This will be a weekly series that will outline the prospect promotions from the previous week throughout the year. All stats are of August 19.
August 20
Yennsy Díaz, P, NYM (preseason PL team rank: 28): Diaz has been up for an extended period already for the Mets and has a 4.15 ERA in 21.2 innings, all as a reliever. His FIP is in the mid-5s, mostly due to a high number of walks, and Diaz will continue to see lower-leverage action for New York.
José Marté, P, LAA (preseason PL team rank: UR): Marte is a relief-only arm for the Angels, coming over from San Francisco. He’s played across several levels in 2021 and is enjoying a breakout campaign, punching out 61 hitters in 37 minor league innings. He has had issues with walks in the past but that type of strikeout ability should earn him a look.
Nick Snyder, P, TEX (preseason PL team rank: UR): Snyder is a 25-year-old relief-only arm for the Rangers. He is enjoying a career season with a 2.45 ERA in the minors.
August 21
Estevan Florial, OF, NYY (preseason PL team rank: 5): The Yankees have brought up Florial a handful of times already but he hasn’t seen much game action. The 23-year-old is toolsy but hasn’t had much success in the upper levels of the minors.
Keegan Thompson, P, CHC (preseason PL team rank: 13): Thompson has actually been in the majors for most of the season and is on the verge of exceeding prospect eligibility. He’s made two starts but has primarily worked out of the bullpen, compiling a 2.42 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. His FIP is much higher, in the mid-4s, but Thompson looks the part of a Major Leaguer nonetheless.
August 22
Aaron Ashby, P, MIL (preseason PL team rank: 10): Ashby has now made this series in three straight weeks as the Brewers like to bring him up for multi-inning relief work. After his nightmarish debut, the lefty has now thrown three straight scoreless outings, totaling nine strikeouts in eight innings. Ashby could see some opportunities in the rotation next season but Milwaukee has also made a living off of developing relievers and if that’s Ashby’s ultimate landing spot, he’ll be a good one.
Alex Lange, P, DET (preseason PL team rank: 22): Lange is now exclusively a relief-only arm after spending much of the lower minors working out of the rotation. He’s split time between Triple-A and the majors in 2021, but he’s a low-leverage option for now.
Kean Wong, INF/OF, LAA (preseason PL team rank: UR): Wong has been up a handful of times for the Angels. He hasn’t had any success in the big leagues with a .428 OPS in 26 career games.
Jay Jackson, P, SF (preseason PL team rank: UR): Jackson is barely still a prospect. He’s a 33-year-old relief arm with a 4.38 career ERA in 49.1 MLB innings.
Sammy Long, P, SF (preseason PL team rank: UR): Long has showcased some strikeout ability in his time in the majors, punching out 34 in 33.2 innings. He’s split time as a starter and a reliever in 2021, so his role long-term is unclear. With this most recent promotion, he went 5.1 innings scoreless innings in a start against the Mets.
August 23
Jahmai Jones, 2B/OF, BAL (preseason PL team rank: 12): Jones was once considered a top-100 prospect but had difficulty in the upper levels of the minors. He’s hit just .238 in Triple-A this season but has an interesting combination of power and speed. He’s only 23-years-old so there may still be some untapped potential here, but he looks more like a utility type.
Curtis Terry, 1B, TEX (preseason PL team rank: 26): Terry has been a monster in Triple-A, hitting for a .924 OPS in 71 games. Unfortunately, none of that has translated to the big leagues as Terry has been overmatched by major league pitching. It’s only a 13-game sample so there is plenty of time to turn it around but he could be a Quad-A bat.
Humberto Mejia, P, ARI (preseason PL team rank: 28): Mejia used this promotion and put together a solid outing, striking out seven while allowing two runs across five innings against the Pirates. He’s likely a backend starter or multi-inning relief option down the line but this was an encouraging start, even if it was against Pittsburgh.
Josh Palacios, OF, TOR (preseason PL team rank: UR): Palacios hasn’t played all that much in 2021, checking in with 16 minor league games where he notched a .746 OPS. The outfielder has some speed and knows how to take a walk but profiles more as a fourth outfielder.
