San Diego middle infield prospect Luis Urias had another strong night at the dish, going 2-for-4 with a slam (13) and legs (4). He’s now slashing .364/.462/.741 with a ten-game hit streak for Triple-A El Paso and joins a short list of prospects that could force the issue with their performances as the calendar flips to June. Urias is currently prosblocked by Ian Kinsler and – to some extent – Greg Garcia. Kinsler is batting a lusty .185, so I’d imagine the next time Urias is up it’ll be for the remainder of the 2019 campaign. Here’s what else is happening around the minor leagues…
Bobby Bradley, 1B/DH | CLE – 3-for-5 with a pair of homers, his 13th and 14th of the year. If your fantasy team is starved for some power and you already suck in batting average, now’s as good a time as any to add Bradley. The Indians currently rank 26th in team wRC+ (77), so there’s no reason for them not to promote some kids and see what they can do.
Brendan McKay, LHP | TBR – Five shutout innings with four strikeouts in his Triple-A debut. McKay is technically both a hitter and a pitcher, but his future is on the mound. The promotion to Triple-A is a good sign that the Rays may be willing to trust him with a spot in their rotation this summer, especially with Honeywell looking less and less likely to contribute anything. A lot of fantasy owners will be stashing Luzardo and Cease, etc., but McKay could be just as relevant down the stretch.
Jo Adell, OF | LAA – 6-for-17 with homers in back-to-back games since returning to the field. Now that he’s healthy again, Adell should move quickly to Double-A. He’s a name to keep in mind for this time next year, as he’s a nice combination of pop and speed. There might be some rumblings that he’ll be up late this season, but he’s currently not on the 40 and I don’t see the Angels pushing the envelope.
Jarred Kelenic, OF | SEA – Promoted to High-A at 19 years old. This is what you want to see from your prospects – competing at higher levels against older competition. Kelenic was hitting .303 with ten homers in A-ball, and I don’t think it will take him long to adjust to life in the hitter-friendly Cal League.
Jorge Mateo, 2B/SS | OAK – 1-for-4 with a double (12) and a steal (13). Mateo is hitting .326 in the PCL and I’d have him stashed if you’re struggling at middle infidel in deeper formats. With a stolen base percentage around 68%, I’m not sure he’s going to be a huge stolen base boon upon arrival, especially if he doesn’t play every day, so there are probably better targets than him if you play in a shallow league and/or have limited slots in which to stash prospects.
