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MINNEAPOLIS The Twins center field depth got much less certain on Saturday, when they placed Jake Cave on the 60-day injured list with a stress reaction in his lower back and selected the contract of Rob Refsnyder from Triple-A St. Paul.
According to manager Rocco Baldelli, Cave has a fracture to one of the vertebrae in his back and has been battling pain in the area throughout the season. The pain once again intensified when Minnesota was in Chicago on the last road trip, and Cave was held out of the series opener against Oakland on Friday. It’s not a good thing, but it’s not quite as scary as it sounds, Baldelli said. It’s something we do see occasionally in the game, but it’s something that’s going to keep him off the field for a while.
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The Minor League season is off and running, giving teams a wide pool of prospects who are vying for an opportunity at the Major League level at some point. Some are knocking on the door already, while others could use this season to force their way onto big league rosters with their performances.
Here is the Minor Leaguer most likely to make an impact in the Majors in 2021 for each American League Central team:
Top prospect Nolan Jones could easily be the answer for this, as he’ll likely get a shot in the big leagues at first base or the outfield at some point this year, but the bigger impact could be felt from Bradley. The first baseman was called up to the Majors for a brief stint in 2019, hitting .178 with a .600 OPS in 15 games. But at that point, Bradley looked overmatched and overwhelmed. With some more experience under his belt and his weight at (as he described) the perfect number, he could be ready to prove what he can do at the big league level, both
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The 2021 Minor League season begins at last next Tuesday, and that is cause for many celebrations.
Among the reasons for joy is the fact that wide-ranging prospect evaluations will no longer be static. Games against actual competition will give us the best looks at Minor Leaguers skills that we ve had since late 2019. No more alternate sites. No more instructional leagues behind closed doors. No more chewing on the crumbs of small Spring Training samples. This is the real stuff.
With that will come the rise and fall of farm systems on the whole. MLB Pipeline came out with its own 2021 farm system rankings last month, but as the Minor League season rolls along, some organizations will have big chances to improve their station as their prospects gain more experience and show off improved skills over the long haul. With that in mind, here are five farm systems that opened 2021 outside of the top-10 overall rankings but could climb into that group by this time nex
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There is no closer in the Rays’ bullpen. Right-hander Diego Castillo is currently the reliever who will pitch in the highest-leverage moments, but Tampa Bay is past the point of handing out titles and designating innings for certain pitchers.
So when Castillo finished the seventh inning then faced the top of the Yankees lineup in the eighth inning of Tampa Bay’s 4-2 win Sunday afternoon in New York, the ninth inning fell to Jeffrey Springs. The left-hander rewarded the Rays’ confidence in him, striking out Gleyber Torres before retiring Gio Urshela and Rougned Odor to pick up his first Major League save.