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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Theo Gillen, Colt Emerson, A.J. Ewing - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Every season, fantasy baseball managers see highly-regarded prospects earn the call to the majors and establish themselves as fantasy mainstays. This season, Chicago's Noah Schultz earned the call much sooner than expected but has held his own during his first taste of MLB action.
In this piece, we will look at two prospects who are entering the high-end stash tier for redraft leagues and spotlight another prospect who is entering must-stash territory for those playing in dynasty formats.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Theo Gillen, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Current Level: A+
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 A+ Stats: .327/.400/.816, 4 2B, 6 HR, 4 SB
Theo Gillen isn’t the typical type of prospect featured here, as he is still currently in High-A. Even though he doesn’t have much value in redraft leagues for 2026, he deserves recognition as one of the fastest-growing fantasy assets in dynasty and keeper leagues.
So far in 2026, he is slashing .333/.422/.846 with five home runs, 14 RBI, 14 runs, and three steals. He has been tearing the cover off the ball as of late, with back-to-back two-homer games on April 11th and April 12th, with five total homers in his past five games.
While it’s generally not super helpful to analyze a handful of games at High-A to determine someone’s value as a prospect, this recent power spike is very notable for the youngster.
Theo Gillen goes deep in his return to the @BGHotRods lineup ⚡️
Each of the past 5 hits for @RaysBaseball's No. 1 prospect have been home runs, giving him a 1.226 OPS at High-A. pic.twitter.com/b7PFXoO6wk
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 22, 2026
The 20-year-old already has matched his home run total from 2025, when he hit .267 with five homers and 36 steals in 73 games at Low-A. He was the 18th overall pick in the 2024 draft, with many hoping he’d grow into some more power eventually after he impressed with great contact skills and speed. He also walked at a 19.8% clip last season, showing excellent plate discipline.
If he keeps up his recent display of power, he’d be a true five-category standout who could quickly become one of the most highly regarded prospects in fantasy.
If you play in a dynasty league or a league that involves keeping prospects, check to see if you can get Gillen for cheap before his value skyrockets. If everything continues to go smoothly, he could push for a debut at some point in 2027.
-Written by Jeremy Heist
Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 21 G, .250/.360/.461, 7 2B, 3 HR, 6 SB
If you recall, the Mariners signed Emerson to a long-term extension before the season started, leading many to believe he would be up in April. Well, we have three days left in the month, and Emerson is still in Triple-A, but I don't anticipate him being down for much longer.
While Emerson isn't tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A, he's slashing a solid .250/.360/.461 with seven doubles, three home runs, and six steals. Emerson also has a 12.2% walk rate and a 42.9% hard-hit rate, although his zone and overall contact rates have ticked down a little.
Meanwhile, at the major league level, J.P. Crawford is slashing just .186/.345/.271 with a 93 wRC+ as the Mariners' starting shortstop. And over at the hot corner, Leo Rivas is slashing .162/.275/.206 with zero home runs and a 49 wRC+. Most of Emerson's games have been at shortstop this season, but he has drawn a pair of starts at third base as well. I'd expect him up within the next few weeks if he doesn't go into a slump at the plate.
Colt Emerson is heating back up 🔥
MLB's No. 7 prospect (@Mariners) has gone deep in two of his past three games after going oppo for Triple-A @RainiersLand. pic.twitter.com/lxuqg0r5Qz
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 26, 2026
- Written by Eric Cross
A.J. Ewing, SS, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AA Stats: 18 G, .349/.481/.571, 6 2B, 2 HR, 12 SB
Another speedy outfield prospect off to a great start is A.J. Ewing of the New York Mets, who was just promoted from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse. In 81 Double-A plate appearances, Ewing picked up nine extra-base hits, two home runs, 12 steals, and a .349/.481/.571 slash line. He also has more walks (17) than strikeouts (15) so far.
Thursday night: HR
Friday night: HR@Mets No. 3 prospect A.J. Ewing is adding some power to his already expansive set of skills for Double-A @RumblePoniesBB: https://t.co/cKPuX8oucv pic.twitter.com/SgYgUzBvxu— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 24, 2026
Like with Lara, Ewing's contact, approach, and speed lead the way. On top of having a 21% walk rate and 18.5% strikeout rate, Ewing is running a solid 74% contact rate and was at 80% last season. And while I'm not sure he's more than a 12-15 homer bat, he's far from a zero in the power department. As long as he can pop a homer here and there to pair with a solid average, high OBP, and plenty of steals, Ewing should be able to make an impact for fantasy teams.
- Written by Eric Cross
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: Payton Tolle (BOS)
Promoted This Week: Trey Yesavage (TOR), Travis Bazzana (CLE), Elmer Rodriguez (NYY)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), Gabriel Gonzalez (MIN), Zac Veen (COL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Hector Rodriguez (CIN), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Jonathon Long (CHC), Blaze Jordan (STL), Jacob Melton (TBR)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Gage Jump (ATH), Carlos Lagrange (NYY), Hagen Smith (CHW), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Trey Gibson (BAL), Brody Hopkins (TBR), Kendry Rojas (MIN), River Ryan (LAD)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Trey Yesavage | SP | TOR | Tuesday |
| 2 | Travis Bazzana | 2B | CLE | Tuesday |
| 3 | Robby Snelling | SP | MIA | May |
| 4 | Ryan Waldschmidt | OF | ARI | May |
| 5 | Max Clark | OF | DET | June |
| 6 | Colt Emerson | SS | SEA | May |
| 7 | Didier Fuentes | SP | ATL | May |
| 8 | Bryce Eldridge | 1B | SFG | May |
| 9 | Charlie Condon | 1B | COL | May |
| 10 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | MIN | May |
| 11 | Walker Jenkins | OF | MIN | June |
| 12 | Emmanuel Rodriguez | OF | MIN | July |
| 13 | Joshua Baez | OF | STL | July |
| 14 | Luis Lara | OF | MIL | June |
| 15 | Kevin Alcantara | OF | CHC | June |
| 16 | A.J. Ewing | OF | NYM | July |
| 17 | Jonah Tong | SP | NYM | June |
| 18 | Jett Williams | SS/OF | MIL | May |
| 19 | Aidan Miller | SS | PHI | July |
| 20 | Thomas White | SP | MIA | July |
| 21 | Spencer Jones | OF | NYY | July |
| 22 | Carson Williams | SS | TBR | May |
| 23 | Jhostynxon Garcia | OF | PIT | June |
| 24 | Pedro Ramirez | 2B/3B | CHC | July |
| 25 | James Tibbs III | OF | LAD | June |
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 Theo Gillen, Colt Emerson, A.J. Ewing, Charlie Condon, Alex Vesia, Louis Varland, Bryan Baker, Jake Bauers, Payton Tolle, Chase Dollander, Carter Jensen. 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 Theo Gillen, Colt Emerson, A.J. Ewing, Charlie Condon, Alex Vesia, Louis Varland, Bryan Baker, Jake Bauers, Payton Tolle, Chase Dollander, Carter Jensen:
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