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Sometimes the Five on the Verge becomes too stagnant for my liking, with too few of the most stashable prospects being recalled within a reasonable time frame. We seemed to catch a break this past week with the news of Jac Caglianone being called up, except that the Rays made the unfortunate decision to option Chandler Simpson to the minors just a couple days prior. The speedster had already solidified his place in Fantasy, so he'll need to occupy the spot newly vacated by Caglianone. As such, we continue to chase our tail.

I can't recall a year when so many successful call-ups have gotten sent back down, forcing us to recycle the same names instead of graduating new ones. It's in that context that I bring up Colby Thomas, whose chances of making an immediate Fantasy impact aren't as high as the five names below but are high enough that he'd normally appear in my Five on the Verge if I genuinely believed his promotion was close. And I believe it is now, such that I may not get another chance to comment on him if I don't do so here.

player headshot
Colby Thomas LF
ATH Athletics • #32 • Age: 24
2025 Stats
AVG
.292
HR
14
OPS
.921
AB
226
BB
17
K
67

In a word, power. That's what he provides, and copious amounts of it. He lives to his pull side despite having exit velocity to spare, with a 115.9 mph max that's been exceeded by only 16 major-leaguers this year. He hit 31 homers last year, had a 471-footer earlier this year, and has now homered three times in his past five games. Not sure what more he has to accomplish at Triple-A.

Granted, there are flaws. His strikeout rate has sat in the 25-30 percent range throughout his minor-league career and is 27 percent this year. His grasp of the strike zone is tenuous enough that you could easily see him getting swallowed up by big-league pitchers. But Denzel Clarke has offered the Athletics next to nothing since being called up, and they may be running out of patience with J.J. Bleday as well, even sending him to the minors for a spell. If they were looking to do something new with the two-thirds of their outfield that isn't producing, Thomas would be the obvious next-in-line. And if things do click for Thomas, his best-case outcome offensively looks something like another Athletics slugger of the not-so-distant past, Khris Davis.

Consider him the sixth name in my ...

FIVE ON THE VERGE

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

Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox

2024 minors: .291 BA (454 AB), 18 HR, 21 SB, .894 OPS, 79 BB, 127 K
2025 minors: .296 BA (203 AB), 9 HR, 3 SB, .915 OPS, 46 BB, 53 K

At this time a week ago, it looked like the Red Sox might be clearing a path for Anthony (whether intentionally or otherwise) by shifting rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell to first. They gave no indication that they would then be shifting center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela to second, but it seemed like an inevitability once they finally conceded that no opening for Anthony would develop naturally.

So much for all that. Manager Alex Cora recently scrapped the plan to use Campbell at first base, saying it's "nothing that we're planning on doing right now." Once again, Anthony's path to the majors requires someone else to get hurt.

Or traded? Rumors concerning Jarren Duran have begun to circulate. Of course, the Red Sox wouldn't make such a deal unless they were packing it in for 2025, and it's too early for them to commit to that. Perhaps the more likely scenario than a Duran trade is that the Red Sox simply give up on Trevor Story at shortstop and shift Rafaela there.

For what it's worth, Anthony has had one of his quieter weeks at Triple-A Worcester, but his overall stat line -- and more notably, his 94.7 mph average exit velocity -- speak for themselves.

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, 2.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 48 2/3 IP, 21 BB, 69 K

Mike Burrows finally turned in a strong outing Tuesday, shutting out the Astros over 5 1/3 innings, so it's unlikely the Pirates would pull the plug on him now. But of course, he wasn't the pitching prospect we had hoped they'd promote in May, and now that the calendar has flipped to June, it's all the more likely that they'll hold out until the end of the month for Chandler, virtually guaranteeing that his arbitration years will be delayed by a year. To be completely fair to the Pirates, Chandler has struggled with control in recent starts, throwing just 60 percent of his pitches for strikes over his past five. But he walked just one over five shutout innings last time out, striking out eight. Another 3-4 outings like that (which I'm now speculating he has ahead of him at Triple-A) should be enough to assuage any concerns along those lines.

