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Nick Kurtz is in the majors now. Roman Anthony still lurks at Triple-A. Matt Shaw is counting down the days until his return.

Typically, the first half of this article focuses on big-name prospects such as those, theorizing that even if they're not the very next ones to be promoted, they have the sort of impact potential to justify stashing ahead of time. Proximity is a factor, of course, but it's not the biggest factor for my Five on the Verge.

So how do I explain my new No. 1 in this first week post-Kurtz?

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: 2-1, 3.21 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 14 IP, 10 BB, 24 K
2025 majors: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

That's right. On the basis of one big, beautiful start in the majors, Henderson, now back in the minors, is the top prospect to stash. This is in spite of him appearing on none of the big three preseason top-100 lists (by which I mean Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and MLB Pipeline) and, even now, being rostered in just 20 percent of CBS Sports leagues.

Sure, part of it's just that he was overlooked in the first place. He's lacking in pure velocity and a fully fleshed-out arsenal, which are some of the more traditional markers of potential, but his fastball plays up due to its low release height, generating whiffs aplenty, and his changeup is even better. You can see directly above that his strikeout-to-walk ratio between four stops last year was straight-up ridiculous, so I suspect evaluators were sleeping on Henderson in the same way they once slept on Joe Ryan. Clearly, time has proven them wrong on that score.

But why Henderson over these others? I don't know if you've sought out starting pitching on the waiver wire lately, but at least in CBS Sports leagues, the situation is bleak. There aren't a lot of hidden gems there, and any speculating you might do would be based on flimsy criteria. We actually have proof of concept for Henderson thanks to his April 20 debut, and given how thin the Brewers starting rotation is right now, he'll be back in it soon enough.

Zebby Matthews, SP, Twins

2024 minors: 6-3, 2.60 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 97 IP, 7 BB, 114 K
2024 majors: 1-4, 6.69 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 37 2/3 IP, 11 BB, 43 K
2025 minors: 2-1, 1.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 18 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 24 K

Matthews' latest start at Triple-A St. Paul was his first resembling anything close to a misstep this year. I say "resembling" because he actually lowered his ERA in the outing, but he lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits. C'est la vie. He drops behind Henderson this week because his utility for Fantasy is entirely theoretical until we see him have some success in the majors, but he's in a similar place, having nothing more to prove at Triple-A and being clearly more talented than some of those currently occupying a spot in the big-league rotation. Matthews remains an elite strike-thrower with an additional 2 mph of velocity this year that's ratcheted up his bat-missing ability, which to me suggests that he'll be an immediate success when he gets the call this year.

Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox

2024 minors: .291 BA (454 AB), 18 HR, 21 SB, .894 OPS, 79 BB, 127 K
2025 minors: .297 BA (74 AB), 4 HR, 2 SB, .990 OPS, 19 BB, 21 K

I have some bad news for you. The Nick Kurtz promotion is probably the most exciting one we'll see all season, at least from what I can foresee now. But that's leaving out one notable exception: Anthony, the consensus top hitting prospect who continues to do top hitting prospect things at Triple-A. So how close is he? Close enough that probably any injury to a player currently starting for the Red Sox (catcher excluded) would be enough to clear the way for him. There's enough versatility within the lineup to make it happen, and with Trevor Story currently occupying one of those spots, it may well happen sooner than later.

The lineup is, however, genuinely full at the moment. Some have speculated that Anthony could transition to first base to step in for a struggling Triston Casas, but Triple-A manager Chad Tracy recently shot down that rumor. Center fielder Ceddanne Rafael has also been struggling at the dish and might present a more normal pathway for Anthony, but it doesn't seem like the Red Sox are ready to make that call. In fact, Anthony only recently got back to where he can play the outfield after being limited to DH for a couple weeks due to shoulder soreness. Clearly, DH isn't an option in the majors with Rafael Devers occupying that spot.

Bubba Chandler, SP, Pirates

2024 minors: 10-7, 3.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 119 2/3 IP, 41 BB, 148 K
2025 minors: 0-0, 1.76 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 15 1/3 IP, 6 BB, 23 K

Chandler continues to ramp up on a schedule reminiscent of the one Paul Skenes followed last April, basically treating that first month of minor-league play as a delayed spring training. Chandler's 4 2/3 innings and 69 pitches in his latest outing Saturday were the most he's thrown this season, and the results remain as good as you could hope for. I've been suggesting May 1 as a target date for Chandler's promotion, but GM Ben Cherington recently suggested that they're planning to take things slower than that.

"The hopeful outcome is that he's helping us win games in 2025 at some point," Cherington said. "When that happens, we don't want to shut that down. And so we're managing that volume a bit early in the season by keeping him on certain pitch counts while he's in Triple-A. At some point that will start to build, probably once we get into May, etc., then start to build closer to a normal starter's pitch count. At that point, we'll see where we are. We'll see where he is."

So maybe they're thinking mid-May, then? That's closer to when Skenes got the call last year, and he lasted through the end of the season. Chandler probably won't be as impactful as Skenes was -- because how could any rookie pitcher be? -- but the impact he'll make should be worth the wait.

