The Cubs released closer Hector Neris, which probably makes Jorge Lopez the closer for now. The club also recalled deadline acquisition RHP Jack Neely, a former Yankees prospect who checks in at a gargantuan 6’8” 245 lbs. He’s thrown 6.2 scoreless innings with a 52 percent strikeout rate for Triple-A Iowa since the trade that sent him there. RHP Porter Hodge is the early favorite for the gig in 2025 until further notice, specifically a notice of the club getting involved in the reliever reclamation market as it often does. RHP Tyson Miller has been excellent this season but doesn’t feature the wipeout arsenal most teams want in a guy who handles the ninth. Meanwhile, jettisoned Cubbie farmhands RHPs Manuel Rodriguez and Jeremiah Estrada are key pieces of other teams’ bullpens. I won’t count RHP Hunter Bigge because he at least was traded for something. Can’t win ‘em all, I realize, but here’s hoping Neely gets a real opportunity to nail down a long-term roster spot.
Tigers 3B Jace Jung has that opportunity in Detroit, and he’s hitting .333 with a .500 OBP through three games. I don’t think he needed 91 games in Triple-A, but so it goes. The club suddenly decided it might as well swap out both corners for Tork and Jung, which sounds like a hotshot lawyer show from the 90’s. They’re both going to be tough calls at the draft table in 2025.
I feel like the Royals see something totally different than me when they watch OF Dairon Blanco play baseball. If I’m the manager, and I see a guy hit three home runs in two games, I’m probably gonna play him on the third night. Let’s see if he can keep it going. If he also happens to be a superfast guy who’s decent on defense, all the better. Nonetheless, he remains marooned in a part-time role, and at 31 years old, he’ll probably never get a full-time chance. I picked him up (again) anyway in a few leagues and was happy to see him back in the lineup on Tuesday night.
The Cardinals recalled1B Luken Baker, which makes a lot of sense until you see the next blurb saying they demoted OF Jordan Walker in the same stroke. Walker had just been recalled himself, playing just four games (12 plate appearances) before heading back to Memphis. What can happen in four games to make an organization wave the white flag on a big-time prospect like Walker? Who knows, but he did collect just one hit in those 12 plate appearances. Strange stuff, and it probably won’t get any less strange when Baker comes up to sit the bench or DH against lefties. He should’ve been the everyday DH from day one this season if they wanted to find out what they had, but he wasn’t, so they still don’t know. To their credit, they did get Masyn Winn and Nate Burleson underway as big leaguers, and they made a nice trade for Fedde, so it’s not like they’re asleep at the wheel. Just feels that way if you like Jordan Walker or Luken Baker.
Guardians OF Chase DeLauter, Red Sox OF Kristian Campbell and Reds RHP Rhett Lowder were all sent to Triple-A, and I think they’ve got an outside shot at some September playing time. Any one of them could make an impact before this MLB season ends.
The Athletics promoted 1B Nick Kurtz (21, AA) right past High-A after his hot start in A ball. He slashed .400/.571/.960 with four home runs in seven games and probably didn’t need that week in Low-A, but hey who doesn’t love a nice confidence booster? If he’s good in Double-A, he’ll climb draft boards in a hurry, for dynasty and redraft purposes both.
Rangers RHP Kumar Rocker (24, AA) has looked fantastic on his way back from Tommy John surgery. The third overall pick in 2022, Rocker has allowed just one run in four Double-A starts covering 15 innings. He has 21 strikeouts, two walks and a 0.53 WHIP. Would be a real feel-good story if he can retain form down the stretch and open 2025 as an option for Texas.
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