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Christian Moore and Brady House are both legitimate prospects who were called up to the majors over the past week. Each promotion was a coronation of sorts, allowing the prospect to step into a longtime vacancy rather than simply asking him to fill in.

So was either worth stashing ahead of time? My feeling is no, at least not in leagues of standard size, and I said as much about Moore in last week's Prospects Report. The difficulty curve is already so high for incoming hitters that any flaw risks miring them in irrelevance for months on end. Both had some pretty obvious contact issues, particularly on pitches in the zone. That doesn't mean they'll never find their footing in the majors, just that they'll have to take their lumps first.

So far, it's only been a few games for both. House has looked good, going 4 for 11 with just one strikeout. Moore less so, going 2 for 15 with five strikeouts. I still say their appeal is limited to deeper leagues for now, but you'll want to monitor their progress. 

I also say that neither is worth rostering over these five.

FIVE ON THE VERGE

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

Logan Henderson, SP, Brewers

2024 minors: 7-6, 3.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 81 1/3 IP, 15 BB, 104 K
2025 minors: 7-1, 1.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 43 1/3 IP, 14 BB, 55 K
2025 majors: 3-0, 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 21 IP, 6 BB, 29 K

Henderson leaps to the top of the list not because of any new developments but because it's near impossible to give up on someone who you already know -- not just suspect, but know -- would be a genuine difference-maker for you. The right-hander's first two stints in the majors, comprising four starts in all, have confirmed as much. Seeing him get passed over for Jacob Misiorowski was disappointing, but it made sense if you buy into the idea that the Brewers optioned Henderson to manage his innings. Unfortunately, there isn't much evidence of that. His past two starts were spaced normally, and each exceeded five innings. On the one hand, that makes the Misiorowski promotion all the more confusing, but on the hand, it means Henderson will still be prepped to go the next time the Brewers have a rotation opening. And that's why you have to continue to stash him.

Chandler Simpson, OF, Rays

2024 minors: .355 BA (451 AB), 1 HR, 104 SB, .807 OPS, 44 BB, 43 K
2025 minors: .315 BA (130 AB), 0 HR, 14 SB, .705 OPS, 6 BB, 15 K
2025 majors: .285 BA (123 AB), 0 HR, 19 SB, .632 OPS, 6 BB, 14 K

As with Henderson, stashing Simpson is a priority because we've already seen he can succeed in the majors. The impact may not be as great, but he can dominate in one area (stolen bases, of course), which is particularly valuable in Rotisserie leagues. Though manager Kevin Cash seemed comfortable slotting him in the lineup every day, Jake Mangum and Kameron Misner were deemed by the front office to be higher priorities, ostensibly for defensive reasons. Mangum has performed reasonably well since returning from the IL, batting .279 (19 for 68), albeit with no pop. Misner, meanwhile, has been downright miserable. It wouldn't take much for the Rays to swap him out for Simpson, who has hit .333 (19 for 57) with six stolen bases in his 13 games back at Triple-A.

Chase Burns, SP, Reds

2025 minors: 7-3, 1.77 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 66 IP, 13 BB, 89 K

Yes, Burns has overtaken Bubba Chandler as the top non-debuted prospect to stash in only his second week in my Five on the Verge. It just doesn't seem like the minors are any sort of challenge for him. His second start for Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday was arguably the best of his professional career so far. He allowed one run on three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings, racking up 17 whiffs on just 88 pitches. Here's a glimpse of what that looked like:

Calling him up so soon after being drafted would indeed be aggressive, but it's not unprecedented for a prospect with his pedigree (he was the second overall pick last year) and collegiate experience. Just look at what the Pirates did with Paul Skenes last year or, on the hitter side, look at what the Athletics have done with Nick Kurtz or the Royals with Jac Caglianone, two players who were themselves in my Five on the Verge at one point this season.

