Prospect Roundup: Games of April 16

Theme of the day

Sighs of relief: There was plenty of action on the field Monday, but the biggest news came from elsewhere. No. 6 overall prospectVictor Robleswon't need surgery on his left elbow, the Nationals announced, after it was determined there were no tears resulting from his scary dive in the outfield on April 9. Instead of missing the rest of the season, it's possible Robles will only miss a few months before returning to Triple-A Syracuse. No. 5 overall prospect Gleyber Torres also had a brief scare. The Yankees' top prospect left the game early for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre due to what the team called "stiffness" but added that the move was only precautionary. The game is more fun with prospects on the field, so it's great news that the Minors won't be without two of the game's top 10 prospects for long.

Who stayed hot

Phillies LHP Ranger Suárez, Double-A-Reading: 8 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K, 99 pitches, 66 strikes -- Don't be misled by Suarez's 4.76 ERA -- this was the second straight impressive start for the Phillies' No. 11 prospect. The high ERA stems from Suarez allowing seven earned runs over three innings on Opening Day -- since then, he's allowed only two earned runs over 14 innings while striking out 16 and walking none. There's case to be made that Monday's outing was the best of Suarez's career. It matched his career high for strikeouts and was his longest start since going eight innings on Aug. 2, 2014 in the Venezuelan Summer League. The 6-foot-1 southpaw doesn't overpower hitters, but he does fill up the zone with a solid four-pitch mix. He'll need that in a system loaded with talent at the Class A Advanced and Double-A levels.

Who needed this one

Braves C Drew Lugbauer, Class A Rome: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, K -- An 11th-round pick out of Michigan last year, Lugbauer made a strong first impression by hitting 13 homers in 60 games between Rookie-level Danville and Rome. That didn't carry over in the first seven games of 2018 as the Braves' No. 30 prospect went 3-for-27 with no homers, one double and 11 strikeouts. Monday's two-homer game -- the fourth of his career -- couldn't have come at a better time. Atlanta has solid prospect depth behind the plate with Alex Jackson, William Contreras and Brett Cumberland all ranked above Lugbauer in the system, but the former Wolverine's power potential could give him a leg up.

The unexpected

Brewers OF Corey Ray, Double-A Biloxi: 3-for-5, 3B, 2B, R -- The Brewers' No. 7 prospect was featured in the "Others of note" section of this story Monday and returns here after his fifth multi-hit performance in six games. The reason Ray features in this category is because he's been hotter to start the season in Biloxi than he seemingly ever was last season at Class A Advanced Carolina. The former Louisville slugger was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 Draft because of his five-tool potential, but it rarely showed up in 2017 as he hit .238 with seven homers, 24 steals and a .679 OPS in 112 games. By comparison, he's now hitting .362/.400/.660 with nine extra-base hits and three steals in his first 11 contests with the Shuckers. Ray had dropped out of MLB.com's top-100 prospect list, but he's performing exactly how he should to return.

Best matchup

Kolby Allard vs. Gleyber Torres: Before the RailRiders infielder left the game in the top of the fifth inning, he got two at-bats against MLB.com's No. 58 overall prospect. Allard was coming off a rough Triple-A debut in which he allowed three earned runs over four innings and was facing a right-hander in Torres, who had an .820 OPS against lefties like Allard last season. The advantage seemed to be with Torres. Instead, he never left the infield. Torres grounded meekly back to the mound in the first and bounced out to first two innings later. Allard ended up giving up only one earned run on four hits and two walks while fanning five in 5 2/3 innings, a positive step in his introduction to the International League.

Who strengthened their promotion case

Dodgers OF Alex Verdugo, Triple-A Oklahoma City:2-for-4, HR, RBI, R, K -- The Dodgers' No. 2 prospect didn't sound happy at being left out of a crowded Los Angeles outfield. "I felt really good by the end of Spring Training, and obviously getting the news that I got sent down ... it [stunk], to be honest," he told MiLB.com on Sunday. "But it just gave me a little bit more of a fire in my belly to get up quicker and just do the best I can down here and force the Dodgers' hand to bring me up quicker." One way to force the club's hand is to show more power. Verdugo proved to be a gifted hitter in the PCL in 2017, but he hit only six homers over 117 games in the circuit, which is known for eye-popping offensive numbers. He's already halfway to that mark after going deep again Monday. Verdugo has now homered in three straight games and owns a .341/.357/.610 line with five extra-base hits in 10 games with OKC. It might take a longer run of success to wrestle away a spot from Matt Kemp, but Verdugo may be jumping ahead of Andrew Toles on the Dodgers' list of outfield options.

Others of note

Brewers 2B Keston Hiura, Class A Advanced Carolina: 3-for-5, R, K -- The Brewers' top prospect is known for his hit tool, but Monday marked just his second multi-hit performance in nine games. He's produced a .229/.282/.286 line in the early going, but there's no doubt this is just a small slump.
Brewers RHP Brandon Woodruff, Triple-A Colorado Springs: 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 94 pitches, 53 strikes -- Woodruff gave up four earned runs on 10 hits over three appearances (seven innings) in the Majors before being sent down. He's responded with a 1.59 ERA in his first two starts back with the Sky Sox.
Athletics SS Kevin Merrell, Class A Advanced Stockton: 4-for-5, 3B, 2B, 2 R -- The A's No. 15 prospect, known for his plus-plus speed, has hits in 10 straight games. His four hits Monday are a new career high for the 2017 33rd overall pick.