Good news up and down the White Sox organization this morning after they finally snapped their 21-game losing streak in the big leagues and C Edgar Quero turned in a huge night at Triple-A. Plus, we check in on a rising Pirates catcher, a Red Sox righty in the lower levels worth knowing and a strong outing from A’s righty Joe Boyle.

Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals: Mathews has posted one of the best season of any minor league starting pitcher. The lefthanded Stanford alum has jumped from Low-A to Double-A in the course of four months, with a stop at the Futures Game mixed in along the way. The only real resistance he’d encountered thus far was in Double-A, where he had to deal with more advanced hitters and offense-friendly environments of the Texas League. Neither of those elements was a challenge for Mathews on Tuesday, when he carved the San Antonio Missions for six shutout innings. By the time he exited, he’d allowed just two hits and a walk while racking up 11 strikeouts. The outing was Mathews’ fifth this season with 11 or more strikeouts and came two shy of his season high of 13, set on April 26 in the Florida State League.

Edgar Quero, C, White Sox: Over the last year or so, the White Sox have remade their farm system in earnest. One of their first moves was to spin righthander Lucas Giolito to the Angels in exchange for lefty Ky Bush and catcher Edgar Quero. The former made his big league debut on Monday, and the latter has put together a strong season at the upper levels. He began the year as the sixth-youngest player in the Southern League, where he posted an .823 OPS with a dozen home runs. Since moving to Triple-A, he’s kept on hitting. The 21-year-old swatted his third Triple-A longball on Tuesday as part of a 3-for-4 night in Charlotte’s win over Louisville. Quero is one of 15 hitters his age or younger with 15 or more home runs this season, and one of just four who have spent the entire year at the upper levels.

Omar Alfonzo, C, Pirates: At Low-A Bradenton, Alfonzo was one of Pittsburgh’s more intriguing prospects. Before his promotion, the 21-year-old swatted 15 doubles and eight home runs. He was promoted to High-A Greensboro on Tuesday, and he brought his hitting shoes with him. Facing Rome, Alfonzo went a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run. He added a walk as well, meaning he got on base in all five of his plate appearances.

Juan Valera, RHP, Red Sox: When he was in the Florida Complex League, Valera was one of the circuit’s best pitchers. Since moving to Low-A, he hasn’t let up one bit. That stretch continued on Tuesday, when he spun four hitless innings against Delmarva. He struck out five and walked two. In four appearances with Salem, Valera has allowed just one hit and five walks over a dozen shutout frames. He’s struck out 10. On Tuesday, he got 11 swings and misses in his four frames.

Joe Boyle, RHP, Athletics: Boyle ended last season with optimism after throwing more strikes in a brief big league cameo. But the walks returned to open the 2024 season, then Boyle hit the injured list in early May with a lower back strain. Things didn’t get much better upon his return, either, including a late-June outing where he walked six batters and allowed eight runs in 1.1 innings, and the A’s have opted to leave Boyle in Triple-A. Recently, he has turned things around. Boyle struck out 12 batters over 5.2 innings last night in a win over Triple-A Salt Lake, scattering just a hit and a walk. Boyle primarily attacked hitters with a 98 mph fastball and his upper-80s slider. He has held opponents to a .126 average with 52 strikeouts to just 13 walks in his last six starts and, most importantly, has upped his strike percentage to 64%. The story seems to be the same for Boyle — when it’s good, it’s really good and when it’s bad, the control goes haywire — but right now it’s quite good, and he could find his way back to the majors before long. 

Four Underrated MLB Rookies To Know

We’ve spent time this year diving into both the AL and NL Rookie of the Year races. Yesterday, we opted to focus on four rookies who may still be flying a bit under the national radar, including three who could make an impact for World Series contenders down the stretch.

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara: We’re beginning to refocus our draft efforts on the 2025 class, and the USA Collegiate National Team always offers a great window into the top talent to monitor over the ensuing calendar year. Bremner’s name is one that keeps popping up. The 6-foot-2 righty sits 94-96 on his fastball with excellent riding life and armside run, plus great feel for two secondaries. He headlines today’s ranking of the top 10 CNT prospects this summer, available below for Baseball America subscribers.