Top-5 MLB Pitching Prospects To Stash For Fantasy Baseball Redraft Leagues - Week 9 (2026)

May 21, 2026

Andy's top pitching fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 9 (2026). His MLB prospects to pick up and stash on your bench and N/A spots in redraft leagues.

Welcome back to our top starting pitcher fantasy baseball prospects to stash for Week 9 of the 2026 MLB season. This week, we did not see any major pitching promotions, but a top-10 hitting prospect in Colt Emerson did earn the call to Seattle.

Below, we will update our top-5 stash rankings ahead of Week 9 of the fantasy season. We will spotlight a new name entering the top five, including a new pitcher in the No. 1 spot.

Be sure to follow RotoBaller MLB on X for all of our league-winning content and me, @A_Smith_FS, for any questions! Additionally, be sure to use code SMITH at checkout for 30% off on all premium packages. Let's dive in!

River Ryan, Los Angeles Dodgers

Currently at Triple-A

It's not often a player who was not in the top five last week moves up to the No. 1 spot in just seven days, but River Ryan has an immediate path to joining the MLB roster in the near future, which makes him a priority stash ahead of Week 9.

Last week, the Dodgers placed Blake Snell on the injured list, joining another starting pitcher, Tyler Glasnow. While it appeared starting pitching depth was not a concern of the reigning two-time champions, especially following the emergence of Justin Wrobleski and potential "re-emergence" of Roki Sasaki, Ryan now has a legitimate path to join the MLB roster.

Additionally, following a lengthy stint on the IL at Triple-A, Ryan's value as a stash candidate plummeted early in the season. However, now that not only is Ryan back in action at Oklahoma City, but the Dodgers also need additional depth, the right-hander is firmly back on the radar for an immediate promotion.

In his first appearance at Triple-A in over a month, Ryan looked very comfortable, logging four innings of one-run ball against Albuquerque with two hits, one walk, and four punchouts. Through three outings at Triple-A this season, Ryan has logged 11 frames with a 4.09 ERA and a strong 14:3 K:BB.

Unlike the names below, Ryan has not only debuted in the major leagues but was not overmatched in his first stint. In 2024, Ryan earned a call to Los Angeles, made four starts (20 1/3 innings), and posted a strong 1.33 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. During this short stint, Ryan struck out 18 hitters but had shaky command, walking 11.1% of the batters he faced.

Unfortunately, Ryan was unable to take the mound at all in 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he is back to near full strength and could provide immediate assistance to a pitching staff that is down several options.

For managers looking for the "immediate" impact among pitching prospects, they should view Ryan as the top option. While his upside is not as high as the two names below him on this list, Ryan has a very clear path to joining the pitching staff before the end of the month. If his command remains steady at Oklahoma City, Ryan could surpass his previous production in the big leagues.

River Ryan a Must-Stash Candidate with Clear Path to Starting Role? https://t.co/LpANxhkLdg

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) May 18, 2026

Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

Currently at Double-A

While the name above Anderson has a more viable path to the big leagues, those looking for pure "upside" should still view the former LSU superstar as an elite stash option. Anderson has been nothing short of dominant during his first taste of professional action and may even "skip" Triple-A when Seattle needs him in the big leagues.

Anderson joined the Mariners with the third overall pick in last year's draft out of LSU and put together a historic start to his professional career. Despite not making a single professional appearance after the draft, the Mariners sent their budding ace to Double-A to begin his career.

With Double-A, the left-hander wasted little time to make an impact, logging 30 innings to the tune of a 0.60 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. Across these six outings, Anderson has struck out 47 hitters while walking only five total batters. However, the southpaw's dominant start came to a bit of a roadblock on May 15 as he surrendered a season-high five runs and six hits.

This was the first time Anderson allowed more than one run in a single outing. Even though this five-run showing may have slightly hindered his short-term value, managers should not be concerned, as he was nearly unhittable over his first six professional starts.

However, as we have noted in the past, the only knock in Anderson's redraft value for the 2026 season is his path to the major leagues. Earlier in May, the Mariners activated Bryce Miller from the 15-day injured list, which added another starting option to the MLB roster. Currently, Miller is operating as the No. 5 starter with Luis Castillo serving as the "piggyback."

If one of these five were to get hurt, Castillo would likely slide back into the rotation before Anderson, which does make his short-term value very low. Despite this, when searching for pure upside, Anderson is the clear top option on this list when looking for upside and is worth holding in all leagues that have N/A spots.

1-2-3 bottom of the first inning for Kade Anderson. 14 pitches, 10 strikes. pic.twitter.com/5j8BRqvg1Z

— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) May 16, 2026

Thomas White, Miami Marlins

Currently at Triple-A

White was initally my No. 1 pitcher to start this week, but a late move to the 7-day injured list on Wednesday evening moved him to the No. 3 spot on our list. Before this injury, he appeared poised to join the MLB roster, as Robby Snelling was quickly shifted to the 15-day injured list after making his MLB debut, and Braxton Garrett was demoted to Triple-A.

Garrett was expected to be the solution for the No. 5 role in the rotation, but did not find any success in his return to Miami.

In his season debut, Garrett stumbled, serving up five runs and four hits to the Minnesota Twins over just 1 1/3 innings. On Tuesday, it did not get much better for the lefty as he allowed two runs and three hits over a short three-inning outing against the Braves. Following this showing, the team announced it would be sending Garrett back to Triple-A.