Logan Henderson, SP, Brewers

2024 minors: 7-6, 3.32 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 81 1/3 IP, 15 BB, 104 K
2025 minors: 5-1, 2.18 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 33 IP, 12 BB, 44 K
2025 majors: 3-0, 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 21 IP, 6 BB, 29 K

It's of course ridiculous that we have to discuss Henderson in terms of minor-leaguers given the 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 12.4 K/9 he put together across four big-league starts, but his first outing back at Triple-A Sunday would seem to confirm that the main justification for his demotion is workload management. He was limited to three innings in that start -- three scoreless innings, mind you -- and threw all of 57 pitches. The decision is more reasonable when you consider that Henderson accumulated just 81 1/3 innings last year, his most on record, but contending teams generally don't ship out pitchers with numbers as good as his and live to tell about it.

The other complicating factor is that the Brewers recently brought back Aaron Civale and Jose Quintana from the IL. Brandon Woodruff was recently struck by a liner on a rehab start, but presuming nothing turns up on those X-rays, he figures to be close behind. None of those three are as good as Henderson, in all likelihood -- not even Woodruff, whose stuff is diminished coming back from a serious shoulder surgery -- but they're too good to cast aside. Henderson has options, and the Brewers are making full use of them for now.

You've heard it said before, though, that a team can never have too much pitching, and once a new path opens up for Henderson, you'll be glad you've stashed him away already.

Chandler Simpson, OF, Rays

2024 minors: .355 BA (451 AB), 1 HR, 104 SB, .807 OPS, 44 BB, 43 K
2025 minors: .280 BA (82 AB), 0 HR, 8 SB, .607 OPS, 3 BB, 11 K
2025 majors: .285 BA (123 AB), 0 HR, 19 SB, .632 OPS, 6 BB, 14 K

The Rays' decision to send Simpson back to the minors after activating Jake Mangum (groin) from the IL may not ignite the same fury that Logan Henderson's return trip to the minors did, but it's in the same vein. Some have tried to justify it by pointing to his shortcomings -- a complete lack of power and surprisingly limited defensive range despite his top-of-scales speed -- but those were known issues going in. The Rays called him up in spite of them and played him virtually every day, clearly appreciating the disruptive element that his speed brought to the lineup.

"He was a pro," manager Kevin Cash said. "The way he carried himself the entire time he was down here was really, really appreciated and impressive."

In short, Simpson delivered in every way that could be expected of him, and his 19 steals in 35 games were invaluable in Rotisserie leagues especially. But even in Head-to-Head points leagues, that kind of stolen base volume has an impact. Simpson's 2.89 points per game during his 35-game trial were about as many as Wyatt Langford has averaged so far.

It wouldn't take much to get Simpson back in the majors, and seeing the sort of Fantasy impact he's capable of making already, it makes sense to hold on wherever possible.

Andrew Painter, SP, Phillies

2022 minors: 6-2, 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 103 2/3 IP, 25 BB, 155 K
2025 minors: 2-3, 3.90 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 32 1/3 IP, 12 BB, 37 K

A week ago, I predicted that we'd see Painter in the majors before we saw Mick Abel back in the majors and, well ... whoops. Turns out the Phillies abruptly soured on Taijuan Walker, and they may end up needing both Abel and Walker now that Aaron Nola is experiencing side stiffness along with the ankle injury that initially landed him on the IL.

The fact is that Painter isn't ready yet. The Phillies are being especially deliberate about his build-up in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. All along, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has suggested "July-ish" for Painter's debut, but now that Painter is fully stretched out and verging on double-digit starts, I had begun to think "July-ish" could mean "perhaps late June." Turns out it doesn't even mean early July. When asked this week if Painter could debut prior to the All-Star break, manager Rob Thomson said, "I don't think so."

It doesn't help that Painter's latest start Wednesday was his worst so far. He allowed four runs in four innings with four walks and two home runs. His stuff has looked fine, so the concern wouldn't be health. But this isn't what "forcing the issue" looks like.

Of course, if his debut is known to be at least six weeks away, does he really need to be in my Five on the Verge? That's a fair question. Maybe there's a spot for Colby Thomas after all.

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

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

Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers

2024 minors: .309 BA (272 AB), 5 HR, 22 SB, .853 OPS, 46 BB, 28 K
2025 minors: .387 BA (62 AB), 2 HR, 0 SB, 1.145 OPS, 14 BB, 7 K

Back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for nearly two months, McGonigle is already showing why he was one of the prospects soaring up rank lists this offseason, batting .387 (24 for 62) with two homers, 10 doubles, and twice as many walks (14) as strikeouts (7) in his 18 games back. He stands out most for his contact skills, but the exit velocities hint of real power potential, particularly since he's already adept at pulling the ball. The 20-year-old is a good bet to be a top-10 overall prospect someday, with one of the biggest hurdles being that he might just ascend to the majors too quickly.

Brady House, 3B, Nationals

2024 minors: .241 BA (498 AB), 19 HR, .699 OPS, 31 BB, 143 K
2025 minors: .290 BA (221 AB), 11 HR, .857 OPS, 19 BB, 63 K

Marcelo Mayer and Jordan Lawlar have seen time in the majors this year, and a third of the big shortstop prospects from that 2021 draft class may soon join them. House is of course a third baseman now, which only makes for an easier path since that spot is currently occupied by Jose Tena at the major-league level. After struggling to adapt to the upper minors last year, House has found his footing this year, batting .381 (16 for 42) with three homers and five doubles over his past 10 games. His plate discipline isn't the greatest, and he could stand to elevate better. But power is his defining tool, and he's delivering on it now.

Josue Briceno, C, Tigers

2024 minors: .278 BA (151 AB), 2 HR, .758 OPS, 22 BB, 26 K
2025 minors: .279 BA (136 AB), 13 HR, 1.048 OPS, 31 BB, 31 K

Briceno seemingly came out of nowhere to claim Arizona Fall League MVP honors last October with a genuinely absurd .433/.509/.867 slash line, not to mention 10 homers in just 25 games. His minor-league follow-up has been nearly as impressive. He's up to 13 homers after hitting six in the past week, including three Thursday, a game that also included a double to deep center field. 

As impressive as his power is his plate discipline. He has the same number of walks as strikeouts (31) at High-A. Whether or not he can stick at catcher (probably not) is a moot point given how impactful his bat could be.

Tekoah Roby, SP, Cardinals

2024 minors: 2-3, 6.57 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 38 1/3 IP, 15 BB, 39 K
2025 minors: 4-2, 2.49 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 47 IP, 11 BB, 57 K

Roby got some top-100 hype heading into last year only to go on and deliver a 6.57 ERA while contending with shoulder issues. He's come back strong this year, though. After being limited to 3-4 innings in his first several turns, he's exceeded five innings in each of his past four turns, putting together a 1.90 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 12.5 K/9. He's thrown more than 70 percent of his pitches for strikes during that time with a swinging-strike rate exceeding 20 percent, both absurd numbers. With a plus fastball and multiple pitches capable of missing bats, his prospect standing has been restored, and a move up to Triple-A may be in the offing.

Zach Thornton, SP, Mets

2024 minors: 5-4, 4.10 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 68 IP, 18 BB, 54 K
2025 minors: 5-0, 1.56 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 52 IP, 5 BB, 57 K

I could find precious little information on Thornton, who neither Baseball America nor MLB Pipeline deemed worthy of including in the Mets' preseason top 30, but there are some prospect reports available from the 2023 draft, when the Mets selected him in the fifth round. They note his diverse arsenal and plus control, two factors that could explain him overpowering lower-level hitters if that was the case. But his past six starts haven't come at the lower levels but rather Double-A. And there, he has a 2.30 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 9.2 K/9.

It sure seems like his control isn't just plus but plus-plus, resulting in just five total walks over his 10 total starts. Two turns ago for Double-A Binghamton, he was perfect through 6 1/3 innings. Thornton's velocities won't blow you away, but he comes from the same Grand Canyon University program that brought us Jacob Wilson, and the level of refinement appears to be just as high, only on the pitching side.