Texas Rangers infield prospect Justin Foscue (oblique) went 1-for-2 with two walks for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. The 25-year-old saw his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A as he continues to progress in his return from an oblique strain. Foscue had just gotten the call-up to the Rangers when he suffered his injury in early April. The No. 2 prospect for Texas is a pure hitter with good plate discipline. As he continues his rehab assignment it will be interesting to see if a spot opens for him at the major league level. First, he will have to show he is back to full health, but any potential return to the big leagues could be in a utility role.

Houston Astros shortstop prospect Shay Whitcomb was 2-for-4 for Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday to add to a productive month at the plate. In June, Whitcomb is hitting .344 with six homers and 21 RBI to go with five stolen bases. The 25-year-old is hitting .309 with 15 homers and 61 RBI for Sugar Land this season. The No. 30 prospect for the Astros has an intriguing power-speed mix with 20 or more steals in each of the past three seasons in the minors. Across two levels of the minors last season, Whitcomb slugged 35 homers with 102 RBI. The swing-and-miss has been a problem over his minor-league career and could point to future struggles hitting for average against big-league pitching.

Boston Red Sox infield prospect Kristian Campbell is picking up the pace in June for Double-A Portland. This month, Boston's No. 30 prospect is hitting .421 with three homers and 12 RBI for the Sea Dogs. The Georgia Tech product has speed to burn on the base paths and has produced at least one hit in 13 of his 14 games in Double-A this month. During that stretch, Campbell has seven multi-hit games including a four-hit game and two three-hit games. While not a premium prospect for Boston, Campbell has turned heads since his move to Double-A in early June. The 21-year-old could push for a big-league spot in a few years but for now, he will look to build on his red-hot June.

New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil will take a seat on the bench on Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field with left-hander Shota Imanaga on the mound. Given McNeil's struggles this year, he's now fallen into the strong side of a platoon at the keystone in New York with veteran Jose Iglesias, who is at second and batting eighth on Friday against Imanaga. McNeil is hitting just .219/.286/.305 with three home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 233 at-bats in 2024. He's actually been better against left-handers, going 18-for-72 (.250) against them with one of his three home runs, while he's batting .205 against right-handers. The two-time All-Star has taken a hard fall this year after winning a batting title in 2022 with the Mets.

The Houston Astros are recalling outfield prospect Joey Loperfido from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Friday's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, according to a source. Loperfido made his major-league debut earlier this year and held his own with a .333/.381/.436 slash line with an .817 OPS, a homer, double, five RBI and a stolen base in just 15 games played. He could have extended run in the big leagues this time around. The 25-year-old has plenty of power and speed to make him worth a look in mixed fantasy leagues as long as he's playing, but beware that his high strikeout rate probably means his average will eventually come down. Loperfido hit .272 (44-for-162) with 13 homers, 33 RBI and nine steals at Sugar Land in 39 games and is Houston's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.