
The Cincinnati Reds placed infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a right ulnar styloid fracture and signed infielder Mike Ford to a one-year major-league contract in a corresponding move. Left-hander Brandon Williamson (shoulder) was also moved to the 60-day injured list. Encarnacion-Strand fractured his right hand when he was hit by a pitch late last month and missed four games as a result. With the 24-year-old out for at least the next 10 days, Ford and Jeimer Candelario should be options to fill in at first base for the Reds moving forward. Candelario is getting the start at the cold corner on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Santiago Espinal at third base. In addition to his injury, it's been a bad start for CES, as he's hitting just .190 (22-for-116) with two homers and 16 RBI.

Detroit Tigers second base/third base prospect Jace Jung went 3-for-4 at the plate and hit his sixth home run of the 2024 campaign. Jung has posted an overall .280/.397/.525 slash line in 33 games this season in his first taste of Triple-A ball. Jung is expected to reach the major leagues this summer but is making a case to be promoted much earlier than anticipated. The fourth overall prospect in the Tigers pipeline has yet to face any major setbacks at any level of the majors and is worth stashing in deeper redraft leagues, as it looks like he could make an immediate impact when promoted.

With Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot (leg) likely to land on the injured list, right-hander Taj Bradley (pectoral) is looking likely to come off the injured list in a corresponding move to make his 2024 debut on Friday against the New York Yankees. Bradley is finally ready to return to Tampa's starting rotation after missing the start of the season due to a right pectoral strain. The 23-year-old struck out eight batters in six innings while giving up one run in his final minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Durham last Friday and appears ready to roll. Friday's matchup against the Yankees isn't the most friendliest, but Bradley should be picked up off the waiver wire in at least deep-mixed leagues if you're in need of starting pitching help. Bradley struck out 129 hitters in just 104 2/3 innings in 2023 for the Rays.

San Diego Padres catching prospect Ethan Salas went 2-for-4 in the batter's box with a double and his first triple of the season on Tuesday. He also tallied his eighth RBI of the season off a sacrifice fly. Salas has had a rough start to the 2024 season at High-A with a .205/.301/.284 slash line. The top prospect in the San Diego system performed very well in Single-A last season with a .267/.350/.487 line but struggled when he was promoted to High-A, and even in a brief stint in Double-A. The 17-year-old looks to have carried those struggles into the early part of the season, but his performance on Tuesday could be an excellent way for him to get back on track. Salas is considered one of the best prospects in baseball, and these struggles should not be exaggerated, as he is just 17 years old and is still several years away from his major-league debut.

Los Angeles Dodgers second base/shortstop prospect Austin Gauthier made his Triple-A debut on Tuesday. After performing very well at Double-A last season and in the early part of this year, he got the call to move up to Triple-A and is now quickly approaching his major league debut. Gauthier posted a stellar .280/.445/.488 line with four home runs and a 22:16 BB:K ratio in 24 games in Double-A this season. The 25th-ranked prospect in the Dodgers pipeline could make a push for a late season promotion, especially with his strong contact skills and elite plate discipline. When he is promoted, he could become worth adding in deeper redraft leagues.
