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Three top fantasy baseball prospects - Cooper Pratt, George Lombard Jr., Luis Lara - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Every season, fantasy managers watch high-impact prospects earn the call to the majors and quickly establish themselves as top fantasy assets. So far, players like Payton Tolle, A.J. Ewing, and Konnor Griffin have fit this bill in the 2026 season.
In this piece, we will spotlight three prospects, including one who is set to join his respective MLB roster at the start of the week.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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Cooper Pratt, SS, Milwaukee Brewers
Current Level: AAA (set to join MLB roster)
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 58 G, .241/.349/.386, 6 HR, 17 SB
The Brewers selected Pratt in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He had just finished high school at the time, and in less than three years, he had already ascended to Triple-A. Now, he's knocking on the door of the major leagues as he inches closer to making his MLB debut.
Pratt fits the mold of a typical Brewers prospect. The organization targets players who play a lockdown defense, hustle on the basepaths, and possess impressive contact numbers. He's up to 17 steals this season, which puts him on pace to surpass his career-high of 31, and he's walking almost as much as he's striking out.
Power hasn't historically been a key part of Pratt's game, but he's unlocked a little more thump this year. So far in 2026, he's already up to six home runs, putting him just two shy of his previous career-high mark (eight). His 108 wRC+ this year is his highest mark since Single-A in 2024.
Unsurprisingly, the contact numbers are some of Pratt's best advanced metrics. He has a 17.5% whiff rate (87th percentile) and a 89.8% zone contact rate (86th percentile) so far this year. We'd like to see the swing decisions improve slightly, as he currently ranks in the 50th percentile in chase rate.
Pratt projects as a reliable offensive threat who should maintain a high OBP and a high stolen-base total in the majors once his time comes. There isn't game-changing power here, but he has the potential to hit consistent extra-base hits with some home runs mixed in here and there.
On Sunday evening, the team announced that Pratt would join the MLB roster this week. Given his speed upside, he is worth adding in all 12+ team formats.
Seems like a misteak pitch there pic.twitter.com/Fu8HFAKZlZ
— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 10, 2026
-Written by Andersen Pickard
George Lombard Jr., SS, New York Yankees
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 41 G, .226/.374/.374, 11 2B, 4 HR, 8 SB
The Yankees selected Lombard in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He was a prep prospect at the time, signing for $3.3 million. He has quickly progressed through the farm system, spending most of 2025 in Double-A and getting the call to Triple-A on April 29, 2026.
Lombard played better at Double-A than he's played so far at Triple-A this year, but fantasy managers should not be discouraged. He's still walking at an absurd clip (18.1%, 92nd percentile), and the stolen base total has shown that his speed can play at the higher levels.
Even though Lombard has slugged just six homers this year (and only four since his promotion to Triple-A), the advanced metrics portray him as a dependable contributor at the next level. He has a 92.4 mph average exit velocity (90th percentile), a 48.5% hard-hit rate (84th percentile), and a 20.4% pull-air rate (70th percentile).
The swing decisions are solid, too. Beyond the elite walk rate, he's chasing just 23.1% of the time, which ranks in the 73rd percentile. There's certainly some whiff in his game, but that's an acceptable trade-off since the contact quality numbers are quite encouraging when he does put the bat on the ball.
The Yankees are unlikely to rush Lombard, especially since he was in Double-A less than two months ago. However, he's another potential stash in deeper leagues given his long-term upside.
George Lombard Jr. (Yankees #1 prospect) starts the series in Lehigh Valley by going 3-for-5 with a double, 2 RBI, and a walk. 👏#RepBX pic.twitter.com/L8N94xajsQ
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 20, 2026
- Written by Andersen Pickard
Luis Lara, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 62 G, .329/.443/.476, 8 2B, 7 HR, 20 SB
Lara is currently slashing .329/.443/.476 with seven home runs and 20 stolen bases in 274 plate appearances at Triple-A. It's extremely impressive to see such elite plate discipline from a 21-year-old, as highlighted by a 16.8% walk rate and a 13.0% strikeout rate. You always love to see a hitter walk more than they strike out.
The Brewers' outfielder has made several appearances in this column, which highlights how good a season that he's having. The latest development is most intriguing, though.
Luis Lara the Next Prospect to Debut After Massive Extension? https://t.co/XSanRajAzF
— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) June 12, 2026
The Brewers just signed Lara to a seven-year deal with $31 million guaranteed. You don't make a move like that if you don't plan on seeing what you have in your stud prospect sooner rather than later.
Currently, the Brewers have two spots that are pretty open in the outfield, with Garrett Mitchell in center and Sal Frelick in right. It wouldn't shock me to see Lara get called up soon, especially since he has nothing left to prove at Triple-A.
Once that happens, he'll be a priority pickup in all standard leagues due to his five-category potential.
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: Braden Montgomery (CHW), Cole Carrigg (COL), Blaze Jordan (STL), Cooper Pratt (MIL), Denzer Guzman (LAA)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Jacob Melton (TBR), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Jonathon Long (CHC), Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (ATH), Zach Ehrhard (LAD)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT), Owen Murphy (ATL), Quinn Mathews (STL), George Klassen (LAA)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | ETA |
| 1 | Kaelen Culpepper | SS | Twins | June |
| 2 | Joshua Baez | OF | Cardinals | July |
| 3 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners | July |
| 4 | Charlie Condon | 1B | Rockies | July |
| 5 | River Ryan | SP | Dodgers | June |
| 6 | Max Clark | OF | Tigers | August |
| 7 | Ryan Waldschmidt | OF | Diamondbacks | July |
| 8 | Walker Jenkins | OF | Twins | August |
| 9 | James Tibbs III | OF | Dodgers | June |
| 10 | Karson Milbrandt | SP | Marlins | August |
| 11 | Luis Lara | OF | Brewers | June |
| 12 | Zac Veen | OF | Rockies | July |
| 13 | Hector Rodriguez | OF | Reds | August |
| 14 | Yohandy Morales | 1B/3B | Nationals | June |
| 15 | Hagen Smith | SP | White Sox | July |
| 16 | Jett Williams | SS/OF | Brewers | July |
| 17 | Ralphy Velazquez | 1B | Guardians | August |
| 18 | Jonah Tong | SP | Mets | July |
| 19 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees | July |
| 20 | George Lombard Jr. | SS | Yankees | July |
| 21 | Jaxon Wiggins | SP | Cubs | July |
| 22 | Kemp Alderman | OF | Marlins | July |
| 23 | Abimelec Ortiz | 1B | Nationals | July |
| 24 | Brody Hopkins | SP | Rays | July |
| 25 | Wei-En Lin | SP | Athletics | 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 Cooper Pratt, George Lombard Jr., Luis Lara, Bryce Eldridge, Royce Lewis, Noelvi Marte, Cole Carrigg, Braden Montgomery, Henry Bolte, Carson Benge. 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 Cooper Pratt, George Lombard Jr., Luis Lara, Bryce Eldridge, Royce Lewis, Noelvi Marte, Cole Carrigg, Braden Montgomery, Henry Bolte, Carson Benge:
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