5 Hitter Fantasy Baseball Prospects To Stash For Week 8 - Redraft Leagues (2026)

May 16, 2026

Frank Ammirante's hitter fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 8 (2026). His MLB prospects to pick up and stash on your bench and N/A spots in redraft leagues.

We're onto Week 8 of the 2026 MLB season. As always, it's a good idea to monitor the minor leagues to see which hitting prospects we should stash as we try to find a rookie who can put your team over the top.

In this column, I highlight five different hitting prospects each week. Some of these hitters have been on this list more than once, but I try to switch it up each week by choosing different hitters. Do note that some of these hitters may be close to getting called up, while others are still not ready yet.

So, without further ado, find out why Jonah Cox, Ben Ross, Colby Shelton, Seaver King, and Luis Lara are my five hitter prospects to highlight this week. I decided to go deeper this time around.

Jonah Cox, OF, San Francisco Giants

Acquired by SF in the Ross Stripling trade (‘24), Jonah Cox has been exceptional!

In ‘26 MiLB AA: 209 wRC+ (1st), 4 HR, 14 RBI, .726 SLG…he’s also swiped 17 bags in 25 games.

Was a monster at Oral Roberts. pic.twitter.com/MdW1fiPT32

— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) May 7, 2026

Cox has been terrific for the Giants' minor league affiliate this season, slashing .426/.479/.713 with four home runs and 19 stolen bases in 124 plate appearances at Double-A.

You have to love how Cox has trimmed his strikeout rate from 22.4% to 16.1%, demonstrating true growth as a hitter. While a 24-year-old at Double-A isn't exactly the age-to-level ratio you want to see, we still have to point out Cox's intriguing start.

That's because Cox plays quite the fantasy-friendly game, racking up 58 stolen bases last season. If he can maintain these gains at the plate, perhaps he can be called up to the Giants sooner rather than later. San Francisco has gotten off to a poor start. If that continues, the Giants feel inclined to see what they have with their young players, especially down the stretch.

This is more of a deep-league stash where you have plenty of roster spots. For those of you in more shallow formats, pay attention to Cox, since this is quite the impressive slash line that he has in Double-A.

Ben Ross, SS, Minnesota Twins

Shortstop Ben Ross has been promoted from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A St. Paul.

Ross has hit .424 with 5 homers, 16 RBI, and a 1.325 OPS in 16 games with the Wind Surge to start 2026.

— Theodore Tollefson (@TheodoreTollef1) April 24, 2026

Ross is currently slashing .355/.478/.664 with seven home runs and 10 stolen bases in 136 plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A this season. Throughout both stops, Ross has combined for a 16.9% walk rate and a 17.6% strikeout rate, showing a lot of polish at the plate. We all know that Kaelen Culpepper gets the headlines, but what if Ross is the one who gets the call first?

He's already 24 years old, and his strong performance has moved him up to Triple-A. If he continues to mash, there's a chance that he can be up with the Twins at some point this season. Minnesota is a rebuilding team that would be wise to see what its young talent can do, especially those with not much left to prove in the minors.

Continue to monitor Ross' progress at Triple-A. With Royce Lewis starting to fall out of favor due to injuries and poor performance, maybe Ross gets the call.

Colby Shelton, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago White Sox

Colby Shelton is starting off hot today with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. 🔥

Barons: 1 | Trash Pandas: 0 pic.twitter.com/eguYnlk5wg

— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) May 13, 2026

Shelton isn't often mentioned among White Sox prospects, but he mashed at Single-A, slashing .339/.464/.661 with seven home runs and six stolen bases in 140 plate appearances.

This earned him a promotion to Double-A, where he's currently slashing .250/.308/.583 with one home run in 13 plate appearances. If Shelton continues to perform well, he can rise through the ranks for the White Sox.

As with the other prospects on this list, Shelton plays for a rebuilding White Sox team that could fully embrace even more of a youth movement after the All-Star break. Keep an eye on Shelton because he's shown some power and speed juice throughout his time in the minor leagues.

But remember, just like the other hitters on this list, this is more of a deep-league play. My goal here is to put you on some of the hottest hitters in the minors right now, so keep that in mind.

Seaver King, SS, Washington Nationals

Another two knocks today for Seaver King, including a triple. He's reached in all 31 games this year.

But if the Nationals truly are keeping him at Harrisburg to work on defense, it's hard to argue with as they watch so many of their former top prospects struggling defensively…

— Stars and Strikes - Daily Nats Content (@starsstrikesbb) May 13, 2026

King is a 23-year-old middle infielder who is slashing .333/.416/.579 with five home runs and four stolen bases in 150 plate appearances at Double-A. We saw him swipe 30 bags in 551 plate appearances across all levels last year, so there's stolen base upside here. However, the gains at the plate, where he's improved from an 88 wRC+ to a 159 wRC+, are quite intriguing.

The Nationals are in full-out rebuilding mode, which means that we could see them trade some of their best players to acquire more assets that fit the timeline of their younger prospects. CJ Abrams has often been the subject of trade rumors for the Nationals. It wouldn't surprise me to see him moved at the deadline.

If that happens, that would open up an opportunity for King. All that he needs to do is keep hitting like he is. The speed upside makes him worth keeping an eye on in deeper formats.

Luis Lara, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Luis Lara. Again.

That’s 7 homers in a month at AAA. He had 10 in nearly 400 games in the minor leagues before that. pic.twitter.com/BYi8QP6Iot

— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) May 6, 2026

Lara has been having an incredible year at Triple-A, slashing .338/.446/.520 with seven home runs and 16 stolen bases in 177 plate appearances. What's even more impressive is the plate discipline, as highlighted by a 15.3% walk rate and a 12.4% strikeout rate. This is despite being only 21 years old and playing at Triple-A.

Throughout his time in the minor leagues, Lara has continued to show elite stolen base upside, swiping 40+ bags in each of his last two seasons. He's already set a new career-high with seven home runs this season.

This was a sub-.100 ISO hitter in every other season, but he's now at .182 ISO this year. If Lara can maintain these improvements in power, there's a chance that he'll eventually be up with the Brewers.

The problem here is that, unlike other teams on this list, the Brewers are playoff contenders. That means they're not in a position where they have to rush their young talent. To that end, likely, Lara would only get called up late in the season.

With that said, it's still worth pointing out just how well he's doing. Who knows, he could surprise us and get called up before we think. If that happens, he has the kind of speed that could give your fantasy team a major boost down the stretch. Keep an eye on Lara.

Three Other Prospects to Consider Stashing

• Joshua Baez, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
• Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners
• Leo De Vries, SS, Athletics

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis