Rays Above Replacement Prospect Weekly: Flemming Heats Up at Low-A, Suarez Spins a Gem at Montgomery
By Grace Turner ·
Rays Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Rays farm system.
Flemming Puts His Best Week on the Board at Charleston
Cooper Flemming (A, SS, Rank: 11) went 5-for-14 with a double, a home run, five RBI, and two walks across his plate appearances this week at Charleston, and the line fits a genuinely strong late-season stretch. Over his last 30 days, he is slashing .300/.367/.512 with three home runs, six doubles, and 20 RBI in 90 plate appearances, a run that has done a lot to answer early questions about whether his game would carry into the second half. The 77.7% contact rate for the season at Low-A is a real asset, and his 17.2% strikeout rate is impressively tame for a 20-year-old shortstop. His swing rate has crept up to 50.2% over the last 30 days, which is right at the aggressive threshold, but the contact is holding and the counting stats are coming with it.
Flemming is a 50 hit tool with a 45 power grade, projected to settle at third base with a bat that plays around .270-.290 with modest pop. The home run total this week is his 11th of the season across 518 plate appearances at Low-A, which is not going to reframe the power projection, but it does suggest the strength gains are beginning to show up in-game. His 9.8% walk rate for the year is reasonable without being exceptional. The carrying argument for Flemming has always been his simple approach and good mechanics, and weeks like this one show those qualities creating real production on the scoresheet. A utility infielder with this contact floor and the defensive adaptability to bounce between short and third has genuine big-league viability, and at 20 years old he has time to let the rest of the profile develop.
Suarez Generates 14 Whiffs and One-Run Ball at Montgomery
Santiago Suarez (AA, RHP, Rank: 12) threw six innings against 21 batters this week, allowing just two hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out five. The raw strikeout number undersells what actually happened on the mound: he generated 14 swinging misses over those six innings, and he threw 37 of 82 pitches for strikes in a start that showed his command profile operating closer to its ceiling. His last 30 days at Double-A reflect a 3.81 ERA over 28.1 innings with a 6.7% walk rate, which is a meaningful improvement over his season-long 4.50 ERA. The whiff rate this week aligns with his season mark of 22.2%, but the combination of limiting hard contact and suppressing the walk total is the encouraging part of a start like this one.
The broader 2026 picture for Suarez has been a mixed bag. He carries a 70 command grade and the profile of a pitcher who wins through location rather than overpowering stuff, but the 22 home runs allowed in 126 innings at Double-A represent real contact damage when he misses. His changeup, graded at 40, remains the gap in an otherwise functional four-pitch mix that includes a 55 cutter, a 55 slider, and a 55 curveball wrapped around a fastball that sits 95-97. In 2025, his walk rate was 3.8% across High-A and Triple-A; this year at Double-A it has climbed to 4.0%, still excellent, but the home run rate is the bigger concern at this level. Starts like this one, where the command is crisp and the whiff rate climbs, show what the profile looks like when everything is working. Getting those starts more consistently is what stands between Suarez and a rotation job.
Quick Hits
- Taitn Gray (A, 1B, Rank: 9) · went 3-for-16 with a triple, two RBI, three walks, and a hit-by-pitch this week at Charleston. The patience was the story: Gray has a 12.8% walk rate at Low-A this season and has drawn 40 walks in 312 plate appearances. Over his last 30 days he is slashing .347/.422/.533 with two home runs and 20 RBI across 90 plate appearances, a run that suggests the 60 raw power and switch-hitting ability are both trending in the right direction. He is a 50 hit tool whose swing can get long against premium spin, but the production this month has been legitimately encouraging for a 19-year-old.
- Brendan Summerhill (A+, OF, Rank: 15) · hit a home run among his four hits in 12 plate appearances this week at Bowling Green, his 11th plate appearance of the week including a hit-by-pitch. He is a 60 hit tool and 60 speed with an everyday center-field projection, and the combined .351 on-base percentage across levels this season reflects real plate discipline. The concern at High-A has been swing-and-miss: his contact rate over the last 30 days sits at 78.2% against a 51.1% swing rate, which is slightly more aggressive than his Low-A norms. At 22, with 24 stolen bases and a 12.2% walk rate for the year, the profile still reads like a table-setter with room to add impact.
- Slater de Brun (A, OF, Rank: 18) · went 4-for-19 with three RBI, four walks, and a hit-by-pitch this week. The walks are the whole point with de Brun: over his last 30 days at Low-A he is posting a 15.8% walk rate with a 37.2% swing rate, making him one of the most selective 19-year-olds in the system. He has zero home runs in 133 plate appearances at Charleston, and the 40 power grade makes that unsurprising, but the .444 OBP over his last 30 days is a real number. A 70 speed grade and a 60 field tool give him a high defensive ceiling in center; everything else follows the bat.
- Brody Hopkins (MLB, RHP, Rank: 3) · had his contract selected by Tampa Bay on September 12, making his first jump to the major league level. He posted a 5.17 ERA in 94 innings at Durham across 31 appearances in 2026, with 122 strikeouts and 92 walks. The walk total is the loudest flag in his Triple-A line, but the strikeout rate shows the stuff is live. September rosters give him a chance to show what the arsenal does against big-league hitters.
- Jacob Melton (AAA, LF, Rank: 8) · landed on the seven-day injured list at Durham on September 9, with no confirmed diagnosis. His last appearance was September 6, and the two weeks before the placement were rough: 4-for-32 with 15 strikeouts in 34 plate appearances at Triple-A. His season line at Durham still shows seven home runs, 26 stolen bases, and a .346 on-base percentage in 186 plate appearances, so there is a real offensive foundation underneath the recent skid.
- Grady Emerson (A, SS, Rank: 2) · went hitless in 10 plate appearances this week at Charleston, going 0-for-8 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and three strikeouts. Over his last 30 days he is hitting .164/.277/.200 with no home runs and 14 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances. He is 18 years old with a 65 hit tool and one of the strongest amateur track records in his draft class, so the early professional sample comes with significant margin. The swing-and-miss against pro velocity is a real adjustment, but nothing in this early return suggests the scouting profile needs reconsideration yet.
- Caden Bodine (AAA, C, Rank: 7) · went 2-for-16 with an RBI and two walks at Durham. Over the last 30 days, though, he is slashing .333/.398/.556 with four home runs, 15 RBI, and a 9.6% strikeout rate in 83 plate appearances, so the week reads more like a breather than a trend. He is a 60 hit tool with an 88.6% contact rate for the season across all levels, and his combined .341/.409/.513 line through 533 plate appearances in 2026 continues to outperform the 40 power grade on his sheet.