Five bright prospects added to Futures Game
Replacements selected to round out rosters after callups, injuries
To replace players who have recently been promoted to the Major Leagues or suffered injuries, Major League Baseball announced Monday five players have been added to the Futures Game rosters.
Nationals right-hander A.J. Cole, Rays left-hander C.J. Riefenhauser, Tigers catcher James McCann and Orioles first baseman Christian Walker will join the U.S. Team. Giants outfielder Jesus Galindo is the lone new player on the World Team.
The 15th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game takes place at 2 p.m. ET on All-Star Sunday at Citi Field in New York and can be seen live on MLB.com, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD and followed live on MLB.com's Gameday. In addition, XM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on MLB Network Radio XM 89. MLB.com will also provide complete coverage before, during and after the game. Fans can stay updated by following @MLBFutures on Twitter and can send/receive tweets to/from the U.S. and World Team dugouts during the game by tagging tweets with the hashtags #USDugout and #WorldDugout.
Nationals right-hander Taylor Jordan, White Sox catcher Josh Phegley and Braves first baseman/outfielder Joey Terdoslavich have all made their Major League debuts in the last 10 days, necessitating they be replaced on the U.S. roster. Cole, McCann and Walker will fill their spots.
Riefenhauser takes the place of Rays right-hander Taylor Guerrieri, who is experiencing shoulder fatigue. Galindo replaces Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, who is on the disabled list with a high ankle sprain.
Cole is ranked No. 76 on MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list. He was a key piece to the trade that brought left-hander Gio Gonzalez to Washington, and he was then reacquired by the Nationals in the Michael Morse deal in January. Cole is 5-3 with a 4.58 ERA and has struck out 98 batters in 88 1/3 innings at Class A Advanced Potomac this season.
McCann is ranked as the Tigers' No. 11 prospect by MLB.com. Detroit selected him in the second round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, making him the club's first pick that year. This season, he is hitting .287 with three home runs at Double-A Erie.
Walker is ranked No. 16 on the Orioles' Top 20 prospect list. He began the season at Class A Delmarva, where he hit .345 with a .412 on-base percentage in 31 games. Since being promoted to Class A Advanced Frederick in mid-May, Walker is hitting .287 with seven home runs in 50 games.
Riefenhauser, the Rays' 20th-round selection in the 2010 Draft, has moved quickly through the Minor Leagues. He began the season with Double-A Mobile and was recently promoted to Triple-A Durham. Between the two levels, Riefenhauser has compiled a 0.64 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings this season.
Galindo, a native of Venezuela, is hitting .272 with 37 stolen bases at Class A Augusta. He is the second Venezuelan on the World roster, joining Orioles left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.