Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash (Redraft): Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for Week 5

May 1, 2026

Eric Cross' top 25 fantasy baseball prospects to stash in redraft for Week 5 (2026). His updated MLB rookie rankings for prospect call-ups to make 2026 impacts.

The first month of the season has flown by, and we've already been blessed with a plethora of notable prospects making their debuts in the major leagues. Sal Stewart and Kevin McGonigle are beasting, Konnor Griffin is heating up, and the duo of Chase Burns and Nolan McLean already looks like aces.

Even with so many high-profile prospects debuting already, we still have plenty of notable names knocking on the door. Some of these guys are worth stashing now, while others are names to keep on your radar for the coming months.

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: Payton Tolle (BOS)

Promoted This Week: Trey Yesavage (TOR), Elmer Rodriguez (NYY), Travis Bazzana (CLE)

Honorable Mentions (Hitters): Lazaro Montes (SEA), Harry Ford (WAS), Ryan Clifford (NYM), Kemp Alderman (MIA), Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), Gabriel Gonzalez (MIN), Zac Veen (COL), Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA), Hector Rodriguez (CIN), Michael Arroyo (SEA), Jonathon Long (CHC), Blaze Jordan (STL), Jacob Melton (TBR), James Tibbs (LAD)

Honorable Mentions (Pitchers): Gage Jump (ATH), Carlos Lagrange (NYY), Hagen Smith (CHW), Jaxon Wiggins (CHC), Trey Gibson (BAL), Brody Hopkins (TBR),  Kendry Rojas (MIN), River Ryan (LAD)

Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings Analysis

Trey Yesavage, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

Trey Yesavage is back. It was reported over the weekend that Yesavage will be activated from the IL this week and make his 2026 debut against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

Yesavage didn't put up appealing numbers during his rehab assignment, but I wouldn't even pay attention to those. This is the same guy who rose up five levels last season while having an ERA under 3.25 in both the minors and the majors, while quickly establishing one of the top splitters in the game. Yesavage's splitter had a .111 BAA, .111 SLG allowed, and 57.1% whiff rate in his three outings with Toronto last season.

I'm valuing Yesavage as a top-40 starter for the rest of the season in redraft leagues, with the upside for more.

Robby Snelling, SP, Miami Marlins

At this point, each passing start in Triple-A for Robby Snelling is one start too many. After posting a 1.27 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts last season, Snelling has recorded a 2.25 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 37.2% strikeout rate in five starts this season. Sure, he's walked 14 batters in 24 innings, but that's not a concern for me right now as he's never experienced any notable command/control issues.

Robby Snelling had three double-digit strikeout performances in 2025 ... and now one in 2026.

The @Marlins' No. 2 prospect racks up 12 punchouts over 5 dominant frames for the Triple-A @JaxShrimp. pic.twitter.com/NYRK1GKWZT

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 11, 2026

Over his last three outings, Snelling has allowed just six hits and two earned runs combined in 16 innings with 25 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Chris Paddack has a 6.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 24 innings as the Marlins fifth starter. It'd be easy to say that Snelling will take over for Paddack soon (and he might), but the Marlins also have Braxton Garrett waiting in the wings. Regardless, I still expect Snelling to eclipse 100 major league innings this season.

Luis Lara, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

A new addition to the stash rankings this week is Milwaukee outfield prospect Luis Lara, who has been red-hot to start the season down in Triple-A. In his first 26 games (114 plate appearances), Lara is slashing a stellar .347/.439/.561 with 10 extra-base hits, five home runs, 12 steals, and as many walks as strikeouts (15).

Lara's metrics under the hood have been impressive as well. In addition to being a plus or better runner, Lara has recorded an 89 mph AVG EV, 45.6% hard-hit rate, 92.7% zone contact rate, and an 86.7% contact rate. Hitting for more power this season has been huge for his profile, which already included plus contact skills, a great approach, and the aforementioned speed.

With Tyler Black at DH and Brandon Lockridge in left field, the path for Lara to join Milwaukee in the next several weeks is there.

A.J. Ewing, OF, New York Mets

Another speedy outfield prospect off to a great start is A.J. Ewing of the New York Mets, who was just promoted from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse. In 81 Double-A plate appearances, Ewing picked up nine extra-base hits, two home runs, 12 steals, and a .349/.481/.571 slash line. He also has more walks (17) than strikeouts (15) so far.

Thursday night: HR
Friday night: HR@Mets No. 3 prospect A.J. Ewing is adding some power to his already expansive set of skills for Double-A @RumblePoniesBB: https://t.co/cKPuX8oucv pic.twitter.com/SgYgUzBvxu

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 24, 2026

Like with Lara, Ewing's contact, approach, and speed lead the way. On top of having a 21% walk rate and 18.5% strikeout rate, Ewing is running a solid 74% contact rate and was at 80% last season. And while I'm not sure he's more than a 12-15 homer bat, he's far from a zero in the power department. As long as he can pop a homer here and there to pair with a solid average, high OBP, and plenty of steals, Ewing should be able to make an impact for fantasy teams.

Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners

The last player I wanted to discuss today is Seattle's Colt Emerson. If you recall, the Mariners signed Emerson to a long-term extension before the season started, leading many to believe he would be up in April. Well, we have three days left in the month, and Emerson is still in Triple-A, but I don't anticipate him being down for much longer.

While Emerson isn't tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A, he's slashing a solid .250/.360/.461 with seven doubles, three home runs, and six steals. Emerson also has a 12.2% walk rate and a 42.9% hard-hit rate, although his zone and overall contact rates have ticked down a little.

Meanwhile, at the major league level, J.P. Crawford is slashing just .186/.345/.271 with a 93 wRC+ as the Mariners' starting shortstop. And over at the hot corner, Leo Rivas is slashing .162/.275/.206 with zero home runs and a 49 wRC+. Most of Emerson's games have been at shortstop this season, but he has drawn a pair of starts at third base as well. I'd expect him up within the next few weeks if he doesn't go into a slump at the plate.

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