There's one last wave of prospects coming. Prospects come in waves nowadays, with the first coming up on Opening Day or shortly thereafter, with the second following in May/June, depending on how invested the team is in retaining Super Two eligibility. And then it tends to slow to a trickle until around mid-August, when teams can call players up without losing rookie eligibility for next season – and the associated incentives that come with having a Rookie of the Year candidate. 

As long as a player has less than 45 days on the active roster, they retain that rookie eligibility, and that deadline is coming up by the end of this week. That doesn't necessarily mean we'll see every big-name prospect in the high minors called up in the next few days, but we should see at least a few. So, before we get to this week's top waiver-wire targets (plus the biggest news from this weekend), here are five prospects we could expect to see called up between now and the end of the season:

Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles – The Orioles probably don't want to call Basallo up if they aren't going to play him at catcher, because developing him behind the plate is still the most high-upside thing the organization can do. But I really don't have much doubt that Basallo is ready to hit – he turns 21 in two days and has the second-highest wRC+ at the Triple-A level this season. And Mike Elias has already said "it would be beneficial" for Basallo to get a taste of the majors this season, so I think we'll see him as soon as the Orioles' incentive to keep him down runs out. 

Dylan Beavers, OF, Orioles – Elias also told reporters in recent days that the service time considerations "takes a back burner to baseball decisions," which is going to be hard to say with a straight face if Basallo ends up being called up within the next few weeks. But, while the Orioles have been accused of overbaking their prospects in Triple-A, I'm not sure Beavers belongs in that discussion – this is his first real stint at Triple-A, and he was kind of off prospect radars after a disappointing Double-A showing last season. But he's played his way back into top-100 consideration with his .307/.422/.531 line at Triple-A this season, a line that puts him right behind Basallo on the Triple-A wRC+ leaderboard. He has a great approach at the plate and enough pop and speed to contribute in HR and SB. And with Colton Cowser placed on the IL this week, the opportunity is there for Beavers. 

Bubba Chandler, SP, Pirates – We've been saying Chandler is on the verge of being promoted since … March? So, if you want to ignore that this time, I wouldn't blame you. He's had some ups and downs at Triple-A, of course, but Chandler has also now made 29 starts at the level dating back to last season, which is the kind of overbaking we were alluding to earlier. They can't go into next season with Chandler not even making a start in the majors, right? So, let's preserve that Rookie of the Year eligibility and then see if he can make an impact down the stretch, okay? 

JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals – The path would have been clearer if the Cardinals had found a taker for Nolan Arenado at the deadline, but at some point, I think we're going to see Wetherholt down the stretch. Arenado is likely out until at least the end of August, and Nolan Gorman still does little more than hit the occasional homer, so it just comes down to when the Cardinals want to give Wetherholt the chance. He has hit .307/.400/.640 in 20 games since being promoted to Triple-A, and at this point, just isn't being challenged by minor-league pitching. We'll see him soon. 

Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees – We'll see what happens with Aaron Judge's elbow injury, because the Yankees have a real OF need if Judge can't be trusted to play out there regularly. The Yankees basically treated Jones as if he was untouchable at the deadline, per reports, and why not – his 176 wRC+ would be better than Basallo's if he had enough PA to qualify. If Jones' 25.5% strikeout rate in 31 Triple-A games is at all real, he could be an elite player with top-of-the-grade power and playable speed (24 steals this season!). It's a big if, and there just might not be a spot for Jones. 

And one more to keep an eye out for: Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants – Eldridge doesn't turn 21 until after the season ends and has played just 87 games above A ball, but he's on the verge of the majors just because he keeps hitting no matter what gets thrown in front of him. Eldridge missed significant time with a hamstring injury at Triple-A this season but is still hitting .252/.320/.526 as one of the youngest players at the level, and he has 18 homers in just 72 games on the season. He could have a Nick Kurtz-esque ceiling whenever he does get called up; the biggest reason he's more of an honorable mention here is because the Giants would have to either juggle him and Rafael Devers between DH and 1B or commit to one or the other for the long run, being taken off the field. They might decide to punt that to the offseason until they can have more uninterrupted discussions about it – though if they try Eldridge out in the outfield for the first time since 2023, that could be a sign that his promotion actually is imminent. 

Here's who else we're looking to add ahead of Week 21 of the Fantasy Baseball season. 

Week 21 Waiver Targets

Catcher

Francisco Alvarez, Mets (31%) – It says something about the state of the catcher position that Alvarez is hitting .268/.400/.464 with a 92.9 mph average exit velocity since returning from the minors, and his roster rate is still so low. He's probably still a fringe-y, hot-hand kind of player in one-catcher leagues, and he might be rostered in most two-catcher leagues, so this very well may be the ceiling for how highly rostered he can be. But I do think the upside here makes him worth rostering ahead of the likes of Tyler Stephenson or Sean Murphy, at least. 

Deep-league target: Adrian Del Castillo, Diamondbacks (5%) – Del Castillo hasn't made an immediate impact in his return from the minors, and he'll need to force his way into the lineup by hitting more. I think he can, and hopefully Sunday's first homer is what gets him going. 

