Each year since 2023, there has been at least one Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) pick added to the draft order immediately after the first round.
Virginia high school outfielder Jonny Farmelo was the first-ever PPI pick. The Mariners selected him 29th overall in 2023 as the fruit of Julio Rodriguez’s American League Rookie of the Year win in 2022.
This year, the Royals made North Carolina prep shortstop Josh Hammond the most recent PPI draft pick. Kansas City earned the 28th overall pick when Bobby Witt Jr. finished runner-up for AL MVP in 2024.
This season, two eligible players keep hopes alive for PPI picks to be added to the 2026 draft order: Braves rookie catcher Drake Baldwin and 27-year-old Astros righthander Hunter Brown.
Brown added PPI eligibility in 2023, his rookie season. This is his third and final season of PPI eligibility, so if he finishes top three in AL Cy Young Award voting, the Astros will add a draft pick in 2026. Brown, who has a 2.34 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 182 strikeouts through 161.2 innings this season, is a real contender to finish third in the voting behind Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet.
Baldwin, however, is a more interesting case for the purposes of this PPI update as we review the rookies most likely to add PPI eligibility this season—and those in prime position to do the same in 2026.
Rookies who meet Top 100 Prospects requirements and service time stipulations add PPI eligibility. For more on those requirements and stipulations, see “Explaining PPI Rules, Quirks & More” above.
Adding PPI eligibility is just the first step toward adding a draft pick. A PPI-eligible player who wins a Rookie of the Year award or finishes top three in MVP or Cy Young Award voting as a second- or third-year player earns a PPI pick for his club in the following draft.
This year, six rookies are all but guaranteed to add PPI eligibility.
Both Baldwin and Smith made Opening Day rosters and have been healthy and playing regularly for their clubs all season.
Crews, Jobe and Sasaki all made Opening Day rosters but have spent large portions of the season on the injured list. IL time counts as major league service, keeping players on track to add 172 service days as rookies, provided that Crews and Sasaki are not optioned to the minor leagues in September. Jobe is out for the season.
Jobe made 10 starts for the Tigers before having Tommy John surgery in June. He’s going to finish 2025 with a full year of service.
Crews played in 45 games before going on the IL with a left oblique strain on May 21. He returned to the Nationals on Aug. 14.
Sasaki made eight starts before going on the IL with a shoulder impingement on April 16. He began a rehab assignment on Aug. 14 and could return to the Dodgers in mid September.
Barring an optional assignment to the minor leagues of 20 or more days in September, Crews and Sasaki will qualify for PPI.
Players who spend all season on the injured list may still qualify for PPI. It happened with the Nationals’ Cade Cavalli in 2023 and the Mets’ Ronny Mauricio in 2024.
Lowder appears poised to join them. He finished 2024 on the Reds’ big league roster, so that when he suffered a right forearm strain in spring training, Cincinnati had to move him to the major league IL, where he accumulated MLB service time.
Lowder made four rehab appearances in May before heading to the 60-day IL on June 4. Service time is calculated in such a way that Lowder has received credit for continuous MLB service this season, which keeps his PPI eligibility intact.
Kristian Campbell, Kumar Rocker and Matt Shaw were positioned to qualify for PPI on Opening Day, but all three received optional assignments to Triple-A that nullified that possibility.
Any prospect who gets called up for the first time on Aug. 15 or later this year retains his rookie status for 2026—provided he does not exceed 130 at-bats or 50 innings this season.
That rookie status is a key component to PPI eligibility. Therefore, many teams waited until Aug. 15 this year to call up top Triple-A talent. This allows the prospects to gain valuable MLB experience while also keeping their rookie eligibility intact for next season.
A number of late-season prospect callups are poised to be on a PPI track in 2026. To qualify for PPI, a rookie must (1) appear on at least two qualifying preseason Top 100 Prospects lists, (2) make his club’s Opening Day roster and (3) remain in the majors for his entire rookie season.
The list of players below, all called up on Aug. 15 or later, are in position to add PPI eligibility in 2026. They are current BA Top 100 Prospects who are strong contenders to make Opening Day rosters, based on what we know today.
Burns and Mayer have too much active MLB service this season—more than 45 days—to retain rookie eligibility, even though neither will exceed rookie playing time thresholds of 130 at-bats or 50 innings. Both players are on the injured list.
Henderson will stay under 45 days of active MLB service in 2026, but he projects to exceed 60 days of total service, counting time on the injured list. Players may not have more than 60 days of MLB service, counting active and inactive service, to be PPI eligible.
The Brewers placed Henderson on the IL with elbow inflammation on Aug. 8, then shifted him to the 60-day on Aug. 27.
In short, Henderson will retain rookie eligibility in 2026 but will not be PPI eligible. This rules quirk affected 2025 rookies Jasson Dominguez and Jacob Wilson. Both had too much total MLB service in previous seasons to be able to add PPI eligibility in 2025.
The Cubs called up Caissie on Aug. 14, a day too early to keep his rookie status intact for 2026—but only if he remained in MLB the rest of the season. Chicago optioned Caissie to Triple-A on Sept. 1, meaning that if he spends at least 20 days on the farm, then his rookie status will be preserved.
Why 20 days? Players who do not spend at least 20 days on an optional assignment have that time converted to MLB service. If Caissie enters 2026 with rookie status intact, then he can join the list of potential PPI eligibles.
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