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

LATEST NEWS

No. 62 Jace Jung, 3B/2B, Tigers
Injury: Right wrist surgery
Expected return: 2025

The 24-year-old underwent what the team called a procedure to address lingering right wrist inflammation. However, Jung has already started a hitting progression in his offseason program and is expected to be fully recovered in time for Spring Training.

Jung spent about a month on the injured list at Triple-A Toledo with a right wrist issue. He was promoted to Detroit about six weeks later and finished out the season with the Tigers, including a postseason role. He underwent the procedure on Oct. 24.

Jung goes into next season as a candidate to start at third base, though the team is leaving the door open for a potential addition at the hot corner.

“He’s coming in to compete to win a job,” president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. “Exactly the opportunity that’s in front of him is going to depend on what we do the rest of the offseason. These situations change super quick, like one free-agent signing or one trade.”

Said manager A.J. Hinch: “We’ve challenged him to get better in every area. He’s got to be a better defender. He can be a better hitter. He can be more patient. He’s going to hit the ball hard. But we believe in all of that, and I think he deserves the ability to compete, to prove it. He’s going to come back really prepared.” (Last updated: Dec. 9)

MORE TOP 100 PROSPECT NEWS
(ordered by ranking)

No. 7 Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox
Injury: Lumbar strain
Expected return: 2025
Mayer will miss the final month of the season for a second straight year, Ian Browne confirmed on Aug. 26. Boston's top prospect was promoted from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester along with Roman Anthony (MLB's No. 13 prospect) and Kyle Teel (MLB No. 26) on Aug. 11, but he hadn't played since July 30, and on Aug. 20 he was placed on the injured list without appearing in a WooSox game.

Mayer had been leading the Eastern League in hitting, having slashed .307/.370/.480 with eight homers and 13 stolen bases through 77 games. Last year, the fourth overall pick of the 2021 Draft struggled through a left shoulder impingement to bat .236/.306/.433 -- but .337/.414/.582 before the injury -- before being shut down in August. (Last updated: Aug. 26)

No. 29 Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Twins
Injury: Right thumb sprain
Expected return: 2025
Rodriguez's season came to an end when he was placed on the Minor League IL by Triple-A St. Paul following his exit from the Saints' Sept. 11 game. His early exit was due to another recurrence of the thumb sprain that limited him to 47 games this season. The initial injury led to an IL placement on June 7, and he also a flare-up as part of a rehab assignment in July.

President of baseball operations Derek Falvey said that as of Sept. 17, the Twins were still evaluating Rodriguez's thumb with specialists to see if it would require surgery -- but either way, the 21-year-old is expected to be ready for Spring Training 2025, as the expectation is that the procedures being discussed would carry recovery timelines of 4-6 weeks.

"[Surgery is] possible, I think, because of the unique nature of how that's become a little more chronic in nature with his thumb," Falvey said. "It's a bit of a weird one, because it's actually bottom hand, outside thumb, which is super rare." (Last updated: Sept. 17)

No. 31 Kevin McGonigle, SS/2B, Tigers
Injury: Right hamate fracture
Expected return: 2025
The Tigers moved McGonigle to the injured list with a right hamate fracture suffered Aug. 10 at High-A West Michigan. McGonigle fouled off a 1-2 pitch in his first at-bat, then asked for time and was seen clutching and shaking his right hand before looking uncomfortable swinging at strike three. He was slated to undergo surgery on Aug. 15.

In his first full season, the 37th overall pick of last year's Draft put together a .309/.401/.452 slash line with 25 extra-base hits and 22 stolen bases over 60 games for Single-A Lakeland and 14 for West Michigan. He also drew 46 walks compared to 28 strikeouts. (Last updated: Aug. 13)

No. 42 Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs
Injury: Right lat strain
Expected return: 2025
Horton missed the remainder of the year due to a setback in his rehab from a right lat strain, MLB.com confirmed.

It was a tough ending to what was shaping up to be a positive season for Horton in his developmental path. The Cubs’ 2022 first-round Draft pick was promoted from Double-A Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa on April 30, after he posted a 1.10 ERA in four starts with the Smokies, with 18 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. He exited his May 29 start for Triple-A Iowa after logging 20 pitches in one inning (two runs allowed) against Louisville. (Last updated: Aug. 9)

No. 43 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)

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No. 63 Luke Keaschall, 2B/OF, Twins
Injury: Right elbow injury
Expected return: 2025
Luke Keaschall underwent Tommy John surgery after battling elbow issues for much of the season. According to Do-Hyoung Park, the Twins likely knew this needed to happen at some point when they selected the 21-year-old in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2023 Draft out of Arizona State.

