Reinold Navarro, LHP, Pirates: Now that Bubba Chandler has graduated, Navarro has the best fastball in the system. It may be one of the best pure fastballs in all of the minors. But for most of Navarro’s brief pro career, strikes have remained elusive.

The 19-year-old walked 26.8% of batters in 2025 and issued free passes at a similar rate early this season for Low-A Bradenton. The Pirates shifted Navarro from a starter to a bulk-inning relief role on April 25, and the move appears to have unlocked the most effective stretch of his career.

Navarro struck out nine batters over 4.1 innings Thursday against Fort Myers, surrendering one hit and issuing one walk. The lefthander leaned heavily on his 96.5 mph fastball, throwing it 69% of the time, generating 10 whiffs on 22 swings and touching 98 mph while mixing in a slider and changeup. His 19 overall whiffs tied Giants RHP Argenis Cayama for the most among all Low-A pitchers.

More importantly, Navarro has been in the zone more—a lot more.

The Pirates' No. 16 prospect (and preseason breakout pick) has walked just four batters over 14.1 innings since moving to relief, and his overall strike rate has finished north of 60% in each of his past two outings: 63.3% on Thursday and 69.2% last week. He had previously never reached that threshold since arriving at Low-A Bradenton. In a weird twist, Navarro is now working deeper into games than ever before.

While he's far from a marksman and still owns a 20% walk rate for the season, Navarro’s high-vert fastball and slider combination should overwhelm Low-A hitters as long as he continues forcing them to swing at enough pitches in the zone. His last month of work is a step in the right direction.

A.J. Ewing, OF, Mets: After being called up earlier this week, the Ewing era in New York could not have gotten off to a better start, as the new Mets outfielder slugged his first career home run and led New York to a sweep of the Tigers. Ewing reached base in all three games, capped by two hits Thursday. The homer, a 405-foot shot that left the bat at 110.5 mph, came in the third inning off a 1-0 93.2 mph fastball from Tigers righthander Keider Montero. Ewing is now hitting .333/.538/.889 in 13 big league plate appearances. He currently ranks No. 32 in the Top 100 and is set to assume the top spot in the Mets' system when their Top 30 is updated next week.

Josuar Gonzalez & Luis Hernandez, Giants: One day after Gonzalez and Hernandez dominated the Dodgers, the talented Giants duo tormented the Angels with three hits apiece on Thursday. Gonzalez slugged his first career home run, doubled and drove in four, while Hernandez had a double and two singles and drove in one. 

Both are off to great starts to the Arizona Complex League season, with Gonzalez hitting .476/.593/.762 and Hernandez hitting .444/.500/.917. Both are also Top 100 prospects, with Gonzalez slotting in at No. 19 and Hernandez at No. 82.

Kane Kepley, OF, Cubs: The Cubs’ 2025 second-round pick had the first four-hit game of his professional career as part of High-A South Bend's 25-run explosion on Tuesday. Kepley reached base six times, going 4-for-5, with five runs, two RBIs and two walks. He also stole four bases. For the year, Kepley is hitting .284/.486/.422. The 22-year-old outfielder currently ranks fifth in the Cubs' system.

Luke Hanson, SS, Rangers: The top performer Thursday night was Hanson, who homered twice and drove in nine runs for High-A Spartanburg. Selected in the 15th round of the 2025 draft out of Virginia, the 22-year-old hit a three-run home run in the sixth, a two-run double in the seventh and then a grand slam in the ninth. This was the best game of Hanson’s professional career and raised his season stat line to .204/.278/.417.

Argenis Cayama, RHP, Giants: One week after Cayama had the worst start of his career in which he allowed seven runs and was unable to get out of the fourth inning, the Giants righthander bounced back in a big way by striking out a career-high 10 hitters in only four innings against the Dodgers' Low-A Ontario squad.

Cayama recorded 19 whiffs on 75 pitches and allowed only one hit and one walk. That lone hit was a big one, though—a three-run home run for Dodgers No. 17 prospect Ching-Hsien Ko. For the year, Cayama now has 40 strikeouts in 28 innings and has walked only five hitters. He currently ranks No. 12 in the Giants' system.

Editor’s Picks

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Austin Overn, OF, Rays: Overn continued a torrid May with his second consecutive game with three or more hits. One night after recording four hits and homering twice, he went 3-for-4 with another home run and reached base a fourth time via a walk. After a quiet April in which he hit .256/.312/.395 with two home runs, Overn is now slashing .422/.458/.867 with five home runs in 10 games in May. For the year, the 23-year-old is hitting .313/.362/.557 and is set to rise when the Rays’ Top 30 is updated next week.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• The Roldy Brito experience rolls on in Low-A. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles on Thursday.

• Power-hitting Pirates C/1B Axiel Plaz went 4-for-4 with two homers for High-A Greensboro. For the year, Plaz is hitting .348/.406/.583 with six homers, a 6.2% walk rate and a 20.2% strikeout rate.

• White Sox SS Billy Carlson, the 10th pick in 2025 out of Corona High School in California, went 3-for-4 with a double against Low-A Charleston. That marked his first extra-base hit since April 26.

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