5 Fantasy Baseball Prospects With Upside to Know for 2026 Drafts

February 15, 2026

Andy analyzes 5 high-upside fantasy baseball prospects, breakouts, sleepers for 2026. These are impact MLB prospect call-ups and rookies for fantasy baseball.

Targeting high-end prospects in the final rounds of your draft can be the difference between you winning your league and just falling short of the competition. Last season, managers saw several prospects become high-end options as soon as they reached the big leagues, like Nolan McLean, Nick Kurtz, and Kyle Teel.

In this piece, we will spotlight five budding prospects who could carry fantasy value during the 2026 campaign.

Who are five high-upside fantasy baseball prospects managers should keep on their radar heading into draft season? Let's dive in!

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J.J. Wetherholt, SS, St. Louis Cardinals

Current Level: Triple-A
2025 MiLB stats: 109 G, .306/.421/.510, 28 2B, 17 HR, 23 SB

St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect JJ Wetherholt now has a clear path to playing time at second base in 2026 after the team traded Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners on Monday night, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Before the Donovan trade, Wetherholt was expected to compete for the third base job after St. Louis traded Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason.

Nothing is guaranteed for Wetherholt, but all signs point to the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, being on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster in 2026. Between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis last year, the 23-year-old hit .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 109 games played. The former seventh overall pick in 2024 has 20-homer power as he matures, and he could play regularly right from the start of the season in St. Louis in 2026.

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Current Level: MLB
2025 MiLB stats: 102 G, .260/.333/.510, 21 2B, 25 HR

San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge took fly balls in left field at spring training on Wednesday, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports. Manager Tony Vitello wants to get Eldridge work in the outfield just in case. The 21-year-old played some outfield in the minors after getting drafted, so it's not completely foreign to him. However, he only played 26 games in right field back in 2023 in the Arizona Complex League and at Single-A San Jose. Adding some positional versatility for Eldridge makes sense, considering he'll mostly be rotating between first base and designated hitter in 2026 with Rafael Devers.

The 6-foot-7 left-handed slugger has recovered from left-wrist surgery to remove bone spurs at the end of last year, and he'll provide immense power in the Bay Area. Eldridge didn't hit a homer in 10 games in his MLB debut last September, but he displayed his power stroke with an .843 OPS and 25 homers in 102 minor-league games before that. Strikeouts are a part of his profile, but the power is real, and he should add first base eligibility in 2026.

Trey Yesavage, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

Current Level: MLB
2025 MLB stats: 14 IP, 3.21 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 18 SO, 7 BB

The Toronto Blue Jays will monitor starting pitcher Trey Yesavage's workload this season, according to general manager Ross Atkins. Yesavage made his MLB debut last season, ultimately accruing 139.2 innings between the minors and majors (including the postseason). This was a pretty hefty innings total for the young right-hander, especially since 2025 was his first season playing pro baseball. He didn't log any game action in the months after being drafted in 2024.

Save that ball!

It's Trey Yesavage's FIRST Big League strikeout 👏 pic.twitter.com/W0fXAvkOLj

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 15, 2025

While it may seem like Toronto rushed him to the majors, the results speak for themselves. The right-hander logged 11.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 between the regular season and postseason, accruing a 51.9% ground ball rate and 3.19 FIP. It's important to note that Atkins said Yesavage's workload will be "monitored," which means the Jays are keeping close tabs on his usage but might not necessarily restrict his innings.

Zyhir Hope, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Current Level: Double-A
2025 MiLB stats: 127 G, .266/.376/.428, 13 HR, 27 SB

Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect Zyhir Hope earned an invite to MLB spring training. Hope is quickly climbing prospect boards and is entering the 2026 campaign as one of the top outfield prospects in the game. According to MLB.com, Hope is the team's No.2-ranked prospect and the sport's No. 20-ranked prospect, sitting behind fellow outfield teammate Josue De Paula. Last summer, the 21-year-old spent the majority of the campaign with High-A Great Lakes before earning a short six-game stint at Double-A.

.@Dodgers No. 6 prospect Zyhir Hope blasts his first High-A home run! pic.twitter.com/s9E4fdfF7S

— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) April 5, 2025

With Great Lakes, Hope posted a .264/.377/.428 slash line with 13 home runs and 26 stolen bases. He carried this momentum into Double-A, posting a .316/.350/.421 line. While Hope will not break camp with the MLB roster, he will likely open the season with Double-A, which could open the door for a second-half Triple-A promotion.

Jaxon Wiggins, SP, Chicago Cubs

Current Level: Triple-A
2025 MiLB stats: 78 IP, 2.19 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 97 SO, 36 BB

Chicago Cubs top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins is among the non-roster invitees set to attend MLB spring training. On MLB.com, Wiggins is considered the team's No. 2-ranked prospect and the sport's overall No. 67 prospect. Last summer, the right-hander was one of the most effective arms in the entire minor leagues and is now quickly approaching his MLB debut. He began the 2025 campaign with High-A but finished the second half with Triple-A Iowa. At High-A, Wiggins logged 26 1/3 innings to the tune of a 1.71 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.

He was then bumped up to Double-A, where he logged 42 innings with a stellar 1.92 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. In his first taste of Triple-A, Wiggins took a step back, allowing five runs over 9 2/3 innings. Despite his struggles, Wiggins will likely begin the 2026 season with the Iowa Cubs, leaving the door open for an early first-half MLB debut.

2026 Prospect Fantasy Baseball Rankings

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