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With MLB Debut Nearing, Should Jaxon Wiggins be Stashed?
Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins (elbow) returned to the mound at Triple-A Iowa this past Friday, a welcome sight for a big-league staff that could use some reinforcements. The right-hander is returning from a stint on the injured list due to elbow inflammation, and Friday's outing was his first appearance for Iowa since early April. The Cubs' top-ranked pitching prospect showed some rust Friday, walking three batters and throwing a wild pitch in only 2 2/3 innings of work, but was also able to strike out four batters with his fastball touching 98 mph. The Cubs have multiple starters on the injured list, so if Wiggins can increase his workload and look a bit sharper over his next couple of starts, the 6-foot-6 hurler could be in the big leagues sometime in August. With big strikeout potential, the 24-year-old quickly becomes a stash consideration who could prove to be a sneaky fantasy producer for the stretch run.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Bryce Eldridge a High-Upside Add in Deep Leagues?
San Francisco Giants designated hitter Bryce Eldridge reached the break at .271/.364/.468 with eight home runs, 28 runs, and 20 RBI in 217 plate appearances. Six of those homers came over his last 30 games. Yahoo managers have rostered Eldridge in just 22% of leagues. The power is not hiding. Eldridge carries a 92.3 mph average exit velocity, 54.4% hard-hit rate, and 12.5% barrel rate, and his .504 expected slugging percentage is better than the real mark. He has also trimmed his strikeout rate to 24.4% after sitting at 35.1% during his brief 2025 debut. There is no speed here, and first-base-only fantasy eligibility makes the roster fit a little tighter. Still, the bat belongs in deeper leagues. RotoBaller ranks Eldridge 72nd for Week 16 and recommends him in 15-team formats. He is a high-upside add for managers who need home runs.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
James Tibbs III Reinforces Stash Status Before Break
Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect James Tibbs III capped off a highly productive first half with a mini three-game hit streak in which he went 6-for-12 (.500), including a double and a stolen base. Notably, the Dodgers' ninth-ranked prospect also showed great improvement in his strikeout rate as of late, recording just three strikeouts over his last seven games across 27 plate appearances, which was only an 11.1 percent rate compared to a 26.1 percent rate before that. The left-handed hitter heads into the break with a strong .289/.406/.553 slash line with 21 home runs and a 16.3 percent walk rate, while his 74 runs scored and 71 RBI both rank second at Triple-A so far this year. A debut in the majors is starting to feel overdue, though it still may take an injury or trade to make it happen. Either way, look for a debut sometime in the second half, and given how productive he's been, if the former first-rounder were hitting anywhere in the potent L.A. lineup, he'd be a viable fantasy asset in deeper leagues, so managers with an NA spot should consider stashing the 23-year-old ahead of an eventual call-up.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Ezequiel Tovar a Rebound Add After a Brutal First Half?
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar dragged a .200/.243/.330 line into the break, with eight home runs, 32 runs, 32 RBI, and five steals in 341 plate appearances. His final 10 games were not much better at 5-for-31, although two of those hits left the yard. Colorado had him batting eighth or ninth during the final series. Not everything underneath is quite as ugly. Tovar owns a .221 expected average and .367 expected slugging percentage, both above the actual marks, and he hit 26 home runs in 2024. The 86 strikeouts are still hard to ignore, especially now that the lineup spot has cratered. RotoBaller ranks him 70th for Week 16 and recommends him in 12-team leagues. At 36% rostered on Yahoo, Tovar is a reasonable rebound add for managers looking for middle-infield power, but he remains a poor fit for anyone chasing batting average.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Dalton Rushing Worth Rostering for Catcher Power in Deep Leagues?
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing hit the All-Star break at .254/.337/.475 with 10 home runs, 30 runs, and 30 RBI in 181 at-bats. That is useful power at a thin position, especially with Rushing still available in 81% of Yahoo leagues. Will Smith (neck inflammation) is not expected back until late July or early August, leaving Rushing with more runway behind the plate. The home runs have support. Rushing owns an 11.6% barrel rate and 43.4% hard-hit rate, and his .255 expected average nearly matches the real number. He has also cut his strikeout rate from 37.4% last year to 25.9%. Smith will take back the primary job once healthy, so this is not a standard one-catcher add. RotoBaller ranks Rushing 91st for Week 16 and recommends him in 15-team leagues. That works. He also belongs in two-catcher formats, where 10-homer pop is hard to leave sitting around.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Luke Adams Worth Stashing After Strong First Half at Triple-A?
