Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers - Rookies to Stash and Top Performers for Week 12

June 14, 2026

Jeremy's top fantasy baseball prospect risers, breakouts with big upside for Week 12 of 2026. He analyzes top MLB rookies and call-ups to stash who are surging.

Welcome to the Week 12 edition of the top prospect performers. In this weekly piece, we take a look at three top-performing prospects who could be promoted and contribute in fantasy sometime soon. While some may be closer to making their big league debut than others, it's important to stay up to date on the recent prospect news to be ready once they are called up.

This past week saw two high-profile promotions in Cole Carrigg and Braden Montgomery, who have both been featured in previous editions of this article. They both wasted no time making an impact, as Montgomery hit a walk-off homer in his first game, and Carrigg already has two long balls of his own. If you missed out on them, don't worry, as there are plenty more prospects on the way.

This week, we'll take a look at one hitter with a big recent development, along with two pitchers who have been tearing up the minor leagues as of late. Adding the right prospect at the right time could boost your team to a fantasy championship, as they offer upside that is rare to find on the waiver wire.  Without further ado, let's get into it.

Luis Lara, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Brewers No. 5, Overall No. 91

You probably noticed Luis Lara's name in the news recently when he signed a seven-year, $31 million contract extension with the Brewers on Tuesday. Not only does that show Milwaukee's confidence in him, but it also eliminates any service time disadvantage to promoting him before the final month of the season.

It's no surprise that they have confidence in the youngster, as he's slashing .332/.448/.486 with seven home runs, 28 RBI, 52 runs, and 20 stolen bases. While he doesn't hit the ball with elite exit velocities, he's still found a way to optimize his swing to get some decent pop out of it. Combine that with elite speed and great plate discipline, and you get a player who would be very exciting for fantasy purposes.

He has posted an excellent 16.8% walk rate and 13.0% strikeout rate so far this season, which explains the eye-popping on-base percentage of .448. He's already surpassed his combined home run total from the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and in that span, he's stolen 89 bases in 246 games.

Luis Lara keeps finding the grass in Triple-A Nashville, lining extra-base hits in the gap and robbing them on defense ✨

Lara in May: .491 OBP / .500 SLG / .991 OPS#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/PshJXSxSM5

— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) June 4, 2026

The other good news for Lara's potential promotion is the Brewers' major league talent ahead of him. They currently are deploying Garrett Mitchell in center field and Sal Frelick in right field, which isn't the type of talent that would block Lara for an extended period of time. With Frelick's .302 on-base percentage and .314 slugging percentage, it may be time to make a switch.

Especially after signing the extension, the 21-year-old could be called up any day now. He would be an immediate must-add for fantasy, and is even worth stashing ahead of time in deeper formats. He'd join one of the best teams in baseball, allowing him to rack up plenty of counting stats thanks to the other excellent producers around him.

Verdict: Stash in 15+ team leagues

Karson Milbrandt, SP, Miami Marlins

Marlins No. 5, Overall No. 100

Karson Milbrandt was featured in this piece a couple of weeks ago, and since then, earned the promotion from Double-A to Triple-A. In his first start at the new level, he tossed six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking three while striking out one. While the lack of strikeouts was surprising, it should really only be a concern if it became a consistent issue.

Welcome to Triple-A, Karson Milbrandt!

The @Marlins' No. 9 prospect -- who had a 27-inning scoreless streak at Double-A earlier this year -- tallies six scoreless frames in his @JaxShrimp debut: pic.twitter.com/HbDVKbartx

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 7, 2026

That wasn't the case in his second start at Triple-A on Friday, when he struck out seven over five innings against the Gwinnett Stripers. The 22-year-old allowed one run on three hits and three walks. On the season, he's posted a 1.24 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 78 strikeouts and 23 walks in 58 innings.

Before the season, it would have been crazy to think Milbrandt would be in consideration for a promotion in the first half of the season, considering the Marlins had Robby Snelling, Thomas White, and Braxton Garrett attracting all the attention in the minors. However, after injuries to Snelling, White, Eury Perez, and Janson Junk, along with Garrett disappointing in the majors, suddenly Milbrandt looks like the next best option.

Miami currently only has four starting pitchers officially locked into their rotation, so they will likely need to turn to someone new once they need a fifth starter. This could be a very imminent promotion, and the righty would be a great add in fantasy, in a landscape where starting pitching depth is hard to come by. The Marlins have a knack for developing young pitching, and Milbrandt is shaping up to be the next on that list.

Verdict: Stash in 15+ team leagues 

River Ryan, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers No. 6, Overall No. 77

If the name River Ryan rings a bell, it’s because he’s already made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2024, tossing 20 ⅓ innings over four starts. However, Tommy John surgery knocked him out for the remainder of the season and for all of 2025, so no one knew exactly what to expect out of him this year. 

The 27-year-old has been dominant so far, posting a 2.81 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 40 strikeouts and seven walks through seven starts and 32 innings. By all accounts, he looks like the same pitcher who showed real promise at the major league level two seasons ago. His 29.9% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate are elite, and he also features a 51.8% groundball rate. 

Justin Wrobleski is dealing with a hamstring issue, and Shohei Ohtani missed a couple of games with knee soreness, which could present an opportunity for Ryan to work into the rotation. While both Ohtani and Wrobleski are expected to be fine, they are clearly a bit banged up, and the Dodgers aren’t a team who shies away from placing their players on the injured list when they need time to recover. 

Even if those injuries don’t pop back up, Eric Lauer, with his 5.47 ERA, is currently serving as the sixth starter, who simply doesn’t compare in terms of upside. He pitched decently in his last time out against the Pirates, but his job security is likely on a start-to-start basis at the moment. Recently, Ryan bounced back after his only rough start of the season, striking out seven and allowing one run over four innings on June 10th. 

River Ryan in today’s start:

4.0 IP | 6 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 1 BB | 7 SO#Dodgers pic.twitter.com/CB5hW1iGp6

— Milb Central (@milb_central) June 10, 2026

With all that in mind, a top prospect on the best team in baseball would certainly be worth adding in fantasy. The chance to rack up wins is plenty valuable in its own right, but River Ryan would have the upside to be a difference-making fantasy asset down the stretch. He posted a 1.33 ERA in his brief major league stint two years ago, so he's someone who's already seen success at the highest level. 

Verdict: Monitor for promotion

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