The rollout of the Talking Chop midseason Top 30 prospect list wrapped up Friday with the Top 6. You can find the entire list here. Also, Eric Cole and Gaurav Vedak answered some of the biggest questions from the list in the latest episode of The Road to Atlanta Podcast.
More Braves News
- MLB Pipeline lists one prospect for each team that could earn a call up for the final stretch of the 2021 season. Outfielder Cristian Pache was the pick for the Braves.
It’s been a rough year for Pache, who stumbled offensively during his big league debut and has struggled to find a rhythm in Triple-A. Perhaps a 4-for-13 start to August is a good sign and even if he doesn’t hit, his plus plus defense in the outfield and his speed could be assets off the bench for the Braves in that very tight NL East race.
- Braves right-hander Ian Anderson is second behind Marlins lefty Trevor Rogers in Jim Bowden’s NL rookie rankings at The Athletic.
MLB News
- With COVID-19 cases on the rise again in the United States, Major League Baseball and the Players Association are considering tightening protocols within the sport according to a report by The Athletic’s Evan Drellich.
“We constantly monitor the latest COVID developments and are in contact with the CDC and other top infectious disease experts,” a league spokesperson said Friday. “We adjust our protocols accordingly.”
- The Oakland A’s will be without outfielder Ramon Laureano for the remainder of the season, the postseason and part of next season after he received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
- The Chicago Cubs placed outfielder Jason Hayward on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left hand injury. Heyward is hitting .198/.271/.322 in 284 plate appearances this season and still has $44 million remaining on his deal.
- There was hope that Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw would be ready to return sometime in August but it doesn’t appear that it is going to happen. Kershaw is currently on the injured list with forearm inflammation but had resumed throwing. However, he experienced more soreness following a recent bullpen session and manager Dave Roberts said that a September return is probably more realistic.
- I missed this yesterday but former Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte agreed to a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds. He will report to Triple-A Louisville.