Rays prospects and minor leagues: Franco reportedly promoted to Charlotte

With 2 1⁄2 months to play this season, the game’s top prospect may be facing a new challenge.

When Wander Franco wasn’t promoted right after the Midwest League All-Star Game, I thought he might be with Bowling Green all season. Apparently the organization wanted to give him a couple more games with the Hot Rods, according to this report from Josh Tolentino.

That wasn’t the only big news in the organization Sunday:

Triple-A Durham Bulls (46-29)

Durham couldn’t slow down Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in an 11-4 loss to the RailRiders. Jake Cronenworth opened with another scoreless inning, but the rest of the pitching staff didn’t fare as well. After Joe McCarthy’s two-run double gave the Bulls a 4-1 lead in the fourth, the RailRiders closed the game with 10 unanswered runs. Cronenworth and Ian Gibaut were the only pitchers not charged with runs.

RF Joe McCarthy: 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K (.736)
1B Nate Lowe: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K (.897)
2B Nick Solak: 0-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 K (.889)
SS Andrew Velazquez: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 CS (.782)
3B Kean Wong: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K (.934)

RHP Jake Cronenworth: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (0.00)
RHP Aaron Slegers: 3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (7.00)
RHP Ian Gibaut: one-third IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (4.15)

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (3-1)

Montgomery won a slugfest against Tennessee, 9-7. In the bottom of the third, the Smokies scored five to take a 6-2 lead, but the Biscuits immediately responded with five. Kevin Padlo capped the scoring that inning with a two-run homer. Kenny Rosenberg allowed all seven runs in four innings.

CF Josh Lowe: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB (.745)
SS Lucius Fox: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SB (.698)
3B Kevin Padlo: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K (.903)
2B Jermaine Palacios: 3-for-4, 3 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 SB (.545)

LHP Kenny Rosenberg: 4 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (3.14)

Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (4-3)

Anthony Banda made his return to the mound in Charlotte’s 7-3 win over Lakeland. For the first time since May 31, 2018, the lefty pitched to batters in a game, and the results were good. He retired all five batters he faced. Tommy Romero piggybacked with nine strikeouts in 5 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings. Ronaldo Hernandez’s first-inning sacrifice fly started the scoring, and the Stone Crabs led by as many as seven.

SS Vidal Brujan: 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 SB (.763)
C Ronaldo Hernandez: 0-for-1, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 HBP (.730 — left after HBP)
CF Garrett Whitley: 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 K (.736)

LHP Anthony Banda: 1 ²⁄₃ IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Tommy Romero: 5 ¹⁄₃ IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 9 K (2.01)

Charlotte’s site offers this recap.

Class-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (2-2)

Bowling Green’s rally fell short in an 11-10 loss to South Bend. Through four innings, the Cubs led 9-1. The Hot Rods then scored the next seven runs. In that stretch, Roberto Alvarez and Grant Witherspoon hit RBI doubles, and Kevin Santiago homered. However, a pair of insurance runs for South Bend in the eighth proved vital. In the ninth, the potential tying run was stranded on second base. Alan Strong was charged with seven runs in two innings.

SS Wander Franco: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 K (.896)
3B Ford Proctor: 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB (.742)
CF Grant Witherspoon: 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K (.757)
LF Jordan Qsar: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K (.853)
2B Kevin Santiago: 1-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 HBP (.652)

RHP Alan Strong: 2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (3.90)

Bowling Green’s site offers this recap.

Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (5-5)

Hudson Valley scored five unanswered runs in a 5-1 win over Aberdeen. A half inning after a solo homer gave the IronBirds the lead, Hill Alexander stole home to tie the game, and Luis Arcendo hit an RBI single to give the Renegades the lead. Greg Jones drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth, and Alexander singled in two more. Edisson Gonzalez struck out eight and allowed a run in four innings.

DH Greg Jones: 0-for-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 CS (.675)
RF Hill Alexander: 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI (.899)

RHP Edisson Gonzalez: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K (9.00)

Rookie Princeton Rays (3-3)

Princeton was crushed by Burlington, 10-2. Angelo Armenta singled in both Rays runs in the fifth. Aldor Rodriguez allowed three runs — two earned — in 3 ²⁄₃ innings.

SS Jelfry Marte: 1-for-5, 2 K (.519)
3B Angelo Armenta: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (.885)

RHP Aldor Rodriguez: 3 ²⁄₃ IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 2 K (4.50)

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Monday’s games (probables courtesy of milb.com)

Durham vs. Charlotte 7:05 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA vs. Ross Detwiler (1-2, 3.73)

Montgomery @ Tennessee 7 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Sam McWilliams (5-2, 2.00) vs. Cory Abbott (4-3, 3.50)

Charlotte is off.

Bowling Green is off.

Hudson Valley is off.

Princeton is off.

GCL Rays @ GCL Red Sox 12 p.m. ET

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
41-33 (T-2nd in IL South)
Offense: 432 R (1st) .825 OPS (1st)
Pitching: 5.49 ERA (13th) 1.58 WHIP (14th)
Top-30 prospects: RHP Dylan Cease (3), RHP Ian Hamilton (13), C Seby Zavala (15), RHP Spencer Adams (20), RHP Zach Thompson (28)

Tennessee Smokies (Cubs)
1-3 (T-4th in SL North)
Offense: 283 R (6th) .669 OPS (7th)
Pitching: 4.03 ERA (9th) 1.30 WHIP (6th)
Top-30 prospects: SS Nico Hoerner (1), RHP Cory Abbott (8), LHP Justin Steele (9), RHP Oscar De La Cruz (21), RHP Thomas Hatch (22), 1B Jared Young (24), C Jhonny Pereda (26), RHP Keegan Thompson (29)

GCL Red Sox
0-0
Offense: Will update next series
Pitching: Will update next series
Top-30 prospects: Roster not yet available

Daily news and links

The MLB.com prospect team picked out one interesting prospect from each organization’s short-season rosters.

Minor league no-hitters are coming in bunches again.