stashing in deeper formats.
- Written by Eric Cross
Noah Schultz, SP, Chicago White Sox
Current Level: Triple-A
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AA stats: 56 2/3 IP, 3.34 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 58 SO, 36 BB
A week after Chase Burns got the bump to Triple-A, Noah Schultz is joining him at the level this week. In 12 starts for Double-A Birmingham, Schultz posted a solid 3.34 ERA across 56.2 innings. However, that came with a 1.59 WHIP, 23.2% strikeout rate, and a bloated 14.4% walk rate.
If you've ever followed my work, you know that I start to become notably concerned when the walk rate rises above 12%.
The combination of a higher walk rate and depleted strikeout rate is definitely a concern right now for an arm who has been considered the top left-handed pitching prospect in the game for over a year. Schultz actually has nearly an identical SwStr% rate as last season, but he's throwing fewer strikes and giving up nearly a hit per inning after allowing just 63 hits in 88.1 innings last season.
I'm fairly certain that Schultz debuts this season, and the long-term upside is still considerably high. But I'm also not rushing out to stash him right now as I anticipate struggles once he's up with the White Sox later this summer. For now, fantasy managers should feel comfortable leaving Schultz on the waiver wire.
However, if he is able to translate well to Triple-A, he could reach the majors sometime later in the second half.
MLB's No. 1 LHP prospect Noah Schultz is being promoted to Triple-A Charlotte, sources tell @scottmerkin.
The #WhiteSox 2022 first-rounder has a career 2.46 ERA and 11 K/9: https://t.co/AJRMg8rXlG pic.twitter.com/pnlHlP6XzM
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 14, 2025
- Written by Eric Cross
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