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Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox: Anthony is making it harder by the day for the Red Sox to keep him in Triple-A. Baseball America’s No. 2 prospect launched his fifth home run of the season on Thursday—an opposite-field shot that left the bat at 106.8 mph. The 20-year-old has now hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games, reinforcing his status as one of the premier bats in the minors. He is hitting .308 with a 1.043 OPS. Though he's been limited to DH duties recently because of right shoulder soreness, per MassLive, Anthony returned to left field on Wednesday before sliding back into the DH spot on Thursday for Worcester. Anthony’s bat is sending a clear message: he’s knocking on the door to Fenway Park.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers: Walcott may be approaching a power surge. The 19-year-old Rangers shortstop is beginning to find his rhythm at the plate, going 2-for-3 with his second home run of the season on Thursday for Double-A Frisco. After a slow start, he has now recorded hits in 10 of his last 11 games while driving in nine runs during that stretch. At his best, Walcott pairs an impressive approach with advanced power potential that made him one of the most exciting young prospects in the sport. His ability to translate his raw strength to game production is rare for his age, and he's now hitting .266/.392/.453 through 17 games.

Dalton Rushing, C, Dodgers: On most other big league teams, Rushing would be ready for the active roster. But he's blocked by Will Smith in Los Angeles right now, so Rushing will need to keep his Triple-A momentum going until opportunity comes. The 24-year-old impressed on Thursday, notching his second four-hit game of the season, highlighted by a massive 412-foot homer. Rushing has homered twice this week as he begins to find his power stroke, although he's also striking 28.4% of the time so far with Oklahoma City.

Luis Morales, RHP, Athletics: Are there any signs of Luis Morales slowing down? It certainly doesn't seem that way. The A’s righthander kept rolling on Thursday for Double-A Midland, striking out seven batters over seven innings while allowing just one earned run. The 22-year-old carved through the lineup with precision, racking up 14 whiffs on the night, continuing to show off swing-and-miss stuff. Through four starts, the A's No. 5 prospect owns a 2.33 ERA with a 28.6% strikeout rate to 10.4% walk rate.

Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox: Schultz threw five scoreless innings with five strikeouts on Thursday for Double-A Birmingham, although it wasn't the most glamorous outing. The 21-year-old lefthander threw just 47 of his 78 pitches for strikes (60%) while walking three batters. Schultz has now walked eight batters over his last 8.2 innings. On the bright side, Schultz has now pitched into the fifth inning twice this season. Schultz and fellow lefthander Hagen Smith are two of the top three lefthanders in Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects. White Sox general manager Chris Getz said both pitchers could reach the majors in “the very near future” prior to the season, however both have struggled with strike-throwing so far this season. It may be wise for the White Sox to take their time with the duo rather than rush them up given they aren't expected to contend this season.

Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers: Rainer's impressive power as a prep combined with the Tigers' affinity for lefthanded-hitting infielders created a perfect match in last year's draft. Rainer showcased that power on Thursday for Low-A Lakeland, launching an opposite-field blast for his first professional homer en route to a 2-for-4 day. Rainer was the fifth first-round pick out of Los Angeles’ Harvard-Westlake High, joining elite company in Max Fried, Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Rainer has hit just .200 with a .673 OPS through his first eight games, but perhaps Thursday's homer will get him going.

Kumar Rocker, RHP, Rangers: Rocker is headed to the injured list with a shoulder impingement, manager Bruce Bochy told Rangers beat writers. The news came a day after Rocker's worst MLB start. Rocker gave up five runs and seven hits in 1.2 innings. His velocity seemed normal as he sat at 95 mph with his fastball, but he was hit hard with three hits over 100 mph. Rocker came into Wednesday's start with a 6.38 ERA, but after last night he's now sitting at an 8.10 ERA with a .341 opponent's batting average.

Editor’s Picks

Dylan Hecht’s Remarkable Story: The Giants 31-year-old righty let go of his professional dream. Then the Giants improbably pulled him out of the recreational ranks to give him another shot. Read more…

Fantasy Pod: Geoff Pontes and Dylan White dive into callups and 10 additional dynasty names to know. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Cristian Hernandez, SS, Cubs: Hernandez received a club-record signing bonus of $3 million in January 2021 but struggled for a few seasons before taking a step forward in repeating Low-A last year. This season, Hernandez is off to a hot start with High-A South Bend, hitting .328/.400/.522 over 17 games with a 15.7% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. Hernandez is employing a far more aggressive approach, as his swing rate is up 25% from last year, resulting in more power over the first few weeks. With the ability to play shortstop long term and improving game power, Hernandez is once again a relevant name outside the Top 100.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Royals prospect Jac Caglianone appeared in his first professional game in right field last night

• Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler struck out nine over seven scoreless innings in Double-A Somerset. He has a 1.23 ERA through 22 innings.

• In the same game, Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones blasted his seventh home run, tying him for the MiLB lead. The 24-year-old is striking out at a 32.9% clip in his return to Somerset.

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