Milwaukee Brewers corner infield prospect Luke Adams finished off the first half with a flurry of production, going 7-for-15 (.467) with a double, a home run, three steals, and a 3:1 BB:K over the final four games before the break. The Brewers' 12th-ranked prospect will head into the second half with a .263/.412/.571 slash line with 11 home runs and seven steals in 41 games at Triple-A Nashville. His .983 OPS is good enough to put him in the top 10 out of all Triple-A hitters with at least 150 plate appearances, and if not for missing a month and a half early in the 2026 campaign, the 6-foot-4 slugger might have made his MLB debut by now. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old should get that opportunity in the second half, and with chase, barrel, and swinging-strike rates all ranking 84th percentile or better, there's plenty of fantasy intrigue here, not to mention a max exit velocity of 113.3 mph (94th percentile). Managers in very deep 12+ team leagues looking for power should consider stashing the right-handed hitter ahead of an eventual call-up.
Source: Prospect Savant
Source: Prospect Savant
Alec Burleson Is a Top Second-Half Power Buy
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson reached the break at .273/.337/.468 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI, and the damage could have been worse. Statcast has him at a .294 expected average and .540 expected slugging percentage. He also finished with 19.7 expected homers, nearly five more than the real total. That is a loud gap for a hitter already producing. Burleson has not sold out to get there. His strikeout rate sits at 15.1%, while the hard-hit rate jumped to 48.7% and the barrel rate to 11.6%, both career highs. Left-handers are still the problem, holding him to a .195 average, but St. Louis kept him in the lineup and used him at first base in 91 of 94 games. The profile says hold, or buy before the power catches up. A bigger second half is very much in play.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Ian Happ Opens a Sell Window With 17 First-Half Homers
Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ reached the break with 17 home runs and 59 runs, numbers that still carry weight in a trade. The batting average is another story. Happ hit .220 across 397 plate appearances, struck out 31.5% of the time, and slipped to seventh in the order twice during the final four games before the break. There is real power here. His 12.4% barrel rate is better than last season, and a .414 expected slugging percentage is close to the .431 result. The average has no such safety net. Statcast puts him at .205, and he hit .202 in June before going homerless in 39 July plate appearances. OBP leagues can live with the walks. Standard formats feel the damage more. Those 17 homers still give managers something to sell. Use the window.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Bryan Baker Is Now a High-End Fantasy Closer
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Bryan Baker hit the break with 25 saves, a 1.73 ERA, and a 0.83 WHIP, then recorded the final out of the American League shutout in the July 14 All-Star Game. The spring committee talk feels ancient now. Baker is tied for second in the majors in saves, opponents are batting .150 against him, and Tampa Bay has no reason to touch the ninth inning. This is not just a hot run. His fastball is averaging 97.1 mph, his strikeout rate sits at 29.3%, and the changeup he now throws nearly as often as the heater has limited batters to a .137 average. The only reason to shop Baker is that his value may never be higher. Even that feels forced. He has the job, the stuff, and a first-place club creating chances. Treat him as a high-end closer for the second half.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Cody Bellinger Named All-Star Game MVP
New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger became the fourth Yankees player to be named All-Star Game MVP on Tuesday night in the American League's 4-0 shutout win over the National League, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Bellinger took part in the All-Star Game twice in his first three big-league seasons, but this year was his first Midsummer Classic since 2019. The 31-year-old veteran left-handed slugger had a two-run single in the first inning off Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, and the AL never looked back in the 96th MLB All-Star Game. Bellinger was the first Yankee to win the award since Giancarlo Stanton in 2022. Closer Mariano Rivera (2013) and shortstop Derek Jeter (2000) also won the All-Star Game MVP for the Yankees. He ended the first half of his second season with the Bombers with a .254/.345/.421 slash line, .766 OPS, 11 home runs, 51 RBI, 10 stolen bases, and 49 runs scored across 94 games and 403 plate appearances.
