Edward Florentino, OF, Pirates: Florentino has had some struggles adjusting to High-A since joining Greensboro on May 1, but the center fielder is showing signs that he's figuring things out.

Florentino went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs on Sunday, three days after homering as part of a three-hit game. He now has 10 home runs in 48 games this season. He's hitting .222/.352/.422 for Greensboro and .236/.375/.466 overall.

Florentino drove a first-inning offering deep over the right-field fence. In the seventh, he went the opposite way, just clearing the left-field fence. Bowling Green left fielder Jose Perez got a glove on the ball at the fence, but it caromed off his glove and over the wall to remove any doubt that it was a home run.

Jackson Baumeister, RHP, Rays: This season has been a bit of a mixed bag for Baumeister. He was tagged for eight home runs in his first five starts, which explains his 7.52 ERA in April. After a short stint on the injured list, Baumeister has been much better since returning, and he was at his best on Sunday.

Baumeister did not allow a hit while striking out 10 of the 17 batters he faced over five scoreless innings against Birmingham. A first-inning walk to Caleb Bonemer and a fifth-inning walk to Colby Shelton were the only blemishes.

Since being acquired at the 2024 trade deadline in the deal that sent Zach Eflin to Baltimore, Baumeister's development has somewhat stagnated. He went 2-4 with a 4.62 ERA in 62.1 innings over 15 starts for Double-A Montgomery in 2025. This year, he's 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 57.1 innings over 13 starts. His strikeout rate has climbed from 19.5% to 27.9%, but his walk rate has also increased from 9.6% to 12.2%, and he has allowed 11 home runs this season after giving up six last year.

Luis De Leon, LHP, Orioles: On June 30, fans were robbed of an excellent pitching matchup between Mets prospect Jonathan Santucci and De León when a rain delay forced both starters from the game after 1.2 innings.

The rematch on Sunday lived up to the hype. De León, the Double-A Chesapeake starter, held Binghamton to one hit, one hit batter and three walks over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out nine.

Santucci, Binghamton's starter, allowed two earned runs on two hits and four walks while striking out 10 over six innings.

It was one of the best starts of an up-and-down season for De León. He also held Altoona hitless over five scoreless innings on June 11. This was just the second time this year he had worked at least five innings without allowing a run. His 5.37 ERA is inflated by a 10-earned-run outing in just 2.1 innings against Akron in early June.

Even so, De León continues to miss bats. He has struck out 29% of opposing hitters while holding them to a .238 batting average.

Owen Ayers, C, Cubs: Fresh off a month in which he hit .451/.554/.824 with 41 hits in 25 games, Ayers went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run on Sunday for his first standout performance of July with Double-A Knoxville.

Ayers continues to be one of the breakout prospects of the 2026 season. He's hitting .311/.426/.617 overall after earning a promotion to Double-A in mid-April. Ayers has recorded 27 multi-hit games in just 70 games this season. Sunday's performance was his eighth game with multiple extra-base hits.

Mike Sirota, OF, Dodgers: The last time Sirota failed to reach base, he was playing in a game with a first-pitch temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That was three months and one level ago. Ever since that 0-for-4 game on April 8, Sirota has been an on-base machine. After going 0-for-2 in his first two plate appearances on Sunday for Double-A Tulsa, he homered in the fifth inning with a drive to straightaway center field.

Blake Burke, 1B, Brewers: After being sidelined for a week, Burke went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a 480-foot home run in his return to action for Double-A Biloxi.

Burke finished a triple shy of the cycle. He struck out in the first inning, doubled in the fourth and drove in two with a single to center field in the fifth. His seventh-inning home run to center was a 111 mph, 480-foot blast that disappeared well beyond the center-field wall.

Burke came to the plate in the eighth with a chance to complete the cycle but had to settle for a stand-up two-RBI double.

Burke is hitting .269/.345/.560 with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 69 games.

Editor’s Picks

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Murf Gray, 3B, Pirates: Gray has been one of the most productive hitters in the minors this season. He only added to that this weekend.

Gray went 2-for-4 with a home run on Sunday after also homering on Saturday for High-A Greensboro.

He's hitting .334/.415/.621 with 22 home runs in 75 games this season. Gray opened the year at Low-A Bradenton before earning a promotion to Greensboro on May 19. While he isn't hitting for as much average or getting on base as often with the Grasshoppers, he has hit 14 home runs in just 37 games.

Gray ranks seventh in the minors in batting average, eighth in home runs, sixth in slugging percentage, eighth in OPS (1.036) and third in total bases (180). He recently rose to eighth in the Pirates system in our July update.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Rockies outfielder Zac Veen hit two more home runs on Sunday for Triple-A Albuquerque and is now up to a career-high 16 homers through 76 games to go along with a 1.005 OPS in the PCL.

• Parks Harber also went deep twice for Double-A Richmond. He’s up to a healthy .289/.380/.517 with 11 homers through 60 games. He ranks No. 12 in the Giants system.

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