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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Carson Benge, Bryce Eldridge, Nolan McLean - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Targeting the right prospect can provide your team with a substantial boost in the second half of the season. During the first half, many high-impact prospects have gotten the call, such as Chase Burns and Nick Kurtz.
In this piece, we will look at two rising stars in the Mets system and a budding power hitter in San Francisco and determine if we should stash them on our bench.
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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Carson Benge, OF, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 15% rostered
2025 AA Stats: 32 G, .317/.407/.571, 6 2B, 8 HR, 4 SB
While I'm not entirely sure if he's up this season, one name to definitely at least keep an eye on is Carson Benge of the Mets, who was just promoted to Triple-A on Sunday along with Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, and Jonah Tong. Benge has excelled in both High-A and Double-A so far, slashing a combined .311/.417/.519 in 91 games with 24 doubles, 12 home runs, and 19 steals in 23 attempts.
Benge opened the season at High-A after making his professional debut shortly after being selected with the 19th overall pick in last year's MLB Draft. Following the draft, the Mets sent Benge to Low-A, and he quickly made an impact, posting a .273/.420/.436 line with three doubles and two home runs.
Through 60 games with High-A, Benge took a step further, posting a stellar .302/.417/.480 line with a .897 OPS, five doubles, four home runs, and an impressive 15 stolen bases. During this stretch, Benge held a 50:41 K:BB.
He was able ot kepe this production rolling at Double-A, where he posted a season-high .978 OPS through a short 32-game stint. During this stretch, Benge went deep eight times and continued to show a strong eye at the plate, with a 23:18 K:BB.
Benge possesses one of the best blends of contact and approach in the minor leagues, sporting a 14.3% walk rate, 17.5% strikeout rate, a 7.8% SwStr rate, and an 80% contact rate so far this season. While he's far from a masher or a burner, there's around average game power here with above-average speed. Benge's well-rounded offensive skill set would make him an attractive target for fantasy if he gets the call to Queens before the end of the season.
While it may seem tough for him to reach the majors this season, given how fast he has progressed through the Mets system, a late-season call-up is still in play, especially if the Mets continue to fall out of the Wild Card race.
Carson Benge (NYM) has garnered a ton of buzz lately, and it is totally warranted!
He has been nothing short of exceptional, posting a .953 OPS this season while showcasing formidable tools across the board. He is one of the most complete prospects in baseball! pic.twitter.com/934qSkWBvt
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 7, 2025
-Written by Eric Cross
Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 37 G, .252/.318/.540, 4 2B, 12 HR, 0 SB
The San Francisco Giants have been scuffling since trading for Rafael Devers in June, but their top hitting prospect, Bryce Eldridge, certainly has not been scuffling in Triple-A lately. After slashing .280/.350/.512 with seven home runs in 34 Double-A games, Eldridge has cranked 12 home runs in 37 Triple-A games with a .252/.318/.540 slash line. Five of those home runs have come in his last eight games.
Bryce Eldridge finds the fences again 🔥
The @SFGiants’ No. 1 prospect belts his fifth homer of August, boosting his OPS this month to 1.165 over 34 AB for the Triple-A @RiverCats: pic.twitter.com/4Kscei4jWh
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 10, 2025
In case you're new to Eldridge, he has some of the best power in the minor leagues and has been flexing that power in Triple-A with an elite 95.6 mph AVG EV, 61.1% hard-hit rate, and an 18.9% barrel rate. However, the hit tool certainly lags behind, as Eldridge is running a 65.8% overall and 80.1% zone contact rate. That zone contact rate isn't terrible, but Eldridge profiles more as a .250 caliber hitter long-term while flirting with or exceeding 30 home runs annually.
The first base and designated hitter spots in San Francisco have been occupied by Devers and veteran Dominic Smith. While Smith has been holding his own at the plate with the Giants, it wouldn't surprise me to see them give Eldridge a look down the stretch to see what they have in their top hitting prospect, especially since they are now four games back of the third wild card spot after losing both games over the weekend.
If Eldridge can continue to flash high power at Triple-A, he could be in the mix to earn the call in the coming weeks.
- Written by Eric Cross
Nolan McLean, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 87 1/3 IP, 2.78 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 97 SO, 38 BB
Nolan McLean continued to impress this past week and is quickly approaching his MLB debut. On August 5, the rising star in the Mets system tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. He allowed just one hit.
Since serving up six runs on July 18, McLean has been quite sharp, logging 19 innings to the tune of a 1.89 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and a 19:6 K:BB.
Before that one rough outing, McLean tossed back-to-back games with double-digit strikeouts, suggesting that when he is settled in, his upside is quite high. McLean actually opened the season at the Double-A level, but did not need much time to prove he was ready to join the top ranks of the Mets team. At Double-A, McLean posted an impressive 1.37 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP through 26 2/3 innings.
Then at Triple-A Syracuse, McLean has not had to look sharp, holding an overall 2.81 ERA with a strong 1.09 WHIP across 83 1/3 innings of work.
The former third-round pick has proven himself more than capable of joining the MLB rotation. Given the Mets' recent struggles, McLean could provide a much-needed spark to the ball club.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Mets finally announced that McLean will be taking Frankie Montas' spot in the starting rotation and will make his long-awaited MLB debut over the weekend. He is worth adding in all leagues prior to his MLB debut.
David Stearns says that Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat are "putting themselves in the position" to be called up https://t.co/GB99WxBKPf pic.twitter.com/mAQVohfQHb
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 8, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
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