Top 100 prospects: Injuries & roster moves

July 21st, 2024

Here is the latest on injuries and roster moves involving MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects:

LATEST NEWS

No. 10 Max Clark, OF, Tigers
Promoted to High-A West Michigan
Clark slashed .286/.386/.421 with seven homers and 26 stolen bases across 73 games for Single-A Lakeland in his first full season. The 2023 third overall pick received his promotion after a three-hit performance Sunday, where he reached base four times and fell a triple short of the cycle. (Last updated: July 21)

No. 26 Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Twins
Injury:
Right thumb strain
Expected return: TBD
Rodriguez reaggravated his thumb injury on a swing during his rehab assignment in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League in early July. On July 6, he went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a walk while starting in center field. He then went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts on July 8 before being sidelined again. The 21-year-old initially landed on the Minor League 7-day IL on June 7 when he sprained his thumb on a slide into second base on a double to left-center field -- which was his first game back after missing a week of action due to a separate hand injury. (Last updated: July 21)

No. 34 Owen Caissie, OF, Cubs
Injury: Back tightness
Caissie returned to the lineup on July 20 after missing two weeks due to reported back tightness. The Cubs' No. 3 prospect had posted a .279 batting average with eight home runs and an .830 OPS in 76 games for the Iowa Cubs up to that point. (Last updated: July 21)

No. 63 Kevin McGonigle, OF, Tigers
Promoted to High-A West Michigan
McGonigle posted a .326/.407.470 slash line in 60 games for Single-A Lakeland. Detroit's second selection in the 2023 Draft slugged his fourth homer of the season in his final game for the Flying Tigers, upping his RBI total to 37 in first full season. (Last updated: July 21)

No. 90 Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners
Injury: Left wrist soreness
Expected return: This week
Celesten has missed the past month due to left wrist soreness but is expected back this week. The 18-year-old has posted a .341 batting average and .984 OPS in 31 games for the Mariners' Arizona Complex League affiliate this season. (Last updated: July 21)

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(ordered by ranking)

No. 3 Junior Caminero, INF, Rays
Injury:
Left quad strain
Expected return: Reinstated from the Minor League IL
Junior Caminero was reinstated from the Minor League IL to join Triple-A Durham coming out of the All-Star break. The 21-year-old had a .933 OPS with three homers and five RBIs in five rehab games in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. The slugging third baseman made his Major League debut last September but was sidelined by a left quad strain three games into the 2024 Triple-A season, then, not six weeks after his return on April 14, went on the IL with a left quad strain again. In 39 games for Durham, Caminero has hit .261/.333/.478 with eight home runs. (Last updated: July 19)

No. 8 Jordan Lawlar, SS, Diamondbacks
Injury:
Left hamstring strain
Expected return: Potentially late August/early September
Two games into a rehab assignment in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Lawlar reinjured his left hamstring and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said on July 10. The club's top prospect initially injured his left hamstring while legging out a triple in the ninth inning of Triple-A Reno's June 15 game. Lawlar had an MRI exam on June 17 that showed a Grade 1 strain.

The 2021 first-rounder also landed on the IL earlier this year after opening the 2024 campaign with a thumb injury. He played his first Minor League game of the season on May 29. (Last updated: July 10)

No. 17 Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs
Injury:
Right lat strain
Expected return: July
Horton is in the early stages of a throwing program in Arizona, Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner said on July 10. The 22-year-old Horton (MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Cubs prospect and the No. 17 prospect on the Top 100 list) was diagnosed with a right lat strain on June 4 and was shut down from throwing for roughly a month.

Horton, who was Chicago’s first-round pick (No. 7 overall) in the 2022 Draft, exited his May 29 start for Triple-A Iowa after logging 20 pitches in one inning (two runs allowed) against Louisville. The righty has posted a 7.50 ERA with 22 strikeouts and 11 walks in 18 innings (five starts) for Iowa, following a four-start stint (1.10 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 16 1/3 innings) with Double-A Tennessee to begin the season. (Last updated: July 10)

No. 19 Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies
Injury: Partial tear in right elbow
Expected return: 2025
Painter underwent Tommy John surgery in late July 2023, and he is not expected to pitch again until the 2025 season. The right-hander will still be just 21 years old on Opening Day next year.

“We haven’t talked about a timetable or anything like that,” Painter said in February. “We don’t want to clog the mind with different scenarios and play the hypothetical game. We’re just trying to make sure there’s the least amount of distractions possible and I can just go in and focus on my rehab and make sure we’re getting better every day.” (Last updated: May 18)

No. 21 Jeferson Quero, C, Brewers
Injury: Torn labrum in right shoulder
Expected return: 2025
Triple-A Nashville catcher Jeferson Quero underwent season-ending surgery for a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, delaying until 2025 the rapid ascent of one of baseball’s top catching prospects.

Quero, 21, dislocated his right shoulder in his Triple-A debut when he dove back to first base. After being examined by Brewers team doctors, Quero sought a second opinion from shoulder guru Dr. Barry Meister, the same surgeon who repaired Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff’s shoulder last fall, and elected for a surgical route that will sideline Quero for approximately nine months. (Last updated: April 10)

No. 25 Jasson Domínguez, OF, Yankees
Injury: Left oblique strain
Expected return: September
Domínguez is at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla., but has been limited in his activities, manager Aaron Boone said on July 9, relaying that Domínguez’s workload is “not much of anything yet” and that he “still has got a ways to go there.” Domínguez performed light outfield work at the club’s player development complex on July 10.

