Braxton Garrett's, Royce Lewis' demotions could precipitate the arrival of two noteworthy prospects
By Scott White May 20, 2026 at 10:44 am ET • 8 min read 
Well, we know one left-hander is set to debut this week. Zach Thornton will start for the Mets against the Nationals on Wednesday.
He's one of those prospects whose performance outstrips the attention he receives. In seven starts between Double- and Triple-A this year, he's pitched to a 3.16 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 9.7 K/9. The latest of those starts saw him throw six shutout innings with one walk and nine strikeouts. Here's what that looked like:
Zach Thornton was filthy for the @SyracuseMets this week 👀 pic.twitter.com/ev2BwYAmfW
— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) May 18, 2026
Thornton also had a 1.98 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 between High-A and Double-A last year, with his 1.4 BB/9 standing out in particular. His velocity is sorely lacking by today's standards, with his fastball sitting at 91-92 mph, which is probably why prospect evaluators sell him short. But his control and overall pitchability may be enough for him to excel, particularly as a left-hander.
Because he's stepping in for Clay Holmes, who's out 6-8 weeks with a fractured fibula, Thornton should get plenty of runway here, provided he does his part. He's at least interesting enough to monitor the first time through and may already deserve a pickup in leagues where pitching is scarce.
Then again, you might want to save that roster spot for the other left-hander who could get the call this week.
FIVE ON THE VERGE
(Here are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)
Thomas White, SP, Marlins
2025 minors: 4-3, 2.31 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 89 2/3 IP, 51 BB, 145 K 2026 minors: 0-3, 4.01 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 24 2/3 IP, 15 BB, 35 K
Yes, rumor has it that Thomas White will be making his debut the next time through the rotation. That rumor is mostly a response to him getting scratched from his Triple-A start on the same day we learned that Braxton Garrett would be optioned back to the minors. The Marlins called the move for White "precautionary." Is the precaution that he might be hurt, or that he might be needed to start somewhere else?
And should we care? Yes, White was one of the top pitchers listed on every preseason rank list, but you wouldn't know it from his performance this year. You can see the 4.01 ERA and 1.46 WHIP for yourself. What you may not see is that none of his seven starts has lasted even five innings. He's been so inefficient and struggled so much with walks that he has yet to even qualify for a win, much less record one.
And yet ... he's still a pitcher with an arsenal so electric that he had an 18.7 percent swinging-strike rate last year, which was just one-tenth of a point off from the highest rate ever recorded by a full-season major league pitcher. He's still missing bats at a nice rate, and the Marlins would be able to make the best assessment as to whether or not he's ready. For all we know, they've had him working on something at Triple-A that's prevented him from putting his best foot forward there.
We'll know soon enough whether he's actually getting the call, but there's enough smoke here (and enough talent) to justify a preemptive pickup even with the numbers being what they are.
Kade Anderson, SP, Mariners
2026 minors: 3-0, 1.85 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 34 IP, 5 BB, 51 K
Kade Anderson finally had his first bad start Friday, allowing five runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts over four innings. Clearly, it's done nothing to ruin his stat line. It did at least ensure that he'll get another start at Double-A before testing himself at the highest minor league level. There obviously isn't a path for him now, particularly with Brice Miller's return already bumping Luis Castillo from the rotation, but attrition comes for every pitching staff. When the need arises, the Mariners may not be able to resist Anderson, who would follow in Chase Burns' footsteps by debuting in both the majors and the minors within the same year.
Noelvi Marte, OF, Reds
2025 majors: .263 BA (339 AB), 14 HR, 10 SB, .748 OPS, 16 BB, 85 K 2026 majors: .138 BA (29 AB), 0 HR, 1 SB, .331 OPS, 2 BB, 10 K 2026 minors: .391 BA (115 AB), 6 HR, 8 SB, 1.045 OPS, 11 BB, 21 K
If you thought Noelvi Marte was slowing down at Triple-A, which seemed to be the case a week ago, think again. A fourth straight multi-hit game there Tuesday has brought his batting average back up to .391, and he's homered in three of those four games. He's also started seven straight games in center field, which would suggest the Reds are genuinely grooming him to play that position. The reads are a little bit easier there than in right field, after all. Of course, in either of those spots, center or right, the Reds currently have someone batting under .200, so it seems like just a matter of time before they loop Marte back in. Yes, I realize he's not a prospect anymore, but the upside is more palpable than for most of the minor leaguers who do qualify.
Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Twins
2025 minors: .289 BA (454 AB), 20 HR, 25 SB, .844 OPS, 50 BB, 90 K 2026 minors: .250 BA (164 AB), 9 HR, 9 SB, .815 OPS, 23 BB, 37 K
Kaelen Culpepper was a pleasant surprise last year with 20 homers and 25 steals to go along with a .289 batting average. That was between High-A and Double-A. The move up to Triple-A this year seemed like it may be exposing him early on, but he's righted himself in May with a .281 (16 for 57) batting average, four home runs, four steals and as many walks (11) as strikeouts (11). He's reached base at a .417 clip for the month and has delivered some of the best exit velocities for the level, with his average of 91.9 mph sitting in the 88th percentile. With numbers like those, Culpepper may be lying in wait for the third base job vacated by Royce Lewis, who was optioned to Triple-A Tuesday. For now, it's only Orlando Arcia standing in his way.
