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Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets: The Mets rotation has been ravaged by injuries this season, yet the team has managed to keep pace with the Phillies through the first half. A potential long-term solution could be emerging in McLean.

On Wednesday, McLean strengthened his case for a big league callup with six scoreless innings, striking out 10. He threw 97 pitches (62 for strikes) while generating five groundouts and 17 whiffs. He sat 94-96 mph with both his four-seam fastball and sinker, and mixed in four distinct secondaries, led by a mid-to-high-80s sweeper. McLean generated multiple swinging strikes with five different pitch types.

He’s looking like an exciting viable short-term rotation option—and potentially a long-term fixture in the middle of the Mets’ staff.

Carson Benge, OF, Mets: With the draft just days away, the 2024 class is already looking particularly promising. Benge continues to stand out as one of its early success stories. While he’s flown under the radar compared to some higher-profile names, Benge has turned in an outstanding season. On Wednesday, he went 2-for-3 with a double and his second Double-A home run. Through his first 12 games at the level, Benge is hitting .325/.460/.550 while showing well both at the plate and in the field. He’ll represent the Mets in this weekend’s Futures Game.

Max Clark, OF, Tigers: After weeks of handwringing by Tigers fans, Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle were finally promoted to Double-A Erie this week. Clark wasted no time making his presence felt. In just his second game, he launched a 108 mph home run to right field in the third inning, a loud introduction before the game was called due to rain in the sixth. Clark has all the ingredients to develop into a dynamic leadoff threat, with a refined hit tool, power and speed. He ranks as the Tigers’ No. 2 prospect behind McGonigle, and together, they are torchbearers for a promising wave of position talent in Detroit’s system.

Chase DeLauter, OF & C.J. Kayfus, 1B, Guardians: The Guardians lineup has lacked firepower throughout 2025, but help could be on the way from Triple-A. Two Top 100 Prospects, DeLauter and Kayfus, continue to produce for Triple-A Columbus, and both homered in Wednesday’s game. They may be knocking on the door to the big leagues soon. While Kayfus is still two years away from Rule 5 eligibility, DeLauter will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason. While injuries have plagued DeLauter throughout his career, he’s consistently performed when healthy.

Carter Jensen, C, Royals: Since his promotion to Triple-A Omaha, Jensen has flashed impressive power. On Wednesday, he went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and four hard-hit balls in play, continuing a strong stretch at the plate. Jensen offers an exciting blend of power, on-base skills, and enough bat-to-ball ability to consistently tap into his plus raw power in games. Now just one call away, it’s not out of the question that he hits his way to Kansas City later this summer. While his bat is his carrying tool, he’s shown enough behind the plate to remain a viable option at catcher.

JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals: A day after earning a promotion to Triple-A Memphis, Wetherholt landed with a sonic boom. The shortstop went 2-for-4 with a home run and a triple in the first game of a doubleheader against Charlotte on Wednesday. He added another hit in the nightcap, though his debut performance stole the show. Wetherholt brings a plus hit tool, average game power and good supporting skills. If he continues to produce at this level, a big league debut later in 2025 is well within reach.

Editor’s Picks

Fantasy Risers & Fallers: Dylan White dives deep into our July rankings update to highlight key names worth monitoring. Read more…

Changing Draft Date? BA’s Jacob Rudner spoke to 20 college coaches about potential changes to the draft & transfer portal. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Santiago Castellanos, RHP, Twins: Castellanos was one of the top arms out of Venezuela available when the signing period opened on Jan. 15. So far, he’s lived up to the billing and has become one of the best pitching prospects in the DSL. The 17-year-old righthander regularly runs his fastball into the mid 90s and pairs it with a sweeping breaking ball with more than 20 inches of horizontal break. He delivers from a lower slot with lightning-quick arm speed and the type of command that belies his age. Tie it all together and he’s one of league’s more up-arrow pitching prospects. He’s one of five DSL targets that caught Josh Norris’ attention.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• The Nationals are shutting down Travis Sykora for 2-3 weeks with triceps soreness, according to Mark Zuckerman.

• Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler struck out seven and earned the win in his big league debut.

• White Sox LHP Christian Oppor struck out 10 batters over 4.2 innings for High-A Winston Salem on Thursday. That’s now back-to-back 10-strikeout outings for Oppor, who turns 21 later this month.

• Druw Jones went 73 games without homering to open the season for High-A Hillsboro, but he now has two in July after going 2-for-5 with a blast yesterday.

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