First Base

Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (19%) – The Orioles gave Mountcastle plenty of time to get healthy, and it's probably because they wanted to make sure he was ready to go, as he started all three games after being activated this weekend. He homered in his first game in over two months Friday and could make an impact down the stretch if he stays healthy. 

Deep-league target: C.J. Kayfus, Guardians (14%) – Kayfus hit his first MLB homer Saturday, but he's been hitting since he got called up, starting seven of eight with a .269 average and .821 OPS. He had a .300/.390/.539 line in the minors before his promotion and is worth a look in deeper leagues as a corner infielder or fifth outfielder option.

Second base

Luke Keaschall, Twins (57%) – He just keeps hitting. Keaschall went deep for the second time in 12 games Sunday and is up to a .415/.500/.707 line for the season. Keaschall doesn't have big power, but he has a great approach at the plate and strong bat control that helps him drive the ball to the pull side consistently, while his eye gives him the chance to continue to standout as an on-base machine – and he has the speed and aggression to be a difference maker when he gets on base. Keaschall should probably just be added in all leagues just in case what he's doing is at all for real right now. 

Deep-league target: Ha-seong Kim, Rays (17%) – Kim has struggled in his return from shoulder surgery, and a back injury that he recently returned from surely didn't help. But he's been a useful Fantasy option in the past, and even while struggling, he has two homers and four steals in 17 games. He was much less than 100% last season and still ended up with 11 homers and 22 steals, and he could be a nice little power/speed contributor down the stretch.

Third base

Noelvi Marte, Reds (72%) – Maybe this weekend was the breakout we've been waiting for from Marte? He had a three-hit game with three doubles Saturday and then followed that up with three more hits Sunday, including another double and a homer. Marte has been a lot better than last season so far, but he hasn't quite broken out as a starter just yet. But even acknowledging that, he's hitting .287 with a 20-homer, 20-steal pace through his first 49 games of the season, while lopping off more than 12 points from his strikeout rate. He could be in line for a huge finish to the season and could put himself into top-150 discussions for 2026 if he does so. 

Deep-league target: Lenyn Sosa, White Sox (37%) – Sosa has neither the prospect pedigree nor minor-league track record that suggests he's likely to be a useful Fantasy option for long. But he's hitting .278/.328/.496 since the start of July, and it doesn't necessarily look like a fluke – he has a solid 9.4% barrel rate and ranks in the 67th percentile or better in expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, and average exit velocity, while sporting a very strong .369 expected wOBA over the past 100 plate appearances, which would be just ahead of Jazz Chisholm and Seiya Suzuki for a top-40 spot among all hitters this season. I think he's probably just hot, but there's enough here to justify riding the hot hand at one of the multiple positions where Sosa is eligible. 

Shortstop

Carlos Correa, Astros (72%) – He just needed to return home. Correa has turned his seasons around in a big way in the 10 or so days since the trade deadline, hitting .405 with two homers and a 1.098 OPS since returning to the Astros after homering Sunday. He was still an impact player when healthy last season, so maybe he's about to be that again for the stretch run. As a middle infielder, it's worth taking the chance. 

Deep-league target: Jordan Lawlar, Diamondbacks (34%) – Lawlar doesn't qualify for the "Rookie Eligibility" discussion, and he'll be back in the majors pretty much as soon as he's healthy enough, I'd guess. He continues to struggle to stay healthy, but Lawlar really hasn't been slowed down by his injuries when he's healthy enough to be on the field, hitting .319/.410/.583 at Triple-A this season. Still just 23, Lawlar has huge upside whenever he can get past this hamstring injury and return to the Diamondbacks.

Outfield

Jakob Marsee, Marlins (37%) – Marsee is just doing what he's done throughout his minor-league career: Living on base and wreaking havoc when he gets there. The rookie is hitting .419/.538/.742 with a 20.5% walk rate and five steals in 11 games at the MLB level. He's playing pretty much every day and showing his approach can still work against MLB pitching, and it's an approach that could even have some value in points leagues, even if he's more well-suited for a Roto impact. 

Jordan Beck, Rockies (58%) – He's starting to heat up again. Beck has had some useful stretches this season, but he really slumped in May and June and didn't do enough with his feet to make up for it. But he's enjoying one of the best stretches of his season right now, hitting .320/.500/.560 so far in August with two steals in eight games. And that comes off an .801 OPS in July, along with a very strong .372 xwOBA over his past 100 PA. 

Matt Wallner, Twins (26%) – We pretty much know what the deal is with Matt Wallner. He has huge power and huge batting average issues, and the latter makes it so most Fantasy players can't justify chasing the power for the risk of losing in batting average. But he is "hot" right now, running a .259 batting average with six homers in 73 plate appearances since the break. If he could hit even .240, that would probably be enough to make Wallner worth starting in most formats, so it's worth seeing if he can sustain this for a little while. 

