Prospect Roundup: Games of May 31

Theme of the day

See ya: For the second day in a row, the most interesting story in the Minors concerns a player who dominated a single game and was then promoted. On Wednesday, that was Ronny Rodríguez, who hit for the cycle for Triple-A Toledo and moved up to Detroit later that day. On Thursday, that was Keston Hiura. The Brewers' top prospect notched his first career two-homer game and collected a career-best five hits for Class A Advanced Carolina before being told by manager Joe Ayrault that he was headed to Double-A Biloxi. MiLB.com's Tyler Maun has all the details.

Who stayed hot

Dodgers SS/2B Gavin Lux, Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga: 3-for-3, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB, CS -- The Dodgers' No. 12 prospect has turned on the power of late. By adding a homer and a double on a perfect day at the plate Thursday, Lux is hitting .370/.396/.826 with four homers, two triples and five doubles in his last 10 games. Power was considered the 2016 first-rounder's weakest tool entering his second full season -- he hit seven homers and slugged .382 at Class A Great Lakes in 2017 -- but he's already hit five long balls this campaign through 48 games and has pushed his slugging percentage to .505 in 2018. It may be the California League, but Lux leads all shortstops in the circuit with a .908 OPS. This is looking like a breakout in progress.

Who needed this one

Phillies RHP Adonis Medina, Class A Advanced Clearwater: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 87 pitches, 59 strikes -- It's been an uneven season to say the least for the Phillies' No. 2 prospect. On the one hand, Medina owns a 4.97 ERA through nine starts, even after Thursday's gem at home against Fort Myers. On the other, 14 of his 23 earned runs allowed came in two starts alone, including one in which he gave up eight in just two innings on May 15. On Thursday, the Threshers seemed to get the Dr. Jekyll version of the 21-year-old, who completed his longest outing of the season without giving up an earned run. He did so efficiently as well, needing only 87 pitches to get through seven frames. Medina hasn't missed as many bats in 2018 with his strikeout rate falling from 26.3 percent at Class A Lakewood last season to 18.5 percent this campaign, but he is doing a good job of keeping contact on the ground with a 53 percent groundball rate. If he can start using his plus fastball and above-average change to generate more strikeouts, the zeros should start piling up again in the season's third month.

The unexpected

Tigers OF Jake Robson, Double-A Erie: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 IBB -- Detroit's No. 26 prospect isn't known for his power, and rightfully so. The 2016 eighth-round pick out of Mississippi State is more of a speed-first player with a solid hit tool. (He hit just three home runs in 118 games between Class A West Michigan and Class A Advanced Lakeland last season.) But on Thursday, he was a feared power hitter in the Erie lineup, going deep twice for his first career multi-homer game. Binghamton even intentionally walked the SeaWolves right fielder with the bases empty in the seventh inning after he went deep in the fourth and sixth. Robson is batting .293/.396/.422 with five homers and eight steals in his first 45 games with Erie -- not enough to imply a power breakout is on the horizon, but for one day, Robson will gladly take up the moniker of slugger.

Best matchup

Jesus Luzardo vs. Eric Filia -- Filia was activated from his 50-game suspension for a second positive test of a drug of abuse on Wednesday and promptly homered in his first at-bat with Double-A Arkansas. He was then thrown into the fire pretty quickly when he faced MLB.com's No. 32 overall prospect in a lefty-on-lefty matchup Thursday. Luzardo got the best of Filia at the outset, striking him out looking in the first inning. But the Mariners' No. 12 prospect, who owns a career .338 average in the Minors, turned things around with a four-pitch walk in the third and an RBI single to left field in the fourth. Filia ended up being the last batter Luzardo faced on the night as the A's No. 2 prospect finishing with five earned runs allowed on eight hits and two walks in his 3 2/3 frames. It'll be some time before the 20-year-old southpaw can exact any revenge; Midland and Arkansas won't play again until Aug. 10.

Who strengthened their promotion case

Red Sox LHP Jalen Beeks, Triple-A Pawtucket: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 97 pitches, 62 strikes -- One of the most reliable occurrences in the International League so far this season has been Beeks' ability to rack up strikeouts. The No. 15 Red Sox prospect added seven to his tally Thursday at Norfolk and now has 80 K's over 56 1/3 innings in 2018. No one else in the IL has more than 68, and that total goes to No. 2 White Sox prospect and noted fireballer Michael Kopech. Beeks leads all Triple-A hurlers with a 35.4 percent strikeout rate and owns a 2.56 ERA that ranks fifth in the IL. The 24-year-old southpaw was a Red Sox Organization All-Star last year after fanning 155 in 145 innings between Pawtucket and Double-A Portland but has really taken off in 2018, thanks to an improved cutter that he's added to his fastball-curve-change mix. Drew Pomeranz has struggled in the Major League rotation with a 6.81 ERA in eight starts, and while Boston has said it plans to keep him in that role, Beeks could be auditioning for a spot with each K-heavy outing.