Domínguez, the No. 25 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, returned to the injured list after feeling a tweak near his left oblique on a checked swing while playing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 15. Tests revealed that the 21-year-old Domínguez has a significant strain in the oblique, Boone said on June 20. Domínguez is expected to miss at least eight weeks of action. (Last updated: July 10)

No. 28 Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians
Injury:
Fractured foot/sprain toe
Expected return: TBD
The Guardians' No. 1 prospect is on his way back from a pair of foot injuries as he began a rehab assignment at the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League on July 20. He played four innings in right field and went 1-for-2 with a walk. (Last updated: July 20)

A fracture in his surgically repaired left foot sidelined DeLauter from April 26-May 28, when he logged only two plate appearances before spraining a toe on his right foot in a collision with the outfield wall. He was officially placed back on the IL on June 10. (Last updated: July 20)

No. 30 Jett Williams, SS/OF, Mets
Injury:
Right wrist soreness
Expected return: August
Toward the end of April, Williams began dealing with a bout of right wrist soreness, which has kept him off the field beginning April 21. To treat it, Williams received a cortisone injection in early May, but his soreness persisted enough for doctors to administer a second shot later in the month, which also didn't bring Williams back to full health. As a result, he underwent surgery on June 6. Williams is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks. (Last updated: June 7)

No. 38 Drew Gilbert, OF, Mets
Injury:
Right hamstring strain
Expected return: Mid-to-late July
Gilbert, the top prospect the Mets acquired from the Astros in the Justin Verlander trade last summer, appeared in his fifth game -- second with Single-A St. Lucie -- on Friday, going 1-for-3 with his first hit and RBI of his rehab assignment while playing seven innings in center field. The 23-year-old is a combined 1-for-12 with four walks and two strikeouts. (Last updated: July 19)

No. 41 Tink Hence, RHP, Cardinals
Injury: Cramping
Expected return: Early July
Hence, the top-ranked player in the Cardinals system, left his June 5 start after two innings because of cramping, according to Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. The 21-year-old struck out three and threw 20 of his 35 pitches for strikes. Hence was scheduled to return to action the weekend of June 22, but that was delayed by a day or two after he was invited to visit Rickwood Field with other Cardinals prospects for the Negro Leagues tribute game. For the season, Hence is 4-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings. (Last updated: June 20)

No. 44 Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays
Injury: Left forearm tightness
Expected return: TBD
Tiedemann was expected to throw 70-plus pitches for Triple-A Buffalo on July 10, but he needed 27 to get through the first inning and was removed with left forearm tightness. As of July 19, he planned to get a second opinion on his throwing elbow.

The Blue Jays are still gathering information, manager John Schneider said prior to the club's July 19 game in Toronto. In a perfect world, the Blue Jays could allow Tiedemann to get his feet wet down the stretch in 2024 to set him up for a big '25 season, but they need him healthy first. Another update on Tiedemann is expected in the coming days. (Last updated: July 19)

No. 48 Edwin Arroyo, SS, Reds
Injury: Left shoulder surgery
Estimated return: 2025
Arroyo is out for the season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder during Spring Training. In a March 13 Cactus League game vs. the Giants, the 20-year-old was injured diving back to first base during a pick-off throw. (Last updated: May 17)

No. 55 Jordan Beck, OF, Rockies
Injury:
Broken left hand
Expected return: July
Beck is working out at the team’s complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. Head athletic trainer Keith Dugger is in Scottsdale helping with MLB Draft preparation, which means he can also supervise Beck’s work as he gradually works his way into baseball activity.

Beck played in 23 games with the Rockies, hitting .190 with two homers, eight RBIs, one walk, and 30 strikeouts. (Last updated: July 10)

No. 60 Orelvis Martinez, 2B, Blue Jays
Injury:
Suspension
Expected return: End of September
On June 21, Orelvis Martinez fulfilled a lifelong dream by recording his first MLB hit in his debut against the Guardians. Two days later, he received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing substance Clomiphene, Major League Baseball announced. (Last updated: June 21)

No. 68 Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Braves
Injury:
Right elbow inflammation
Expected Return: TBD
Waldrep was told he was being sent down after a June 16 start against the Rays, but he was placed on the injured list after telling the team's trainers he was dealing with right elbow discomfort. The 22-year-old hurler doesn't have any structural damage. He could resume throwing again next week. (Last updated: June 21)

No. 72 Edgar Quero, C, White Sox
Promoted to Triple-A Charlotte
Quero, 21, had an .823 OPS with Double-A Birmingham, tallying 12 home runs, 12 doubles and 53 RBIs. The catcher also worked with one of the best starting rotations across the Minor Leagues. (Last updated: July 4)

No. 76 Anthony Solometo, LHP, Pirates
Injury:
Development list
Expected return: TBD
On July 20, Pittsburgh's 2021 second-rounder made his first start since he was placed on the Development List on June 18 after struggling to a 6.27 ERA in 13 games for Double-A Altoona. Solometo fanned three batters across three scoreless innings at the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, allowing three baserunners on two hits and one walk. (Last updated: July 20)

No. 81 Chase Hampton, RHP, Yankees
Injury: Sprained right ulnar collateral ligament
Expected return: TBD
Hampton's rehab assignment has progressed to Single-A Tampa. He made his first start with the club on July 12, allowing three runs and fanning two in 2 1/3 innings.

The right-hander made his season debut July 1 for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Yankees, before making a second outing with the club July 6. He amassed four strikeouts over his first 3 1/3 frames in the FCL. The Texas native sustained a right UCL strain during Spring Training and received a platelet-rich plasma injection on or around March 15, at which time he was shut down from throwing for four to six weeks. (Last updated: July 18)