Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash (Redraft): Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for Week 19

August 4, 2026

Eric Cross' top 25 fantasy baseball prospects to stash in redraft for Week 19 (2026). His updated MLB rookie rankings for prospect call-ups to make 2026 impacts.

Man, that was a fun trade deadline, wasn't it? This was probably one of the busiest trade deadlines I can recall over the last several years, with plenty of notable names switching teams over the last 72 hours.

While there were plenty of fantasy implications for the players actually traded, these moves also opened up some opportunities for top prospects in Triple-A to make their Major League debuts a little sooner... hopefully.

These prospect rankings are for 2026 redraft value only. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2026 redraft leagues. You can also see our top fantasy baseball dynasty prospects rankings for longer-term outlooks and our 2026 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard for all other league formats.

Top 25 Prospects to Stash in Redraft Leagues

My prospect write-ups are below the rankings. These rankings are for 2026 redraft value only, not dynasty. These are MLB prospects who could potentially make a fantasy baseball impact in 2026.

Promoted Last Week: Hector Rodriguez (CIN), Max Clark (DET), Quinn Mathews (STL)

Promoted This Week: George Lombard (NYY)

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Zach Ehrhard (LAD), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Yohandy Morales (WAS), Lazaro Montes (SEA), Ryan Ward (LAD), Gavin Cross (KCR), Parks Harber (SFG), Jacob Melton (TBR), Gavin Cross (KCR)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): George Klassen (LAA), Jack Wenninger (NYM), Hunter Barco (PIT), Brody Hopkins (TBR), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC)

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

George Lombard, New York Yankees

When the New York Yankees didn't add an infielder to play on the left side before the trade deadline, you knew it was only a matter of time before George Lombard got the call. And poof, here he is. It's been a productive season for Lombard in the upper minors this season, as he's slashed .284/.411/.498 with 24 doubles, 12 home runs, and 14 steals in 78 games between Double-A and Triple-A (and two at the Complex).

George Lombard Jr. since returning off the IL on July 17 for the Triple-A @swbrailriders:

• .377 AVG
• .477 OBP
• .604 SLG

The @Yankees' top prospect posts his fourth career game with 4+ hits: pic.twitter.com/P56aLx9OQx

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 2, 2026

There's easy plus power in the profile, with Lombard running a 92.7 mph AVG EV, 104.5 mph 90th percentile EV, and a 48.7% hard-hit rate in Triple-A, but the contact rates have been a bit below-average at 79.9% in zone and 68.7% overall. However, Lombard is able to offset those by walking at a high clip and keeping the chase rate low. He's also a solid runner who could be a 15-steal guy long-term.

The Yankees are looking for an offensive spark, so I expect them to give Lombard a fairly long leash to see if he can hit the ground running and provide that spark.

Hector Rodriguez, Cincinnati Reds

After excelling in Triple-A for four months, Hector Rodriguez is being brought up to Cincinnati for his Major League debut this week. Rodriguez swatted 47 extra-base hits and 27 home runs in 104 Triple-A games this season, while slashing .274/.347/.533 with a 123 wRC+.

Héctor Rodríguez is swinging a hot bat at Triple-A 🔥

The @Reds' No. 5 prospect has two HRs today and three in his past four games for the @LouisvilleBats: pic.twitter.com/juonFt2hoK

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 7, 2026

Rodriguez has always been somewhat undervalued as a prospect since he doesn't wow you with any one tool. However, Rodriguez brings an intriguing blend of contact and power to the table, running an 86% zone and 77% overall contact rate in Triple-A this season, along with a 42% hard-hit rate, 89.1 mph AVG EV, and 9.8% barrel rate. This is an exciting bat who now gets to play half of his games in the hitter's haven known as Great American Ball Park. I'd give him a look in 12-team leagues or deeper.

Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners cleared up their starting pitching logjam a little bit by trading veteran right-hander Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox over the weekend. That still leaves five good starters in their rotation, as Emerson Hancock was not moved at the deadline, but at least we're one step closer to seeing Kade Anderson up with the Major League team this season.

Nothing has really changed on the production front for Anderson, who is still terrorizing Double-A hitters. In 16 starts, Anderson has recorded a ridiculous 1.20 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 4.1% walk rate, 40.5% strikeout rate, and a .149 BAA. The blend of command/control and bat-missing is simply incredible, as Anderson has a 37% whiff rate and a 18.6% SwStr rate to go along with that tiny walk rate. There's no prospect I'd rather be stashing right now.

Joshua Baez, St. Louis Cardinals

With Lars Nootbaar now a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the path to Major League playing time just got a bit clearer for Joshua Baez. All St. Louis has left for left field options are Bryan Torres and Nelson Velazquez, neither of which should hold Baez back for long.

In 95 games for Triple-A Memphis this season, Baez has slashed .251/.324/.577 with 21 doubles, 32 home runs, and 17 steals. The huge power/speed blend gives Baez plenty of intrigue for redraft leagues, but I'm still a bit concerned about his contact and strikeout rates limiting him initially.

Jonathon Long, Miami Marlins

After over 200 games in Triple-A Iowa, Jonathon Long was sent to the Miami Marlins on Monday, which will hopefully quicken his arrival in the Majors. While Long hasn't been quite as potent at the plate this season as he was in 2025, the 24-year-old is still slashing a solid .283/.364/.455 with 30 doubles and 12 home runs in 99 games.

Jonathon Long BOMB! pic.twitter.com/u082OxIpZp

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 2, 2026

Long doesn't really stand out in any one area, but he's consistently displayed an above-average blend of contact and approach in the minors, sitting with an 84% zone contact rate, 79% overall contact rate, 10.6% walk rate, and a 21.2% strikeout rate this season. He also has enough power to be a 20-homer threat annually. I'd be surprised if Miami didn't give Long a shot within the next few weeks at either first base, left field, designated hitter, or a combination of the three.

River Ryan, Detroit Tigers

On the pitching side, River Ryan now has a much better opportunity to start regularly down the stretch and into 2027. However, he needs to get healthy first. Ryan is currently on the IL with a hamstring strain and hasn't pitched in the last six weeks. In his eight Triple-A outings before getting hurt, Ryan has posted a 4.46 ERA (2.88 FIP), 1.29 WHIP, 5.1% walk rate, and a 27.2% strikeout rate.

Keep an eye on his recovery timeline as Ryan is a borderline Top-100 fantasy prospect who could make a decent impact down the stretch if he gets back healthy and receives the call to Detroit.

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