2026 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch: Prospects Making the Case for a Call-Up
Several top fantasy baseball prospects, including Chase DeLauter and Kevin McGonigle, have had good success early on with their respective big-league clubs. If you took a cautious approach in building your fantasy baseball team's roster this preseason and missed out on rostering the first wave of high end prospects, don't worry, there are several other minor leaguers who are raking in the minor leagues and likely to receive a promotion to the major leagues before long.
Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch: Top Call-Up Candidates
In recent weeks top fantasy baseball prospects like Konnor Griffin and Ryan Ward received in-season promotions and made their major league debuts, but player slumps and unexpected injuries are causing major league teams to look to their farm systems for reinforcements.
Players Forcing MLB Teams' Hands
J.J. Bleday, Reds, Outfielder
Including Bleday, who has 1,339 big league at bats, in this article might be a stretch. The former first round pick struggled against major league pitching but he is tearing it up in Triple-A (.338 BA, 1.078 OPS in his first 74 at bats).
Lujames Groover, Diamondbacks, 1B/3B
Groover is coming into this season and was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for April 6-12, 2026. He's grooving with a .917 OPS and 22 RBI in his first 21 games of the 2026 season.
Ryan Waldschmidt, Diamondbacks, OF
Waldschmidt has been fast tracked through the Diamondbacks' minor league system since being a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. His strikeout rate is a bit elevated compared to last season, but Waldschmidt has scored 19 runs and is batting .338 in his first 21 games.
Justin Foscue, Rangers, 1B/2B
At 27 years old Foscue's days as a top prospect may be behind him and he has a .059 BA in 51 big league at bats, but with a .300/.367/463 slash line in his first 19 Triple-A games, he may get another chance to join the Rangers before too long.
Payton Tolle, Red Sox, SP
Tolle had a great spring, but the Red Sox had him start the season in Triple-A, where he's averaging 11.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
Robby Snelling, Marlins, SP
I'm not loving Snelling's 4.3 BB/9 in his four minor league starts this season but with a 1.89 ERA and 0.947 WHIP he'll likely join the Marlins' main roster relatively soon.
JR Ritchie, Braves, SP
Like Snelling, Ritchie needs to keep his walks in check. He has a microscopic 0.99 ERA and a 1.024 WHIP in five Triple-A starts.
Connor Prielipp, Twins, SP
Prielipp is yet another top fantasy baseball prospect who has a walk rate above four (4.6 BB/9) this season, but he's been able to maintain a sparkling 2.30 ERA and a modest 1.213 WHIP in 15.2 IP in Triple-A this season.
Logan Henderson, Brewers, SP
Henderson, who finished last season on the IL due to elbow inflammation and was dealing with elbow soreness in spring training, has pitched well for the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate in limited action this season. Henderson has a 0.71 ERA and 17 Ks in his first 12.2 IP.
Stash Strategy for These 2026 Prospect Watch Standouts
Redraft vs. Dynasty Guidance
Treat your redraft and dynasty fantasy baseball team's roster as a work in progress and monitor minor league hitters and pitchers here and here.
Triple-A players obviously have the best chance of receiving an in-season promotion. However, if a Double-A player is especially hot and a big-league team has a need for a player with their skillset, they'll also have a good chance of being promoted.
Make targeting top fantasy baseball prospects who are already on their respective MLB team's 40-man roster a priority. An MLB team doesn't have to make a corresponding roster move if they want to add a player already on their 40-man roster.
Service time manipulation had been a hot button topic between owners and players in the past. Some small market teams would often delay promoting their top young talent so that they could squeeze an extra year of control over a player before they'd be allowed to become a free agent.
With new incentives in place, allowing for teams to receive an extra draft pick if a rookie finishes top three in Rookie of the Year or top five in MVP/Cy Young voting before arbitration eligibility, MLB teams have been more likely to have top prospects make their Opening Day rosters. Teams have been actively promoting top fantasy baseball prospects this season, making stashing top prospects who appear close to being major league ready a good strategy.
Upcoming Call-Up Watch List for the Next 7-14 Days
Prospects to Monitor Closely
Payton Tolle, Red Sox
With Sonny Gray hitting the IL due to a hamstring strain, Tolle is the probable starter for the Red Sox against the Orioles on Saturday April 25th. If Tolle pitches well, he might stick in the Red Sox rotation even after Gray's return. Brayan Bello has struggled (6.75 ERA), and you never know if Garret Crochet's recent struggles might be due to a yet undetected injury.
Connor Prielip, Twins
With Mick Abel on the IL due to elbow inflammation, the Twins have added Kendry Rojas to their rotation. If Rojas falters, (and he has walked just under five batters per nine IP so far this season), the Twins might opt to promote Prielip. Ty Langenberg, who has been very effective pitching for the Twins' Double-A affiliate this season, is also a name to keep on your watch list as a potential add to your dynasty roster. He has a 20:3 K:BB across his first 16.2 IP this season.
Robby Snelling, Marlins
With Janson Junk struggling in his last two starts and Snelling dealing in the minors he's likely to join the Marlins starting rotation before long.
Ryan Waldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Jordan Lawlar hitting the IL has created a path for Waldschmidt to join the Diamondbacks outfield.
JJ Bleday, Reds
The Reds aren't getting any offensive production from their outfield and for a team that plays their home games in a hitters park they have scored the fifth fewest runs so far this season. They've got nothing to lose in adding Bleday to their main roster. Bleday has a career .914 OPS in 31 at bats at the Great American Ballpark.
Fantasy Baseball Prospects: Strategy Moving Forward
Infusing your fantasy baseball rosters with top fantasy prospects can help ignite your fantasy team's production but keep in mind that for every Sal Stewart, who is tearing the cover off the ball, there's a Carson Benge, who is in danger of being sent down to the minor leagues. Temper your expectations when it comes to rostering fantasy baseball prospects. However, if you regularly monitor minor league player statistics and keep up with the latest MLB news, you'll be able to identify the next wave of emerging fantasy baseball prospects and the MLB teams needing roster improvements.
2026 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Watch: Questions Answered
Which prospects are making the strongest case for a 2026 call-up?
Several Triple-A standouts are posting elite metrics and forcing MLB teams' hands. The full watch list ranks them by urgency and fantasy upside.
When could these prospects be called up?
Projected call-up windows range from the next 7-14 days to early May, depending on team needs and performance.
Should managers stash these prospects in redraft leagues?
Yes in deeper formats; the recap provides exact roster spot priority and drop thresholds.
How do these prospects affect waiver-wire strategy right now?
Add the highest-priority stash candidates immediately while they are still available in most leagues.
What is the long-term fantasy outlook for these 2026 prospect watch standouts?
Many carry elite ceilings and could become cornerstone pieces in dynasty leagues if they sustain their early success.
Copyright 2026 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 6:42 PM.