Top 100 prospects: Injuries & roster moves

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

LATEST NEWS

No. 67 Kevin Alcántara, OF, Cubs
Promoted to Major Leagues
Chicago called up the toolsy, 6-foot-6 outfielder nicknamed "The Jaguar" ahead of its Sept. 25 game at Philadelphia. Alcántara, who's slated to bat ninth against the Phillies in his Major League debut, had a composite slash line of .278/.353/.428 with 14 homers and 14 stolen bases over Double-A and Triple-A across 111 games. Acquired from the Yankees in the deal that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Bronx in 2021, he split last season between High-A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee, then swatted his way from Tennessee up to Triple-A Iowa in August this year. (Last updated: Sept. 25)

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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. 28 Leodalis De Vries, SS, Padres
Injury:
Right shoulder strain
Expected return: TBD
De Vries' breakout first professional season may be coming to an early end. The Padres' 17-year-old shortstop prospect -- the top-ranked international signing in the current class -- suffered a strained right shoulder while diving for a ball Aug. 18.

De Vries' shoulder strain will likely keep him sidelined for at least a couple weeks, sources told MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. Without much season left for Single-A Lake Elsinore, a return seems unlikely, though the club has not ruled it out. Still, the Padres will undoubtedly be cautious with De Vries.

Early in the season, the 17-year-old dealt with an injury to his other shoulder and struggled as a result. But once he got healthy, he turned in an outstanding summer, posting a .284/.407/.589 slash line in July and August. (Last updated: Aug. 19)

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: TBD
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. 32 Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies
Injury: Partial tear in right elbow
Expected return: 2025
Painter has progressed to throwing off a mound in Clearwater, Fla., after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late July 2023. He is not expected to return to game action until the 2025 season. Painter will still be just 21 years old on Opening Day next year. (Last updated: July 22)

No. 42 Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs
Injury:
Right lat strain
Expected return: 2025
Horton is expected to miss the remainder of the year due to a setback in his rehab from a right lat strain, MLB.com has confirmed. The expectation is Horton will get back to throwing, but given where the calendar is, the 22-year-old getting back to competitive action before the end of the Minor League season would be difficult.

It’s 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)

No. 45 Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
Injury: Right hamstring strain
Expected return: TBD
Kurtz exited in the third inning of Double-A Midland's game on Aug. 24 after stretching to make a play at first base. The No. 4 overall pick in July's Draft immediately grabbed for his hamstring and tried jogging before exiting the game. Kurtz is 5-for-13 at Double-A this season and has a 1.283 OPS in 12 games across two levels. MLB.com's Martín Gallegos reported that Kurtz will land on the injured list, although there is no timetable for his return yet. (Last updated: Aug. 25)

No. 59 Edgar Quero, C, White Sox
Added to taxi squad
Quero is expected to join the White Sox taxi squad for the remainder of the 2024 season, MLB.com’s Scott Merkin confirmed on Sept. 22. The 21-year-old will work out with the Major League team but will not be in the team’s dugout since he’s not active. Quero returned to Triple-A Charlotte on Sept. 19 after a back injury sidelined him for over a month. The catcher played in three games to close out the Knights’ regular season, finishing his fourth Minor League campaign with a .280/.366/.463 slash line across two levels. (Last updated: Sept. 22)

No. 63 Luke Keaschall, 2B/OF, Twins
Injury: Right elbow injury
Expected return: 2025
Luke Keaschall will undergo 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. 65 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 pickoff throw. (Last updated: May 17)

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: TBD
Sal Stewart was placed on the 7-day injured list by the Dayton Dragons on July 17 and is reportedly dealing with a hand injury. The 2022 first-round pick is batting .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: TBD
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: TBD
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)