Of course, just because the Reds can justify bringing Burns up to the majors doesn't mean they will. If they're satisfied with their current rotation options or don't believe they can make a serious run at a playoff spot, they might hold off until late August, thus preserving Burns' rookie status for next year, when it could potentially secure them bonus draft picks. My hunch is that they'd just promote him if they felt like he was ready and not sweat the service time considerations, but since I can't say that with certainty, I'm calling Burns a lower-priority stash than Henderson and Simpson for now.

Bubba Chandler, SP, Pirates

2024 minors: 10-7, 3.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 119 2/3 IP, 41 BB, 148 K
2025 minors: 2-1, 2.60 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 55 1/3 IP, 27 BB, 73 K

I get it, Pirates. For all the grief we gave you about passing over Chandler for the first two months, this third one would seem to suggest he hasn't earned it yet. Really, the cracks began to show as far back as May 7, his first "bad" start in which he walked four over 2 2/3 innings. In eight starts dating back to that day, he has thrown just 59 percent of his pitches for strikes, a mark bettered by every single qualifying big-league starter this year, which would seem to suggest foundational control issues. Not surprisingly, Chandler has issued 20 walks over 30 innings during that same eight-start stretch. He hasn't exceeded four innings in a start since May 30.

It's also the case that the Pirates don't have a rotation opening at the moment, not with Bailey Falter continuing to overachieve and Mike Burrows beginning to find his footing, so they have every incentive to let Chandler work through his issues at Triple-A. They probably would regardless given that they aren't competing for a playoff spot. So should I move Chandler out of my Five on the Verge altogether? I'd consider it if there was surplus of prospects ready to be stashed right now, but there isn't. I think if you've put in the time on Chandler already, you should try to see it through.

Joe Boyle, SP, Rays

2024 minors: 1-3, 5.12 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 45 2/3 IP, 39 BB, 71 K
2025 minors: 4-4, 1.53 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 59 IP, 24 BB, 73 K
2025 majors: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

I'm obliged to reiterate that Boyle isn't technically a prospect, having used up his rookie eligibility already, but in most Fantasy leagues, that's a distinction without a difference. The point is he's a minor-leaguer who hasn't established himself in the majors yet. But boy is he establishing himself in the minors. His latest start was another banger, seeing him strike out nine over five one-run innings. Here's what that looked like:

In all, he has a 1.41 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 in 10 starts since returning to Triple-A following a spot start April 13. His swinging-strike rate during that stretch is 19 percent, which is a best-in-the-league-type mark. His strike rate is 64 percent, which isn't close to the best in the league but is a vast improvement for a pitcher whose control was long considered to be a deal-breaker. His 3.7 BB/9 between the majors and minors this year is roughly half of what it was last year, so the Rays have clearly gone to work on him. And the results speak for themselves.

About that spot start on April 13 ... he threw five no-hit innings in it, remember, which makes it all the more surprising that he hasn't appeared the majors since. The Rays have had an amazing run of luck with their rotation health so far, keeping their starting five intact all season long, and that's simply not going to continue, which is reason enough to stash Boyle. But Taj Bradley has performed so poorly of late, allowing 19 runs (13 earned) in 9 1/3 innings over his past three starts, that the Rays maybe looking to make a change regardless.

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

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

Brice Matthews, SS, Astros

2024 minors: .265 BA (287 AB), 15 HR, 32 SB, .865 OPS, 46 BB, 108 K
2025 minors: .269 BA (208 AB), 9 HR, 19 SB, .862 OPS, 41 BB, 74 K

The Astros' first-round pick in the 2023 draft has been productive across three minor-league seasons and may be pushing for a final promotion with the way he's performed at Triple-A lately, batting .363 (33 for 91) with six homers and five steals over his past 23 games. You may wonder where he fits with Jeremy Pena having the shortstop job locked down, but Matthews has mostly been playing second base this year, where the Astros don't really have a long-term answer with Jose Altuve having shifted to left field. Matthews doesn't show much tendency to chase, which is of course a good quality, but his miss rate on pitches in the zone is concerning, to say the least. It's why, despite the solid production and wide-open path, he's not regarded a sure thing.

