Dodgers Prospect Notes: Lindsey shows off power, Ayon nearly perfect, Freeland and Ryan shine in return to OKC, Morales nearly leaves the park, more

Jared Massey 05/18/2026 Prospect Notes Leave A Comment

Emil Morales.

Hitter of the Week

When the Dodgers selected Kellon Lindsey in the first round of the 2024 draft, club officials and evaluators were interested to see how the two sport star would adjust to baseball full time. Unfortunately the look was brief as the infielder suffered a shoulder impingement that cost him most of the season. Now fully healthy, he’s showing the Dodgers exactly what they want to see.

Lindsey’s season started with a rehab assignment, where he homered twice in a handful of games in Arizona. He joined Ontario last week and picked up where he left off, tripling in his debut, then doubling and homering in his second game. Overall he batted .500 last week with five extra base hits in four games. He also showed off his top of the line speed with the triple and a stolen base.

One of the questions about Lindsey coming out of the draft was his ultimate defensive home. He played shortstop in high school and played there exclusively last year. Now he’s playing mostly second base, partially in deference to Emil Morales and Joendry Vargas. Moving off short would diminish his offensive value, but if he continues hitting for power, he’ll fit in anywhere on the diamond.

Pitcher of the Week

Another player who has struggled through injuries early in his career, Isaac Ayon was drafted by the Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2024 draft after having not pitched for two years. The Dodgers believed in the pitcher he was before his injury and that faith is starting to pay off.

Ayon has the size and velocity that scouts love. His fastball has touched triple digits and he sits comfortably in the mid to upper 90s. His slider is his bread and butter, a pitch he’ll throw to any hitter in any count. That’s led to 35 strikeouts in 27.1 IP this year, capped off by the best start of his career last Wednesday, when he struck out 10 batters in 5 innings while allowing just a single baserunner. That performance earned him California League Pitcher of the Week honors.

The Fresno native turns 24 in June so he’s behind the curve in his development, but the stuff plays. He’ll continue to start but he could move quicker coming out of the pen. In either role, Ayon figures to be a part of the Dodgers’ future plans.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Comets absolutely obliterated the ball in their trip to Albuquerque, scoring just three runs in their first two games, then turning on the jets and scoring a staggering 59 runs over their last four games of the week. The entire offense was on point, with some notable standouts. 

Noah Miller continues to hit, finishing his week with a two homer game and an OPS of 1.221 for the series with the Topes. That, along with his fantastic defense, makes him one of the more intriguing options of the Dodgers in the upper minors were injuries to thin out the depth.

Alex Freeland was the cost of Mookie Betts returning to the big league club, but he didn’t let that get him down. He homered on Friday, then he homered twice on Saturday, and followed that with a pair of triples on Sunday. He was named PCL Hitter of the Week.

James Tibbs III is heating up, hitting .450 last week with a pair of doubles. The downside is he hasn’t homered since April 26. Zach Ehrhard hit .400 with a pair of doubles, a homer and six walks. Jack Suwinski hit a pair of homers. Chuckie Robinson had a phenomenal day on Sunday, reaching base five times with two doubles and a home run.

The main attraction this week was River Ryan, returning from his hamstring injury. He did not disappoint, allowing one run in four innings with four strikeouts. His third pitch of the game registered at 100.9 mph and he was consistently in the upper 90s throughout the start. With Blake Snell going down with injury, Ryan’s return to the bigs may come sooner than expected.

Nick Frasso is regaining form, with his fastball sitting in the 96-97 mph range and he’s still showing a plus changeup. He could factor into the Dodgers bullpen in the future, though he’d need a spot on the 40 man roster.

Double-A Tulsa

Kendall George was 8-for-28 with three doubles and a triple. He stole his org-leading 19th base as well. Josue De Paula had six hits last week, with two doubles and a home run.

Zyhir Hope went just 4 for 23 last week but three of those hits were home runs. He now leads Tulsa with nine taters.

Kyle Nevin is having a solid season, doubling and homering last week. Griffin Lockwood Powell was 5 for 11 last week with a pair of doubles. He’s posted a .434 OBP in 26 games.

Roque Gutierrez led the pitching staff with 5 innings of shutout ball, allowing just one walk and one hit while striking out three. Payton Martin allowed three runs (one earned) over five innings on Friday.

High-A Great Lakes

Eduardo Quintero continues to turn his season around, batting .357 last week with a double and four stolen bases. Mike Sirota hit a solid .292 with a double and a stolen base. Charles Davalan struggled, going 2 for 18 with a double.

Eduardo Guerrero hit .333 with a double, a steal and five walks. Jose Izarra hit .350 with a pair of doubles and four stolen bases. Nico Perez hit .300 with a double and his 6th HR of the year.

The Loons got some strong pitching performances this week. Sterling Patick went 6 shutout frames with four strikeouts. He relied mostly on his fastball and slider, but I wish he’d throw his big rainbow curve more. 

Brooks Auger used his mid to upper 90s fastball and sharp slider to carve up hitters, going 4 shutout innings with 6 Ks. Zach Root seems to be on a strict pitch limit, so he was pulled after 2 2/3 IP with four strikeouts. He ran his fastball up to 97 while showing the four pitch mix that should allow him to move quickly when the reins come off.

Jakob Wright was effectively wild, walking three over five innings of one run ball. He struck out four in his longest outing of the year. Jacob Frost pitched a total of 7.1 innings, allowing two runs while striking out 11 in relief. 

Low-A Ontario

Opposing pitchers continue to throw Emil Morales fastballs and he continues to mash them. The 19 year old slugger went back to back games with a homer this weekend, including a ball that nearly left ONT Field.

Fellow shortstop Joendry Vargas batted .348 on the week with a pair of doubles, a homer and a stolen base. The infield is getting crowded in Ontario but Vargas has been seeing a lot of time at short.

Chase Harlan was drafted for his power, but it’s been his eye that has stood out early in his career. The third baseman batted .500 last week with two doubles and a triple and also walked as many times as he struck out. He has more walks than strikeouts on the year and boasts an OBP of .486.

After struggling early in his debut, Mason Estrada is beginning to turn things around. Last year’s 7th-rounder has strung together three starts in which he’s allowed just one run and struck out 11, culminating with four shutout frames on Sunday.

Luis Carias has also looked great of late, with three dominant outings in a row. On Thursday he went five shutout innings in relief, striking out six and not walking a batter for the first time this season. The lanky righty has an overpowering fastball/slider mix that can overwhelm hitters when he throws them for strikes.

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About Jared Massey

Former co-host along with Dustin Nosler of the Award-eligible Dugout Blues podcast. Founder of the Greg Miller Marching and Chowder Society. Certified Prospect Hugger.
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