Fantasy Baseball Prospect Risers - Rookies to Stash and Top Performers for Week 8

May 17, 2026

Jeremy's top fantasy baseball prospect risers, breakouts with big upside for Week 8 of 2026. He analyzes top MLB rookies and call-ups to stash who are surging.

Welcome to the week 8 edition of the top prospect performers. In this weekly piece, we'll take a look at three hot prospects who are dominating at their respective minor league levels. Whether they are set to be promoted any day now or have their eyes set on 2027, they are all destined for fantasy relevance at some point in their future. It's important to stay up to date on the latest prospect news, whether you're looking for a re-draft stash or a dynasty centerpiece to build around.

We saw two prospect promotions this past week in A.J. Ewing and Henry Bolte, who were each featured in this piece over the last two weeks. However, don't worry if you missed out on them, as there are always more on the way. It's worth mentioning that Kade Anderson and Cole Carrigg are still my two favorite stash candidates in re-draft leagues, but since both of them were discussed here last week, we'll take a look at three fresh faces for this week.

Those include a high upside infielder and outfielder who are breaking out in Triple-A, along with a young pitcher who could be on track to be a generational prospect. Adding the right prospect at the right time could boost your team to a fantasy championship, so without further ado, let's get into it.

Edwin Arroyo, SS, Cincinnati Reds

Reds No. 3, Overall No. 100

Edwin Arroyo didn't enter the season with a ton of hype after slashing .284/.345/.371 with three home runs and 12 stolen bases in 120 games in Double-A last season, but he has looked like a changed player so far in 2026. That's especially true over his past seven games, where he's launched five homers with five multi-hit games, including a three-game stretch where he collected 11 hits and 24 total bases from May 7 to May 9.

Edwin Arroyo with a 428-foot BLAST 💥

The @RedsOnTheRise No. 7 prospect has been one of the best hitters in the International League so far this season.

He entered the night slashing .338/.405/.573 with a .979 OPS at Triple-A.

(🎥@LouisvilleBats) pic.twitter.com/rBmRMgNjE8

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 12, 2026

On the season, he is slashing .347/.414/.605 with nine home runs, 30 RBI, 35 runs, and seven steals for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate, where he's seemingly made a huge power breakthrough while also already stealing more than half of the bases he did a year ago. The recent success has allowed him to crack the top 100 prospects list on MLB.com, and Cincinnati doesn't have superstar talent blocking his path in the infield besides Elly De La Cruz.

I wouldn't say a promotion is evident, but it wouldn't be surprising if they turned to the 22-year-old at some point this season if Ke'Bryan Hayes and Matt McLain continue to disappoint. The youngster would provide exciting power and speed in one of the most hitter-friendly environments in baseball, which could easily lead to fantasy relevance down the line.

Verdict: Monitor for a future promotion

Seth Hernandez, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates No. 1, Overall No. 3

Seth Hernandez was the sixth-overall pick in last year's MLB draft, and there's a reason why he's already the number-three-ranked prospect in all of baseball. He has a legitimate four-pitch mix that includes a fastball that touches triple digits, and the righty clearly has the makings of a future major league ace.

The Pirates took the conservative approach and started the 19-year-old in Low-A, where he quickly showed he was already far too advanced for the level. Hernandez posted a minuscule 0.96 ERA and 0.71 WHIP with a whopping 50 strikeouts in 28 innings through six starts, when he was then finally promoted to High-A.

In his first start at the new level on Friday, he twirled five no-hit innings with seven strikeouts against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. If this first start was any indication, it may not be long before we see him in Double-A. Kade Anderson was drafted third overall in the same draft class, and he has been doing equally impressive things for the Mariners in Double-A this season.

It seems like Hernandez and Anderson could be on a quick race to the majors as the cream of the crop of this next wave of talent, as they are each ranked as the number one overall pitching prospects for right-handers (Hernandez) and left-handers (Anderson).

New level, no problem for Seth Hernandez!

High-A Debut: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

There is no pitching prospect with more upside than Hernandez.#LetsGoBucspic.twitter.com/0yh51Ie1h3

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) May 16, 2026

While it's much more likely we see Anderson up with the big league club this season, Hernandez has quickly established himself as one of the most high-upside prospects in all of baseball, and his value in keeper and dynasty leagues should reflect that. While a 2026 major league debut is unlikely, a great 2026 season could put him in the running to be one of the most hyped-up prospects heading into 2027 fantasy drafts.

Verdict: Highest-end dynasty asset

Braden Montgomery, OF, Chicago White Sox

White Sox No. 2, Overall No. 24

Braden Montgomery got off to a hot start in 2026 and dominated in Double-A to the tune of a .313/.429/.606 slash line with six homers, 22 RBI, 20 runs, and two steals in 27 games. This earned him a promotion to Triple-A on May 5, and that didn't slow him down.

Four of his 10 games at the level have been of the multi-hit variety, and he already hit his second Triple-A homer on Saturday, which was a rocket that he sent out to the opposite field.

Braden Montgomery launches his eighth homer of the year, second with Triple-A @KnightsBaseball 🚀

The @whitesox No. 2 prospect is hitting .318 with an .898 OPS since his promotion: pic.twitter.com/AnXq9JateF

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 16, 2026

The 23-year-old is now up to eight long balls on the season, which is three-quarters of the way to the 12 he hit in 120 games last season. Montgomery has always been regarded as an exciting, high-upside prospect since being drafted out of high school in 2021, and it looks like we are finally seeing it all come together.

While it's uncommon for players to spend just a week or two at Triple-A before getting called up to the majors, we just saw Ewing get promoted by the Mets after only 12 games in Triple-A, and the A's didn't make Bolte sit around in the minors for longer than he needed to, either.

The White Sox are currently running out Jarred Kelenic, Tristan Peters, and Andrew Benintendi in their lineup on most days, so it would be an understatement to say Montgomery doesn't have much talent blocking his path. It may not take too much longer of this type of production before Chicago decides to pull the trigger, giving the youngster the most favorable odds for an upcoming promotion out of the three prospects mentioned in this week's piece.

He's not perfect by any means, as his 25% strikeout rate could become a problem if that increases in the big leagues, but the upside would be worth taking a chance on in all leagues, especially since there would be no playing time concerns. He's not someone worth pre-emptively stashing in most leagues, unless you play in something like a deep AL-Only league with deep benches, but be on the lookout for a promotion.

Verdict: Monitor for upcoming promotion

More Fantasy Baseball Prospects and Rookies