When the Yankees announced they were calling top prospect Jasson Dominguez up – finally, at long last, after literal months of teeth gnashing and garment-rending from Yankees fans and the Fantasy Baseball community alike – it seemed all but assured that he would be the most exciting prospect promotion of the season's final few weeks.
After all, we're talking about a guy who has been one of the most-hyped prospects in baseball since he was high-school aged; a guy nicknamed "The Martian" who has an electric skill set that could make him an all-around Fantasy superstar and who had already hit four homers in just eight games at the major-league level last season. If anyone should be capable of hitting the ground running and helping decide some Fantasy championships, it should be this guy.
But I'm not even sure he's the most exciting prospect promotion we've learned about in the past 24 hours.
Don't get me wrong: Dominguez is expected to play everyday for the Yankees moving forward, and should be added in at least all category-based leagues for his potent power/speed combination in what should be a very good lineup. But I think Kumar Rocker might be the even more impactful promotion now that the Rangers are calling him up, as well.
Partially, this is just because of the nature of young pitching vs. young hitting right now: Pitchers just seem to be having an easier time making the leap from the minors to the majors these days. But I also think there's a chance Rocker is just the more exciting prospect right now, which says a lot given how much he's had to come back from and how exciting Dominguez is himself.
Rocker, you might recall, was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 draft, when the Mets picked him and couldn't come to an agreement on a contract due to medical red flags. Unsigned, Rocker pitched some independent ball in 2022, had shoulder surgery, and was then still picked third overall by the Rangers the following year, where he made it through just 28 pretty rocky innings in High-A before having Tommy John surgery in 2023, rendering him a largely forgotten man even among prospect hounds entering this season.
But he has put himself back on the map in a big way since his return from the injury this season. Across 36.2 innings of work, he has struck out 39.6% of opposing hitters, including an absolutely bonkers 51.4% in his two starts at Triple-A. In his now-final start at Triple-A, Rocker averaged 97.9 mph with his fastball and generated 12 whiffs on 17 swings with his slider, while also showing a changeup that should at least keep hitters honest.
From a stuff perspective, it sure looks like an ace's repertoire, and we'll get to see it in action when he makes his debut Thursday against the Mariners, which is an awfully exciting landing spot – despite a trade deadline designed to alleviate their deep swing-and-miss issues, the Mariners still have the highest strikeout rate in MLB history for a team outside of the shortened 2020 season. It's always risky to start a player in his MLB debut, but Rocker has been so dominant this season that I would be willing to take that risk against the Mariners.
And I wouldn't be at all surprised if he put together a run here over his final three or four starts that has us talking about Rocker as a potential superstar in 2025. The upside has always been there, and now that he's healthy, he's showing it off. Both Rocker and Dominguez should be high-priority adds in all leagues for the stretch run, but I might just be even a bit more excited about Rocker than Dominguez.
Tuesday's waiver targets
Thomas Saggese, 2B, Cardinals (4%) – The other prospect call-up of note from early this week, Saggese is expected to make his MLB debut Tuesday after turning his season around at Triple-A this summer. Saggese has hit .291/.351/.524 with 12 homers in 55 games since July 1, and could see some consistent opportunities at second base if Brendan Donovan misses time with a foot injury. Saggese isn't a can't-miss prospect, and his Fantasy upside is in question thanks to limited base-stealing production so far, but he's worth a look in deeper leagues to see if he can catch lightning in a bottle.
Austin Wells, C, Yankees (55%) – There have been some playing time limitations for Wells, but it seems like it has gone out of the window lately, as Wells has now started nine of the past 11 games for the Yankees. And he has continued to hit well as a core part of the team's lineup of late, hitting .309 with six homers and 28 RBI in 28 games as the team's cleanup hitter. And that's a role he has held on to even as the lineup around him has gotten healthier, a sign of how much the Yankees value Wells. He has the underlying data to back it up, too, so I think Wells should just be viewed as a starting-caliber Fantasy option in all formats down the stretch. And a potential top-10 one for 2025.
Reid Detmers, SP, Angels (32%) – We've been fooled by Detmers more than once in the past, so your skepticism is not unwarranted. But he's looked pretty good in his first two starts back from Triple-A, and has especially seemed to rediscover his slider, something that has been a key for him throughout his career. When Detmers' slider is dominating, he tends to be pretty good, and his slider was dominant Monday, generating nine whiffs and a 38% CSW rate, elite numbers. There's been some hard contact along the way (94.7 mph average exit velocity in this one), but Detmers now has 18 strikeouts to four earned runs allowed in 12 innings since coming back, and could continue to be a really solid starting option down the stretch … which would just make valuing him for 2025 even more difficult. But we'll worry about that in October and beyond.
Nick Martinez, SP, Reds (22%) – Martinez is one player I don't have a ton of long-term expectations for, but if you're looking for some streaming help down the stretch, he's pitching extremely well right now. He limited hard contact well Monday against the Braves, allowing just 83.1 mph average exit velocity against, and ended up with seven shutout innings in a win. He has a 3.12 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in eight starts since returning to the rotation, and seems to be finding a way to get it done even without robust strikeout numbers. His next two starts come against the Twins and Pirates, both of whom are pretty exploitable matchups, too.
Joey Cantillo, SP, Guardians (2%) – Things have gone kind of sideways on Cantillo over the past couple of seasons after a really good start to his professional career, but one thing he has always done well is rack up strikeouts, and Monday was the first time that showed up in the majors. Facing the admittedly overmatched White Sox, Cantillo pitched seven innings with just one run allowed and racked up 10 strikeouts. He had a 29.8% strikeout rate and 3.29 ERA at Triple-A this season, so the stuff is clearly there, and the Guardians have a well-deserved reputation for maximizing their pitchers, so if you wanted to make a bet on Cantillo in a deeper league, I think that's advisable.
