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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Jonah Tong, River Ryan, Ralphy Velazquez - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Targeting high-impact prospects on the waiver wire is a great way to add a much-needed spark to your sytrglgign fantasy team. So far in the 2026 season, we have seen many call-ups make a quick impact, such as A.J. Ewing and Payton Tolle.
Below, we will look at three prospects who could be in the mix to earn a promotion to the big leagues, including two pitchers who already have some previous MLB experience.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Jonah Tong, SP, New York Mets
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 38 IP, 5.68 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 55 SO, 24 BB
It's about time for a Jonah Tong update. After rising to elite pitching prospect status in 2025, Tong has had a rough go of it in Triple-A this season. In nine starts spanning 38 innings, Tong has struggled to the tune of a 5.68 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. He's still striking out batters at a 32.7% clip, and opposing batters are hitting just .197 off of him, but Tong has walked 14.3% of the batters he's faced.
Tong is coming off arguably his worst outing of the season last Thursday, allowing five hits, three walks, and six earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings. This pushed his ERA to 5.93 over his last six outings. Given the overall struggles and his command-and-control issues, he is a risky asset to target.
The Mets officially promoted Tong ahead of Friday's contest against the Marlins and deployed him in a long relief role, where he logged three frames with no runs or hits. For now, he is best left for deeper 12+ team leagues.
-Written by Eric Cross
River Ryan, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 11 IP, 4.09 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 14 SO, 3 BB
Over the weekend, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said there is a “slim possibility” that River Ryan could join the starting rotation in place of the injured Blake Snell (elbow). The Dodgers first called Ryan up in 2024, when he threw just 20 1/3 innings, posting a 4.50 SIERA, 1.33 WHIP, and an 11.1% K-BB% before suffering an elbow injury. That setback ultimately required Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2025 season.
Before the injury, Ryan was widely viewed as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball because of his electric stuff and deep arsenal. The 27-year-old features a six-pitch mix highlighted by a mid-90s fastball and a devastating slider that has already found success in the Show. He also mixes in a cutter, sinker, curveball, and changeup. Here is a look at his most recent start against the Albuquerque Isotopes.
River Ryan is looking NASTY down in OKC 😮💨#Dodgers #BlueDynasty pic.twitter.com/fRd1MDoHrX
— Blue Dynasty (@D_BlueDynasty) May 16, 2026
At some point this season, Ryan is expected to earn a call-up to the major league roster. Once he puts on Dodger blue, he will be a must-roster player in all fantasy formats due to his strong prospect pedigree, returning velocity, and the win potential that comes with pitching for such a talented team. He is already worth stashing in deeper 12-team leagues if you have the roster space available.
- Written by Marty Tallman
Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
Current Level: AA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AA Stats: 36 G, .317/.414/.566, 9 2B, 7 HR, 1 SB
The Guardians’ No. 2 prospect, Ralphy Velazquez, was just promoted to Triple-A after catching fire in Double-A over the past few weeks. Over his last 123 plate appearances, Velazquez has a 1.045 OPS, along with a .269 ISO, a 19.5% strikeout rate, and a 14.6% walk rate, good for a 174 wRC+. Just a few days ago, Velazquez recorded his first multi-home run game of the season.
Ralphy Velazquez has his first multihomer game of the season!
The @CleGuardians' No. 3 prospect, who is 3-for-4 with 2 homers and a double today, is slashing .317/.411/.566 for @AkronRubberDuck. pic.twitter.com/6L22nF3kIt
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 17, 2026
Overall, the left-handed-hitting first baseman shows power to all fields and projects as a potential 20–30 home run bat with solid on-base skills. While he has shown a tendency to swing and miss earlier in his minor league career, he has made clear progress this season. If he maintains this approach and continues to improve his pitch recognition, he should be in the majors by the middle of the summer.
Right now, at the major league level, first baseman Kyle Manzardo currently stands in the way of a promotion, but that may not be a problem for too much longer. For 2026, Manzardo is slashing just .223/.301/.362 while striking out 30.8% of the time. Therefore, you don't have to squint too hard to see Velazquez earning a call-up around the All-Star break, especially if the Guardians are serious about winning the AL Central.
Once promoted, the 20-year-old from Huntington Beach, California, will be a viable corner infielder or bench bat in a 15-team league.
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 This Week: Colt Emerson (SEA)
Promoted Last Week: Henry Bolte (ATH), A.J. Ewing (NYM), Carson Williams (TBR)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Gabriel Gonzalez (MIN), Zac Veen (COL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Hector Rodriguez (CIN), Blaze Jordan (STL), Jacob Melton (TBR), James Tibbs (LAD), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Jonathon Long (CHC), Jacob Gonzalez (CHW), Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (ATH), Aidan Miller (PHI), Pedro Ramirez (CHC)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Hagen Smith (CHW), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Brody Hopkins (TBR), Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Colt Emerson | SS | SEA | Now |
| 2 | Jhostynxon Garcia | OF | PIT | Now |
| 3 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | MIN | June |
| 4 | Kade Anderson | SP | SEA | July |
| 5 | Edwin Arroyo | 2B/SS | CIN | May |
| 6 | River Ryan | SP | LAD | June |
| 7 | Braden Montgomery | OF | CHW | July |
| 8 | Max Clark | OF | DET | July |
| 9 | Charlie Condon | 1B | COL | June |
| 10 | Luis Lara | OF | MIL | June |
| 11 | Jett Williams | SS/OF | MIL | June |
| 12 | Cooper Pratt | SS | MIL | July |
| 13 | Walker Jenkins | OF | MIN | June |
| 14 | Emmanuel Rodriguez | OF | MIN | June |
| 15 | Thomas White | SP | MIA | July |
| 16 | Esmerlyn Valdez | OF | PIT | July |
| 17 | Cole Carrigg | OF | COL | June |
| 18 | Yohandy Morales | 1B/3B | WAS | June |
| 19 | Jordan Lawlar | INF/OF | ARI | July |
| 20 | Carlos Lagrange | SP | NYY | July |
| 21 | Kemp Alderman | OF | MIA | July |
| 22 | Gage Jump | SP | ATH | July |
| 23 | Joshua Baez | OF | STL | July |
| 24 | Kevin Alcantara | OF | CHC | July |
| 25 | Jonah Tong | SP | NYM | July |
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 like Jonah Tong, River Ryan, Ralphy Velazquez, Henry Bolte, Justin Crawford, Bryce Eldridge, Rico Garcia, Colt Emerson, Braden Montgomery, Thomas White. 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 Jonah Tong, River Ryan, Ralphy Velazquez, Henry Bolte, Justin Crawford, Bryce Eldridge, Rico Garcia, Colt Emerson, Braden Montgomery, Thomas White:
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