Tommy Pham, Pirates (11%) – Shoutout to Eric Samulski from Rotoworld, who noted in his waiver-wire piece from this week that Pham has been trying out new contact lenses to fix his underlying vision issues since mid-June and is hitting .362/.418/.578 in 35 games since then. I don't think Pham is that good, obviously, but you can see the improvement in his underlying numbers, with his xwOBA sitting at an elite .390 mark over the past 100 PA. Like Eric said, that'll play. 

Victor Robles, Mariners (28%) – Robles is working his way back from a serious in-season shoulder injury, so it might be asking too much from him to come back and be a difference maker. But the upside is there, as he showed in hitting .328/.393/.467 after joining the Mariners last season. He's set to begin his rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma this week and could be back in the next two weeks or so, with the potential to be a big help in batting average and stolen bases. 

Drew Gilbert, Giants (6%) – If Gilbert is viewed as a likely fourth outfielder in the long run, it might be more because of questions about his long-term defensive fit. He's been a productive hitter in the minors, including a .262/.369/.466 line with 14 homers and six steals in 93 games. The Giants called him up less than two weeks after acquiring him from the Mets, and in deeper leagues, we can look at him as someone with some upside for the stretch run. 

Starting pitcher

Edward Cabrera, Marlins (81%) – We usually focus on lower-rostered players here, and we'll have some for you shortly. But first, I need to focus on Cabrera, who absolutely deserves to be rostered in 100% of CBS Fantasy leagues at this point. He struck out 11 against the Braves in eight innings Friday, and the Marlins are consistently trusting him to go at least six innings lately, as he has done so in three straight and five of his past seven. Cabrera continues to de-emphasize his fastballs to excellent effect and is now down to a 2.2 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 89.1 innings since May 1. He isn't quite that good, but his 3.14 FIP in that span suggests that it isn't exactly a fluke, either. He's worth starting in all formats right now. 

Cade Cavalli, Nationals (23%) – I'll admit, my expectations were pretty low for Cavalli's return from the IL. Yes, he had some former top prospect pedigree, but that was a long time ago, and Cavalli had a 5.35 ERA in the minors before getting called up. So, you should remain skeptical. But he looked good enough in his first art – six strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work with just one walk – that I'm willing to put in a few low-dollar bids in some deeper leagues to see if he can build on this. His minor-league record suggests not, but maybe he was more focused on the process than the results down there. It wouldn't be the first time, and there's clearly talent here. 

Spencer Arrighetti, Astros (73%) – After giving up five runs in 3.2 innings against the Marlins, Arrighetti is more likely to be dropped this week than added in most leagues. But I'm still willing to chase the upside he showed in the second half of last season, when he posted a 3.18 ERA and 29% strikeout rate. I'll give him a mulligan for his first start since April. 

Hurston Waldrep, Braves (18%) – Waldrep didn't come back to the majors with hype this time, but he finally looked like he might belong. In two games last week, Waldrep struck out 10 over 11.2 innings, and he has expanded his arsenal since the last time we saw him in 2024 – and he credited Braves catcher Sean Murphy with that, as he added a sinker at Murphy's urging. Waldrep used to have just an elite splitter, a mediocre fastball, and a pretty iffy breaking ball, but now he's showing a legit six-pitch mix with much-improved command. Can he keep it up? He'll get the chance in Atlanta's injury-ravaged rotation. 

Luis Morales, Athletics (6%) – Mostly a name for deeper leagues for now, Morales made his first MLB start Sunday, and while it wasn't great (five walks over 2.2 innings of work), he showed off a four-pitch arsenal with a fastball that missed bats, and he's probably going to get a chance to stay in the A's rotation. They might look to limit him, but he's an upside name to watch over the next few starts. 

Relief pitcher

Kyle Finnegan, Nationals (69%) – Because Will Vest has been so good – and, frankly, because Finnegan is generally so mediocre – that I figured the Tigers would stick with Vest, or keep him in a timeshare at worst after the trade. But it looks like this might just be Finnegan's job, as he has the last three saves for the Tigers after getting Friday's, despite Vest likely being available. The Tigers have tricked us before, but it looks like Finnegan is the guy to roster here if you're chasing saves. 

Dennis Santana, Pirates (38%) – With a somewhat middling talent at closer, there's never a guarantee that they'll keep the job when they struggle. And coming off a stretch with seven runs allowed in 2.2 innings since the David Bednar trade, it was fair to wonder if the Pirates might lose their nerve with Santana. But he came back Friday with his seventh save, striking out one in a perfect ninth to close out the win over the Reds. The Pirates clearly like Santana, and he's got some leash here. 

Keegan Akin, Orioles (8%) – Akin wasn't necessarily at the top of the list of Felix Bautista replacements for the Orioles, but with the rest of the top choices traded away at the deadline, it looks like Akin's job at this point. He got the first two saves of the post-deadline era, and got the third save chance Sunday. He blew that one, but still looks like the guy to have in Baltimore's bullpen … if you have to have someone in Baltimore's bullpen. Akin is a fine enough pitcher – 3.28 ERA, 10.3 K/9 over the past two seasons – that he should be good enough for as long as Bautista is out.