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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Bubba Chandler, J.J. Wetherholt, Kristian Campbell - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Stashing highly-regarded prospects is a great way to secure league-winners for your fantasy team. If you were ahead of your league mates and stashed top first base prospect Nick Kurtz and pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski, you likely have been reaping the benefits.
In this piece, we will look at three of the top prospects in baseball and determine if they are worth stashing on our benches during the final stretch of the fantasy baseball season.
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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Bubba Chandler, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 96 2/3 IP, 3.82 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 116 SO, 48 BB
As always, sitting on the prospect stash list is Pittsburgh Pirate right-hander Bubba Chandler. However, similar to fellow top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, Chandler has been unable to find much success. In each of his last two outings, Chandlr has allowed three runs in each game. While he racked up seven punchouts nd one walk on August 5, he held a modest 3:2 K:BB in his most recent outing on August 10.
Since the start of June, the right-hander has been unable to find much consistency at Triple-A. During these 48 innings of work, Chandler has posted a 5.63 ERA with a hefty 1.7 WHIP. He has served up 27 free passes and only struck out 47 hitters. However, before this rough skid, Chandler appeared to be on the verge of a promotion as he was flashing immense upside at Triple-A.
During his first 48 2/3 innings of the campaign, the right-hander posted an elite 2.03 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP. He tallied 69 strikeouts while allowing a mere 21 walks. Throughout this dominant stretch, he only allowed two total home runs.
Even though it seems that Chandler has been knocking on the MLB door since April, he remains a strong stash option in deeper 12+ team formats. When he does earn the call, he will carry a must-start upside given his ability to rack up strikeouts.
With Bailey Falter being traded before the deadline, Chandler could be up in Pittsburgh in the coming weeks. Despite his inconsistency throughout the regular season, when he does get the call to the major leagues, he will carry solid SP4 upside given his ability to rack up strikeouts.
Is it time to stash Buba Chandler? 👇 https://t.co/4vUEpg0i6J
— Andy Smith (@A_Smith_FS) August 9, 2025
- Written by Andy Smith
J.J. Wetherholt, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats:22 G, .301/.394/.639, 5 2B, 7 HR, 2 SB
The former seventh overall pick from last year's MLB Draft has been one of the most productive hitters in the minor leagues and is on the verge of making his MLB debut. The West Virginia product, J.J. Wetherholt, opened the campaign at the Double-A level after earning a taste of Low-A following the 2024 Draft.
With Double-A Springfield, Wetherholt looked quite comfortable, posting a strong .300/.425/.466 slash line with a .891 OPS. During this stretch, the shortstop hit 14 doubles, added a triple, and went deep seven times. He also swiped 14 bags over this stint and held a 40:44 K:BB.
This strong play earned him a quick ticket to the top level of the St. Louis system. Since joining Triple-A, Wetherholt has continued to swing a scorching hot bat, posting a .301/.394/.693 line with an impressive seven home runs. Over his last 16 games, Wetherholt has posted an elite .947 OPS with a 16.7% K rate.
Even though the Cardinals did not opt to sell their infielders at the trade deadline, given that they are likely to fall out of the playoff race, they could look to give their top prospect a look at the majors to put him in a position to start in 2026. Given his elite power production this season, Wetherhold should be viewed as a top stash candidate in all 12-team formats.
When he gets the call, he would be viewed as a must-stash middle infielder in all leagues given his strong eye at the plate, contact skills, and, more importantly, his ability to hit for power and steal bases.
JJ Wetherholt in Triple-A...
99 PA, .301/.394/.639, 13 XBH, 7 HR, 12.1% BB, 16.2% K#ForTheLou pic.twitter.com/a2aANPZLK1
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) August 13, 2025
-Written by Andy Smith
Kristian Campbell, INF/OF, Boston Red Sox
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 41 G, .279/.404/.435, 6 2B, 5 HR, 2 SB
Don't look now, but Kristian Campbell is getting hot! Actually, go ahead and look, because if you don't, you'll likely miss out. With two hits and a home run on Sunday, Campbell now has four home runs in his last 17 games, along with a 12.5% walk rate, 16.7% strikeout rate, and a .367/.472/.600 slash line.
kristian campbell loves being a worm pic.twitter.com/nvZ42vXzdi
— Wicked Worms of Worcester (@WooSox) August 10, 2025
Campbell has been splitting time between first base and second base in Triple-A, which are two spots that the Red Sox still don't have any stability at, outside of playing their gold glove caliber center fielder at second base, just because they have no other solid options.
While Campbell recently saw his impressive 15-game hitting streak come to an end, he has been one of the most productive hitters in the minor leagues over the past month. During his eye-catching 15-game hitting streak, the Georgia Tech product posted an elite .393/.469/.589 line with two doubles, three home runs, one stolen base, and a 12:7 K:BB. Overall, Campbell has held a .279 AVG with six doubles and five round-trippers since joining Triple-A Worcester this season.
Although he struggled in the majors, leading to his demotion to the minor leagues in June, his rediscovery of power hitting is a positive sign for his outlook in the final weeks of the regular season.
I'm banking on Campbell taking one of those two spots down the stretch and providing solid fantasy value to anyone who is able to look past the slump he had in May/June and remember the upside/hype entering this season, which started out very well in April.
- Written by Eric Cross
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