As a result, White was not only the next-best option but could also be called upon much sooner than anticipated, given that there is an open spot in the team's starting rotation. However, this recent injury put a bit of a knock on his short-term upside. While managers in shallow leagues with only one N/A spot should pivot to Ruan and Anderson, those deeper leagues should keep White firmly on their radar.

White was considered to break camp with the MLB roster after a strong showing in 2025 in the upper minors, but he was sent to the 7-day injured list to begin the season due to an oblique injury. After a short rehab outing in the lower levels, White made his Triple-A season debut on April 16, and immediately looked like his former self.

Over his first 14 1/3 frames at Triple-A (four starts), White posted a strong 3.07 ERA and a 22:7 K:BB. While the lefty took a bit of a step back in his most recent outing on May 14, allowing a season-high four runs, he is still slowly building up his workload and showing that this should be expected.

In 2025, White soared through the system, beginning the campaign at High-A and finishing it in Triple-A. Across 80 1/3 innings at High-A and Double-A (where he spent the bulk of his campaign), White racked up 128 punchouts while holding a 2.13 ERA.

If his stint on the IL is not overly lengthy, the southpaw could still debut before the end of the first half. He remains a top option to sthas in 12+ team leagues but is off the "shallow" league radar for now.

Thomas White an Intriguing High-Strikeout Pitcher to Stash https://t.co/qVdTrttpH4

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) May 5, 2026

Jack Wenninger, New York Mets

Currently at Triple-A

While his Triple-A teammate Jonah Tong has potentially been the Mets representative on our list, Wenninger entered the top five last week and has now moved up to the No. 4 spot as the team needs pitching depth.

The Mets have not been afraid to welcome the youth movement, looking for any spark. They have called up two of the top hitting prospects over the past two weeks, A.J. Ewing and Nick Morabito, which makes Wenninger's path to the majors seem less daunting.

While Tong sits higher on most prospect boards, Wenninger has been far more impressive at the Triple-A level and is trending toward energizing the call before Tong this season.

Currently, Wenninger is viewed as the team's No. 5-ranked prospect on MLB.com and has been dominant at the Triple-A level this season. After spending the 2025 season at Double-A and logging 135 2/3 innings to the tune of a 2.92 ERA, Wenninger has even taken a step forward in his first stint with Syracuse.

So far, Wenninger has made eight starts and tossed 35 2/3 innings with a stellar 1.51 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. During this stretch, Wenninger has tallied 39 punchouts but allowed a rather high 22 walks. While he holds an incredible 0.95 ERA over his last 19 frames, he has served up a rather high 5.2 BB/9 over this stretch, which has put a bit of a knock on his profile.

Command was not as much of an issue as summer, as he allowed only 42 walks over 135 2/3 innings and is nearly on pace to surpass this mark by the end of May, as he has already walked 22 hitters in just two months of action this season.

However, even though his command is an issue, as with the name below him on our list, he has been far more effective than Tong. While Tong does have more strikeout upside, he has carried a much higher 5.68 ERA over 38 Triple-A frames this season.

Managers should continue to monitor Wenninger's progression, but it appears the Illinois product may have jumped Tong on the team's pecking order.

Jack Wenninger fires a 1-2-3 inning 🔥

(via @Cardinals) pic.twitter.com/fcdKMauwm3

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 7, 2026

Hagen Smith, Chicago White Sox

Currently at Triple-A

With Noah Schultz earning the call early this season, Hagen Smith now stands as the next best option in the team's pipeline. While Smith has had minimal experience in the upper minors, the team was not shy about turning to Schultz early in his Triple-A career, which suggests Smith may be given a similar opportunity before the end of the first half.

Smith joined the White Sox with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and is already knocking on the big league door. He made his debut shortly after the draft but enjoyed his first full campaign in 2025 with Double-A. At Birmingham, the southpaw posted a solid 3.57 ERA over 75 2/3 innings and flashed a strikeout upside, totaling 108 punchouts.

However, the lone knock on his production this season was his command as he walked 56 hitters and held a modest 1.30 WHIP. Despite his occasional growing pains, the White Sox believed their budding ace was ready to move up to the top level in the system to open the 2026 campaign.

Smith wasted little time making an impact at Triple-A, holding an impressive 2.82 ERA over his first 22 1/3 innings of action at Charlotte. During this early stint, Smith continued to generate a high total of whiffs, striking out 32 hitters. But once again, his command remained his Achilles' heel, as he served up 16 free passes.

Then, on May 9, he had his worst outing of the young season, allowing a season-worst five earned runs (six total) against Jacksonville. Fortunately, Smith quickly put this outing behind him, as he is coming off a much stronger showing.

On May 15, Smith struck out six hitters over 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball. However, as in many games, his command continued to limit his upside as he walked five hitters.

While his strikeout upside is among the same class as Anderson and White, his command keeps him lower on our list. The White Sox will not call his name until he can significantly lower his walk rate. He remains on the radar but is significantly behind the top names on this list.

Hagen Smith's Strikeout Potential Warrants Stash Consideration https://t.co/GB1BokNNfS

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) May 19, 2026

Other Prospects To Consider Stashing

• Jonah Tong, NYM
• Gage Jump, ATH
• Brody Hopkins, TB

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