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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - JR Ritchie, Ryan Waldschmidt, Jonah Tong - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Managers looking for upside on the waiver wire should prioritize high-impact prospects who are on the verge of returning to the MLB roster. These prospects have flashed elite upside at the Triple-A level and could become must-start options as soon as they earn the call.
Below, we will spotlight three prospects who are on the verge of earning the call and are worth keeping a close eye on during Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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JR Ritchie, SP, Atlanta Braves
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 10% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 27 1/3 IP, 0.99 ERA, 1.02 WHIP. 28 SO, 13 BB
Update - JR Ritchie will start Thursday's Contest against the Washington Nationals
The other Atlanta Brave worth monitoring is JR Ritchie. While Fuentes is the higher-priority name to stash, Ritchie is very close to making his MLB debut and could almost earn a promotion simply as Fuentes is recalled.
At Triple-A this season, Ritchie has been near-perfect and playing some of the best baseball of his career. Across four starts, the right-hander has logged 21 1/3 innings to the tune of a 1.27 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a 20:10 K:BB. Since allowing a season-high two runs in his season debut on March 27, Fuentes has gone on to log 17 2/3 straight innings of one-run ball.
While Ritchie has allowed a modest 3.6 BB/9 during this stretch, he has been able to limit the damage and strike out 17 hitters.
Last season, Ritchie spent time at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A and logged a cumulative 140 innings to the tune of a 2.64 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. During his first look at Triple-A (59 2/3 innings), Ritchie held a 3.02 ERA with a 1.097 WHIP.
Seeing the 22-year-old show steady development in his second extended look at the level is a very promising sign.
However, while he likely remains behind Fuentes in the peaking order to earn the call, he is still worth stashing in 12+ team leagues. Currently, the Braves lack much stability in the back-end of their rotation, and even after Fuentes was to earn the call, Ritchie could sit in a path. Earlier on Friday, the Braves recalled 35-year-old Martin Perez to the MLB roster, who has held a 4.33 ERA from 2023 through 2025.
Once Fuentes earns the call, Ritchie will enter the top tier of pitching prospects to stash, as he would be next in line for a promotion in an injury-riddled Atlanta rotation.
Jr Ritchie - 0 runs and strands a triple. Sinker and 4 seam running at 95. Cutter at 91. Curve and a Sweeper early. Check swing strikeout on the curve for his K. pic.twitter.com/Hhxb61TlDd
— Lethal platy (@LethalPlatypus1) April 12, 2026
-Written by Andy Smith
Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2025 AAA Stats: 21 G, .338/.448/.563, 6 2B, 2 HR, 4 SB
Ryan Waldschmidt tees off for his first Triple-A @Aces roundtripper, upping his OPS to .943 🏌️♂️
The @Dbacks' No. 1 prospect entered the night with 6 balls in play at 101+ mph this season: pic.twitter.com/3K3hCw9WPa
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 10, 2026
Waldschmidt is currently slashing .333/.455/.571 with two home runs in 78 plate appearances at Triple-A. You have to be enticed by the 15.4% walk rate, especially if you're in OBP leagues. The Diamondbacks could sure use a boost to their outfield with Jordan Lawlar sidelined.
Additionally, center fielder Alek Thomas continues to struggle at the plate, slashing .130/.175/.222 with zero home runs in 58 plate appearances. I understand that Thomas has defensive value, but the negative impact he has on the offense can't be understated. The D-Backs would be wise to sacrifice a little defense and bring up Waldschmidt.
The other path to playing time is in left field, where Jorge Barrosa is currently playing. He's been better at the plate than Thomas, slashing .244/.292/.444 in 49 plate appearances. Perhaps the D-Backs can move Barrosa to center and play Waldschmidt in left if they're so concerned with defense.
Regardless of the way the D-Backs decide to deploy Waldschmidt, it's clear that they can't keep his bat down for long. When he's up, you're getting an outfielder with 20-20 upside and strong plate discipline.
