Hector Rodriguez, OF, Reds: Rodriguez has been on fire all season, and on Wednesday he added a cycle to his ledger. Rodriguez opened the game with a single, then homered three innings later. He doubled in the fifth inning and completed the cycle with a triple in the sixth that narrowly missed becoming his second home run of the day. Per Triple-A Louisville's media relations department, Rodriguez is the only player in franchise history to have a cycle and a three-homer game in the same season. The 22-year-old has 11 doubles and a dozen longballs on the season.

Owen Ayers, C, Cubs: Ayers was one of the breakout stars of the 2025 Arizona Fall League. Now, he's carrying that momentum into the regular season. After annihilating the Midwest League in the early days of the 2026 campaign, Ayers moved to Double-A Knoxville and has yet to let up. His latest outburst was eye-popping. Facing Montgomery in a doubleheader, Ayers collected six hits, including three doubles and a home run. The blast was his 11th in Double-A and 17th of the season. He is now one of seven players in the minors with 10 or more doubles, 15 or more homers and 30 or more walks.

Eli Willits, SS, Nationals: It didn't take long for Willits to adjust to life in High-A. In his second game with his new team, the reigning No. 1 overall pick clubbed a pair of solo home runs in his team's loss at Greensboro. He reached starter Cameron Keshock in the third inning, then touched up reliever Bryan Mena in the seventh. Willits also doubled as part of a 3-for-5 night. The effort marked the first multi-homer game of Willits' young career.

Alfredo Duno, C, Reds: Duno is one of the finest prospects in the sport, regardless of position. If he can stick behind the plate and produce this level of offense, however, he'll be one of the most valuable players in the big leagues. The 20-year-old backstop put on a show on Wednesday as part of Dayton's rout of Fort Wayne. He went 4-for-6 on the evening with a double and his 13th home run of the season, just five shy of the total he produced in 113 games in 2025 with Low-A Daytona.

Khal Stephen, RHP, Guardians: Stephen was placed on the injured list on Wednesday with right elbow soreness, the team announced. The 23-year-old righthander was in the midst of a solid season at Double-A Akron, where he'd worked to a 3-2, 3.44 mark with 49 strikeouts in 55 innings. Stephen was Toronto's second-round pick in 2024 out of Mississippi State but was traded to the Blue Jays in the deal that brought Shane Bieber north of the border.

Editor’s Picks

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Isaiah Drake, OF, Braves: The Rome Emperors are one of the most fun clubs in the minor leagues. Their lineup is bursting with prospects—including a pair of Top 100 talents in Tate Southisene and Eric Hartman—and their rotation just got rocket ship lefthander Briggs McKenzie after one start in Low-A. On Wednesday, it was Drake's turn to shine. The lefty-swinging outfielder launched two home runs as part of a three-hit night that also included a double, two runs and three RBIs. The outburst brought Drake's season total to 10 home runs, further extending his new season high-water mark.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Surprise, surprise: Demetrio Crisantes is at it again. The 21-year-old D-backs infielder went 3-for-5 with a double on Wednesday for Double-A Amarillo and is now hitting .333/.515/.458 through his first seven games in the upper minors. His teammate, OF Druw Jones, went 3-for-5 with a homer as well.

• White Sox infielder Caleb Bonemer has cooled off since his red-hot start for High-A Winston-Salem. He went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts last night. He’s hitting .225 with 22 strikeouts to six walks over his last 20 games.

• Dodgers RHP River Ryan allowed just one run with seven strikeouts over four innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has allowed one earned run or less in four of his last five starts.

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