Source: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
Source: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
Edwin Diaz Throws Clean Inning in Rehab Start on Tuesday
Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed closer Edwin Diaz (elbow) had two strikeouts and no hits allowed in a clean inning of work in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Tuesday in his second minor-league rehab outing. Diaz gave up a hit in a scoreless inning for Single-A Ontario to start his rehab assignment on Sunday in his first game action since having surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow back in late April. The hard-throwing right-hander has struck out four batters in two innings so far as he works his way back, an encouraging sign that he could be ready to roll at the back end of L.A.'s bullpen later this month. The 32-year-old Puerto Rican veteran and three-time All-Star allowed seven earned runs on nine hits while walking five and striking out 10 to record four saves in his first six innings pitched in a Dodgers uniform earlier this year before going on the IL, but when he returns from the 60-day IL, he'll once again be manager Dave Roberts' preferred option to close out games, making him a must-stash in all fantasy leagues while he rehabs.
Source: Milb.com
Source: Milb.com
Munetaka Murakami Would Like to Stay With White Sox Long-Term
Chicago White Sox All-Star first baseman Munetaka Murakami said he's not thinking or talking specifics about contract extensions right now, but he affirmed that he would like to stay with the White Sox long-term, according to James Fegan of Baseball America. Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal to come to the States and play for the White Sox, and he was named a first-time All-Star in 2026 despite spending time on the injured list with a hamstring injury. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger took the league by storm early on and finished the first half of the season by hitting .232/.371/.540 with a .911 OPS, 20 home runs, 42 RBI, 45 runs scored, and a stolen base across his first 211 at-bats in Chicago. If Murakami continues to slug in the second half, the Pale Hale might want to start extension talks with the Japanese native sooner rather than later. Murakami most likely won't be a batting average asset with an elevated 33.6% strikeout rate, but the power is real, and he's also walking at a 17.8% clip, making himself serviceable in on-base-percentage leagues.
Source: Baseball America - James Fegan
Source: Baseball America - James Fegan
Willson Contreras Won't Waive his No-Trade Clause
Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras said he told the team that he would not be willing to waive his no-trade clause, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Contreras wants to finish his career in Boston and joked that he got out ahead of potential rumors by making his stance clear. The 34-year-old veteran Venezuelan made it to the semifinals of the Home Run Derby on Monday night and is having the best year of his career in 2026 in his first season in Beantown, hitting .285/.379/.542 with a .921 OPS, 20 home runs, 61 RBI, 46 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 312 at-bats through the first half of the season. With the Red Sox now having a shot at a wild-card spot in the American League after a strong finish to the first half, and with Contreras saying he won't waive his no-trade clause, he might stick around in Boston beyond the 2026 season. In fantasy leagues, Contreras is a hold at the halfway point with the ninth-best xwOBA (.390) and expected batting average of .274 thanks to a hard-hit rate in the 79th percentile, a barrel rate in the 88th percentile, and an xSLG in the 97th percentile.
Source: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
Source: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
Is George Kirby Poised for a Second-Half Breakout?
Across 110 innings (18 starts) in 2026, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby has recorded a 7-8 record with a 3.76 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts. The 28-year-old's trademark command remains strong, as he owns a 5.3% walk rate on the year. However, Kirby's strikeout rate has dipped to 21.5% after he posted a career-best 26.1% strikeout rate in 2025. Still, Kirby's elevated WHIP and middling ERA are mostly symptoms of poor batted-ball luck. Opposing batters own a .343 batting average on balls in play against Kirby this season, well above his career mark of .310. Kirby's current strikeout rate limits his fantasy ceiling, but he's shown the ability to miss more bats in the past. If Kirby continues to limit home runs (0.90 HR/9) and sees some BABIP regression, he could emerge as a second-half riser.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Javier Sanoja Emerging as a Deep-League Batting Average Asset?
Across 244 plate appearances in 2026, Miami Marlins utility man Javier Sanoja is hitting .272/.313/.404 with three home runs, 34 RBI, 21 runs scored, and five stolen bases. The 23-year-old's ability to play both the infield and the outfield makes him a logical candidate for a bench role, but he's emerged as the near-everyday third baseman in Miami in recent weeks. Sanoja's power upside is extremely limited, as he's logged just a 1.4% barrel rate and 31.6% hard-hit rate on the season. However, his batting average ceiling is high due to his excellent 8.6% strikeout rate. In deeper fantasy leagues, Sanoja could be an underrated source of batting average and speed for managers to target on the waiver wire.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