Travis Sykora, SP, Nationals

2024 minors: 5-3, 2.33 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 85 IP, 27 BB, 129 K
2025 minors: 2-0, 1.30 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 34 2/3 IP, 9 BB, 62 K

There seems to be a growing consensus behind Chase Burns as the game's top pitching prospect, but Sykora is positioning himself to hold that title once this latest wave of arms moves on to bigger things. In fact, it may already be worth considering now that he's taken his act to High-A. His starts at the lowest levels were often more like long relief appearances, which isn't uncommon for a young pitcher just starting out, but since making the jump in late May, he's come closer to meeting a conventional workload, going five-plus innings in three consecutive starts. Even so, he maintains an absurd K/9 rate of 14.8 at that level, and his batting average against is an equally unbelievable .128. Performance-wise, you simply won't find a minor-league pitcher better than Sykora over the past two years, and as he continues to grow into his 6-foot-6 frame, the best may be yet to come.

Max Anderson, 2B, Tigers

2024 majors: .266 BA (507 AB), 11 HR, .702 OPS, 35 BB, 77 K
2025 minors: .341 BA (226 AB), 11 HR, .962 OPS, 14 BB, 37 K

The Tigers have done well enough with Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres this year, but it won't be long before they're graduating their next double-play combination. Of course, you've heard all about Kevin McGonigle, who has taken such a wrecking ball to A-ball, showing polish beyond his 20 years, that it's now obvious he's on the fast track. But Anderson, who they selected just eight picks later in the 2023 draft, is a step higher on the organizational ladder and making just as big of an impression statistically.

Don't get the wrong idea, though: Anderson isn't on the same level talent-wise. For starters, he'd have to be the second baseman in that double-play combo, and he's stretched defensively even there. His bat-to-ball skills are something to behold, though, and his power has played better than expected in his second professional season. He's not one to work a walk, which means a plus batting average isn't just nice but essential. That's the kind of hitter he profiled to be coming out of the University of Nebraska, though, and that's the kind of hitter he's been this year. 

Brock Wilken, 3B, Brewers

2024 minors: .155 BA (84 AB), 4 HR, .570 OPS, 12 BB, 32 K
2025 minors: .230 BA (222 AB), 18 HR, .942 OPS, 57 BB, 74 K

Dynasty leaguers and prospect hounds may recall Wilken getting a fair amount of hype last year as the 18th pick in the 2023 draft, a real OPS hog defined just as much by his patience as his power. Haven't heard as much about him since then, though, have you? That's because his 2024 was disastrous, albeit for reasons beyond his control. He took a fastball off the face on April 11 and spent the next month recovering from facial reconstruction surgery. When he returned in early May, it's clear he wasn't the same. 

"I was missing a lot of pitches I hadn't in years prior," he told Baseball America back in May.

Turns out the injury had wreaked havoc on his depth perception, which was measuring in only the 50th percentile. He spent the offseason doing eye therapy and rehabilitation in the hopes of addressing the issue, and while early returns were lackluster, he's suddenly turned it on again, batting .340 (17 for 50) with six homers and nine doubles in his past 13 games. It's a small sample, but for a considerable talent -- one who may be deserving of a second look in any Dynasty league where he was dropped.

Esmerlyn Valdez, OF, Pirates

2024 minors: .226 BA (358 AB), 22 HR, .815 OPS, 59 BB, 133 K
2025 minors: .314 BA (242 AB), 17 HR, 1.000 OPS, 29 BB, 66 K

Prior to this year, Valdez's strikeout rates were too high to take him seriously as a prospect, but a flatter bat path has him finding the ball more often this year, making power (rather than a lack of contact) his defining characteristic. He not only has quality exit velocities for a 21-year-old but also a swing that's optimized for home runs, delivering high fly-ball and pull rates. He'll still be challenged by upper-level pitching, in all likelihood, and looks to be ready for that next test at Double-A, having strung together seven straight multi-hit games. He's 16 for 31 (.516) with two homers and five doubles during that time.