The New York Yankees called up infield prospect George Lombard Jr. from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make his major-league debut on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, and he immediately made an impact, going 1-for-2 at the plate with a solo home run in the team's 2-0 victory. In his first two major-league games, Lombard has gone 2-for-6 in seven plate appearances. The club's top overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is here to stay and will be taking over the starting shortstop job in the Bronx from Anthony Volpe, who was sent down to Triple-A when Lombard came up. The former first-rounder in 2023 hit .268 (56-for-209) with six home runs, 21 RBI, 10 steals, and 44 runs scored in 56 games and 262 plate appearances with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before his call-up. The 21-year-old is patient with advanced plate discipline as a hitter, and his power upside makes him an immediate waiver-wire priority in a starting role at a premium position in fantasy. Right now, Lombard is rostered in under half of Yahoo leagues.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young had a recent eight-game hitting streak from July 26 through Aug. 2 that saw him go 15-for-34 (.441) with a home run, a double, two triples, three RBI, and six runs scored across 37 plate appearances. He capped it off with a 4-for-5 night against the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 2. Young has gone 0-for-9 with three walks in three games since losing his eight-game hitting streak, but the recent hot stretch had fantasy managers giving the 23-year-old a look off the waiver wire for middle-infield help in deeper leagues. The former 21st overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft is now hitting .263/.323/.412 with a .736 OPS, 14 home runs, 51 RBI, 54 runs scored, and three stolen bases across 116 games played and 465 plate appearances as a regular for the M's in his first full MLB season in 2026. Young has definitely taken a step forward in his second season in the big leagues, and he's quietly become a steady second base option in counting-stat leagues with improved power at the plate. And with a .280 expected batting average and .334 xwOBA, Young still has time to do more damage before his sophomore season comes to an end. He's rostered in only 21% of Yahoo leagues.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder JJ Bleday may only be hitting .230 (70-for-304) on the year in 86 games and 361 plate appearances, but he reached the 20-homer mark for the second time in the last three seasons in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Athletics and is worth waiver-wire consideration down the stretch in fantasy baseball leagues if you need power. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has had a resurgence in 2026 in his first season in Cincinnati, and he has also dropped his strikeout rate from 26.5% last year to 21.3% this year while posting a career-best 14.4% walk rate. The former fourth overall pick by the Miami Marlins in 2019 from Vanderbilt University has hit under .200 with just five of his 20 homers on the year, and although he hit just over the Mendoza Line in 25 games in July, he did manage to hit six home runs in the month. Bleday definitely has his flaws, but fantasy managers shouldn't ignore his power from the left side. He's currently rostered in only 26% of Yahoo leagues.

Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark made his major-league debut on July 31 against the Athletics and went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, two runs scored, and a walk in the team's 13-1 blowout victory. He's gone 8-for-24 (.333) with a home run, four RBI, and four runs scored in the early going in his first six big-league games. The 21-year-old former third overall pick in 2023 is the Tigers' top prospect and the No. 13 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and he is already making an immediate impact in the majors. In 90 games (418 plate appearances) at Triple-A Toledo before his big-league call-up, Clark was slashing .276/.368/.434 with an .802 OPS, 11 home runs, 42 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and 65 runs scored for the Mud Hens. The left-handed-hitting outfielder has as much power/speed upside as any young player in the big leagues, and yet he's rostered in under half of Yahoo leagues still. If you need a spark, Clark is your guy. Paired with infielder Kevin McGonigle, the Tigers have two excellent table-setters at the top of their lineup for the foreseeable future.