Two prospects who appeared in my Five on the Verge at some point this season played in their first major league game Tuesday. Braden Montgomery made the bigger splash of the two — as big of a splash as is possible, in fact, with a walk-off home run. He probably has the higher ceiling as well, judging by his 94th percentile average exit velocity and 97th percentile max exit velocity at Triple-A.
He has his flaws, though. His zone-contact rate at Triple-A was only 76 percent, which would rank third-to-last among major league qualifiers, except that he was doing it against minor league pitchers. Meanwhile, his ground-ball rate at that level was a whopping 58 percent, which means a lot of his hard contact was being driven straight into the ground.
Obviously, you take a shot on him in five-outfielder leagues, where there aren’t enough quality performers to go around, but the potential for disappointment is high enough that you can play the situation by ear in three-outfielder leagues.
The same general prescription applies to Cole Carrigg, who went 1 for 3 with a triple in his debut. That performance serves as a strong baseline for what he could be at Coors Field. He was already an extra-base machine at Triple-A, collecting 26 in his 57 games there, and Coors Field, with its deep corners and wide gaps, should make him a threat for three bags every time he hits a ball past an outfielder. His sprint speed is in the 99th percentile, after all.
Overall, I think the profile is a little friendlier than Montgomery’s for shallower Head-to-Head leagues, and the downside risk is a little less for Fantasy overall. Speed doesn’t slump, after all, and making contact is a strength for Carrigg rather than a weakness. Montgomery has the higher ceiling, though, and my preference for either may be as flimsy as how his last game went.
So … who’s next?
FIVE ON THE VERGE
(Here are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)
Luis Lara, OF, Brewers
2025 minors: .257 BA (513 AB), 2 HR, 44 SB, .712 OPS, 86 BB, 99 K
2026 minors: .338 BA (207 AB), 7 HR, 19 SB, .948 OPS, 41 BB, 32 K
It wasn’t so long ago when a prospect signing a long-term deal meant he was on his way to the majors. After all, it took the service time disincentive off the table by locking in his cost for the life of the deal. And then once the deal is sealed, why pay him if not to play him? Well, the Brewers themselves upended that trend by signing Cooper Pratt to an eight-year deal on April 3. You’ll notice that he continues to toil in the minors even now.
I suspect Lara will be different, though, which is why I’ve moved him to the top spot on this list. There’s a reason I said “moved him to the top spot” rather than “added him.” Yes, he was among my Five on the Verge even before signing this deal. Such is his apparent readiness and the Brewers’ need for him. One of the clearest places where the Brewers could upgrade their lineup is in right field, where Sal Frelick is sporting a .602 OPS. Garrett Mitchell isn’t bringing much to the table either, and Lara has the defensive chops to replace him in center. What the 21-year-old lacks in contact quality, he makes up for with a superior batting eye and pristine bat-to-ball skills. He’s not exactly a zero for power either.
Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Twins
2025 minors: .289 BA (454 AB), 20 HR, 25 SB, .844 OPS, 50 BB, 90 K
2026 minors: .270 BA (230 AB), 14 HR, 13 SB, .869 OPS, 34 BB, 49 K
I had to remove Kaelen Culpepper from this list last week, just because some of the other possible stashes seemed more pressing at the time, but now he’s surged back up to No. 2. This is partly because of his own performance — his batting average, which had dipped below .250 toward the end of May, is back up to .270 after a 13-for-30 (.433) performance over his past eight games — but it’s mostly because of the way the Twins have handled their infield with the return of Royce Lewis.
You may remember Lewis was the Twins’ third baseman before a slump sent him to the minors. Their shortstop, Brooks Lee, shifted to third base during that time. Well, Lewis has been back for three games now, but Lee has remained at third base, leaving Lewis to cobble together at-bats between first and second base. And who’s playing shortstop? Nobody worth knowing. Mostly, it’s been 30-year-old Tristan Gray, with Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler also mixing in. Clearly, the Twins are just biding their time with that trio. If they’re no longer interested in playing Lee as shortstop, which is understandable given his defensive metrics there, then Culpepper becomes the heir apparent at the position. And it’s apparent that a change is needed there.
Karson Milbrandt, SP, Marlins
2025 minors: 3-5, 3.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 90 IP, 48 BB, 113 K
2026 minors: 4-1, 1.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 53 IP, 20 BB, 71 K
If the Marlins keep having to rely on bullpen games led by Lake Bachar and Ryan Gusto, as they’ve done three times in their past six games, they’re not going to last long. They need an actual starter to replace Eury Perez (strained adductor) and Janson Junk (shin inflammation), if not two, and Karson Milbrandt has positioned himself as a possibility. The 22-year-old, who has been one of the biggest breakouts of this minor league season, recently moved up to Triple-A and threw six shutout innings in his first turn there, allowing two hits. Of course, he also struck out just one, which will certainly be a problem if it continues, but I suspect it won’t, given that he had a 12.1 K/9 rate and 18 percent swinging-strike rate at Double-A. If he looks dominant in his next start, it could be enough to springboard him to the majors.
