MLB Prospect Watch

Transactions: 5/17-5/23

Baseball America breaks down all the transactions from the past week by organization.  Some of the highlights include:

• Anthony Swarzak (MIN), Gio Gonzalez (OAK), John Mayberry, Jr. (PHI), Reid Brignac (TB), and Ross Detwiler (WAS) being recalled by their big league clubs.
• Gordon Beckham (CWS), Jordan Walden (LAA), and Logan Schafer (MIL) coming off the 7-day DL.
• Alex Buchholz (CIN) and Dellin Betances (NYY) going on the 7-day DL.
• And Brett Cecil (TOR) being optioned back to Triple-A.

Links: Medlen, Ramirez, Jeffress, Detwiler

• Kris Medlen is slated to start tonight for the Atlanta Braves, but as David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution notes, this wasn't what most people expected.
• Called up by the Detroit Tigers to take the place of Magglio Ordonez, Wilkin Ramirez homered in his first major league game, reports John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
• Jeremy Jeffress, the top pitching prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, changed levels yesterday, but as Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal notes, he's moving the wrong way.
• Ross Detwiler still doesn't have a perminant home in the Washington Nationals rotation, but as Chico Harlan of the Washington Post tells us, he pitched well enough to get at least one more start, this Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Links: Carpenter, Sano, Detwiler, Tuiasosopo

• Andrew Carpenter got a shaky win in his first major league start for the Phillies, but as expected, he was sent back to Triple-A after the game, reports Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette gives us a nice breakdown the pros and cons for the Pirates signing the consensus top international prospect, Miguel Angel Sano, for upwards of $4 million.
• Adding to the number of rookies in their starting rotation, the Washington Nationals have announced that they will be calling up pitcher Ross Detwiler to start on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, report Chico Harlan and Zach Berman of the Washington Post.
• 3B prospect Matt Tuiasosopo of the Seattle Mariners will miss 3-6 weeks due to elbow surgery, reports Bud Withers of the Seattle Times.

First Cuts Being Made as Prospects Sent to Minor-League Camps

As veteran players begin to trickle back into major league camps from their WBC appearances, teams are reaching that time of the spring when they need to send their young players to their minor-league camps (usually across the complex to the back fields) and make room for the guys who are going to contribute in 2009.  For a full list of the assignments, visit MLB.com's transaction page.  Here are some of the bigger names to be sent down:

• Cincinnati Reds reassigned INF Todd Frazier, OF Drew Stubbs, and SS Chris Valaika to minor league camp, and optioned 1B Yonder Alonso to Double-A (he can't be reassigned because he signed a major-league contract).
• Houston Astros reassigned C Jason Castro to minor league camp.
  
• Washington Nationals optioned P Ross Detwiler to Double-A
• New York Yankees optioned P Andrew Brackman to Single-A
• Oakland Athletics reassigned INF Adrian Cardenas, 1B Chris Carter, C Josh Donaldson, and 2B Jemile Weeks to minor league camp.
• St. Louis Cardinals reassigned 3B David Freese and 3B Brett Wallace to minor-league camp.
• San Diego Padres reassigned P Mat Latos to minor-league camp.
• Toronto Blue Jays reassigned 1B David Cooper to minor-league camp.
• Chicago Cubs reassigned P Andrew Cashner to minor-league camp.