July 3, 2015

Weekly Wrap

July 3, 2015

by Craig Goldstein

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A much lighter version of the Weekly Wrap is in order, as the vast majority of minor league promotions occurred last week. If you missed that, check out the debut of the series here. Let's get to it.

On The Shelf
The Cubs placed High-A starter Duane Underwood (Notes From the Field) on the disabled list this week without revealing why.

Matt Hobgood's (Eyewitness Report) troubled tenure continues, as he will have surgery to remove a bone spur in his shoulder. There's a good chance that this is the end of the line for the former fifth-overall pick. That's just one of several problems in birdland, as top prospect Dylan Bundy was shut down indefinitely following a visit with Dr. James Andrews. The cause was an abnormal amount of calcium buildup, the likes of which Dr. Andrews had never seen.

Another former first-round pick, Eric Jagielo (Yankees) suffered a knee injury sliding into home on June 16th and the news doesn't sound good. Already limited in the field due to a lack of mobility, the "loose bodies" in his knee could cost him the chance to stick at the hot corner, putting even more pressure on his bat to hold up.

Congrats on Your New Job
After missing time with Tommy John surgery in 2014, Giants outfielder Mac Williamson has earned a promotion to Triple-A Sacramento. He hasn't hit for his usual power this year, but had a .293 average in Double-A. The Giants also promoted Hunter Cole, and he'll slide into Williamson's spot as a moderately interesting outfield prospect playing for Richmond.

The Rays promoted Boog Powell to Triple-A Durham, where they'll have him work on being related to the real Boog Powell so he'll stop pissing people off.

Sorely lacking in shortstops of the future, it's nice that the Indians have Erik Gonzalez to promote to Triple-A Columbus. All jokes aside, he's probably a utilityman, but there's second-division-starter upside here.

Jose Berrios (Twins) (Eyewitness Report) cruised through Double-A, striking out 25 percent of batters faced before earning a promotion to Rochester.

Feel-good (Trevor) Story was promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque, where the Rockies will play him all over the infield to prepare him for whatever role opens up next.

Futures Game participant Colin Rea (Padres) got more good news, as he's been advanced to Triple-A. His best pitch is a low-90s cutter, and he's often around the plate with his four-pitch arsenal.

Back in Action
Thank goodness for the Pirates, otherwise there'd be no good news on the injury front. Tyler Glasnow (Eyewitness Report) came off the DL to throw for Double-A Altoona. He showed his power stuff, with a mid-90s heater and a nasty curveball, but tired as the game went on. That's no surprise given his layoff, and he should gain strength as the season wears on. Meanwhile, Alen Hanson (Eyewitness Report) returned for Triple-A Indianapolis, going 3-for-4 with an inside-the-park home run.

Craig Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @cdgoldstein
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