Both top hitters getting the call up to Triple-A. Arroyo hit .287 for Double-A Arkansas this year and Montes has been the real story, 25 homers, most in the whole system. This is exactly the kind of jump you want to see from a farm system that's supposed to be one of the best in baseball right now. Now Anderson next. Hopefully.
Ryan Clifford is punishing baseballs in Syracuse. Joshua Baez has 25 homers and a .976 OPS for Memphis and still got left off. James Tibbs III leads the entire Pacific Coast League in home runs and also missed the cut. Full breakdown of who made it and who got snubbed in the new issue of Triple Dip.
Owen Ayers was a 19th round senior sign who broke his hand last year in Single-A. Now he has a 1.113 OPS for the Smokies and just put up a .529 average with six walks last week alone. The bat is doing things you do not normally see from a catcher this deep into a system. Anyone catching him at Smokies Park this season? Full breakdown in the new issue of Double Dip.
Fourth round pick in 2024 out of Bucknell. We had him as Rising Star in Triple Dip Issue 4 after a hot June stretch and the production never stopped. 67 games between Double-A and Triple-A this year, .284/.409/.619, 21 home runs, 54 RBI, a 1.028 OPS. The walk rate sits at a strong 16.5 percent too, so this isn't just a guy selling out for power. Toronto has hit just 82 home runs through 81 games, eighth worst in baseball, and Guerrero is stuck on four homers all year. Keys has only played first or third in pro ball, both spots occupied right now, so Schneider is already talking about creative ways to get the bat in the lineup, the same way they did with Horwitz a few years back. Forced his way up through pure production.
Fourth round pick in 2023 out of Clemson. We had him as Under the Radar in Triple Dip a few weeks ago after he hit three homers in a single game and his OPS climbed over 1.000. Since then the production never slowed down, .284/.416/.551 with 12 home runs in 51 games at Columbus, already one more homer than his previous career high with a full season still left to play. Almost as many walks as strikeouts too, 39 to 48, which says the approach is just as real as the power. Cleveland has been quietly stacking catchers at Triple-A all year and started working him into the outfield specifically to clear a path here. Guardians catchers are hitting a combined .210 with the fifth worst wRC+ in baseball at the position, so the timing lines up. This was not a surprise to anyone paying attention. It was just a matter of when.
Pittsburgh's third round pick in 2022 out of Notre Dame. The season started ugly, a broken nose in his first Grapefruit League game, then a stint on the IL in May. But June has been a different story, .320/.393/.880 with 4 home runs in 28 at bats this month alone, including 3 homers in his last 5 games. That stretch dragged his overall Altoona line up to .235/.333/.522 with an .855 OPS. 22nd ranked prospect in the Pirates system per MLB Pipeline. Horwitz goes down with a hamstring strain and instead of calling up depth, the Pirates are skipping Brannigan straight from Double-A to the majors. He is hot right now, the timing could not be better for him.
Lara is hitting .327 with 20 steals and more walks than strikeouts this year, and he just went 5 for 5 last week. The Brewers signed him to a seven-year, $31 million extension back on June 9, before he's even debuted. Wrote up the full case for him in this week's Triple Dip. Full breakdown in the article.
Second year on Minnesota's 40-man roster, finally getting his first call after waiting his turn. Moved to the bullpen full time last season and the strikeout stuff has been real, a 22.6 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A. The walk rate is the issue, 12.6 percent last year, which is the kind of number that turns swing and miss into trouble fast at the big league level. Replaces Austin Voth, who gets DFA'd after a rough three outings. The stuff is good enough to matter if he can find the strike zone more consistently.
Topped out as Colorado's No. 8 prospect in 2025 before a brutal 8.91 ERA in his lone big league look last year, walking and striking guys out at almost identical rates. The Rockies DFA'd him in May after a rough start at Albuquerque, and Washington grabbed him for cash. Leaving Coors Field and the hitter-friendly PCL behind is about as good a reset as a soft-tossing lefty can ask for. He's averaged a little over 90 on the fastball and given up too many homers, but the move alone should help the surface numbers regardless of how the stuff plays. First look with his new org tonight. Hopefully, he could stick.
Came over from the Rangers in the Merrill Kelly trade last season. Closed out 2025 with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate across six Double-A starts, then carried it straight into a 2.84 ERA through 11 outings at Reno this year, which is genuinely impressive considering how much that ballpark inflates everything. Sits 90-91 with the fastball, so this isn't a velocity story, it's feel and deception getting outs. Nelson and Soroka both on the IL and Arizona needed rotation help fast. If Bratt and fellow prospect Jose Cabrera both pitch well, there's a real chance one or both stick around for good.
