In the second week of April, the fantasy market is praying for starting pitching help from the minor leagues. Between underperformance and injuries, many fantasy rosters have glaring weaknesses that need to be addressed as quickly as possible. Here are some of the pitchers I'm tracking at AAA and a couple of options that pitched well out of the gate in 2026:
After a great spring training (one run, two hits, one walk, and 18 strikeouts over 13.2 innings), Fuentes created a quandary for the Braves' upper management. They know he needs to develop a third pitch, and that process should happen in the minors. Atlanta rewarded him for his March success by adding Fuentes to their opening roster. He handled himself well in his 2026 MLB debut (one run, three baserunners, and four strikeouts over four innings), but the Braves didn't want to use him in their bullpen.
Unfortunately, Fuentes returned to the minors to up his pitch count and give him some time to work on a split-finger pitch. Over his first two starts, he tossed 9.2 shutout innings with three hits, five walks, and 15 strikeouts. Fuentes has thrown his split 9.4% of the time this year, leading to one hit and no strikeouts over two at-bats (20 pitches thrown). Batters have barely touched his four-seamer (.067 with 14 strikeouts and seven walks), and his slider (.167 BAA) continues to be a swing-and-miss asset (five strikeouts). His average fastball (96.9 mph) is up about one mph from last year.
The Braves will need a starting pitcher next week when Reynaldo Lopez serves his five-game suspension. Fuentes should take the mound for Atlanta next Monday.
Three starts into his 2026 AAA season, Ritchie is 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA, 1.085 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts over 15.2 innings. He had been sharp in his last two outings (one run, nine baserunners, and a home run over 12.0 innings with 12 strikeouts). His AAA resume over the past two years sits at 5-3 with a 2.75 ERA, 1.088 WHIP, and 76 strikeouts over 75.1 innings. Ritchie looks major-league ready, but he sits third behind Spencer Strider and Didier Fuentes as upgrades to the Braves' starting rotation over the next month or so.
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Robby Snelling (61) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the first inning at Clover Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Over his first two starts at AAA, Snelling tossed 66 and 84 pitches, but he has yet to record an out in the fifth inning. His strikeout rate (11.3) remains elite, but Snelling has walked four batters over his first eight innings, resulting in a 4.50 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts. He has 14 career starts at AAA (6-3 with a 1.62 ERA, 1.030 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts over 77.2 innings). The key to his arrival in Miami is throwing more strikes. Chris Paddack (eight runs, 15 baserunners, and two home runs over 8.2 innings with 10 strikeouts) is doing his best to give Snelling his starting opportunity.
The Mariners started Anderson out at AA this year. In his first start, he threw 59 pitches across four innings, leading to no runs, six hits, a walk, and six strikeouts. Anderson was a beast last season at LSU (12-1 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.059 WHIP, and 180 strikeouts over 119.0 innings). Seattle drafted third overall in the 2025 MLB June Amateur Draft. He has the arm to bypass AAA to a major league starting job.
Chicago White Sox pitcher Hagen Smith during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Over the past three seasons in the minors, Smith has started 25 games but pitched only 89.1 innings. He pitched well in both of his three-innings starts at AAA in 2026 (two runs, five hits, one home run, and one walk over six innings with nine strikeouts) while throwing 48 and 50 pitches. Smith is challenging to hit, but he has walked 5.9 batters per nine innings so far in the minors.
In his final season at Arkansas in 2024, the White Sox electric lefty went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA, 0.893 WHIP, and 161 strikeouts over 84.0 innings. Smith averaged 4.3 innings across his 54 appearances in college.
In the high-stakes market, Ryan was a March ADP mover. Over four appearances in spring training, he posted a 1.86 ERA, 0.931 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts over 9.2 innings. The Dodgers sent him to the AAA mound on April 4th, leading to two runs and six baserunners over four innings with six strikeouts. Ryan threw 63 pitches. He missed all of 2025 after having TJ surgery in the middle of August in 2024, after looking sharp over four major league starts (1-0 with a 1.33 ERA, 1.180 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts over 20.1 innings). His average fastball (97.6 mph) has been at career-high levels this year.
With Shane Smith shipped back to AAA, Schultz looks poised to replace him in the White Sox starting rotation. He comes off a no-walk and nine-strikeout performance over five innings on April 8th, while allowing a run and two hits. Schultz is 3-0 after three appearances with a 1.93 ERA, 0.429 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts over 14.0 innings. In 2025, batters got the best of him in too many starts between AA and AAA (4.68 ERA, 1.671 WHIP, and 76 strikeouts over 73.0 innings). His average fastball (95.9 mph) has been up about 1.5 mph from 2025 in his clocked games.
Over his first two starts at AAA, Beck has yet to walk a batter over 9.1 innings while allowing two runs, six hits, and two home runs with 15 strikeouts. He had TJ surgery in 2021 and battled elbow issues in his last season in 2024. Beck has pitched when on the mound in the minors (14-6 with a 2.94 ERA, 1.008, and 178 strikeouts over 174.2 innings). His only failure was at AAA last season (8-3 with a 4.44 ERA, 1.156 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts over 77.0 innings) due to allowing 12 home runs. Beck falls into the soft-tosser category (91.8 mph) who relies on a winning slider and developing split-finger pitch.
For the fantasy teams looking for a possible closing out, Kempner is trending in an intriguing direction. He's made five appearances at AAA, resulting in a 3.00 ERA, 0.833 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts over six innings with two saves. His right arm played well in the bullpen in 2025 over three levels - High A, AA, and AAA (7-3 with a 2.26 ERA, 1.153 WHIP, and 67.2 innings) despite walking 40 batters (5.3 per nine). His average fastball (95.6 mph) is trending higher while offering a swing-and-miss slider.
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Payton Tolle (70) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
After a rough AAA debut (four runs, five hits, two home runs, and two walks over four innings with six strikeouts), Tolle looked sharp in his next outing. He allowed one run and five baserunners over six innings with seven strikeouts. His one mistake was a home run. Despite his direction, Tolle only has 52.0 innings of experience between AA and AAA (3-2 with a 2.77 ERA, 0.865 WHIP, and 67 strikeouts). He pitched well this spring (2.53 ERA, 0.844 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts over 10.2 innings). His average fastball (97.2 mph) has been elite this year.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Didier Fuentes & JR Ritchie Headline Week 3 Fantasy Baseball Pitching Prospect Report .