- Written by Frank Ammirante
Jonah Tong, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 15 1/3 IP, 7.04 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 23 SO, 10 BB
Rounding out our list will be New York's Jonah Tong. Like Ritchie, Tong's current path to rejoin the majors is not overly clear, but he would enter the high-end prospect stash range if a New York starter were to miss time with an injury. Currently, the New York rotation is full as all five starters are fully healthy, but given Kodai Senga's previous health concerns and Clay Holmes' minimal track record as a full-time starter, Tong could be in the mix to run much sooner than expected.
Tong was enjoying a strong start to the Triple-A regular season, but hit a bit of a roadblock this past week. Facing Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Tong struck out 10 hitters over 4 2/3 innings, but managed to allow a season-worst six runs and five hits. However, prior to this outing, Tong struck out 13 hitters over his first 10 2/3 innings while allowing six earned runs.
Last season, prior to his MLB debut, Tong was regarded as one of the game's top pitching prospects in the minor leagues. He began the 2025 regular season with Double-A and was nothing short of elite, holding a 1.59 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, with a 162:44 K:BB over 102 innings. Tong was then bumped up to Syracuse, where he needed only two starts (11 2/3 innings) before going to the Mets. In this brief stint, Tong did not allow a run and struck out another 17 hitters.
In the majors, Tong struggled, allowing 16 earned runs over 18 2/3 innings. While he has shown immense upside at times, Tong still needs further development, as evidenced in his most recent outing.
He should be well-equipped to make a major impact in his second MLB stint later this summer. However, given his unclear timetable, he sits as the clear No. 5 on this list and a worthy stash in deeper formats.
- Written by Andy Smith
2026 Prospect Fantasy Baseball Redraft Stash Rankings
Who are the top fantasy baseball prospects to know? Check out our latest 2026 prospect fantasy baseball rankings which are updated regularly by Eric Cross:
Promoted Last Week: Noah Schultz (CHW), Sam Antonacci (CHW), Ryan Ward (LAD)
Promoted This Week: Kendry Rojas (MIN)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), Gabriel Gonzalez (MIN), Zac Veen (COL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Hector Rodriguez (CIN), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Pedro Ramirez (CHC), Blaze Jordan (STL), Luis Lara (MIL), Jacob Melton (TBR)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Gage Jump (ATH), Carlos Lagrange (NYY), Elmer Rodriguez (NYY), Hagen Smith (CHW), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Trey Gibson (BAL), Brody Hopkins (TBR)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Trey Yesavage | SP | TOR | May |
| 2 | Robby Snelling | SP | MIA | May |
| 3 | Ryan Waldschmidt | OF | ARI | May |
| 4 | Payton Tolle | SP | BOS | May |
| 5 | Max Clark | OF | DET | June |
| 6 | Didier Fuentes | SP | ATL | May |
| 7 | Colt Emerson | SS | SEA | May |
| 8 | Bryce Eldridge | 1B | SFG | May |
| 9 | Travis Bazzana | 2B | CLE | June |
| 10 | Charlie Condon | 1B | COL | May |
| 11 | Jett Williams | SS/OF | MIL | May |
| 12 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | MIN | May |
| 13 | Joshua Baez | OF | STL | June |
| 14 | Walker Jenkins | OF | MIN | June |
| 15 | Jhostynxon Garcia | OF | PIT | June |
| 16 | Emmanuel Rodriguez | OF | MIN | July |
| 17 | River Ryan | SP | LAD | May |
| 18 | Kevin Alcantara | OF | CHC | June |
| 19 | Jonah Tong | SP | NYM | June |
| 20 | Aidan Miller | SS | PHI | July |
| 21 | Thomas White | SP | MIA | July |
| 22 | Spencer Jones | OF | NYY | July |
| 23 | Carson Williams | SS | TBR | May |
| 24 | James Tibbs III | OF | LAD | June |
| 25 | Jonathon Long | 1B | CHC | June |
Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pick up someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players JR Ritchie, Ryan Waldschmidt, Jonah Tong, Reid Detmers, Joey Cantillo, Andrew Painter. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Looking to pick up someone else instead? Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like JR Ritchie, Ryan Waldschmidt, Jonah Tong, Reid Detmers, Joey Cantillo, Andrew Painter:
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