#minor-leagues

#minor-leagues

Red Sox relief pitcher Joe Jacques had a long-awaited battle before reaching the big league level this season with Boston.Jacques, 28, landed in Boston's farm system back in December when the Worcester WooSox claimed the left-hander off waivers after three previous seasons of Triple-A experience.Leading up to that point, which positioned Jacques to make his Major League Baseball debut this month.

The White Sox have decisions to make.And soon, for that matter.Do they want to forge ahead with the current core, hoping to win the AL Central and thus earning a playoff berth?Or would they rather sell high on their expiring commodities and bring back long term assets?Here's how MLB insider Ken Rosenthal reported the Sox' situation as the trade deadline nears.

Michael Soroka's demotion to the minor leagues left a hole in the Atlanta Braves' starting rotation.Brian Snitker confirmed Tuesday that rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver will fill that spot by starting either Friday or Saturday against the Washington Nationals.Snit confirmed Smith-Shawver will start either Friday or Saturday- Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman)
June 6, 2023
Smith-Shawver was promoted to the majors on May 30 and the original plan was for him to pitch out of the bullpen.

Tis the season for Dodgers prospects!Just as the front office promised, the team has leaned on the young, up and coming core of players this season with guys like James Outman, Miguel Vargas, and Bobby Miller being called on to play big roles for the club.With so many big name prospects joining the active roster this season, it got us thinking about the biggest prospect flameouts of all time.

The Red Sox are reportedly calling up left-handed relief pitcher Joe Jacques prior to the start of a three-game series against the Yankees on Friday.Joel Sherman of The New York Post first reported the news, as Jacques will fill the vacated roster spot left by another recent Boston call-up - Matt Dermody - who Boston manager Alex Cora said would be designated for assignment following Thursday's 10-3 loss to the Guardians.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher James Paxton has turned back the clock in his first major league season in two years.The talented, yet oft-injured left-hander looked like his old self in Wednesday's narrow 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Fenway Park.He continuously pumped pitches by Reds hitters, generating an eye-popping 22 swings and misses over his five innings of work in which he allowed only one run on four hits to go along with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom isn't looking to downplay the fast start top prospect Marcelo Mayer is off to with High-A Greenville this season.Instead, Bloom generated more buzz that is already surrounding the 20-year-old shortstop with his current assessment of the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.

In his five-months with the White Sox, reliever Keynan Middleton has made at least one thing abundantly clear.He loathes the 2017 Houston Astros.Like, a lot.So much so that after a save in early May against the AL Central-leading Twins, he basked in the glory of striking out Carlos Correa to end the game.

Eloy Jiménez is currently undergoing a rehab stint with the Double-A Birmingham Barons that is projected, by Pedro Grifol and the White Sox, to be short-lived before they decide his next steps.Upon his inevitable return -- and that of Elvis Andrus from an oblique strain -- how will Grifol and the White Sox construct the lineup?

AJ Smith-Shawver has become the show in the Atlanta Braves system, and despite taking the loss he put up one of the best starts of his career.He handled the Durham Bulls across seven innings, touching 96.9 mph on the gun.Elsewhere David McCabe helped lead the Augusta GreenJackets to a victory, hitting his second home run in as many days as he keeps a torrid stretch of play going.

The Detroit Red Wings were in search of a new coach after Jeff Blashill was relieved of his duties.Looking for a new coach that would operate well in Detroit's system, general manager Steve Yzerman sought out his former employer, the Tampa bay Lightning, to find Blashill's replacement in Derek Lalonde.

When a struggling team scores a thrilling victory especially in a packed ballpark against a crosstown rival before a day off the question just has to be asked: How big was this win?It's an irresistible question, even though let's be honest it's mostly meaningless.If the Mets had lost to the Yankees again on Wednesday night, they would not have given up on the season.

As the Dodgers gear up for a bullpen game in Sunday's series finale in Philadelphia, they'll do so with a fresh arm.Old friend Adam Kolarek is back with the team after being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.Before we get more into where Kolarek has been, we have to look at how he's joining the active roster.

Brady House is on the move from Fredericksburg.(Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)Late last week, the Washington Nationals made some notable minor league moves, with the highlight being the promotion of third baseman Brady House, their 2021 first-round draft pick, from Class A Fredericksburg to high Class A Wilmington. He'll join left-hander Jake Bennett, a 2022-second round pick who got the same call a week earlier.

June 9th, 2023 Scoreboard ======
In a wild, 24 run affair between Oklahoma City and El Paso, Devin Mann was the star of the show:
The former Louisville Cardinal went 3/4, with the pair of dingers, a single, a sac fly, and 4 RBI.For the season, his slash line is up to .302/.407/.547.Life and baseball have one overarching commonality; they're not fair.

