EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Milwaukee Brewers already boast one of the top offenses in the majors, despite ranking near the bottom for hitting home runs. It's a strategy that works for them -- and more help is on the way this season. The franchise that boasts top overall prospect Jesus Made recently signed diminutive outfield prospect Luis Lara to a long-term contract. It shouldn't be much longer before we see Lara promoted to the Brewers to handle center field duties. Milwaukee's center fielders are currently hitting a combined .222/.319/.369 with a last-in-MLB 30.9% strikeout rate.Lara, 21, is batting .330/.443/.461 for Triple-A Nashville with seven homers and 20 steals over 73 games and 324 PA. He is a contact-oriented, switch-hitting speedster with more walks than strikeouts. Plus, he has developed modest power. The Brewers would be happy if the Venezuelan native, listed at 5-foot-7 and 169 pounds, simply offered standout defense, reached base at a high clip and stole bases. Fantasy managers would enjoy this performance as well.The Brewers hope to solve their shortstop problem with Cooper Pratt, another speedy player known for plate discipline, contact and defense. Perhaps Lara will offer similar production. With prospects, one never knows how they will perform initially at the highest level. Lara hit only two home runs (albeit with 45 stolen bases) at Double-A Biloxi last season. His OPS is up nearly 200 points for Nashville. Fantasy managers in deeper redraft formats should watch his continued progress and how the organization reacts.Stock risingJoshua Baez, OF, St. Louis Cardinals: We have discussed Baez in this space before, and for good reason. He is hitting .262/.330/.600 with 26 home runs for Triple-A Memphis and he recently hit four homers in one game. Baez, 23, is walking at a far lesser rate than he did in Double-A and striking out far more, but as the Cardinals remain in the wild-card race, Baez is a strong candidate to take over center field duties for the big club. We aim to discuss prospects likely to impact fantasy rosters this season in this space. Baez fits that profile.Charlie Condon, 1B, Colorado Rockies: Another name that regular readers of this column should recognize, Condon, 23, is enjoying a terrific June at Triple-A Albuquerque. He homered twice on Sunday, giving him nine in June. He leads the Triple-A level with 30 RBIs for the month. TJ Rumfield continues to shine at first base for the Rockies, but certainly there is room for another hitter in this offense, with the main DH role rotated when Hunter Goodman is behind the plate. Condon, hitting .280/.411/.564 for the Isotopes, appears to be ready for the major leagues.Ty Johnson, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays: Johnson, 24, tossed five innings of no-hit ball against Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, lowering his ERA to 2.64 over nine starts for Durham. Johnson, who fanned 149 hitters in only 110 1/3 innings at Double-A last season, boasts 18 strikeouts over his last two outings. He stands solidly at 6-foot-6 and should get a promotion to the Rays this summer, though his role may not end up being defined enough for fantasy purposes. Johnson isn't the prospect that Seattle Mariners LHP Kade Anderson is, but we probably will not see Anderson -- currently at Double-A -- in the majors this season.Stock fallingRyan Waldschmidt, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks: Waldschmidt, 23, hit .259/.314/.357 during 33 games and 121 PA for the D-backs, but struggled after a hot start. He was recently sent back to Triple-A Reno when OFs Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Jordan Lawlar both returned to active duty. The organization says it wants Waldschmidt, who is hitting .301/.417/.521 for the Aces, to work on making more contact, especially versus breaking pitches. Waldschmidt was whiffing at a 33.1% rate. He remains a large part of Arizona's future, but fantasy managers can no longer count on opportunity and statistics for this season.River Ryan, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers: Ryan, 27, pitched in the majors during the 2024 campaign, making four starts. However, he still has his rookie eligibility. Recovered from Tommy John surgery, many fantasy managers expected Ryan to force his way into the team's MLB rotation this season. It may still happen, but Ryan permitted 10 hits and eight runs in his most recent Triple-A outing and then he hit the IL due to a strained hamstring. Ryan has a 4.46 ERA for Oklahoma City, and the Dodgers are not exactly lacking rotation options with LHP Blake Snell (elbow) on the mend.Carlos Lagrange, RHP, New York Yankees: Lagrange, 23, entered this season as one of the top starting pitching prospects in the game, and performing for the Yankees always seems to earn extra notice. However, Lagrange is toiling in a bullpen role for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and it isn't going so well. He retired just two of the eight batters he faced on Sunday, permitting four hits, two walks and five runs -- spiking his ERA to 4.55. If choosing a Yankees pitching prospect to help in fantasy this season, Elmer Rodriguez is the better bet, but he hasn't quite shined in four outings for the Yankees, either (4.76 ERA, 1.76 WHIP). In general, fantasy managers really should stick with hitting prospects over the pitching ones.
