Predicting Fantasy Baseball Prospect Call-Up Timelines - Updated Top Prospect ETAs (March)

March 17, 2026

Eric Cross' updated 2026 fantasy baseball prospect call-up predictions and ETAs (March updates). He predicts when top MLB prospects and rookies will be called up.

We're now just over a week away from the MLB regular season, and fantasy baseball drafts are in full swing. Around a month ago, I posted my initial prospect ETA charts here on RotoBaller, but with a month of spring training in the book, some prospect ETAs have shifted.

My ETAs below are based on each player's current proximity and path to the majors, team context, and a few other variables. These are my best educated guesses, and plenty of outside factors can impact a prospect's arrival time to the majors, both positively and negatively.

Hopefully, this cheat sheet can be a helpful tool during your drafts and throughout the season to assist with making decisions on which fantasy baseball prospects to target or stash in your fantasy leagues.

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MLB Prospect Call-Ups and ETAs Cheat Sheet

I have broken down the 2026 MLB prospect ETAs into four groupings:

• Opening Day
• Early-Season (April/May)
• Mid-Season (June/July)
• Late-Season (August/September)

If you don't see a prospect below, I either don't have them in my Top 150 prospect rankings or don't believe they'll debut in 2026.

2026 Opening Day Prospect ETAs

Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers

I'm still on the fence when it comes to Kevin McGonigle, but I'm now slightly leaning toward him making the opening day roster for Detroit. In 41 plate appearances so far this spring, McGonigle has slashed .267/.463/.600 with five extra base hits, two home runs, a steal, and more walks (10) than strikeouts (6). There's no doubt in my mind that McGonigle is ready, but will Detroit give him the keys on opening day and make Zach McKinstry the utility guy again?

JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals

All indications are that JJ Wetherholt is the leader in the clubhouse to be the Cardinals' opening day second baseman, with Nolan Gorman over at third. Wetherholt has posted a .441 OBP, .240 ISO, two home runs, and two steals in 34 plate appearances this spring, along with more walks (8) than strikeouts (5).

The all-around offensive upside could make Wetherholt a top-10 second baseman right away, with a real shot at going 20/20 as a rookie. But even if he's not up on Opening Day, Wetherholt shouldn't spend more than a month or so in Triple-A.

Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays

I've seen a lot of skepticism on social media recently about targeting Trey Yesavage in redraft leagues this year, given Toronto's early-season limit on Yesavage. Avoiding him because of this is a major mistake.

Yes, Yesavage had a massive workload jump last season. Between the minor leagues, major leagues, and the postseason, Yesavage racked up 139 2/3 innings after throwing 93 1/3 innings in his final season in college. Having another near 50-inning jump in 2026 has always been unlikely, meaning Toronto was going to have to limit Yesavage at some point during the season.

All they're doing is limiting him early in the season so they don't have to down the stretch and into the postseason. The overall innings projection hasn't changed. Just how he gets to that innings projection has. I'd bank on Yesavage being in the 150-160 inning range this season, which is more than enough innings to provide a positive ROI at his ADP around pick 150.

2026 Early-Season Prospect Call-Up ETAs

Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians

Travis Bazzana did not make the Opening Day roster, but I don't expect him to be down in Triple-A for more than a month or two, given the poor state of the middle infield for Cleveland. If Bazzana is hitting well in Triple-A, I'd be shocked if he didn't overtake Brayan Rocchio at second base by the end of May.

Ryan Waldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

There was some buzz that Ryan Waldschmidt was going to make the Opening Day roster, but that won't be the case, especially with Corbin Carroll on track for Opening Day. But still, this Arizona outfield is far from a safe outfield with two spots currently being occupied by Lawlar and Alek Thomas.

There's a good chance we still see Waldschmidt within the first two months of the season when one of those two isn't hitting well. Waldschmidt is one of the top outfield prospects in the game, coming off a .289/.419/.473 slash line with 18 home runs and 29 steals in 134 games last season.

Connelly Early, Boston Red Sox

If he were in line to get the No. 5 spot in the rotation, Connelly Early would be one of my favorite post-200 ADP pitching targets in drafts this season. However, with Johan Oviedo pitching well this spring, it's more likely that Early starts the season alongside Payton Tolle down in Triple-A Worcester.

Early is coming off a phenomenal 2025 season and has pitched to the tune of a 2.25 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 12 innings this spring. If given enough innings, Early could provide top-40 SP value this season, but it's hard to predict how many innings he'll have with Boston this season. He should be the first one up if Oviedo struggles or if there's an injury.

2026 Mid-Season Prospect Call-Up ETAs

Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

Entering spring training, I strongly believed that Konnor Griffin wouldn't be up until mid-season. And while he's shown some flashes of brilliance this spring, including three home runs, Griffin has shown that a couple of months in the upper minors could serve him well. The upside both for 2026 and beyond is enormous, but I wouldn't use a top-150 pick on him, simply due to the fact that I don't believe he breaks camp with Pittsburgh.

Joshua Baez, St. Louis Cardinals

Several St. Louis prospects have had a productive spring training at the plate, including 2025 breakout Joshua Baez. After posting a 20/54 season with a .287/.384/.500 slash line in 117 games last season, Baez has smacked three home runs with a .333/.417/.762 line this spring. The power/speed blend and contact/approach improvements make Baez an exciting outfielder for fantasy purposes, and I believe he gets at least 250-300 plate appearances with the Cardinals this season.

2026 Late-Season Prospect Call-Up ETAs

Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

While he's yet to throw a pitch in the minor leagues, don't be surprised if Kade Anderson has a Yesavage-like rise this season and is pitching for Seattle in meaningful games late in the season. Anderson dominated in his final season at LSU, posting a 3.18 ERA, 37.4% strikeout rate, and a 30.1% K-BB rate in 19 starts, pushing his draft stock up into the top-5 where Seattle took him with the third overall pick.

With a high floor and the upside of a No. 2 starter, Anderson should move quickly.

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