August 24
Bryan Abreu, P, HOU (preseason PL team rank: 9): Abreu is knocking on the door of exceeding his prospect eligibility with 47.1 innings pitched at the MLB level. He’s been inconsistent in the majors, mostly due to issuing walks, but has flashed his elite stuff. The 24-year-old has the potential to be a high-leverage arm at some point, but now that we are in late August it won’t be until 2022 at the earliest.
Patrick Murphy, P, WSN (preseason PL team rank: 18): The Nationals claimed Murphy off waivers about two weeks ago. He’s has a great 2021 in the minors, albeit in a small sample, but the 26-year-old has recorded a 1.35 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 20 innings. He’s looking more like a relief-only arm now but this could be a valuable pickup for the Nationals.
Daniel Camarena, P, SD (preseason PL team rank: UR): Camarena is a 28-year-old righty who is experiencing his best season in half a decade, posting a 3.46 ERA in 54.2 innings. He’s spent the majority of his minor league career as a starter, but he’s more likely to see low-leverage relief work in the bigs.
Hyeon-jong Yang, P, TEX (preseason PL team rank: UR): Yang has split time between the majors and Triple-A in his professional debut stateside, but he hasn’t had much success at either level with an ERA north of five at each. At 33-years-old, there isn’t much upside in the profile.
August 25
Edward Cabrera, P, MIA (preseason PL team rank: 4): The Marlins are ridiculously deep with pitching talent and have a recent track record of developing that talent. Cabrera has been absolutely stellar in the minors this season, striking out 92 in 61.1 innings and posting a sub-3 ERA across three different levels. The majority of his starts have come in Double-A, though he actually has a higher strikeout rate in Triple-A. If there is one concern is that, on occasion, control issues have led to shorter outings. Andy Patton wrote up his debut here.
Junior Fernandez, P, STL (preseason PL team rank: 15): Fernandez has bounced between the majors and the minors in 2021. He’s a relief-only arm with big strikeout ability but question marks concerning his command and control.
Kean Wong, INF, LAA (preseason PL team rank: UR): Wong has made an appearance on this list multiple times in the last few weeks. He’s a contact-oriented utility man that has yet to figure out big-league pitching.
Jake Jewell, P, CHC (preseason PL team rank: UR): Jewell is a relief-only arm that spent two seasons with the Angels. He has a 7.75 career ERA and is close to exceeding prospect eligibility.
Max Schrock, INF, CIN (preseason PL team rank: UR): Schrock is a bit older at 26 but is experiencing a career year. He’s appeared in 23 games for the Reds and recorded a .925 OPS. His OPS at Triple-A is hovering around .800 and although he doesn’t have huge power, he’s a stable bat.
Conner Greene, P, BAL (preseason PL team rank: UR): Greene came up the minors as a starter but is a relief-only prospect now, but he’s struggled both in the majors and the minors in 2021.
Elvis Peguero, P, LAA (preseason PL team rank: UR): Peguero is a 24-year-old relief prospect having a breakout season. He’s pitched across three levels of the minors, totaling 67 strikeouts in 51.1 innings with a 2.79 ERA. He will now get a chance against MLB talent.
Jake Latz, P, TEX (preseason PL team rank: UR): Latz is a back-end starter prospect. He’s a 25-year-old lefty with a history of racking up strikeouts but middling run prevention. He’s likely to move the bullpen at some point.
August 26
Jarren Duran, OF, BOS (preseason PL team rank: 4): Duran was optioned earlier in the week but he gets the opportunity to come back to the bigs almost immediately. He’s had a tough time at the plate to start his MLB career, hitting just .221 to go with some ugly strikeout and walk rates. If he’s up, he’ll still see some opportunities, but it’s not likely to be the everyday role that was assumed upon his first promotion.
Scott Blewett, P, KC (preseason PL team rank: 30): Blewett has split time as a starter and a relief arm in the minors but has only seen relief work for the Royals so far. He profiles as a multi-inning reliever that can make spot starts.
J.C. Mejia, P, CLE (preseason PL team rank: 44): Mejia is a relief-only arm that is close to exceeding prospect status. His first 47.1 innings in the majors have been a struggle, though, with Mejia allowing almost an earned run an inning.
Dave Kubiak, P, TBR (preseason PL team rank: UR): Kubiak is a starting pitcher but he’s spent the 2021 season playing Independent ball. He’s posted a 4.30 ERA there and it’s unclear what role the Rays will use the right-hander.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)