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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Hagen Smith, Kalen Culpepper, Max Clark - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Targeting high-impact prospects ahead of their MLB promotion can provide managers with a potential league-winning lottery ticket.
Below, we will check in on three of the top prospects at the Triple-A level, including two of the top hitting prospects in the entire sport.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Hagen Smith, SP, Chicago White Sox
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 47 2/3 IP, 3.78 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 72 K, 33 BB
Hagen Smith found a spot on our stash list earlier in May but hit a bit of a skid, which pushed him to the bottom section. However, the southpaw has since turned the corner and is now firmly back on the stash radar ahead of Week 11.
Over his last three outings, the former fifth overall pick has posted a much-improved 3.14 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a stellar 23:4 K:BB. In his most recent outing on Tuesday evening, Smith racked up a season-high nine punchouts over 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball.
Prior to this surge, Smith posted a 4.54 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP over his first 33 2/3 innings at Triple-A. While he always flashed elite strike potential over this stretch (12.6 K/9), his command remained a major concern as he walked a high 27 hitters (7.2 BB/9).
Last summer, Smith showed just as much strikeout upside at Double-A, totaling 108 over a 75 2/3-inning stint.
Currently, the White Sox lack much upside at the bottom of the rotation, with Noah Schultz recently hitting the 15-day injured list. While fellow prospect David Sandlin recently earned the call, Smith possesses far more upside than veteran Erick Fedde, who posted a high 9.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP over 20 innings in May.
While the former Arkansas standout will need to show this improved production over a longer stint, Smith is now firmly in the mix to earn a first-half call-up. His high-end strikeout potential has now pushed him back onto the stash radar.
Hagen Smith (@whitesox No. 4 prospect) racks up 17 whiffs for Triple-A @KnightsBaseball:
⚫️ 4.1 IP
⚪️ 2 H
⚫️ 1 R
⚪️ 2 BB
⚫️ 9 K (season high) pic.twitter.com/7dA4XcDZuU— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 3, 2026
-Written by Andy Smith
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
It feels like Culpepper's call-up would have come any day now, especially with him slashing .265/.371/.491 with 14 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 267 plate appearances at Triple-A. You have to love how Culpepper has maintained a 12.6% walk rate and a 19.0% strikeout rate in his age-23 season.
The Twins are a rebuilding team, but it looks like they want to be patient with Culpepper. Even though you have Luke Keaschall struggling at second base and Tristan Gray platooning at shortstop, they still haven't brought up Culpepper.
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
But if Culpepper can continue mashing, he's going to force the Twins' hand sooner rather than later. As a hitter who put up 20 homers and 25 steals in 517 plate appearances across all minor league levels last year, there's plenty of upside here.
My other concern is that Royce Lewis has been absolutely mashing since getting demoted to Triple-A, so the Twins may opt to bring him up before Culpepper. With that in mind, you may want to be patient here, but when the day comes when Culpepper is up, it's likely to be worth the wait.
- Written by Frank Ammirante
Max Clark, OF, Detroit Tigers
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 54 G, .257/.341/.390, 13 2B, 4 HR, 12 SB
Clark is starting to figure things out at Triple-A, now slashing .257/.341/.390 with four home runs and 12 stolen bases in 249 plate appearances. At 21 years old, Clark is showing strong plate discipline skills, including an 11.3% walk rate and a 15.0% strikeout rate.
Those are the kind of metrics that give Clark a high floor once the Tigers finally make the move to call him up.
Max Clark crushes his furthest-tracked ball this season:
108 mph | 420 ftMLB's No. 7 prospect (@Tigers) has homers in back-to-back games for the @MudHens. pic.twitter.com/hw9tYhAJms
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 3, 2026
The Tigers are falling well short of a playoff spot in what's starting to look like a lost season. That means that they're incentivized to see what they have in young players like Clark. It wouldn't surprise me to see him up with the team after the All-Star break.
Clark feels like a natural replacement for Wenceel Perez in center field.
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 | NOW |
| 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 Hagen Smith, Kalen Culpepper, Max Clark, Anthony Volpe, Aaron Ashby, Jackson Holliday, Colt Emerson, Roki Sasaki, Ben Brown, Hunter Greene, Payton Tolle. 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 Hagen Smith, Kalen Culpepper, Max Clark, Anthony Volpe, Aaron Ashby, Jackson Holliday, Colt Emerson, Roki Sasaki, Ben Brown, Hunter Greene, Payton Tolle:
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