Dodgers Prospects James Tibbs, River Ryan Poised for Impact

I've been cheating by featuring Noelvi Marte in the Prospects Report all these weeks. He's not a prospect anymore, but he is a minor leaguer, and the way he was performing at Triple-A made him far more stashable than most of the minor leaguers who we could rightfully call prospects. As you can see from these numbers, that hasn't changed:

Noelvi Marte

RF

CIN Cincinnati

• #4 • Age: 24

2026 Minors

AVG

.369

HR

8

SB

9

OPS

.984

AB

160

K

26

What has changed is the increasing number of actual prospects presently pushing for a promotion. To keep pumping Marte while ignoring those others would not to be in the spirit of a prospects report, and woe to those who say I'm lacking in spirit.

Besides, if I insist on including Marte, then I also have to include Royce Lewis . Have you seen what he's been doing since the Twins optioned him to Triple-A?

Royce Lewis

3B

MIN Minnesota

• #23 • Age: 26

2026 Minors

AVG

.333

HR

9

OPS

1.354

AB

48

BB

3

K

11

Egad. Yeah, if you need third base help, you wouldn't want to stray too far from that (or Marte, of course, who's also eligible in the outfield). But there's only so much space to devote to non-prospects in the Prospects Report , and I would say today that I've devoted enough already.

Ask me again tomorrow.

FIVE ON THE VERGE

(Here are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)

James Tibbs, OF, Dodgers

2025 minors: .243 BA (457 AB), 20 HR, 10 SB, .802 OPS, 90 BB, 120 K 2026 minors: .321 BA (215 AB), 17 HR, 3 SB, 1.075 OPS, 37 BB, 66 K

It was only a matter of time before James Tibbs showed up here again. His 17 homers are the most for any player still in Triple-A (because Jacob Gonzalez has moved on to the majors), and six of them have come in his last seven games. The bigger reason he claims the top spot on this list than his power surge, though, is the fact the Dodgers now have an outfield opening with Teoscar Hernandez being lost to a hamstring strain.

> James Tibbs is on a tear lately 👀 pic.twitter.com/za42Vj1lsu — Nicho Roessler (@NichoRoessler) May 29, 2026

For now, they've chosen to fill that opening with Ryan Ward , but he's 28 and has taken a big step back statistically this year. Hernandez is expected to miss a month, which leaves plenty of time for Tibbs to lay claim to the job still. One complication is that he's currently contending with a forearm injury that's prevented him from playing the field for the past 19 games. Judging by the way he's hit during that time, it can't be too debilitating of an injury, but with Shohei Ohtani occupying the DH spot in the majors, Tibbs will need to return to the outfield before he can get the call.

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: 2-0, 2.05 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 22 IP, 3 BB, 29 K

If you think back to 2024, River Ryan got called up midseason and made a strong impression in four starts before tearing his UCL and requiring Tommy John surgery. Well, he's back and better than ever with 29 strikeouts to just three walks and a 14.3 percent swinging-strike rate. His fastball is the fastest it's ever been, averaging 97.8 mph and peaking in the triple digits, yet he's yielded some of the lowest exit velocities with an average of 84.1 mph. At 27, he has nothing more to accomplish in the minors still, and it just so happens that the Dodgers are currently devoting starts to journeyman Eric Lauer . Ryan's return is coming, and given the supporting cast he'll have, it makes sense to beat the rush.

Karson Milbrandt, SP, Marlins

2025 minors: 3-5, 3.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 90 IP, 48 BB, 113 K 2026 minors: 4-1, 1.34 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 47 IP, 17 BB, 70 K

Twice featured in the Five on the Periphery already, Karson Milbrandt has gone from breakout prospect to possible call-up in just a few short weeks. The 22-year-old's next start will come at Triple-A after he dominated Double-A to the tune of a 1.34 ERA, and he may only require a turn or two there before he's moving on to the big leagues. It's not clear the Marlins can wait that long, even with Eury Perez and Janson Junk both joining Robby Snelling on the IL. Though Thomas White is regarded as the better prospect and has been at Triple-A longer, he seems less equipped to meet the immediate need than Milbrandt, who has a dominant fastball, a full complement of secondaries, and a documented history of throwing six innings at a time.

Luis Lara, OF, Brewers

2025 minors: .257 BA (513 AB), 2 HR, 44 SB, .712 OPS, 86 BB, 99 K 2026 minors: .338 BA (204 AB), 7 HR, 18 SB, .947 OPS, 39 BB, 32 K

It's time to stop toeing the water with Luis Lara and dive in, trusting that the Brewers will recognize just what a boon the 21-year-old could be to their title hopes. His exit velocities are modest, unsurprisingly for a player who stands just 5-feet-7, but his bat skills are second to none, as evidenced by him having more walks than strikeouts and a 95 percent zone-contact rate. (The .338 batting average doesn't hurt either.) Even just for the defense he could provide in center field, Luis is worth a call-up, but the Brewers could also stand to upgrade offensively from both Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick .

Yohandy Morales, 3B, Nationals

2025 minors: .265 BA (509 AB), 15 HR, .769 OPS, 57 BB, 164 K 2026 minors: .344 BA (195 AB), 13 HR, 1.016 OPS, 22 BB, 54 K

A week later, Yohandy Morales ' numbers look even better thanks to a two-homer game Friday and then another home run, his 13th, Tuesday. His slugging percentage is now up to .600, and his average and max exit velocity are both in the 93rd percentile. If not for Curtis Mead's emergence, Morales surely would have been the one to take over at third base when Brady House was sent down, but there's still hope for him if the Nationals are willing to let either Mead or Luis Garcia  try out second base again. What do they have to lose, really?