18th round pick out of Northeastern back in 2021. Never ranked among the organization's top 30 prospects per Baseball America. None of that matters right now because the bat has been undeniable, .296/.401/.496 with 9 home runs, 17 doubles, 3 triples, and 8 steals in 10 attempts over 297 plate appearances at Toledo. A 12.8 percent walk rate paired with a 45 percent hard-hit rate is not noise, that's a real season. Trei Cruz gets optioned back down in his place after a quiet stint of his own. Center field has been a mess all year with Meadows and Báez both out long term and Pérez sidelined too, and Malgeri gives Detroit a righty bat who can cover any of the three outfield spots. Hope he does good in the show.
Crisantes is in his first taste of Double-A and he's locked in, hitting .345/.465/.603 since coming up on June 2, with that 8-for-19, eight RBI last series against Midland. He's 21, the org's No. 5 prospect, and barely strikeouts at all. Amarillo gets to watch this development up close for a while before he's anywhere near Reno. Enjoy the front row seat. Full breakdown in this issue of Double Dip.
Yankees No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Came over from the Red Sox in the deal that sent Carlos Narváez to Boston, where he quickly became their primary catcher and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting last year. Rodríguez has gone the other direction, climbing from a mid-tier developmental arm to one of the better pitching prospects in the minors. Three starts in the big leagues so far this season, 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA, but Boone keeps saying the same thing every time, the kid shows poise even when it gets away from him a little. He starts Sunday in place of Cole, who gets pushed back a day on this brutal stretch of games. Fourth time up this year. Let's see if this is the stint where it clicks.
Named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year, combining for a 3.80 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 104.1 innings between Reno and Amarillo. 24 years old out of Venezuela, originally signed as an international free agent in 2021. This is far from his first call-up and far from his first trip back down either, but Arizona keeps going back to him because the stuff is undeniable when it is working. The bullpen has been stretched thin and Diaz gets another look. Let's see if this is the stretch where it clicks for good.
564 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A last year, .279/.411/.456, 149 wRC+. Quieter season at Toledo this year. Grandson of Jose Cruz, son of José Cruz Jr., the fifth family to produce three generations of big leaguers. Perez gets hurt, Cruz gets the call. He can play five positions, which is always valuable. Good luck kid.
8th overall pick in 2024. The first taste of the big leagues last year was ugly, a .198 average and an 82 wRC+ in limited time, the kind of debut that makes people start writing a guy off too early. But the contact rate jumped from the mid-60s up to 74 percent this year and the pitch selection has gotten noticeably better, which is exactly why he already has nine home runs, a career high. The tools were never the question. The swing decisions were. Those are finally catching up.
Pereira crashed into the wall making a catch against the Yankees and goes on the IL with concussion symptoms. Perez steps in. Hit .298/.412/.642 over 182 plate appearances at Triple-A in 2025, which got him ranked the 20th best prospect in the Athletics system. This year has been a different story, .210 with five home runs in his first 36 games before Chicago traded for him in May. Plus speed, strong arm, can cover all three outfield spots. Not a finished product by any means but he gets his first big league look today. We will see what shows up.
Quinn Mathews has not allowed a run in his last 12 innings and is still in Triple-A because the Cardinals have a full rotation. Joshua Baez hit four home runs in a single game this week. Jimmy Crooks is posting a .979 OPS at catcher. Brycen Mautz has a 2.55 ERA. This is one of the most talented Triple-A rosters in baseball and it plays in Memphis every night. We did a full breakdown on the Redbirds and Mathews' call-up case in this week's issue in the link.
16th overall pick by the Marlins in 2021. Traded to Cleveland in the Josh Bell deal. Has been at Triple-A Columbus all season hitting .255/.370/.861 with 12 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 212 at bats. Patient hitter, real power, can play all three outfield spots. DeLauter goes on the IL with a fractured rib. Ramirez already out after hamate surgery. Angel Martinez out four to six weeks with a broken foot. Three position players down in four days. The Guardians are in a real mess right now and Watson is walking into it for his debut. No soft landing here. Just a team that needs him to produce immediately. Hoping he delivers.
5-2 with a 3.65 ERA across 14 appearances and 13 starts at Sacramento. 77 strikeouts in 69 innings. Won PCL Pitcher of the Month in May and Tony Vitello said publicly two weeks ago he is next up if a rotation spot opens. Landen Roupp goes on the IL with knee inflammation and now Whisenhunt gets his shot Friday against the Brewers. 25 year old lefty with a plus-plus changeup that generates real swings and misses. The Giants rotation has been inconsistent all year and this is the arm the fanbase has been asking about for months. Let's see if he grabs the job and holds it.