Prospect News: Don’t Ortiz Me Like That or Bo Knows Triple-A 

Watching Cardinals OF Joshua Baez (23) hit three home runs in his first three major league at bats was a lot of fun, but anyone in the prospect space had to contend with the question of when he was actually “ready” for the big leagues in 2026. Had to be before August, right? I mean it’s cool he did that in his debut, but it’s also pretty loud proof that they dragged their feet on his promotion. I have no doubt that he’ll face breaking stuff galore from here on out, but that was inevitable no matter when you gave him a chance. I don’t know. It’s not my job. I mean it’s job-adjacent for me, but it’s just about the furthest jacent you can find. 

Nationals 1B OF Abimelec Ortiz (24) already has five home runs in 11 games on his quest to claim the first base job that opened up when Curtis Mead got traded to Boston. I used to have Ortiz on every team but got impatient in a couple places. I hope you have him on your team right now, dear readers. I think he’s another nice week or so from winning this job, or at least the lion’s share of it, heading into 2027. (*Insert requisite qualifier of your preference about the likelihood of a lockout.) 

Pirates C/1B Rafael Flores (25) is playing just about every day and swinging a hot bat. I started him at utility this week in a 15-team mixed. I would’ve liked to start Royals OF Tyler Tolbert because I need stolen bases, but they refuse to play him, so I guess that’s the end of that for now. 

Losing Dansby Swanson is not good news for the Cubs, but for the shadow monster of fantasy baseball opportunism, it means Cubs SS Pedro Ramirez (22) will remain part of the everyday lineup until further notice. He’s slashing .289/.345/.422 with two home runs and seven stolen bases during what’s turning into a nice rookie season for Ramirez.  

The Giants have playing time to spare, and the next man up seems to be OF Turner Hill, who slashed .353/.420/.529 with nine home runs and 23 stolen bases in 88 Triple-A games this year. He’s also walked 10.1 percent of the time against an 8.8 percent strikeout rate. A 27-year-old left-handed hitter at 5’10” 198 pounds, Hill might not get many more chances but has the next few weeks to carve out a future. 

Giants OF Bo Davidson (24, AAA) is right on Hill’s heels, smashing four home runs while batting .615 over his last six games. After a slow start in Triple-A, he’s up to .295/.375/.464 with an 18 percent strikeout rate in 28 games. August in the Pacific Coast League can create some wild numbers, the plate skills tend to remain solid indicators. 

Giants OF Scott Bandura (25, AAA) is here, too, slashing .309/.389/.460 with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases in 72 Triple-A games, also flashing solid plate skills with an 11.3-to-16 percent walk-to-strikeout rate. He’s more in the let’s-see-what-happens category with Hill than the watch-this-space group into which I’d put Davidson. 

Orioles 2B Aron Estrada (21, AA) has five home runs in his last five games, and he’s slashing .322/.346/.568 with nine home runs and a 14.1 percent strikeout rate over his last 37 games against opponents who are 2.7 years his senior, on average. 

Guardians OF Ryan Cesarini (23, AA) has seven home runs in his last eight Double-A games, and he’s slashing .386/.447/.795 in 22 games at the level. An under-the-radar guy after going in the 14th round in 2024, Cesarini makes for a worthwhile flier in just about any dynasty league today.  

Pirates OF Lonnie White Jr. (23, AA) has eight home runs and four stolen bases over his last 21 games, slashing .397/.511/.795 with 19 strikeouts and 17 walks over that stretch. He’s an extreme-plus athlete, and if he’s figured out his strike zone, the Pirates have another 20-20 everyday player on their hands (with upside well beyond that). 

Thanks for reading!