Jordan Lawlar, SS, Diamondbacks

2024 minors: .318 BA (85 AB), 2 HR, 6 SB, .899 OPS, 14 BB, 23 K
2025 minors: .333 BA (87 AB), 5 HR, 8 SB, 1.058 OPS, 12 BB, 26 K

Lawlar has been spending more time than ever at second base and has been sizzling at the plate, batting .419 (18 for 43) with five homers, four steals and a 1.443 OPS in his past 11 games. It seems like it's all in the interest of having him fill in for Ketel Marte at second base, but there's one problem: Marte is pretty close to returning from his hamstring injury at this point, being perhaps just a week away. There's also another, smaller problem: Tim Tawa, Marte's current fill-in at second base, has performed pretty well of late and should continue to suffice. What would be the point of bringing up Lawlar now, with no hope for more than a cursory look at him?

But it has to happen at some point, right? When he made his debut two years ago, most expected he'd be a full-time major-leaguer by now. Maybe the better path for him than second base is third base, where Eugenio Suarez, who's in the final year of his contract, can't buy a hit right now. Suarez was productive enough in the second half last year that I don't think the Diamondbacks would pull the plug on him so quickly, but Lawlar is demanding a spot somewhere.

FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY

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

Braden Montgomery, OF, White Sox

2025 minors: .345 BA (55 AB), 3 HR, 6 SB, 1.015 OPS, 8 BB, 13 K

Montgomery had a lot to live up to in his professional debut, not only placing on every major top-100 list prior to it but also being a key piece coming over from the Red Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade. So far, so good. The 22-year-old has put last year's fractured ankle -- the one that delayed his debut until this year -- behind him and is delivering on the potential that made him the 12th pick in last year's draft, demonstrating power and speed along with advanced plate skills. Obviously, he needs to move up from Low-A, but the earliest returns are as promising as we could have hoped for.

Moises Ballesteros, C, Cubs

2024 minors: .289 BA (454 AB), 19 HR, .825 OPS, 45 BB, 93 K
2025 minors: .377 BA (77 AB), 2 HR, .988 OPS, 7 BB, 11 K

Miguel Amaya seemed like the biggest impediment to Ballesteros coming into the year, but with Carson Kelly playing like a man possessed, there are now two impediments. That's kind of a shame given the way Ballesteros is performing at Triple-A. The portly backstop is coming closer to delivering on his considerable offensive projection, improving on both his average (88.7 to 91.2 mph) and max (109.9 to 111.2 mph) exit velocity readings from a year ago. His contact skills remain his best trait, and considering how far along he is at age 21, it's hard to discount the upside at this point. 

The biggest issue is that his rotundness precludes him from playing the outfield, and at 5-foot-8, first base is probably out, too. If he can't cut it behind the plate, DH may be his only recourse and that's a narrow path to success.

Nolan McLean, SP, Mets

2024 minors: 4-10, 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 109 2/3 IP, 42 BB, 116 K
2025 minors: 2-0, 0.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 15 IP, 7 BB, 22 K

The Mets' third-round pick in 2022 tried to make it as a two-way player before giving in midway through last year, and that seems like a wise career choice. With his full attention on pitching, McLean's stuff has shined in three Double-A starts, resulting in a .173 batting average against and 13.2 K/9. The walks have been high, but the 66 percent strike rate tells a different story.

The 23-year-old throws his fastball from a low arm angle, which helps it play up, and has a variety of breaking balls led by a sweepy slider that comes in at 3,000 rpm. He's flown a bit under the radar in Dynasty leagues to the point, but he has the potential develop into a top pitching prospect.

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Diamondbacks

2024 minors: .273 BA (44 AB), 0 HR, 4 SB, .803 OPS, 15 BB, 9 K
2025 minors: .333 BA (54 AB), 4 HR, 1 SB, 1.104 OPS, 14 BB, 16 K

Waldschmidt wasn't among the most ballyhooed of the 2024 draft picks, being selected just 31st overall, but he stood out for his exit velocities and batting eye and has done a good job actualizing both in his first full professional season. His .493 on-base percentage is the most eye-catching number, but it's also worth noting that much of his power output has come in the early-season chill of the Northwest League, making it all the more impressive. At 22, he's clearly too advanced for A-ball and would be putting himself on the fast track with a move up to Double-A. It's time to treat him like a genuine prospect, though, and not just an also-ran in last year's draft.

Sean Linan, SP, Dodgers

2024 minors: 9-2, 4.37 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 70 IP, 26 BB, 93 K
2025 minors: 1-1, 1.15 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 15 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 29 K

Having signed with the Dodgers as a 17-year-old in 2022, Linan has been tucked away in the deepest levels of the minors, attracting little to no attention from the prospect hounds. But now that he's in full-season ball, pitching for Low-A Rancho Cucamonga, we can see that the Dodgers have once again worked their developmental magic. You see the numbers above, and they only tell part of the story. He's throwing strikes at an impressive 70 percent rate. He's collecting swinging strikes at an astonishing 24 percent rate. He's making it happen with a pitch that's already the stuff of legends, a changeup that comes in at 2,700 rpm, about 1,000 more than what's typical.

"It's kind of like a Devin Williams-style (changeup), like a screwball, almost, the way he releases it," Dodgers director of pitching Rob Hill told Baseball America. "So it's just a super unique offering, and, because of how high the spin is, it's almost impossible to tell that it's anything other than a fastball. And that's why I assume people swing at it so much."

Obviously, Linan has a good deal of development ahead of him still, but there's a novelty to him that makes him a name to know.