Weekend Heat Check: Caleb Bonemer's Thunder Month Continues
By Morgan Davis ·
Caleb Bonemer Keeps Raising the Bar
Caleb Bonemer spent the weekend playing exactly like a top-of-the-list shortstop who has outgrown High-A. In two games he went 4-for-8 with two doubles, two homers, two walks, and four RBI. That hot stretch sits on top of a substantial track record; it pushes his season to .251/.396/.600 with 15 doubles, 17 homers, and a .996 OPS over 245 plate appearances, all while walking 33 times and wearing 15 pitches. The underlying 80Grade report already framed him as a selective, damage-first bat with across-the-board 55 grades and plus makeup, and this three-day tear matches that writeup perfectly. The weekend was all about selectively hunting pitches he could drive to the pull side, getting to game power without sacrificing zone control, and showing the sort of calm at-bat cadence that lets the organization dream on an above-average everyday left-side infielder rather than an "early success" mirage.
Bonemer is doing this as a 20-year-old at High-A, posting both real impact and the exact offensive shape his projection calls for. The two-game, zero-whiff look stands out coming from a player whose flagged risk has been how much swing-and-miss might creep in as he leans into damage; here he was, matching the 55 power while trimming the strikeouts to nothing for three days.
The White Sox don't really have a spot to play him at the moment. That allows them to stay patient on the timetable. It also gives them a little more time to figure out where Bonemer will play on the diamond. He is splitting time at 3B and SS for Winston, but he hasn't looked particularly comfortable at either spot and currently has 11 errors. He may be destined for left field. Fortunately, the bat has looked plenty good should he slide all the way down the defensive spectrum.
Quick Hits
Murf Gray, 3B, Pirates (A+) Gray turned another series into a damage clip: 5-for-11 with two homers, a double, five RBI, and a 1.591 OPS. That pushes his combined line across A and A+ to .351/.429/.644 with 16 homers and only 47 strikeouts in 241 plate appearances, which matches the "elite bat-to-ball with real juice" version the 80Grade report hinted at. The hyper-aggressive approach remains baked in, but so far pro arms have not punished it enough to slow what now looks like an every-week power report.
Braden Montgomery, OF, White Sox (AAA) Montgomery's weekend was a zone-control clinic: three hits in four official at-bats, five walks, one HBP, no strikeouts, and a .900 OBP over 10 trips. On the season he now sits at a combined .314/.422/.548 with 10 homers and 39 walks in 258 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. For a report built around plus power, an elite arm, and "hit tool development as the key determinant," a weekend where he simply refused to expand reads as another step toward an everyday right-field outcome.
Eli Willits, SS, Nationals (A) The seventh prospect in the rankings backed up the "elite contact / plus speed" language with a loud table-setter series: 4-for-7 with a double, a triple, two walks, an HBP, and no strikeouts. That bumps his season to .300/.418/.500 with 29 steals and 38 walks in 232 plate appearances. The profile has always lived on hit, speed, and discipline more than raw juice; three days of impact contact and lane control at age 18 keep the everyday SS with 50–60 steal potential lane wide open.
Devin Taylor, OF, Athletics (A+) Taylor's bat-first projection looked the part this weekend: 5-for-9 with four singles, a homer, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. His season line climbs to .292/.425/.436 with 48 walks and 58 strikeouts in 254 plate appearances. Given the report that his value will live entirely in the left-field bat, this stretch of on-base skill plus emerging game power provides a useful data point that the hit/approach foundation from college translates against full-season arms.
Cole Carrigg, OF, Rockies (AAA) Carrigg kept stacking evidence that the early-2026 swing/approach tweaks took hold. Over two games he went 4-for-8 with a homer, a double, two walks, and one strikeout, posting a 1.600 OPS and 0.653 wOBA. That pushes his Albuquerque line to .338/.414/.529 with 30 steals in 57 games, pairing the 60-grade speed and 70 arm with enough contact to credibly project as more than a pure versatility piece. For a player whose biggest question has been whether the hit tool can catch up to the athleticism, weekends like this tighten the timeline for a 2026–27 Denver look.
Christian Franklin, OF, Nationals (AAA) Franklin's profile has lived on discipline and defense more than game power, so a 4-for-9 weekend with a homer, and two doubles. He now sits at .272/.395/.390 with 39 walks and 12 steals across 256 Triple-A plate appearances.
Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners (AA) Montes spent the weekend doing exactly what his 70-grade power tag promises: 4-for-8 with a homer, three singles, four RBI, a walk, and no strikeouts. The long-term questions about swing-and-miss and left-on-left performance remain.
Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Orioles (A+) Bradfield leaned into the speed-and-contact archetype while sprinkling in a little more thump. He went 5-for-10 with a homer, four singles, a walk, and three strikeouts that moves his combined 2026 line to .238/.363/.381 with 10 steals in 104 plate appearances. For a player whose report leans on 80 speed, 70 defense, and a leadoff profile with limited power, any stretch where he posts both impact contact and on-base while staying healthy marks a positive checkpoint on the way to Baltimore.
Carson Williams, SS, Rays (AAA) Williams' three-day line, .375/.500/.875 with a homer, double, and two walks against one strikeout, serves as a micro version of the "if he makes enough contact, the rest takes care of itself" thesis. His combined 2026 output now sits at .220/.311/.376 with 6 homers and 9 steals across 213 plate appearances between Tampa Bay and Durham. Given the long scouting file on contact issues and elevated whiff rates, any weekend where he pairs damage with manageable strikeout volume goes straight onto the Rays' internal tracking for his next meaningful look.
Junior Ciprian, RHP, D-backs (A) On the mound, Ciprian put together a box-score gem. He spun 6 innings of two-hit ball with one walk, six strikeouts, and one earned run. That outing drops his season ERA to 2.76 with 49 strikeouts and only 23 hits allowed in 45.2 innings, good for a .148 opponent average. For a 21-year-old with a 96–98 mph four-seamer and big vertical break, limiting free passes to one on 21 batters faced over the weekend matches exactly the incremental command step his projection hinges on.
Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Mets (AA) 6.2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K. He was 95–97 fastball with a plus slider. He shaved his Double-A ERA to 3.93 with 63 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. There is a #3 starter here for the Mets.
Bishop Letson, RHP, Brewers (AA) Letson leveraged his elite extension and plus slider into a clean line on the board: 6 shutout innings, three hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts. The Bewers #7 prospect now has 37 innings with 38 strikeouts, 22 walks, and a 4.86 ERA, so the control story remains unsolved. Still, a weekend where the walk total stays at one while the whiffs spike is a great sign.
Jaron DeBerry, RHP, Brewers (AA) DeBerry logged 6 scoreless innings of his own with three hits allowed, two walks, and five strikeouts.
Zach Thornton, LHP, Mets (AAA) Thornton's five shutout innings with two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts exemplify his profile: modest velocity, a deep mix, and plus command doing just fine against upper-level bats.
Karson Milbrandt, RHP, Marlins (AAA) Milbrandt's promotion-start was light on whiffs but heavy on run prevention: 6 scoreless innings with two hits, three walks, and one strikeout while holding opponents to a .118 average. That sits on top of a combined 53 innings of 1.19 ERA ball with 71 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A. Given the 94–99 fastball and the breadth of his arsenal, even a command-wobbly outing that ends with zeros on the board reinforces the mid-rotation projection and gives Miami another data point that his stuff holds in the upper minors.
Braylon Doughty, RHP, Guardians (A+) Doughty continued to look like a polished prep arm ahead of schedule, working 5 innings of one-run ball with three hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Opponents went 3-for-17 against him on the weekend, and his season line now shows a 3.59 ERA with 55 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 42.2 innings. The signature 3,000+ rpm curveball showed up again as a real bat-misser.
Jackson Baumeister, RHP, Rays (AA) Tampa's #28 prospect threw 4.1 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against two hits and two walks.
Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, Giants (AAA) Whisenhunt's six-inning, 10-strikeout line jumps off the page: four hits, one walk, and two earned runs. He keeps hitters off balance with a double-plus changeup. On the year he sits at a 3.66 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 26 walks in 64 innings for Sacramento. He wasn't ready to go at the start of the season, but he'll likely get another try at the Major League level sometime soon.
Blade Tidwell, RHP, Giants (AAA) Tidwell's weekend was more uneven on the run column (5 innings, 3 ER) but still showed the strikeout foundation: six punchouts against four hits and three walks. Given a 2026 track record that includes a 5.87 ERA at Triple-A but improved walk rates compared to his Mets days, this outing reads as another "stuff exists, command still volatile" data point. The mid-90s fastball, plus slider, and emerging sweeper give him multiple bat-missing looks.