> Yohandy Morales over his last 15 games: 68 AB .412 AVG 1.290 OPS 7 HR .426 ISO .543 wOBA 226 wRC+ 10 multi-hit games in that stretch, Morales now has 12 HR on the year while running a 92.7 mph AvgEV, and 54.3% Hard-Hit% ( @ProspectSavant ). pic.twitter.com/FzJ2sn4mYe — Tobey Schulman (@tschulmanreport) May 30, 2026

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

(Here are some other prospects doing something of note.)

Joshua Baez, OF, Cardinals

2025 minors: .287 BA (418 AB), 20 HR, 54 SB, .884 OPS, 59 BB, 103 K 2026 minors: .262 BA (206 AB), 16 HR, 11 SB, .915 OPS, 18 BB, 73 K

You might have presumed Joshua Baez would be in my Five on the Verge  with the kind of power binge he's been on recently, homering five times over a three-game span last week while batting .378 (14 for 37) in his last seven. But I still think he's taken a big step back developmentally this year. He was trending toward becoming one of the game's elite outfield prospects last year with a sharp reduction in strikeout rate, but it's gone from 21 percent then to 32 percent now, the latter of which is more in line with his minor league history. He's both chasing too many pitches out of the zone and missing too many pitches in it. The power is nice, but it won't matter if he's so easily beatable for major league hurlers. The Cardinals are about to get Lars Nootbaar back from the IL anyway, so they're not hurting for outfield help.

Ryan Sloan, SP, Mariners

2025 minors: 2-4, 3.73 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 82 IP, 15 BB, 90 K 2026 minors: 1-2, 4.34 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 37 1/3 IP, 10 BB, 49 K

Ryan Sloan was asked to make a big leap to Double-A this year after spending hardly any time at High-A last year, and while the 20-year-old has mostly struggled with it, he turned the corner in a big way last time out, striking out 11 over six perfect innings. Here's what that looked like:

> Ryan Sloan was unreal tonight. Final line: 6IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 11K, 18 whiffs, 61 pitches, 46 strikes. That was a pleasure to watch. pic.twitter.com/VTNI0OBGPG — Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) May 31, 2026

Sloan is a conventionally dominant pitching prospect, featuring a projectable frame, plus velocity, good control, and a pair of swing-and-miss secondaries. It's hard to imagine the Mariners of all teams messing that up, and with the way they've confidently moved him along, I think we can safely count him among the top five pitching prospects.

Zac Veen, OF, Rockies

2025 minors: .289 BA (377 AB), 11 HR, 15 SB, .823 OPS, 39 BB, 86 K 2025 majors: 4 for 34, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 SB, 2 BB, 14 K 2026 minors: .305 BA (174 AB), 7 HR, 11 SB, .908 OPS, 35 BB, 45 K

We're not done with Zac Veen yet; no sir. The 24-year-old had a streak of three straight games with a home run snapped Tuesday, and the resulting slash line (.305/.420/.489) is enough to restore interest in him as a possible major leaguer. He showed up to spring training looking noticeably filled out, saying he had given up marijuana and alcohol after struggling with both for years, and is achieving much higher exit velocities than before, hitting one ball 112.6 mph. He's also walking nearly twice as often as last year. I've had Cole Carrigg in my Five on the Verge for the past few weeks, but part of my justification for removing him is that Veen's performance gives the Rockies every reason to go to him first, particularly since he's already on the 40-man roster.

Wyatt Sanford, SS, Pirates

2025 minors: .243 BA (218 AB), 5 HR, 34 SB, .760 OPS, 34 BB, 54 K 2026 minors: .287 BA (167 AB), 10 HR, 17 SB, .965 OPS, 26 BB, 67 K

The big question regarding Wyatt Sanford coming into the season was whether he'd develop enough power to be of real interest in Fantasy. Well, he just had a three-homer game last week, giving him 10 for the season. He's a confident base-stealer and an excellent defender, the kind that will get repeated chances even if his bat falls short. And it still may, seeing as he's striking out 33 percent of the time at High-A, but at least there's time for the 20-year-old to bring that rate down to size. The whole profile is beginning to resemble Carson Williams , right down to Sanford batting left-handed, and while Williams never improved his contact skills enough to remain in good prospect standing, Sanford may.

Caden Hunter, SP, Orioles

2026 minors: 1-0, 0.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 27 1/3 IP, 14 BB, 49 K

Caden Hunter's 16.1 K/9 rate and 20.3 percent swinging-strike rate become a little less awe-inspiring when you consider they've mostly come at Low-A. His first start at High-A last time out was just as good -- he struck out nine over 4 1/3 scoreless innings -- but even that level is too low for a 22-year-old. Still, he gets a huge extension with a deceptive left-handed delivery and has a fastball featuring more than 19 inches of induced vertical break. All three of those traits are plainly evident on this one pitch:

> Some good stuff from LHP Caden Hunter last night in his second career appearance. 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K in relief Pumping 96 for his first strikeout: pic.twitter.com/rGKjLIAGT4 — The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@TheVergePod) May 1, 2026

The tools are impressive enough to suggest Hunter could sustain this dominance at the higher levels as well, but until we see him do that, he's less a prospect than a curiosity.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/fantasy-baseball-prospects-report-james-tibbs-ready-to-help/)._