MLB Rumors: Diamondbacks calling up top outfield prospect
The Arizona Diamondbacks are calling up outfielder Dominic Fletcher, their No. 14 ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, league sources tell FanSided. Fletcher is the brother of the Angels' David Fletcher and the two will face off tonight in Anaheim.
Dominic Fletcher, 25, was up with the Diamondbacks earlier in the season, playing in 22 games and hitting .308/.349/.474 with two home runs and 13 RBI. He figures to get immediate playing time, though it is unclear what the corresponding roster move will be.
Two options are to send Pavin Smith to Triple-A Reno or place outfielder Corbin Carroll on the Injured List after he left Thursday's game with an apparent injury during an at-bat.
In either case, it should be a great moment with Dominic and David on a big-league field together, especially with the emotional note that the brothers lost their father less than three weeks ago.
MLB Rumors: An intriguing prospect to monitor with the Angels
Right-hander Victor Mederos was scratched from his start in Double-A on Thursday and is a strong candidate to be called up by the Los Angeles Angels, sources said. No decision is final.
It would be the latest aggressive promotion by the Angels — and perhaps the most aggressive of them all.
Mederos, a sixth-round pick in 2022, has only appeared in 18 career minor-league games and hasn't advanced past Double-A, where he has a 5.98 ERA and 71/25 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 outings (55.2 innings).
Even then, Mederos is someone that the Angels are high on and believe will have better numbers in the majors. Said one talent evaluator: "He's nasty."
With the call-up straight from Double-A potentially happening, his MLB debut will be watched with plenty of curious eyes from Angels fans and the baseball world at large.
MLB Rumors: Royals a team to watch at the trade deadline
The Kansas City Royals have had conversations with teams about relievers Aroldis Chapman and Scott Barlow, league sources tell FanSided, and there are signs that the team is ready for business over a month ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
No deals appear imminent, sources say, but the Royals have been among the most aggressive teams in surveying the market.
Chapman, 35, was signed to a one-year, $3.75 million contract in the offseason and has more than delivered, posting a 2.45 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.
Barlow, signed through the 2025 season, presents the controllable option and while he has struggled this season (4.25 ERA), he posted 2.18 and 2.42 ERAs in consecutive years and made at least 69 appearances in each of those seasons.