Carter

Kieboom

Kieboom was one of the top prospects in baseball roughly a half-decade ago with the Nationals, but has struggled to gain any traction at the highest level. The 28-year-old infielder hit .160 (4-for-25) with one homer in 16 games as a non-roster invitee in Guardians camp this spring. He’ll open the year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley as organizational depth for the Phillies.

Kieboom had only eight plate appearances for the Angels in 2025, but hit .319/.368/.449 with nine home runs and 11 steals in 93 games for Triple-A Salt Lake. The former top prospect will likely be corner infield depth for the Guardians in 2026 and should no longer be counted on for any major MLB production.

No surprise here. Kieboom was outrighted off the 40-man roster, and the 28-year-old will look to find a new organization — or return to the Angels possibly — as a depth piece for 2026.

Kieboom, 28, can elect free agency, and almost assuredly will. The former top prospect was brought up to end the season with Los Angeles, and profiles as nothing more than organizational depth at this stage of his career.

Kieboom gets the call to the majors with shortstop Zach Neto hitting the injured list with a hand strain. The 28-year-old former Nationals prospect signed a minor league pact with the Angels last offseason after batting just .199/.297/.301 with 12 homers across 508 plate appearances in the big leagues since 2019. He’s posted some impressive numbers this season at the Triple-A level, but he’s highly unlikely to make an impact for fantasy purposes over the final two weeks.

Yes, that Carter Kieboom. Still just 27 years old, the former Nationals prospect has been scalding hot for the Angels at Triple-A this season, slashing .373/.417/.642 with five home runs, 12 RBI, and three steals in 17 games. He has played 1B, 2B, and 3B for Salt Lake and could be in line for a call-up if the Angels decide to let slumping Kyren Paris figure things out at Triple-A. If Kieboom does get called up, only Kevin Newman and Tim Anderson would stand in the way of him and playing time for the Angels.

A plethora of cuts for the Angels, but it’s that time, folks. Dana is the biggest name to be moved, as he was battling for one of the final spots in the rotation. Instead, he’ll head to the PCL, but all but assuredly make starts with Los Angeles by the end of the year. Kieboom is the most notable name to be reassigned among those not on the 40-man roster as a former top prospect who just hasn’t hit enough to justify an MLB career yet.

Kieboom was widely-regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball just a couple years ago, but he’s struggled to find his footing at the highest level, batting .199/.297/.301 with 12 homers across 508 plate appearances in the big leagues since 2019. He’ll get a fresh start with the Angels heading into next season and could wind up making it back to the majors as a versatile bench option.

Both Kieboom and Denaburg were once first-round picks for the Nationals but neither of them has panned out. Kieboom did hit .265 in 91 games in Triple-A this season with seven home runs and a 13 percent walk rate, so he will likely get a minor league contract with another organization this off-season.

Kieboom was 3-for-13 (.231) with a double and an RBI in his eight Spring Training games with the Nationals. The 26-year-old slashed .207/.266/.368 in 94 plate appearances with Washington last season and his spring performance ultimately didn’t help his case to grab the third base or a bench spot for the 2024 season.