Rosters don't expand until Sept. 1, but the Padres can't wait that long to introduce their second baseman of the future.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Luis Urias will join the club Tuesday.
He has gotten some buzz in prospect circles for a couple years now, ranking 32nd according to Baseball America this spring, but he's also the sort of prospect whose numbers leave you scratching your head.
Oh, he does some things well, namely making contact at high rate (though it was less the case at Triple-A this year) and hitting an abundance of line drives. It's sort of a throwback skill set, actually — one that could make him a fairly reliable source of batting average but one that gives him a more difficult path to greatness in today's homer-happy landscape.
Then again, you never know exactly how a player's talents will translate to the big leagues.
From Francisco Lindor to Ozzie Albies to Gleyber Torres, there's a history of highly regarded middle infield prospects with solid all-around bat skills showing up in the majors and immediately hitting for more power. No guarantees for Urias, of course, but he's known for generating high exit velocity. If you need middle infield help, he's worth a gamble.
Every time Tyler White is in the lineup, he seems to do something big, most recently hitting a three-run homer on a 2-for-4 day Monday. And he's in the lineup pretty often these days, having started seven of the Astros' past eight games, most often in place of Evan Gattis. The 27-year-old knows how to take a walk and had a 1.013 OPS prior to his promotion this year, so it's time for mixed league owners to take note.
Psych! Hunter Strickland got a save Monday, his first since missing close to two months with a broken hand, but he's not reclaiming the closer role for the Giants. Here's how the San Francisco Chronicle summed up the situation:
"Strickland earned his first save since June 10. Will Smith had a second consecutive day off after pitching on three straight days. [Manager Bruce] Bochy expects the lefty to be available Tuesday night."
What does that tell you? It tells me Bochy thought he had overworked Smith and wanted to make sure he was good and rested. Bochy already committed to keeping Smith in the role when Strickland returned from the DL in mid-August, and the lefty has been the Giants best reliever this year, compiling a 1.84 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings. It's status quo, so no need to add Strickland.
If you're looking for saves, best to look to the 49 percent-owned Jeremy Jeffress, who got four save chances over the past week and converted three of them. Corey Knebel is out of the picture, having been sent to Triple-A, and we know the Brewers aren't going to confine Josh Hader to the ninth inning. It took a while for them to commit Jeffress to it, but now that they have, it's a golden opportunity for Fantasy owners.
Like White, Jeff McNeil is deserving of some attention in mixed leagues by now, demonstrating the sort of bat control that makes his .336 batting average appear not so far-fetched. It's not crazy to think he could hit for more power, too, given his near-40 percent fly ball rate and the fact he hit .342 with 19 homers and a 1.028 OPS in 88 minor-league games this year.
Luke Voit hasn't ascended to mixed-league status yet, but the ability and opportunity are there for him to follow in White's and McNeil's footsteps, which would make now the time to gamble on him in AL-only leagues. The Yankees may not have given up on Greg Bird, but Voit has started four of the past five games over him, including just one against a lefty. And he has delivered, most notably with a two-homer game Friday. The 27-year-old hit .301 with 11 homers and an .896 OPS in 78 minor-league games this year.
