Hitter Profiles: Minor League Call-ups

The stretch run is the best time in fantasy baseball to find cheap rate-of-return upgrades.  While teams don’t expand rosters like they once did, there is still plenty of opportunity with August 15th being a key date for minor league call-ups. Players called up after this time should retain rookie eligibility going into 2026 and provide an opportunity to gain draft picks for their teams with strong finishes in the Rookie of the Year voting.  While teams might be looking to jump-start their hotshot prospects, these same players might just be fantasy gold for the last month-plus. This week, our hitter profiles will dig into a 4-pack of hitters that are likely to get the call in short order. I pulled scouting notes, reviewed draft pedigree, and minor-league production so you can make roster moves with receipts, not guesses.

Dylan Beavers – Baltimore

Player Pedigree: A former Cal star, Beavers was a Competitive Balance Round A pick by the Orioles in 2022.  The high draft slot came with expectations of an all-around contributor with his size and blend of tools (6’5”, long reach, speed + some pop), but he has generally been seen as a mid-tier prospect and does not appear on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect list.

Minor-league Performance: Beavers has shown a little bit of everything in the minors with his pop, speed, and gap power. This has resulted in a few double-digit home run seasons with plenty of stolen bases in the minors. This season in Triple-A, he has slashed .309/.425/.536 walking almost as often as he strikes out. In 88 games, he has hit 18 homers and stolen 22 bases, good for a 158 wRC+. That production is exactly what fantasy teams covet late in the year with the power/speed combination.   

Fantasy Outlook: Beavers should get a cup of coffee after Aug. 15 and profiles as a late-season option for power and steals. With Dylan Carlson being the key impediment to playing time, there is little concern with getting at bats once the call-up occurs. He should be a high ceiling profile in roto and fantasy points formats thanks to multi-category contributions. This is a prospect with a strong arrow pointing up.

Highlights:

https://twitter.com/NorfolkTides/status/1953243387701744111/video/1

JJ Wetherholt – St. Louis

Player Pedigree: Wetherholt was a college breakout and the Cardinals took him with a top-10 pick in 2024 after a monster run at West Virginia where he won the Division I batting title and carried huge on-base numbers. That pedigree explains why the organization has been aggressive with him. Ultimately, struggles with hamstring injuries dropped him down the draft board last year when he should have been in conversation as the number one overall pick. At mid-season, he sat as the number 15 overall prospect for MLB Pipeline.

Minor-league Performance: Wetherholt has been raking at the upper levels, hitting for average with quality power and on-base skills. Recent Triple-A numbers have been incredibly impressive (.319, six HR, two steals, 19 runs, and 13 RBI in only 19 games) and make him a very plausible late-August call for a club that needs to look toward the future. He has a top 10 percentile plate approach along with top 10 percentile power metrics in his short Triple-A sample and has little left to prove down on the farm.

Fantasy Outlook: Wetherholt is a batting-average and runs machine with sneaky power and speed.  He is an immediate add upon call-up and should be a long-term stalwart with potential to be a top few round draft pick in the fantasy game. A big boost in OBP/points formats and a stable batting-average play for the stretch run if and win he earns a role with the big league club.

Highlights:

JJ Wetherholt continues to tear up Triple-A ?

The @Cardinals' top prospect is 3-for-3 with a homer — through four innings!

He's now batting .356 with a 1.217 OPS in 16 games with the @memphisredbirds. pic.twitter.com/wei1MxAn4x

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 3, 2025

Samuel Basallo – Baltimore

Player Pedigree: Basallo is younger and more of an organizational find for Baltimore (signed as an international free agent and developed in their system). He’s not a traditional draft-slot prospect like the college kids above, but the scouting grades show a legitimate hit/power profile and premium raw exit velocity that projects to carry. Basallo checks in as the eighth overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Minor-league Performance: Basallo’s surface numbers have had bumps as he’s adjusted to advanced pitching, and a small Triple-A sample where he struggled a bit in 2023.  However, in 2024 he has shown growth as a 20 year-old at the minors highest level. Across 72 games, he has hit .277 with 23 homers and 62 RBI while maintaining a 23% strikeout rate. The strong strike-zone approach keeps him capable of reaching his long-term power potential. He has struggled to a degree with breaking balls in the minors, but we can write some of that off to growth that he will need to have at his young age.

Fantasy Outlook: Basallo is a high-variance, high-ceiling addition for the rest of this season. If he’s promoted after Aug. 15 and gets regular ABs, prioritize him in AL-only or power-needy redraft leagues; however, he’s more of a risky add unless you know he’ll play daily. Long-term, Basallo has substantial upside.

Highlights:

Samuel Basallo goes deep for the third straight game at Triple-A ?

MLB's No. 9 prospect (@Orioles) has a 1.012 OPS at just 20 years old, and his 23 homers for the @NorfolkTides lead all @MiLB catchers this season: pic.twitter.com/s4FU6Mo10T

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 7, 2025

Jordan Lawlar – Arizona

Player Pedigree: Lawlar was a top-10 pick (6th overall in 2021) and has top-tier athleticism in his scouting reports. Injuries have stalled his path at times, but the tools and draft slot are why we still get excited about his potential. At mid-season, he still checks in on prospect reports despite already having major league experience. He sits at number 10 overall on the prospect rankings from MLB Pipeline.

Minor-league Performance: Lawlar’s professional timeline is a mixed bag with some electric flashes at the Triple-A level. In 2023, at Triple-A he has hit .319 with 10 homers and 18 steals in only 53 games. He does have some big-league exposure alread,y but has generally scuffled while trying to find his footing, resulting in a negative wRC+ across a handful of MLB games. When healthy, he shows above-average bat speed and run tools; when not, he’s struggled with consistency. Still, a late-season look could be the jump-start he needs.   

Fantasy Outlook: Lawlar is a boom-or-bust late-season flyer in redraft leagues as he is balancing health and adjustments. If you have bench space and need steals, then he is worthy of the chance. From a long-term dynasty viewpoint, he is still an absolute building block for fantasy owners who might have a chance to buy a bit lower than others on this list.

Highlights:

Good grief, Jordan Lawlar! ??

The @Dbacks top prospect goes nuts and crushes a 425-foot homer for the @Aces in a Peanuts uniform! pic.twitter.com/xwIOUVwZsO

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 15, 2025

How to Prioritize:

1. Wetherholt — Highest floor for immediate fantasy impact (AVG, runs, on-base); top priority if he’s promoted and slotted into the lineup.
2. Beavers — Best multi-category upside for power + steals; roster if you need late-season pop or extra SB.
3. Basallo — Long-term dynasty must-own, but redraft speculative add depending on playing time. His elite exit velocity makes him an intriguing long-term impact bat.   
4. Lawlar — Swing for the fences on a deeper league perspective due to inability to put it all together at the major league level so far.  His recent injury history makes him riskier in short-term formats.