Our Doug McKain and Clint Pasillas are live on YouTube right now for the Blue Heaven Podcast!Join the live stream by clicking the video at the top of the article, or by clicking this link right here.We are starting the show with breaking news, as Julio Urias has suffered a setback in his recovery from the hamstring strain he suffered last month, and will now be out for what seems like a few more weeks.

MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson has been hobbled by a hamstring strain suffered in early April.The days have passed, and he has encountered a couple of setbacks along the way.However, he seems set to start a new rehab assignment - one that he's actually seeking to complete this time.

FOCO released a new bobblehead of Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Gavin Stone, which is limited in quantity and will not be restocked once it sells out.The Stone bobblehead is the latest in the rookie series by FOCO, which previously launched versions for James Outman and Miguel Vargas.Outman's bobblehead sold out, but some still remain available of Vargas.

Over the weekend, the Cleveland Guardians designated starting pitcher Zach Plesac for assignment in a move that shocked the industry.The club will have seven days to waive or trade the right-hander before attempting to outright him to Triple-A.The question for the Dodgers is should the front office take a flier on the one time quality big league arm?

As the 2023 regular season continues, here are three things we'll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Abbott to debut: With Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott expected to make his MLB debut in a start today against the Brewers, roster moves to clear space for Abbott on both the 40-man and active rosters will be necessary before this evening's game.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were dealt some unfortunate news on Saturday, when OF Trayce Thompson left the loss to the New York Yankees with an oblique injury.After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Thompson would be heading to the injured list, with what the team was calling a strained oblique.

The Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation has been significantly impacted by injuries this season, but reinforcements are in the way in the form of Michael Grove and Julio Urías.Grove is expected to be activated off the 15-day injured list Saturday for a start against the New York Yankees.Grove has been on the IL since April 21 because of a right groin strain.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made another trade involving recently DFA'd relievers.On Thursday, the team announced that they've acquired RHP Ricky Vanasco from the Texas Rangers in exchange for LHP Luis Valdez.To make room on the 40-man roster, the team designated RHP Zack Burdi for assignment.The Dodgers have traded for RHP Ricky Vanasco from the Texas Rangers.They sent minor league LHP Luis Valdez to Texas.RHP Zack Burdi was DFA'd to make room on the 40-man roster.-

After struggling through the first three starts of his MLB career, Gavin Stone was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers' matchup against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.Stone allowed a combined 17 runs (16 earned) on 23 hits and seven walks in just 10 innings pitched.

Aleksandar Kovacevic did plenty of tossing and turning Sunday night before finally settling in for what he thought was about six hours of restless sleep.He had good reason to be nervous.Kovacevic, who is 24 years old and the world's 114th-ranked player, had a noon tennis date in the first round of the French Open with Novak Djokovic, the winner of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Carlos Estévez was 20 when the Rockies organization sent him to Grand Junction, Colo.This was in 2013 and Estévez, now a fan-favorite Angels closer with 12 saves, at the time was navigating the early years of his professional career.He'd spent the previous two years in the Dominican Summer League, then was sent to Tri-City, formerly a Rockies affiliate, but was there just a few days before being moved to Colorado.

Dodgers rookie RHP Bobby Miller got his MLB career off to a great start on Tuesday, throwing five one-run innings against the strong Braves lineup in LA's 8-1 win.Miller showed all the makings of a future star in this league, pumping six pitches of at least 100 mph, 28 pitches faster than 99 mph and mixing in tons of variety in his secondary pitches.

CLEVELAND - Mike Zunino 's critics have been silenced - for a day or two.Mired in a miserable slump in May, Zunino connected for a two-run homer in the eighth inning to help Hunter Gaddis get his first major league win and lead the Cleveland Guardians over the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Monday night.Zunino was just 1 for 31 with 21 strikeouts this month - he recently struck out in 17 straight games - before delivering his biggest moment since signing a $6 million, one-year contract with Cleveland as a free agent in the offseason.

Today, the Dodgers officially activated top prospect Bobby Miller and added him to the active roster.In order to make room for him on the active roster and 40-man roster, RHP Dustin May was placed on the 60-day injured list.Additionally, RHP Tyler Cyr was placed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.

Jesse Scholtens was ready to be the next pitcher up.With Mike Clevinger on the injured list, Scholtens joined the Chicago White Sox from Triple-A Charlotte.He entered Monday's game against the Cleveland Guardians after opener Jimmy Lambert pitched a scoreless first, and Scholtens allowed one run in five innings.