Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!
As a reminder, you can find this roundup — covering everything you need to know about each of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates — every Tuesday morning right here on Brew Crew Ball. For consistency, all organizational prospect rankings will reference MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.
Triple-A Nashville Sounds (17-16)
Opponent: Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles)
Record this week: 3-3
Standout performances:
Eddys Leonard: 9-for-18, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K
Luis Lara (No. 11): 6-for-21, 1 HR, 3 RBI,
3 BB, 3 K
Jett Williams (No. 3): 6-for-20, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Cooper Pratt (No. 4): 5-for-15, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Carlos Rodriguez: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 5 K
Coleman Crow (No. 26): 5 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Infielder Eddys Leonard, signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, put together another great week against the Tides. So did Luis Lara, who I’ve covered in this column every week. As I wrote last week, expect Lara to remain in the minors until there’s a clear path to everyday playing time.
But don’t take my word for it. After I finished last week’s column, MLB.com Brewers reporter Adam McCalvy asked Pat Murphy when fans might see Lara in the big leagues. In his words, “if you’re bringing those young guys up, they’ve got to play.” Murph did add that he considers Lara “all-around a really good player” and “a future big-leaguer.”
Standout infield prospects Cooper Pratt and Jett Williams also performed well this week. Both players started slow, so neither has particularly impressive stats thus far. Still, with Joey Ortiz continuing to struggle at the plate, Milwaukee might decide to throw one (or both) of those guys on the 26-man roster and see if they can figure out big-league pitching.
The Brewers prioritize high-end defense, especially at a position as important as shortstop, so it’s more likely that Pratt — who has the tools to be one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball — would be the call if the organization decides to move away from Ortiz. Then again, if Williams is hitting significantly better than Pratt, maybe they try him at third and move David Hamilton to short.
The other notable development is that Pratt was a late scratch from yesterday’s lineup, just minutes after Brice Turang was taken out of the Brewers’ lineup due to illness. It could be unrelated, but if Turang misses additional time, there’s a chance Pratt is in Milwaukee by the time this article is published.
Finally, Carlos Rodriguez and Coleman Crow both pitched well. Crow’s had a rough start to the season (5.40 ERA), so it’s encouraging to see such a strong outing from a player who could be called on for a spot start if injuries continue to pile up. Tate Kuehner had a bit of a rougher outing by his (high) standards — 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. So did Quinn Priester, who made his third rehab start this week:
Per McCalvy, Priester was returned from his rehab assignment and will remain on the IL. Not a great sign for Priester, who was a valuable part of last year’s starting rotation.
Next week’s opponent: @ Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds)
Double-A Biloxi Shuckers (12-15)
Opponent: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins)
Record this week: 1-5
Standout performances:
Damon Keith: 8-for-20, 2 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
Darrien Miller: 4-for-11, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Mike Boeve: 5-for-19, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K
Jesús Made (No. 1): 5-for-22, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Bishop Letson (No. 8): 9 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 10 K
Most of the Shuckers’ star players underwhelmed as Biloxi dropped five of six games. Jesus Made has had a couple mediocre weeks, bringing his OPS all the way down to… .839. Blake Burke went 4-for-22, but hit another home run. Like I said last week, nothing to see here.
Biloxi’s offense was led by outfielder Damon Keith, who the Brewers acquired from the Dodgers in March. The 25-year-old is now hitting .371 with five home runs and a 1.200 OPS in 62 at-bats. Despite a somewhat lackluster 2025 season with Double-A Tulsa, Keith has hit double-digit home runs in each of the last four years and posted an .836 OPS in 75 games with Tulsa in 2024. If he keeps swinging the bat like this, he’s a name to watch.
Catcher Darrien Miller and former top 10 organizational prospect Mike Boeve also turned in strong weeks. Boeve now owns a .348 OBP across 94 at-bats as he continues to show a disciplined approach at the plate.
Bishop Letson is trending in the right direction after a rough start to the season. The right-hander bounced back with a dominant outing against the Blue Wahoos on Wednesday, although he allowed three runs on four hits over four innings Sunday.
