Jac Caglianone is just one step away.
Kansas City’s top prospect opened his week with a richly deserved promotion to Triple-A Omaha. Caglianone really had not encountered much adversity in the Texas League, where he was hitting .322/.394/.553 with nine bombs among his 17 extra-base hits. The homers weren’t exactly wall-scrapers, either:
As Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said of Caglianone, “he really just beat the league.”
The 22-year-old will now attempt to conquer International League pitching, at which point he will have nothing left to prove in the minors. We should expect to see Caglianone at the big league level by mid-summer. His eventual callup will be an actionable fantasy event.
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Jacob Misiorowski dials it up
No pitching prospect in the high minors is dominating quite like Misiorowski. Here’s a clip of him extinguishing a hitter with 103 mile per hour velocity:
The 6-foot-7 flamethrowing right-hander entered the week with a 1.46 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 59 Ks over 49.1 innings this season at Triple-A. He’s as MLB-ready as any pitcher in the minors at the moment. Let’s please give him a new challenge, Brewers.
Andrew Painter is making progress
While we’re on the subject of gigantic right-handed starters, you might be interested in learning that Painter just picked up his first win at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s had a long road back from Tommy John surgery, but the recent results have been excellent. Painter threw 71 pitches in last week’s start, tossing 5.0 innings and striking out three. The blazing fastball and 12-6 curve are back. We should see Painter in Philly in the not-so-distant future.
Roman Anthony, still raking
Boston’s every-tool prospect has multiple hits in five of his last eight games, lifting his season-slash to an absurd .322/.450/.520. Anthony has walked nearly as often as he’s struck out (37 BB, 38 K) and he’s delivered 16 extra-base hits, including five homers. Whenever he makes his way to Fenway, he’ll arrive as a 20/20 threat with significant on-base ability.
He homered for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday while Double-A Portland was hosting Roman Anthony bobblehead night, so he’s keeping the entire Red Sox farm system happy these days.
Weird player alert: Jakob Marsee
If base-stealing is among your fantasy needs, Marsee is definitely a player worth monitoring. He’s swiped 25 bags in 28 attempts at Triple-A Jacksonville so far this season, leading the International League by a wide margin. He’s also getting himself on-base at an exceptional rate (.374 OBP).
Unfortunately (at least in fantasy terms), Marsee only rarely reaches base by putting the ball in play successfully. His batting average is just .204 at the moment and he hit only .200 in the high minors last year over 485 at-bats. It’s a curious profile, no question.
Marsee stole 51 bases last season and 46 the year before, so there’s no doubting his wheels. He’s a former Arizona Fall League MVP, too. It’s entirely possible, however, that his best-case outcome would make him only a category specialist in our game.
Chase Burns, still dealing
Burns was toying with the Trash Pandas on Tuesday night, striking out seven over 5.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run and lowering his ERA to 1.88. He’s now whiffed 30 batters in his 20.0 frames this month. Burns is another right-hander with triple-digit heat and terrific secondary stuff.
Check the tape:
It seems likely we’ll see Burns in Cincinnati this season, assuming the Reds remain competitive. He’s a potential impact arm, without question.
Robert Hassell III gets the call
With Dylan Crews (back) now ailing, the Nationals have called up Hassell, the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft and yet another piece received in the Juan Soto deal. Hassell was hitting .288 at Triple-A Rochester with four homers and nine steals. He’s a little light on power, but he’s already displayed 30-steal speed in the minors. As with any call-up, he has the potential to stick if he’s immediately productive. He’s currently rostered in 3% of Yahoo leagues.
ICYMI: Matt Shaw has re-arrived
The Cubs returned Shaw to Iowa for additional seasoning after a slow start in April, but it didn’t take him long to force his way back into the major league lineup. He hit six home runs and stole five bags in 24 games at Triple-A while delivering a .970 OPS, looking more or less like the same guy who dominated the level in 2024.
On Monday night, he went 2-for-4 against the Marlins with a double, one RBI and one steal — uncommon third-base production by Chicago’s recent standards. He followed up that performance with another multi-hit night on Tuesday. Shaw offers power and speed potential with eligibility at three positions (2B/3B/SS) and he’s currently available in a majority of Yahoo leagues. He’s the perfect fantasy multi-tool for a mixed league bench, so add aggressively.
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