Prospect Wire, powered by Louisville Slugger, is Baseball America’s new free home for in-season daily news, analysis and filterable season stats for every player ranked in a Top 30. Check that out here.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Twins: Rodriguez continues to be one of the most unique prospects in the minor leagues. While he strikes out at an alarming rate, he also walks at an extremely high rate. Rodriguez showed his power and speed on Wednesday roping a triple, collecting a base hit and a walk. Rodriguez is now hitting .269/.460/.538 with a 169 wRC+ over his first run at the Double-A level.

Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox: Mayer has started the season on fire and he’s shown no signs of slowing down this week. After collecting three hits in Double-A Portland’s series opener against Somerset, Mayer had two more hits in a Wednesday afternoon matinee. The Red Sox No. 2 prospect is hitting .310/.359/.496 over the first 31 games of the season.

Zebby Matthews, RHP, Twins: There are few pitchers who have had stronger starts in 2024 than Matthews. He followed up a strong Double-A debut with Wichita by tossing five innings of one run ball, allowing three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Matthews has yet to allow a walk over 34.2 innings this season, as he’s both added velocity this season and improved his already impressive control. Matthews sits 95-96 mph with a high-carry four-seam fastball. He mixes a slider, cutter and changeup.

Echedry Vargas, SS, Rangers: It’s been a tricky opening month in Low-A for Vargas, who entered the season with serious breakout helium. So far Vargas has swung and missed at a high rate and chased far too much. On Wednesday Vargas broke out of his slump as he slugged his second home run of the season, on his way to collecting a double, a base hit and a walk. Vargas has huge upside but he’ll need to tone down his aggressiveness at the plate.

Jose Fermin, INF, Cardinals: Fermin has ping ponged between St. Louis and Triple-A Memphis over the last few seasons but remains prospect eligible. When in Memphis this season Fermin has been nearly impossible to get out. On Wednesday, Fermin collected four hits, driving in four. Fermin is now hitting .382/.475/.676 with 12 extra-base hits over 20 games. Fermin is showing glimpses of improvement at the plate and could be a valuable asset for the Cardinals as a utility option.

Dylan Crews, OF, Nationals: After a slow opening month to the season, Crews has started to catch fire with Double-A Harrisburg as the calendar has flipped to May. On Wednesday Crews had three hits, a pair of doubles and four RBI. In 10 May games, Crews is hitting .303/.400/.636 with seven extra base hits. While the first month of the season was a cold reminder than even the most heralded prospects need to adjust, it’s likely just a blip in Crews’ career.

Want to get ahead? Each day we’ll surface one prospect from recent Baseball America coverage who could be on the rise.

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Elian Peña, SS, Dominican Republic: Peña is expected to sign the biggest bonus in the class, likely in the $5 million area, which would be nearly all of the $6,261,600 in the Mets’ bonus pool. Peña is a polished lefthanded hitter and one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the class. It’s a sweet lefty swing that’s compact and stays through the hitting zone a long time, with Peña showing the ability to manipulate the barrel to consistently square up pitches for hard contact throughout the strike zone. Against live pitching, he has shown a discerning approach for his age, taking his walks and getting a good pitch to hit, with plus raw power. A tick above-average runner underway with a plus arm, Peña is an offensive-minded infielder who some scouts thought would fit best at third base, though others think he has a chance to stick at shortstop.