Next week’s opponent: vs. Columbus Clingstones (Atlanta Braves)
High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (15-10)
Opponent: Quad Cities River Bandits (Kansas City Royals)
Record this week: 2-4
Standout performances:
Josiah Ragsdale: 7-for-17, 3 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Luis Castillo: 6-for-18, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Eric Bitonti (No. 25): 3-for-16, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 8 K
Travis Smith: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Braylon Owens: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
It was a tough week for Wisconsin, as Josiah Ragsdale and Luis Castillo were the only Timber Rattlers to hit above .200. The lineup has produced eye-popping numbers for much of the season, but several of the usual suspects cooled off against the River Bandits. Josh Adamczewski went 3-for-18, Marco Dinges 1-for-19, Braylon Payne 2-for-20, and Andrew Fischer 3-for-17. Fischer did go yard twice, including a walk-off, but beyond that Wisconsin’s top prospects were mostly quiet.
Ragsdale, the Brewers’ 2025 seventh-round pick and recent recipient of the highly coveted Minor League Roundup Play of the Week Award, is off to a hot start in his first full season in the farm system. He hit .300 in 21 Single-A appearances last season and has an .871 OPS so far this year.
Still missing from the stat sheet is No. 2 overall prospect Luis Peña, who hasn’t played since collapsing in the dugout after overheating during the Timber Rattlers’ game on Wednesday, April 23. Here’s an update on Peña from Brewers GM Matt Arnold:
The fact that Peña is set to see a neurologist is certainly concerning, but it’s likely just standard procedure to cover all bases following a scary situation. Hopefully the news is positive and I’ll be back to writing about him next week.
Braylon Owens, the Brewers’ 10th-round pick in the 2025 draft, went six two-hit innings while striking out eleven. The 23-year-old right-hander has now struck out 34 batters over 21 1/3 innings in his first professional season. University of Kentucky alum Travis Smith, a 15th-round pick in 2024, pitched six innings while allowing only one run, bringing his season ERA down to 2.92. Finally, 2025 second-round pick JD Thompson made his pro debut on Saturday, allowing one hit through three shutout innings.
Next week’s opponent: @ Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals)
Single-A Wilson Warbirds (12-15)
Opponent: Salem RidgeYaks (Boston Red Sox)
Record this week: 4-2
Standout performances:
Pedro Ibarguen: 6-for-13, 1 2B, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Jadyn Fielder: 5-for-12, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 5 K
Handelfry Encarnacion: 7-for-22, 3 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K
Juan Ortuno: 5-for-14, 2 2B, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Brady Ebel (No. 14): 6-for-23, 2B, 3B, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K
Garrett Hodges: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
Jarrette Bonet: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Tyler Renz: 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Wilson crept closer to .500 behind a few strong performances from their pitching staff. Garrett Hodges went four innings without giving up a hit. Jarrett Bonet had the other best start of the week, going six two-hit innings while only walking one batter. Tyler Renz, drafted out of high school in 2024, has been a staple in this part of the column and is now down to a 2.78 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings.
Dominican shortstop prospect Pedro Ibarguen had the best batting average on the Warbirds this week. He hasn’t shown much power yet, but he’s hitting nearly .300 with a .389 OBP through 45 at-bats. Jadyn Fielder, who came into the week hitting under .200, flashed some promise with three extra-base knocks and four RBIs on the week. Brady Ebel is only hitting .180 right now, but he’s flashing some pop and getting on base (.342 OBP).
Outfielder Handelfry Encarnacion won Carolina League Player of the Week with six extra base hits, including a walk-off two-run homer that came off the bat at 105 mph. He’s now hit four home runs in 98 at-bats this season.
Next week’s opponent: @ Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros)
Player of the Week
Eddys Leonard, who hit .500 this week while walking more than he struck out. The 25-year-old slugged 20 home runs with Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate last season, so this kind of production isn’t exactly out of nowhere. Still, he’s taken his game to another level early this year, hitting .343 with a .992 OPS through 99 at-bats in Nashville — numbers that would all mark career highs.
Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton have begun to turn things around, while top prospects Cooper Pratt and Jett Williams are also waiting for their chance in Triple-A. Even so, if Leonard keeps swinging it like this, it’s not hard to imagine him forcing his way into the big-league infield conversation. He’s playing a major role in helping the Sounds win games.
Play of the Week
I can’t decide whether to give this week’s award to Luis Lara:
Or Luis Lara:
