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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Kaelen Culpepper, Ralphy Velazquez, Braden Montgomery - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Finding a high-impact prospect on the waiver wire ahead of their promotion can provide a massive spark to your fantasy baseball team.
In this piece, we will spotlight three prospects who are performing at a high level at Triple-A and quickly approaching their MLB debuts.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Kaelen Culpepper, INF, Minnesota Twins
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 56 G, .265/.371/.491, 9 2B, 14 HR, 13 SB
The Twins selected Culpepper, a Kansas State product, in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He signed for just shy of $4 million, and so far, he's been worth every penny. The 23-year-old has lived up to the hype and is now a top prospect inching closer to making his MLB debut.
Culpepper, who is 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, has an impressive blend of power and speed that should set him up for plenty of success in fantasy baseball. He had 20 homers and 25 steals last year, and he's already up to 14 homers and 13 steals this year. He has the potential to be a member of the 20/20 club (20 homers and 20 steals) in the majors.
In addition to the counting stats, his underlying metrics are quite encouraging. He's an impact bat with a 95.1 mph EV50 (91st percentile) and 50.6% hard-hit rate (89th percentile). His ability to hit the ball hard in the minors should allow him to maintain his power once he reaches the majors.
Furthermore, Culpepper's swing decisions aren't anything special, but he makes consistent contact. His 22.6% whiff rate ranks in the 71st percentile, while his 89.15% zone contact rate is in the 86th percentile. He can get a little overaggressive and chase from time to time, but we know that he's still a decent bet to make solid contact.
Culpepper seems like a strong candidate to make his MLB debut in June. When he does get called up, he should see his roster share skyrocket as fantasy managers take notice of the upside behind his power and speed. He's available in 98% of leagues, and he ranks #2 among shortstop prospects in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings.
Kaelen Culpepper with his SIXTH leadoff homer of the season!
The @Twins' No. 2 prospect has gone deep 13 times and owns an .853 OPS for the Triple-A @StPaulSaints: pic.twitter.com/Woshl7W7UJ
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 3, 2026
-Written by Andersen Pickard
Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 14 G, .241/.305/.426, 5 2B, 1 HR
The Guardians used their 2023 first-round pick on Velazquez, selecting him 23rd overall and giving him a $2.5 million signing bonus. At the time, he was a very talented prep prospect, and he has maintained that same level of upside throughout the minors and into Triple-A.
Body concerns could lead Velazquez to more designated hitter reps and fewer first base reps long-term, but the bat is good enough to get in the lineup every day. He's a prototypical middle-of-the-order power bat with 22 homers last year and seven so far this year. There's essentially no speed here, but his 20+ home run potential gets him on the radar in fantasy baseball leagues.
Velazquez's top advanced metric so far this season is his 91.6 mph average exit velocity, which ranks in the 86th percentile. Before he reaches the majors, we'd like to see him improve on his swing decisions and contact results, as he owns an ugly 36.76% chase rate and 36.5% whiff rate so far. (Both rank in the 12th percentile.)
Despite some contact and whiff concerns, Velazquez's power numbers speak for themselves, and we expect his exit velos to remain high once he gets called up to the majors, likely in August or so. He's available in 99% of leagues and currently ranks as the No. 17 prospect in RotoBaller expert Eric Cross' 2026 Prospect Fantasy Baseball Redraft Stash Rankings.
Cleveland #Guardians 21yr old (1B) prospect Ralphy Velazquez collects his 2nd XBH of the night on his 4th triple of the season in the 8th inning for Columbus. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/AH9854CLxl
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 4, 2026
- Written by Andersen Pickard
Braden Montgomery, OF, Chicago White Sox
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 28 G, .312/.402/.495, 8 2B, 4 HR, 3 SB
Update - Montgomery has been promoted to the MLB roster and is set to debut on Tuesday night. He is a priority waiver wire pick-up in all standard 12-team leagues.
Montgomery is another hitter who has found himself in this column quite often. The 23-year-old outfielder has been excellent at Triple-A since being promoted there, slashing .312/.402/.495 with four home runs and three stolen bases in 127 plate appearances.
It's encouraging to see Montgomery keep his strikeout rate in check at 24.8%, while still maintaining a rock-solid walk rate (9.7%).
First pro grand slam for Braden Montgomery ‼️
MLB's No. 24 prospect (@whitesox) has a .920 OPS across two levels this year, including his stint at Triple-A: pic.twitter.com/vHLWrFOLAJ
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 29, 2026
While the White Sox have exceeded expectations so far, currently in the thick of the AL Wild Card race, this is still a rebuilding team that needs to give its young players a chance. At 23 years old, there's not much left for Montgomery to prove in the minors.
Currently, the White Sox have an outfield that consists of Tristan Peters, Rikuu Nishida, and Sam Antonacci. While Antonacci has been terrific, the other two aren't exactly big obstacles to playing time for Montgomery.
If Montgomery continues to hit well at Triple-A, expect him to be up soon. When that happens, you're getting a polished hitter with a high floor.
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: Edwin Arroyo (CIN), Spencer Jones (NYY), LuJames Groover (ARI)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Zac Veen (COL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Jacob Melton (TBR), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Jonathon Long (CHC), Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (ATH), Denzer Guzman (LAA)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT), Owen Murphy (ATL)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | Twins | June |
| 2 | Joshua Baez | OF | Cardinals | July |
| 3 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners | July |
| 4 | River Ryan | SP | Dodgers | June |
| 5 | Max Clark | OF | Tigers | August |
| 6 | James Tibbs III | OF | Dodgers | June |
| 7 | Charlie Condon | 1B | Rockies | July |
| 8 | Braden Montgomery | OF | White Sox | NOW |
| 9 | Luis Lara | OF | Brewers | June |
| 10 | Cooper Pratt | SS | Brewers | July |
| 11 | Cole Carrigg | OF | Rockies | June |
| 12 | Yohandy Morales | 1B/3B | Nationals | June |
| 13 | Hagen Smith | SP | White Sox | July |
| 14 | Jett Williams | SS/OF | Brewers | July |
| 15 | Ralphy Velazquez | 1B | Guardians | August |
| 16 | Walker Jenkins | OF | Twins | August |
| 17 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees | July |
| 18 | Karson Milbrandt | SP | Marlins | August |
| 19 | Jaxon Wiggins | SP | Cubs | July |
| 20 | Kemp Alderman | OF | Marlins | July |
| 21 | Abimelec Ortiz | 1B | Nationals | July |
| 22 | Blaze Jordan | 1B/3B | Cardinals | July |
| 23 | Jordan Lawlar | INF/OF | Diamondbacks | July |
| 24 | Brody Hopkins | SP | Rays | July |
| 25 | Hector Rodriguez | OF | Reds | August |
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 Kaelen Culpepper, Ralphy Velazquez, Braden Montgomery, Noelvi Marte, Christian Scott, Zebby Matthews, Henry Bolte, A.J. Ewing. 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 Kaelen Culpepper, Ralphy Velazquez, Braden Montgomery, Noelvi Marte, Christian Scott, Zebby Matthews, Henry Bolte, A.J. Ewing:
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