JJ Wetherholt hit his second home run of the month on Saturday for Double-A Springfield, helping the Cardinals earn a win over the Wind Surge in their week-long series.
Wetherholt has now hit safely in five of his past seven games and will represent the Cardinals in the Futures Game in July. He remains St. Louis’ top prospect and could get called up to Triple-A Memphis in the near future.
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Wetherhold has batted .356 for the month of June and has a .305 average overall at the Double-A level. In Sunday’s game, he added a stolen base, his sixth of the month. The Cardinals will face Northwest Arkansas in a three-game set starting Tuesday.
Read More: Mountaineers in the Minors: Wetherholt Takes Wichita Deep
Reed Sharp In Win Over Winston-Salem
Carlson Reed delivered five innings of one-hit baseball for High-A Greensboro, helping the Grasshoppers edge out the Dash.
Reed came down from Double-A Altoona for a rehab assignment after starting the year with the Pirates’ Double-A squad. His recent performances suggest he could be on his way back to Pennsylvania soon. Over his past 14 innings, he’s allowed four hits and two earned runs. In four starts with Greensboro, his ERA is 2.08.
Reed also struck out seven, a season high. The Grasshoppers will begin a three-game series against Aberdeen on Tuesday.
Brathwaite Wins Again in Relief
Trey Brathwaite delivered 2.2 innings of scoreless relief for High-A Dayton on June 27. The Dragons made his job easy, exploding for 19 runs in a rout of Lansing.
Brathwaite picked up his third win of the year. His ERA is just 2.40 for the month of June, and he hasn’t allowed an earned run in three appearances. While his pitching proved praiseworthy, the win was a case of right place, right time. Dayton held an 8-4 lead when Brathwaite entered in the fifth inning. He closed out the seventh, leaving with his team ahead 17-4.
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Brathwaite seems to be holding a long reliever role for Dayton. The Dragons did not use him again during the series with Lansing, despite his recent success. Dayton will start a three-game series Tuesday against Lake County.
Strowd Optioned to Triple-A
Pitcher Kade Strowd was optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, after making two appearances with Baltimore against Tampa Bay. Strowd owns a 5.02 ERA in 28.2 innings of work for the Tides.
He remains on the Orioles’ 40-man roster and has been called up twice this year by the Orioles. He is in his first option year with Baltimore. That means he could shuffle between Norfolk and Baltimore twice more in 2025. If he’s called up a fifth time, the Orioles would then either have to keep him on the major league roster or place him on waivers.
Tucker Hits Safely In Four Straight
Tevin Tucker doubled twice in a 13-9 win over Hillsboro, his fourth straight game with a hit. Tucker has also driven in a run in four straight for High-A Spokane.
Tucker’s hitting surge boosted his average to .200 for June. For the season, he has struggled at the plate, hitting just .167. The Indians play a three-game series with Tri-City on Tuesday.
Hill Singles In Only Game
Darius Hill went 1-for-4 on June 26 against Columbus, doubling in a 6-5 loss to the Clippers. Hill has had a hard time finding playing time for Triple-A Iowa, taking just 37 at-bats in June.
For the month, his batting average sits at .189. The I-Cubs will begin a three-game series with Omaha on Tuesday.
McIntosh Homers Against Squirrels
Paul McIntosh hit his first home run since June 7, taking Richmond deep in a 4-2 win on June 28. McIntosh shined at the plate for Double-A Reading in the series, hitting 4-for-7 in two appearances. He now has a hit in seven of his past nine games.
McIntosh cracked a double on June 25, part of a three-hit game. He has shown off his power in June, slugging .549 for the month. For the year, McIntosh has batted .276. Reading begins a three-game series against Somerset on Tuesday.