River Ryan, SP, Dodgers
2024 minors: 0-0, 2.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 24 1/3 IP, 8 BB, 32 K
2024 majors: 1-0, 1.33 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 20 1/3 IP, 9 BB, 18 K
2026 minors: 3-0, 2.89 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 28 IP, 6 BB, 33 K
River Ryan occupied the second spot in my Five on the Verge last week, but he’s slipped a couple spots here for reasons that are pretty thin. One is that his latest start at Triple-A was also his worst, seeing him allow four earned runs in six innings. It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it may be enough to give the Dodgers pause when Eric Lauer is doing just fine. That’s the other reason Ryan is down a couple spots here. Lauer allowed just two earned runs over 5 2/3 innings in his latest start Tuesday, striking out five and walking none. Again, it’s nothing earth-shattering, but if the Dodgers opted for Lauer in the first place, then this start wouldn’t bring about a change of heart.
River is newly back from Tommy John surgery but clearly ready for a major league opportunity, as he showed in a four-start stint prior to the surgery in 2024. And seeing as he’s already 27, you have to figure he’ll be the next man up, whenever the Dodgers require one.
Yohandy Morales, 3B, Nationals
2025 minors: .265 BA (509 AB), 15 HR, .769 OPS, 57 BB, 164 K
2026 minors: .341 BA (211 AB), 14 HR, 1.009 OPS, 25 BB, 58 K
Not really sure what to add here. Yohandy Morales continues to be one of the most impressive performers at Triple-A. He’s capable of playing either third base or first, but Curtis Mead and Luis Garcia have been holding their own in those spots for the big club. Both have some experience at second base, where Nasim Nunez is batting .202 with a .516 OPS, so moving one to that spot seems like the most elegant way to bring Morales aboard, but the Nationals may feel like they’d be taking too big of a defensive hit by doing that. Perhaps it makes sense just from a development perspective, or perhaps there’s a way to free up more at-bats at DH. In any case, they’ll want to give Morales a look sooner than not.
FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY
(Here are some other prospects doing something of note.)
Mike Sirota, OF, Dodgers
2025 minors: .333 BA (216 AB), 13 HR, 5 SB, 1.068 OPS, 48 BB, 59 K
2026 minors: .337 BA (190 AB), 10 HR, 10 SB, 1.079 OPS, 50 BB, 52 K
The Dodgers are loaded with outfield prospects, from Josue De Paula to Eduardo Quintero to Zyhir Hope to Charles Davalan, but Mike Sirota may be emerging as the best of all of them. The 22-year-old, who recently moved up to Double-A, is riding a 48-game on-base streak, with his slash line actually improving following his move up the ladder. He has a near 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and what amounts to a 30/30 pace over 162 games. And to think the Dodgers snatched him up from the Reds in the Gavin Lux trade a year ago.
Jaison Chourio, OF, Guardians
2025 minors: .237 BA (308 AB), 2 HR, 10 SB, .665 OPS, 70 BB, 87 K
2026 minors: .320 BA (150 AB), 4 HR, 14 SB, .916 OPS, 30 BB, 32 K
The younger brother of a certain Brewers outfielder, Jaison Chourio was a consensus top 100 prospect heading into 2025 but eliminated himself with a miserable showing at High-A. His return trip there this year went so much better that he moved up to Double-A after just 22 games … and continued to produce there as well. Jaison will never mash like Jackson does and isn’t the same caliber of prospect overall. But he may have the better hit tool of the two, demonstrating prestigious strike zone judgment and a penchant for line drives. He has more raw power than Steven Kwan, but I’m imagining something similar in terms of output, with a tendency more toward Kwan’s better years.
Josiah Hartshorn, OF, Cubs
2026 minors: .305 BA (187 AB), 9 HR, 4 SB, .959 OPS, 40 BB, 38 K
Josiah Hartshorn was known to be a power bat when the Cubs selected him in the sixth round of last year’s draft, but a long swing raised concerns about his hit tool. Now that we’ve actually seen him in action, it seems like a non-issue. In fact, he’s walked more than he’s struck out in his first taste of the minors, and this is even with an aggressive assignment to full-season ball at age 19. His recent move from Low-A up to High-A has only invigorated him further. In 13 games there, he has hit .396 (19 for 48) with four home runs. Already, he’s begun to show up in updates to some of the biggest top 100 lists, such as Baseball America’s.
Kellon Lindsey, 2B, Dodgers
2025 minors: .274 BA (135 AB), 3 HR, 11 SB, .779 OPS, 23 BB, 51 K
2026 minors: .412 BA (68 AB), 3 HR, 6 SB, 1.163 OPS, 10 BB, 23 K
Kellon Lindsey was considered raw but athletic when the Dodgers selected him with the 23rd pick in the 2024 draft, with some publications rating his speed as a true 80 grade. We’ve hardly seen him since then because of injuries, but the Dodgers were apparently working on his swing behind the scenes. The sample is small, but the production is massive at Low-A, which is still an appropriate level for a 20-year-old. Given how successful the Dodgers so often are when they take on a project like this, do you really want to bet against Lindsey?
Luis De La Torre, SP, Giants
2025 minors: 4-3, 2.78 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 74 1/3 IP, 27 BB, 109 K
2026 minors: 1-4, 3.64 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 42 IP, 32 BB, 57 K
Luis De La Torre’s ERA and WHIP are a little on the high side, but that’s because he was walking everyone in sight (30 in 31 innings) through his first nine starts. And then it suddenly … stopped. He has two walks to 21 strikeouts in his past two starts, spanning 11 innings.
It’s easier to see the upside when he’s not burying himself in walks, and that upside is considerable. The fastball is explosive, the breaking ball offers a unique shape, and in addition to all the strikeouts, opposing batters have hit just .150 against him. The 22-year-old left-hander may be verging on a promotion to Double-A and could cruise from there if he keeps the walks in check.
