Three top fantasy baseball prospects - James Tibbs III, Michael Arroyo, Manuel Pena - that can make big impacts. These MLB prospects are waiver wire pickups or stashes.
Over the past month of action, prospect promotions have been a major story in fantasy. Names like Max Clark, Zac Veen, Joshua Baez, and Kaelen Culpepper have all earned the call and showcased several levels of fantasy upside.
Below, we will look at three sneaky prospects who have begun to put themselves on the stash radar as they approach the stretch run of the fantasy season.
Should fantasy managers stash these high-end prospects? Let's dive in!
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James Tibbs III, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 112 G, .297/.416/.547, 26 2B, 24 HR, 7 SB
James Tibbs III was the most talked-about prospect in the early weeks of the season, when he launched seven home runs in the first eight games of the season. While that type of production obviously wasn't sustainable, he ultimately cooled off enough that he never forced the Dodgers' hand to promote him.
However, he's been heating up again as of late, as he's enjoyed a very good month of August so far. The 23-year-old has recorded at least one hit in 11 of his 12 games in August, slashing .378/.500/.622. He has three home runs in the month, and he recently launched two in a game on August 13th.
So nice Tibbs does it twice☄️ pic.twitter.com/2uKmVsbUsT
— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) August 14, 2026
This hot-hitting brings his season slash line to .298/.384/.471 with 24 home runs, 88 RBI, 90 runs, and seven stolen bases. The youngster's strikeout rate is a bit high at 22.9%, but he has also walked at a great 16.5% clip. It's been an overall elite offensive season for the outfielder, who probably would have been given a chance in the majors if he were in any other organization.
The Dodgers have no shortage of talent, with Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, and Teoscar Hernandez in the outfield and Shohei Ohtani filling up the designated hitter slot. It's hard to call up young guys when that's the current state of the roster, but Hernandez has been very disappointing this year, slashing just .249/.314/.400.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that the Dodgers start to take some playing time away from the veteran, and if they do, Tibbs would hopefully be the first in line to step up. This isn't someone worth stashing at this stage of the year, but he remains one of the most impressive hitters in the minors and is worth keeping an eye on, just in case he finally gets his chance.
-Written by Jeremy Heist
Michael Arroyo, INF, Seattle Mariners
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 32 G, .286/.357/.504, 9 2B, 6 HR, 2 SB
Seattle Mariners middle-infield prospect Michael Arroyo has fared well at Triple-A Tacoma since his promotion and could be next in line for a call-up to Seattle, following in the footsteps of Tacoma teammate Brock Rodden. Arroyo has played in 31 games for Tacoma this season and has six homers and 27 RBI while hitting .295. Arroyo, the right-handed hitter out of Colombia, is the No. 3 prospect on the Mariners list.
The infielder has a balanced profile with a 55-grade hit tool and power with 50-grade speed. At age 21, he could be ready for his next step to the majors but might need a little more time at Triple-A. Nonetheless, he is looking like a good stash candidate and one that could reward fantasy managers with five-category production given an opportunity to make his MLB debut.
-Written by Brian Buckey
Manuel Pena, INF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Current Level: AAA
Availability: 5% rostered
2026 AAA Stats: 45 G, .263/.291/.392 9 2B, 5 HR, 3 SB
Arizona Diamondbacks utility prospect Manuel Pena has hit for power all this season with 31 combined homers between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno. He has combined for 91 RBI while hitting .294. Since being recalled to Reno on June 16, Pena has hit five homers with 27 RBI for the Aces with a .269 batting average.
The 22-year-old left-handed hitter is the No. 29 prospect for the Diamondbacks and has 55-grade power with just a 40-grade hit tool. So the power numbers look legit while the overall hitting (and batting average) could leave something to be desired. Pena has a lot of position flexibility with the ability to play multiple infield positions as well as the outfield. So he could be useful if Arizona wants to give him a big-league opportunity the rest of the way. In deep leagues, he could be worth a stash look for the potential power output.
-Written by Brian Buckey
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: George Lombard Jr. (NYY), Kaelen Culpepper (MIN), Angel Genao (CLE), Hagen Smith (CHW)
Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Zach Ehrhard (LAD), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Yohandy Morales (WAS), Ryan Ward (LAD), Gavin Cross (KCR), Jacob Melton (TBR), Manuel Pena (ARI), Jett Williams (MIL)
Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): George Klassen (LAA), Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT), Brody Hopkins (TBR), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Karson Milbrandt (MIA)
| Rank | Player | Position | Team |
| 1 | Kade Anderson | SP | Mariners |
| 2 | Joshua Baez **Promoted | OF | Cardinals |
| 3 | Walker Jenkins | OF | Twins |
| 4 | Franklin Arias | SS | Red Sox |
| 5 | Charlie Condon | 1B | Rockies |
| 6 | Zac Veen **Promoted | OF | Rockies |
| 7 | Michael Arroyo | 2B | Mariners |
| 8 | Seaver King | SS/2B | Nationals |
| 9 | Ralphy Velazquez | 1B | Guardians |
| 10 | Cam Cannarella | OF | Marlins |
| 11 | Jonathon Long | 1B | Marlins |
| 12 | Cooper Ingle | C/OF | Guardians |
| 13 | Jhostynxon Garcia | OF | Pirates |
| 14 | Jonah Tong | SP | Mets |
| 15 | Elmer Rodriguez | SP | Yankees |
| 16 | Parks Harber | 3B | Giants |
| 17 | Lazaro Montes | OF | Mariners |
| 18 | River Ryan | SP | Tigers |
| 19 | Luke Adams | 1B/3B | Brewers |
| 20 | Bo Davidson | OF | Giants |
| 21 | James Tibbs III | OF | Dodgers |
| 22 | Josue Briceno | 1B | Tigers |
| 23 | Michael Forret | SP | Orioles |
| 24 | Max Anderson | 2B/3B | Tigers |
| 25 | Charles McAdoo | 3B | Blue Jays |
Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool
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2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pick up someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Bailey Ober, Nolan Arenado, Luis Rengifo, Gage Jump, Garrett Mitchell, Will Warren, Brandyn Garcia, Merrill Kelly, Hogan Harris, Bryce Eldridge, Jordan Romano, Clayton Beeter, Robert Gasser, Luke Weaver, Shane Drohan, Josh Bell. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
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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 Bailey Ober, Nolan Arenado, Luis Rengifo, Gage Jump, Garrett Mitchell, Will Warren, Brandyn Garcia, Merrill Kelly, Hogan Harris, Bryce Eldridge, Jordan Romano, Clayton Beeter, Robert Gasser, Luke Weaver, Shane Drohan, Josh Bell:
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