We’re only one week into the Minor League season and two weeks into the Major League season, yet things are already beginning to heat up in a big way. Over the next few days, two of the top-10 prospects in all of baseball are anticipated to get the call to the Major Leagues and will become impact fantasy bats right away. You should know which two I’m referencing unless you completely disregarded the title of this article. While there’s excitement and plenty of buzz about those two men in Atlanta and Cincinnati, another top-10 prospect’s season is in doubt after a nasty fall in the outfield that looked nasty on video.

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Minor League Headlines

Eugenio Suarez Fractures Thumb, Senzel Stays in Triple-A… For Now
Well, this was a let down on two different fronts. First, Suarez going down is a big blow for his fantasy owners as he had started the season hot with a .296 AVG, 1.054 OPS, two home runs, and seven RBI through eight games. But the bigger letdown is that Nick Senzel didn’t get the initial call to fill the void at third base in Cincinnati.

There are two reasons why Alex Blandino and not Senzel got the call to Cincinnati. Blandino is on the 40-man roster (Senzel is not) and bringing up Senzel would’ve cost Cincinnati a year of Senzel’s service time, which the Reds didn’t want to do. Actually, I lied, there’s a third reason too. Senzel had been playing second base exclusively this year at Triple-A Louisville to get ready to take over there in Cincinnati long-term.

Blandino might have gotten the initial call, but Senzel will likely be up within the next few days after the Reds pick up another year of service time tomorrow on the 13th. He moved back to the hot corner a couple nights ago in Louisville to get ready for his call-up to fill in for Suarez, who is out indefinitely. Senzel is off to a slow start, collecting only four hits in his first 21 at-bats, but make no mistake about it, this will be one of the biggest impact fantasy hitters to debut in 2018. Stop reading this and add him if he’s available in your league.

Michael Chavis Suspended 80 Games
Another suspension for a substance I cannot say nor spell to save my life. The Red Sox top hitting prospect, third baseman Michael Chavis, was suspended 80 games by MLB after testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. My brain hurts just looking at that 30-letter word.

Chavis, of course, pleaded his innocence, but it doesn’t matter. The top prospect won’t be eligible to come back until late-June. Chavis wasn’t expected to make an impact this year anyway, but this suspension will likely bump his Major League debut back to later in 2019.

Victor Robles Injured
If you have a weak stomach, I wouldn’t advise watching the video below. Nationals manager Dave Martinez, and frankly most everyone that saw it, feared the worst.

VIDEO: Washington #Nationals top prospect, Victor Robles (ranked No. 6 in MLB), injures his left elbow/wrist after diving for a ball awkwardly in the second inning Monday night in Rochester @MLBPipeline @News_8 pic.twitter.com/uoSCBDK6ya

— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) April 9, 2018

“When you see the video, I thought he broke his elbow,” Martinez told MiLB.com. Yeah, you and me both Dave.

When I saw the video and saw the way his arm bent and twisted under his body, I initially thought he was done for the season. Thankfully it’s not broken and is being called a hyperextension for now.

However, we won’t know the full extent of the injury and how long Robles will be sidelined until the swelling goes down. Regardless, don’t expect to see Robles back in the month of April.

Players to Watch

Tyler O’Neill (OF – STL): First five games (Triple-A): .360 (9/25), 4 HR, 10 RBI, 1.240 OPS
O’Neil has rocketed out of the gate doing what he does best. Through his first five games, O’Neill has mashed four home runs and driven in 10. His bat is ready for the Major leagues, but there’s currently no spot available for him in St. Louis, and unfortunately, no DH spot being in the National League. It’s likely going to take a trade or injury for O’Neill to get regular at-bats at the Major League level, but keep an eye on him in re-draft leagues as his power is very legit.

Shane Bieber (SP – CLE): Last two starts (Double-A): 13 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 17 K
You could make walks three balls instead of four, and Shane Bieber would still have a microscopic walk rate. The man doesn’t walk anybody. We’re two starts and 13 innings in and Bieber has yet to walk a single batter.

This after walking just 10 in 173.1 innings in 2017 and two over 24 innings in 2016. Bieber is a prime example that you don’t need a dominant arsenal to dominate opposing batters. If he continues to pitch well, there’s a chance we could see him in Cleveland later this season.

Juan Soto (OF – WAS): First six games (Single-A): .391 (9/23). 3 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB, 1.357 OPS
As it stands today, Robles is considered the top prospect in the Nationals’ organization. Come this time next year, there’s a great chance that Juan Soto is looked at as the better long-term option of the two. Soto has middle of the order slugger written all over him and is putting that on full display to start the season for Class-A Hagerstown. It’s doubtful he makes a 2018 fantasy impact, but Soto is a name to target in dynasty formats now as he’s likely to be a top-10 overall prospect next spring with a much higher asking price in trade talks.

Call-Up City

Nick Senzel (3B – CIN)
Senzel is expected to be called up by the end of the weekend as outlined above. Make sure he’s not sitting on your waiver wire.

Ronald Acuna (OF – ATL)
Acuna hasn’t gotten off to the best start with Triple-A Gwinnett, but that shouldn’t delay his arrival at all. Everything still points to him being called up this weekend, though, the Braves have yet to confirm that.

Franchy Cordero (OF – SD)
With Manuel Margot now on the disabled list, Franchy Cordero took over in center field and hit leadoff in his first game of the season yesterday. He did strike out twice, but also blasted his first home run of the season. After racking up 17 home runs and 15 steals with a .326 average in 390 at-bats at Triple-A in 2017, Cordero carried over that success into Spring Training where he hit .343 with two long balls in 35 at-bats. He’s a strong add for his power and speed upside.

Franklin Barreto (2B/SS – OAK)
An injury to Chad Pinder opened up a spot for Barreto to get the call back to Oakland on the 7th. However, Barreto has yet to get into a game since being recalled. The Athletics have Jed Lowrie and Marcus Semien holding down the middle infield spots, so barring an injury to one of those two, Barreto isn’t going to get enough playing time to make any fantasy impact, even in AL-only leagues.

Brett Phillips (OF – MIL)
The Brewers called up Brett Phillips to provide some outfield depth while Christian Yelich is on the DL with a strained oblique. Phillips has solid fantasy upside for his power/speed blend, but likely won’t get more than one or two starts a week. He’s not a recommended add outside of NL-only leagues.

Tyler Beede (SP – SF)
Ranked as the #4 prospect in the San Francisco farm system, Beede made his Major League debut Tuesday night allowing three hits, two earned runs, and five walks while striking out three over four innings. He’s best suited for NL-only formats and likely will be pushed from the rotation once Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija return.

I’ll be attending the New Hampshire/Hartford game Saturday night to watch Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Brendan Rodgers, amongst others. Next week’s report will feature a write up of that game along with hopefully some good footage of their at-bats.

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Eric Cross is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Eric, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @EricCross04.