Cole Carrigg, OF, Rockies
2025 minors: .237 BA (477 AB), 15 HR, 46 SB, .710 OPS, 45 BB, 145 K 2026 minors: .355 BA (169 AB), 4 HR, 26 SB, .953 OPS, 16 BB, 25 K
Not much has changed for Cole Carrigg in the past week. He's added a couple steals and lost a few points from his batting average. Altogether, though, he's still looking like a more muted version of A.J. Ewing, lacking the latter's superlative on-base skills and natural hitting instincts. Playing half his games at Coors Field, however, could shrink that gap for Carrigg. That's especially true with the sort of extra-base hits he's getting. He's already up to five triples at Triple-A, which means he lives in the gaps as a hitter. Those gaps are enormous at Coors Field, which only ups his potential for triples or perhaps even inside-the-park home runs. Notably, three of Carrigg's past five starts have come at shortstop, so he doesn't necessarily need an opening in the outfield to get the call (not that the Rockies are loaded there).
FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY
(Here are some other prospects doing something of note.)
Theo Gillen, OF, Rays
2025 minors: .267 BA (243 AB), 5 HR, 36 SB, .820 OPS, 64 BB, 75 K 2026 minors: .333 BA (114 AB), 9 HR, 14 SB, 1.105 OPS, 18 BB, 34 K
From the time he was drafted 18th overall in 2024, Theo Gillen has stood out for both his athleticism and natural hitter instincts -- a priceless combo that points to a particularly high ceiling. The question was how much power he'd develop, and I think now we have our answer.
Theo Gillen is absolutely insane right now. He adds his 9th HR of the season and is now hitting .330 with a 1.099 OPS. I don't know how many prospects are hotter than him right now. He was a high riser in the last updates, and he looks like a potential T-20 prospect. pic.twitter.com/djhW4Dok6S
— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) May 20, 2026
With his nine home runs already, it's getting hard to find any flaws in his skill set. He's reaching base at a .430 clip and making good on his chances as a base-stealer. This year's breakthrough, if it holds, is enough to elevate him from a borderline top 100 prospect to one of the best in the game.
Raudi Rodriguez, OF, Angels
2025 minors: .281 BA (481 AB), 14 HR, 38 SB, .842 OPS, 63 BB, 130 K 2026 minors: .308 BA (133 AB), 5 HR, 16 SB, .921 OPS, 30 BB, 32 K
You may have thought Raudi Rodriguez broke out last year with a quality performance at Low-A Inland Empire, but he's turned everything up a notch this year, even while skipping a level. His average exit velocity is up more than 2 mph, according to Baseball America, and he's boasting a near-1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio that has him reaching base at a .440 clip. He lives for hitting line drives to the opposite field, which undermines his power potential even with the bump in exit velo, but that approach has its own advantages, namely making him a potential standout in batting average. Clearly, there's plenty to work with here, and Rodriguez is far enough up the minor league ladder to make a 2026 debut distinctly possible.
Malcolm Moore, C, Rangers
2025 minors: .195 BA (221 AB), 3 HR, 9 2B, .576 OPS, 26 BB, 51 K 2026 minors: .333 BA (114 AB), 7 HR, 12 2B, 1.043 OPS, 13 BB, 24 K
Comparing Malcolm Moore's .576 OPS last year to his 1.043 OPS this year, there may not be a single prospect who's done more to raise his stock in a year's time. The 22-year-old is on a serious heater right now that's likely to bump him up to Double-A sooner than later. He's collected multiple hits in eight straight games with home runs in five of them. You can watch his latest one sail over the 411-foot sign in right-center:
Four straight games with a roundtripper for Malcolm Moore! 🤠 The @Rangers' 2024 first-rounder has eight consecutive multihit outings for the High-A @Spartanburgers_: pic.twitter.com/XfgF9uxfix
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 20, 2026
Two of the areas where Moore has shown the most improvement are against left-handed pitchers and against offspeed pitches. He'll need to keep the pedal down offensively since it's not clear that he'll be able to stick at catcher over the long haul.
Axiel Plaz, C, Pirates
2025 minors: .236 BA (237 AB), 10 HR, .741 OPS, 26 BB, 53 K 2026 minors: .354 BA (127 AB), 7 HR, 1.009 OPS, 9 BB, 29 K
Another catcher who appears to have made a huge leap offensively this year, Axiel Plaz at least showed superlative contact quality last year, generating an average exit velocity of 92.3 mph and a max of 113.9 mph as a 19-year-old. We don't have that data for his current level (High-A Greensboro), but I think we have even clearer evidence that he's crushing it from his .354 batting average. His aggression could set him back as he moves up the ladder, but considering what he's doing as a 20-year-old in A-ball, there's a lot more to like than dislike.
Jacob Gonzalez, SS, White Sox
2025 minors: .232 BA (475 AB), 8 HR, 17 SB, .652 OPS, 48 BB, 86 K 2026 minors: .305 BA (164 AB), 15 HR, 7 SB, 1.065 OPS, 31 BB, 42 K
Though he was the 15th overall pick in 2023, Jacob Gonzalez had never managed better than a .652 OPS in a minor league season, which makes what he's doing now all the more stunning. With another home run Tuesday, he's up to 15 overall, which is the third-most among minor leaguers. He is playing in a favorable home venue (Charlotte), where he's hit 12 of his 15 home runs, but he's also hit a ball as hard as 113.6 mph, which puts him in the 96th percentile. His 15.5 percent walk rate gives him a .419 on-base percentage, and he's even contributing as a base stealer. With experience at all four infield spots, he has several paths to a promotion. The upstart White Sox may want to loop him in even before an injury clears the way.
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