Orioles OF Heston Kjerstad was recalled after laying waste to Triple-A for a few weeks. He started in right field on Tuesday and should be in the lineup most nights from here forward. Baltimore continues to be perplexing in their efforts to fold these talent waves into the roster build, so there’s always a chance Kjerstad goes cold and winds up back in the minors, but I’m betting against that at this point, which is exactly what I would’ve said in spring training, so yeah . . . very helpful stuff from me.
Cubs 1B Matt Mervis is back in the bigs as well, and while he might not be here for a long time, we can certainly hope he’s here for a good time. If I’m running the Cubs, I play Mervis pretty much every day and find out what I have. This might surprise you to hear, dear reader, but I am not running the Cubs. He started his first day, and I think Counsell is a steadier hand with young talent than his predecessor, so fingers crossed Mervis gets a genuine opportunity to earn some future chances. Also likely: he gets demoted by Monday.
A second-round pick in 2023, Brewers 3B Mike Boeve (21, AA) graduated High-A 13 games into the season by slashing .553/.642/.632 with a 9.4 percent strikeout rate. He’s never hit for much power even at Nebraska-Omaha, and he’s not going to steal many bases, but Milwaukee might have a unique hit tool in its system here. It’s impressive to see a small school hitter shimmy up the ladder looking for suitable competition, like water finding its level. Maybe he’ll stop climbing at Double-A for a while. Maybe he’ll hit .400 for a month.
Though he was an 11th round pick in 2022, Angels RHP Caden Dana (20, AA) signed for about $1.5 million and has cruised through the system since, generating positive outcomes at four stops along the way to this moment, when he’s carrying a 1.47 ERA and 0.60 WHIP through 18.1 innings against hitters who are about 4.6 years older than him, on average. I don’t know if he’s a redraft option because the Angels would have to remain in the race deep into the season for that to happen, but if not he’ll have a shot to break camp with the big club next year.
Speaking of the Angels making contention-related choices, White Sox C Edgar Quero (21, AA) is tearing up the town for Double-A Birmingham, slashing .326/.426/.698 with five home runs and a 16.7 percent strikeout rate. He’s another case where the player is on a redraft timeline, but the major league club is aimed in a different direction. Smart trade for the Sox to send Lucas Giolito westward in exchange for Quero and Ky Bush, a 6’6” lefty with a 2.61 ERA through two Double-A starts.
We interrupt this week’s news to bring you an exclusive snippet from the cutting-room floor of my Detroit Tigers Top 10 Prospects For 2024 Fantasy Baseball:
11. LHP Brant Hurter | 25 | AAA | 2024
Hurter keeps the suffering manageable by limiting home runs. He allowed just 0.53 HR/9 in 118 Double-A innings in 2023 and has never allowed one per nine since being a seventh round pick in the 2021 draft.
I probably stopped there because I realized he wasn’t going to make the cut in a stacked system, but as you can tell by the almost-pun, I liked this guy that week and still like him now. After a rocky Triple-A debut, Hurter brought the pain in his next three outings, striking out 21 batters over 13 innings and allowing just two walks and a 0.92 WHIP. Detroit has developed a lot of depth to build out a future pitching staff, and I think Hurter’s part of that picture. Might be a swing-man or an up-and-down type for a while, but his off-speed stuff is gonna work against major league hitters.
Diamondbacks OF Kristian Robinson (23, AA) returned to play after missing time with a shoulder injury and went 1-for-5 with an RBI. I’ll try to restrain myself from providing weekly updates on him.
The Diamondbacks stuck to their slithers on 3B Deyvison De Los Santos (20, AA) and left him exposed to the Rule 5 draft. Cleveland messed around with the idea of carrying him all year but ultimately sent him back, and now he’s all the way back in Double-A but showing gains where it matters most to him: patience at the plate. He’s slashing .371/.418/.677 with five home runs and one stolen base in 15 games. His 7.5 percent walk rate is a 2.3 percent jump from his time in Double-A (113 games) last season, but the big difference is he’s waiting for pitches he can damage rather than just trusting his exceptional hands to make contact with just about anything. I feel like his stock took a little hit with the Rule 5 dance and might check in with his teams in leagues where I could use a corner bat.
Since April 14, Rangers SS Sebastian Walcott (18, A+) has a .393 on-base percentage and 17.9-to-25 percent walk-to-strikeout rate. It’s just six games, and he’s not hitting for power yet, but I’m impressed at the quick bounce back from a difficult first week.
Padres SS Leodalis De Vries (17, A) made his full-season debut on an Ethan Salas-esque timeline and went 0-for-4, not that his game-one outcomes matter a whole lot. The organizational confidence is the blurbable note here.
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