MLB Prospect Debuts: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Rookie Stashes (Week 14)

July 4, 2025

Mike's fantasy baseball prospect stashes, sleepers, and rookie waiver wire pickups for Week 14 of 2025 -- recent MLB prospect debuts and potential call-ups to monitor.

Don't look now, but here comes July, and with it, the pressure for major league teams to decide what they are as a team while the calendar ticks down to the trade deadline at the end of the month.

The following are a few players who should generate interest among fantasy baseball players.  Some are already called up, some could be called up at any point moving forward, and yet others are struggling to lock in and find their groove again. No matter where they are in their development, these are players who need to be on your radar as the 2025 season marches onward.

These players offer intriguing upside for the fantasy manager willing to show patience with rostering a young player, as opposed to rostering a boring veteran who may not help your team at all. Let's take a look at a few players who intrigue fantasy players.

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Fantasy Baseball Hitter Prospects To Target

Yanquiel Fernandez, OF, Colorado Rockies 

Level: Called Up

2025 Stats: 271 PA, .284/.347/.502, 43 R, 13 HR, 39 RBI, 0 SB, 8.5% BB%, 14% K%, 96 wRC+

Fernandez is one of the top prospects in the Colorado system and has been recalled to play starting this week. He will be making his debut when he appears in his first game; he was recalled on Tuesday but was not in the starting lineup. Fernandez has a growing hit tool, but his calling card is raw power. He has 13 home runs in 271 plate appearances covering 64 games; his career high in the minor leagues was 25 in 2023.

For a team that is starved of offense, Fernandez could get a lengthy runway to prove that he belongs on the major league club. One major issue he has experienced has been plate discipline, with extensive swing-and-miss in his history. But this season, he has cut the strikeout percentage to an excellent 14%.

Fernandez projects best as a corner outfielder, and with the moribund Rockies looking to have some abundant playing time for young players, Fernandez should be on your short list of players who could help you. This is especially true if you can grab him in dynasty leagues.

Harry Ford, C, Seattle Mariners 

Level: Taxi Squad? 

2025 Stats: 282 PA, .305/.418/.459, 40 R, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 3 SB, 15.2% BB%, 17% K%, 129 wRC+

Ford was called up to the taxi squad last week due to a lingering injury to backup catcher and sometimes designated hitter Mitch Garver. Ford was not elevated to the active roster, but that didn't stop prospect watchers from thinking about adding him to their rosters over the weekend.

Ford does not have much left to prove in Triple-A, as evidenced by his .305 batting average and ridiculous .418 on-base percentage, with eight homers and 43 RBI. See the box below. Ford even chips in with stolen bases, although those numbers are way down for him in 2025.

This year, the skills seem to be coalescing, with a .305 batting average and .418 on-base percentage. Ford seems poised (depending on how long he remains in Triple-A) to easily surpass his career-highs in every category except stolen bases. In two catcher leagues, Ford is worth keeping an eye on as we move into the season's second half.

Brice Matthews, 2B, Houston Astros

Level: Triple-A

2025 Stats: 298 PA, .285/.403/.492, 48 R, 10 HR, 39 RBI, 23 SB, 15.4% BB%, 28.5% K%, 135 wRC+ 

Matthews is an interesting player and is one of the top five prospects in the Houston system. A first-round pick in 2023, a move from shortstop to second base has helped him defensively and offensively, too, as we can see growth in his hit tool.

In 2024, Matthews hit .265 with 15 home runs and 32 stolen bases, but struck out at a 31.4% clip. That number was for stops at all three levels of Minor League Baseball, but his strikeout percentage at Double-A was 33.7% (181 plate appearances), and a whopping 39.6% (48 plate appearances) in Triple-A.

Tasked with reducing that number this season, Matthews has shaved it down to 28.5%, but is hitting .285 with 10 homers and 23 steals already and looks ready for the major leagues. Given the Astros' struggles with outfield injuries and the desire to use veteran star Jose Altuve in the outfield, Matthews could pop into their lineup at any time now. With the updated news of shortstop Jeremy Pena heading to the injured list with a fractured rib, could Matthews be the guy who gets an opportunity?

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Prospects To Target

Didier Fuentes, Atlanta Braves 

Level: Called Up

2025 Stats: 8.1 IP, 10.80 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 10% K%, 2.5% BB%, 7.53 FIP

Fuentes got the call almost two weeks ago and has made two starts for the Atlanta Braves. Neither start went exceptionally well for the 20-year-old Fuentes, although the first start was better with five innings pitched, four runs surrendered, and three strikeouts.

The home run has been an issue as he surrendered three in his first two starts. He gets his next chance against the Los Angeles Angels. Fuentes will need to work to keep command of his fastball, which he throws at a three-quarters style and has been highly reliant on in the minor leagues.

To stick in the rotation, he needs another good pitch besides his fastball; right now, he is trying to use the sweeper and mixes in a show-me curveball. He has work to do, but he is in the major leagues now and learning on the fly. You can see his movement profile below.

Brandon Sproat, New York Mets 

Level: Triple-A

2025 Stats: 68 IP, 5.43 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 16.4% K%, 11.7% BB%, 5.29 FIP

Sproat is intriguing because the Mets have had so many rotation injuries this year. Right now, the team is using Blade Tidwell as the fifth starter, but it has been an ugly three starts for him (10.13 ERA, a 2.44 WHIP, and a paltry 12% K%), and the team could look to make a change.

Sproat is a pitcher whom the organization has drafted twice, and Sproat rewarded that faith by shooting up the minors to Triple-A in his first season last year. Reality this year has hit him, and Sproat is adjusting to the Triple-A level.

The numbers have not been as good as the 2024 season. Yet, Sproat is rated as the top prospect in the Mets system, with a high-velocity fastball that he seems to currently have trouble locating. Sproat has the tools and is maybe a tweak away from being a middle-of-the-rotation guy before too long in New York.

Quinn Mathews, St. Louis Cardinals 

Level: Triple-A 

2025 Stats: 37 IP, 3.89 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 24% K%, 20% BB%, 4.76 FIP

Mathews is the top-rated pitcher in the St. Louis system, despite a bit of a rough turn at Triple-A this season. Mathews came off the IL in early June after a shoulder injury and is now up to nine starts at the game's highest minors level. The organization is limiting his innings right now, as he has 11 starts at three levels this season, but only 37 total innings pitched.

He is having trouble with the fastball command upon his return to game action after the injury, with 33 walks against 32 strikeouts. Mathews looked the part in spring training before the shoulder issue.

Mathews features a terrific slider that works well against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, as well as a changeup that already grades at 60 right now. Should the Cardinals decide to be sellers of starting pitching at the trade deadline, Mathews could head to the big league roster and debut this season. He is one of their top five prospects and is a name you should know moving forward this summer.

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