Hot MLB Prospects to Watch for Fantasy Baseball - James Tibbs III, Kohl Drake, Henry Bolte, Joseph Dzierwa, Rodney Green Jr.

April 8, 2026

Andersen looks at the top fantasy baseball prospects risers, sleepers for Week 2 in April 2026. These MLB prospects may become strong waiver wire stashes or pickups.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! Not only are we thrilled that Major League Baseball is back in full swing, but we're even more excited that the Minor League Baseball schedule is also underway.

Monitoring the top fantasy baseball prospects who have turned heads thus far is imperative. The players listed here are coming off dominant weeks and have significant long-term upside. Don't be surprised when these exact names are painting corners, mashing homers, and swiping bags at the big league level soon.

Savvy fantasy managers looking for an edge in their leagues should watch these players over the long haul, as they may soon be excellent additions.

James Tibbs III, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Level: Triple-A
2025 stats: 9 G, .474/.535/1.184, 7 HR, 13 RBI, 15 R, 0 SB, 11.6% BB%, 20.9% K%, .500 BABIP, .716 wOBA, 336 wRC+

Tibbs was featured in last week's Hot Prospects article, and while back-to-back appearances could be seen as less exciting, the outfield prospect has been anything but dull. He is now knocking on the door of the majors for the reigning World Series champion Dodgers.

The 23-year-old has shown advanced results at the plate, hitting pitchers of both handedness types. His power has remained consistent across all levels of the minors, and his exit velocities should play at the next level.

Defensively, he doesn't possess the speed needed to play center field, but his arm will survive in right. With that being said, he also has experience at first base, because his glove work is fringy and he might not be able to stick in the outfield long term.

Last week, Tibbs went 13-for-26 with a whopping seven home runs, 10 RBI, five walks, and seven strikeouts. The Dodgers have an admittedly crowded outfield in the majors, but it seems like Tibbs will be forcing his way into the mix sooner rather than later.

James Tibbs III is off to an INSANE start to 2026 at Triple-A for the Dodgers 😳

🔵 .474 AVG
🔵 7 HR
🔵 1.179 OPS
🔵 A 2-homer game
🔵 A 3-homer game pic.twitter.com/ukuR0H8Ovz

— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2026

Kohl Drake, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Level: Triple-A
2025 stats: 2 G, 2 GS, 0-0, 9.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 5.04 FIP, 11.00 K/9, 3.00 BB/9, 2.00 HR/9, 21.1% GB%, .056 BABIP

Drake is a former 11th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Originally selected by the Rangers, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in last summer's Merrill Kelly swap.

The southpaw headlines his repertoire with a pair of mid-90s fastballs that grade out as his best offerings. He also throws a pair of breaking balls: a tight slider and a bigger, loopier curveball. Both are effective in different scenarios, giving him more options to choose from. He rounds out his repertoire with a changeup that's still in development.

Drake last pitched on Thursday, allowing two walks and five hits over five shutout innings of work. He also struck out five batters. The 26-year-old now has 11 strikeouts over nine innings, making him an appealing name for the Diamondbacks' rotation as the front office navigates potential roster moves.

Kohl Drake allowed 0 hits on 67 pitches and extended our scoreless pitching streak to 21 innings 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pAFh43UIro

— Reno Aces (@Aces) April 2, 2026

Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics

Level: Triple-A
2025 stats: 9 G, .265/.419/.500, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 11 R, 5 SB, 20.9% BB%, 20.9% K%, .304 BABIP, .425 wOBA, 136 wRC+

Bolte was the Athletics' second-round pick in 2022, signing out of high school for a hefty bonus of $2 million. He finished 2025 and opened 2026 at Triple-A, but it seems unlikely that he'll be there for much longer.

There have been concerns about Bolte's hit tool in the past due to enormous strikeout numbers. While that issue has persisted, we can't ignore that he has a .419 OBP this year and has walked in at least 11% of his plate appearances for three consecutive seasons. There's also average to plus upside in his power profile.

Bolte is one of the best runners in baseball, making him a stolen base threat every time he reaches. The speed also makes him somewhat of a lock to stay in center field long-term, though the A's have been splitting his reps between center and right.

From March 29 to April 5, Bolte went 7-for-26 with two homers, five RBI, six walks, and six strikeouts. He also stole three bases during that window, bringing his season total up to five so far. After he gets a little more time at Triple-A under his belt, Bolte will be an exciting MLB promotion for the A's.

It’s in the name ⚡️

2024 Mesa Solar Sox Henry Bolte speeds around the bases for an RBI triple pic.twitter.com/O3VXSiYytH

— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) March 28, 2026

Joseph Dzierwa, SP, Baltimore Orioles

Level: High-A
2026 stats: 1 G, 1 GS, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.30 FIP, 13.50 K/9, 1.50 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 70.0% GB%, .091 BABIP

Dzierwa was the Orioles' second-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. He fetched a $1.48 million signing bonus from the Birds after an impressive stretch at Michigan State and on the Cape.

Dzierwa stands at 6-foot-8 with a fastball and changeup that pair together quite nicely. The fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s with about 10 mph of separation from the changeup. Both grade out as plus offerings, with the changeup flashing an impressive potential to induce whiffs or weak contact.

He rounds out his repertoire with a cutter and slider. Both are below-average pitches, and it would be nice to see him develop one into an average or plus offering so that he can have an effective horizontally-breaking pitch, especially against left-handed batters.

The southpaw made his first start of the season last Thursday, allowing zero runs, one hit, and one walk over six innings of work. He also struck out nine batters. Just 21 at High-A, Dzierwa has plenty of development ahead of him.

Have a pro debut Joseph Dzierwa!

6.0 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 1 BB | 9 K

The @Orioles' No. 12 prospect -- drafted in the second round in 2025 -- racks up 17 whiffs in his first start for the High-A @FrederickKeys. pic.twitter.com/BS7eH8lDJM

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 4, 2026

Rodney Green Jr., OF, Athletics

Level: High-A
2026 stats: 2 G, .625/.625/1.750, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 0 SB, 0.0% BB%, 12.5% K%, .600 BABIP, .973 wOBA, 472 wRC+

Green was the A's fourth-round pick back in 2024, fetching a signing bonus of exactly $1 million. He has spent his entire pro career in Single- and High-A, but given his early success, a promotion to Double-A could be in the cards.

The 22-year-old has repeatedly flashed plus power, but there are questions about the hit tool, especially after he struck out 29.4% of the time last year. Strikeouts are inevitable — especially in power hitters — but we'd like to see more balls in play. On a positive note, the swing decisions have been good, so he just needs to cut down on whiffs.

Green is a plus defender with a chance to stick in center field long-term. He runs incredibly well, which has solidified his defensive outlook while also giving him major base-stealing upside.

Last week, in his first two games of the year, Green went 5-for-8 with two home runs, three doubles, three RBI, zero walks, and one strikeout. It was encouraging to see him waste no time tapping into power, and the lone strikeout isn't a major blemish on the stat sheet, albeit over a small sample size.

#Athletics prospect Rodney Green Jr. blasted a pair of homers on Opening Day and finished the weekend with five hits in eight at-bats, three RBIs and four runs scored. pic.twitter.com/GvmX4HrwAb

— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) April 7, 2026

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