Minnesota's top-ranked position player prospect did not appear hampered by the injury this season, batting .303 with 15 homers, 48 RBIs, 80 runs scored and 23 stolen bases across two levels of the Minors. Keaschall even replaced No. 2 Twins prospect Brooks Lee at the All-Star Futures Game in July. Although listed as a 2B/OF, he played mostly 1B/DH this season due to the injury. By ending his season short, the organization is hopeful that Keaschall will be ready for Spring Training next year. (Last updated: Aug. 9)

No. 64 Jaison Chourio, OF, Guardians
Injury: Broken left wrist
Expected return: 2025
Chourio is out for the rest of the year, MLB.com's Mandy Bell confirmed, after the 19-year-old outfielder sustained an injury to his left wrist while diving for a ball in center field in the fifth inning of Single-A Lynchburg's 3-0 win at Salem on Aug. 24.

The younger brother of the Brewers' Jackson Chourio, the Guardians' No. 4 prospect batted .269/.414/.398 with 44 stolen bases and 31 extra base hits over 98 games this year, his third pro season. (Last updated: Aug. 26)

No. 66 Felnin Celesten, SS
Injury: Left hamate injury
Expected return: 2025
Celesten recently underwent season-ending surgery after experiencing multiple setbacks with a left wrist injury. After further inspection, doctors discovered that the prolonged pain was related to an old injury to his hamate.

"When we went and did the imaging after his first setback, they noticed the remnants of an old injury in there," Mariners GM Justin Hollander said. "They didn't know whether it would prevent him from building back up and playing, or if it was just going to continue to linger. When he felt pain again, the doctor recommended we just remove the remnants of the old hook of the hamate fracture."

The development means Celesten's season will end due to an injury for the second straight year, after he was sidelined at the end of 2023 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He wound up playing in 32 games in '24, all at the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, where he slashed .352/.431/.568 (.999 OPS) with three homers, four triples, 10 doubles, five stolen bases, 27 RBIs, 18 walks and 28 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances. (Last updated: Aug. 7)

No. 68 Caden Dana, RHP, Angels
Shut down for the season
Dana, the Angels' No. 1 prospect, is being optioned to Double-A Rocket City and shut down for the rest of the season after struggling in his last two starts. The 20-year-old, who was the second-youngest player in the Majors behind Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, picked up the win in his debut, allowing two runs over six innings against the Mariners on Sept. 1.

But Dana, who had a 2.52 ERA in 23 starts at Double-A, gave up five runs over one-plus innings against the Rangers on Sept. 8 and five runs over 3 1/3 frames against the Astros on Sept. 15. Angels manager Ron Washington said the team didn't want Dana to have any more "negative vibes" and wanted him to head into the offseason healthy and ready to compete for a rotation spot next year.

"We just let him know we were proud of the year he had," Washington said. "We don't want him going out there where he's not at his best. So we just decided to shut him down." (Last updated: Sept. 16)

No. 76 Sal Stewart, 3B/2B, Reds
Injury: Hand
Expected return: 2025
Sal Stewart was placed on the 7-day injured list by the Dayton Dragons on July 17 and reportedly dealt with a hand injury. The 2022 first-round pick hit .279 with an .845 OPS, eight home runs and 46 RBIs across 80 games. (Last updated: Aug. 1)

No. 83 Zac Veen, OF, Rockies
Injury: Left hamstring
Expected return: 2025
Veen has been persistently hampered by multiple maladies throughout 2024, landing on the IL previously with injuries to his lower back and both hands during the summer. He last appeared in game action on Sept. 17 before being placed on the seven-day IL the following day.

When healthy, the ninth overall pick from the 2020 Draft has slugged his way as high as Triple-A Albuquerque this year. Nine of his 18 hits at the level have gone for extra bases, and he has showcased his above-average baserunning aptitude by swiping six bags in 21 contests.

Veen missed the second half of the 2023 season due to wrist surgery, but made up for lost time and at-bats in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He has appeared in just 65 games this year (111 combined over the past two years), logging 270 plate appearances. (Last updated: Sept. 19)

No. 85 Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Pirates
Injury: Recurrent right forearm injury
ETA: 2025
Ashcraft pitched one inning on Aug. 30 in his first start back from the injured list, but was again placed on the injured list the following day. Ashcraft has excelled on the field, but has made three trips to the injured list since June 28, with right elbow inflammation causing him to miss a month and a half from mid-July to late August. (Last updated: Aug. 31)