Dodgers Prospect Notes: Sirota scorching hot for Tulsa, Root ready for promotion, De Paula dominating Double-A, Hope hammers four homers, Harlan chasing Cal League crown, more

Jared Massey 06/08/2026 Prospect Notes Leave A Comment

Hitter of the Week

Some evaluators believe Double-A is the level at which the impostors are weeded out and the real prospects shine. Mike Sirota hasn’t stopped hitting since being promoted to Tulsa and he’s starting to be recognized as one of the truly elite prospects in the minor leagues.

After batting .325/.478/.602 in 35 games with Great Lakes, Sirota has fared even better against more advanced competition, hitting .365/.506/.603 in 17 games in Double-A. Last week, he extended his on-base streak to 47 games, batted .400 with a pair of doubles and a pair of homers, the latter being of the 2-out, 2-strike, 9th inning go-ahead variety.

His 183 wRC+ on the year is one of the best in baseball, he’s walking more than he’s striking out with the Drillers. He has 10 homers and 10 stolen bases, he’s playing a good center field. There really aren’t many more superlatives to use. He’s going to give the Dodgers a very difficult decision to make very soon.

Pitcher of the Week

Speaking of promotions, it’s about time that Zach Root moves on from A-ball. The 22-year-old lefty has proven too much for younger hitters and needs a new challenge.

Last Tuesday, Root went a season-high seven innings (his previous longest outing was four) and allowed just a single hit while striking out nine for the second straight start. Midwest League hitters are having trouble squaring up his mid-90s fastball and they can’t adjust to his quality offspeed offerings.

It has been nearly two months since Root has allowed an earned run. He has not allowed a single run (earned or otherwise) since April 18. He’s surrendered just a single hit in each of his last four outings. It’s time for him to join Sirota in proving his mettle against better competition.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

James Tibbs III clubbed his organization-leading 18th home run last week. The lefty slugger added five walks but also struck out eight times and is running a strikeout rate of 25.5% on the year.

Zach Ehrhard is heating up. He hit .409 last week with a two-homer game on Thursday, giving him five on the season. He also walked six times and is sporting a respectable .390 OBP for the season. Former D Backs outfielder Alek Thomas joined the team and homered in his first game with OKC on Tuesday.

Hyeseong Kim batted .280 last week with a stolen base. He also played third base for the first time since coming to the states. Jack Suwinski hit .313 with a pair of doubles and started one of the most bizarre double plays of the year.

River Ryan continues to stretch out for a potential spot in the big league rotation. His last outing wasn’t as dominant as expected, as he surrendered four runs in six innings with four strikeouts. Still, the right-hander should join the big league rotation at some point this month.

Double-A Tulsa

Josue De Paula, fresh off being ranked the fifth-best prospect in minors by Baseball America, hit .296 last week with a pair of doubles and a pair of homers. After hitting a dozen homers last season in 102 games, he now has 10 in 54 games with Tulsa. And he just turned 21 two weeks ago.

Speaking of power, Zyhir Hope had a four-homer week, with a pair on Tuesday and a pair on Sunday. One of those longballs was clocked at 114 off the bat. Hope has some of the best power in the organization and he’s already matched his homer total from last year in 73 fewer games with a team-leading 13.

Infielder Jake Gelof also had a four homer week. The former second rounder from 2023 batted .318, adding a double and gives the Drillers yet another hitter with double-digit homers. Chris Newell belted a pair of taters last week and Elijah Hainline added his 9th of the season.

On the bump, Adam Serwinowski was effectively wild, allowing four walks but just two hits and a run over six innings. The 22-year-old southpaw has strung together three strong starts in a row and is looking to turn his season around after a disastrous April.

High-A Great Lakes

Eduardo Quintero won’t stop hitting doubles. The 20-year-old outfielder hit seven in May and collected four last week to kick off June. After batting .195 in April, he’s raised his average to .287 and has stolen 24 bases, good for third in the Midwest League. Now he just needs to start hitting homers again, something he hasn’t done since April 25.

Charles Davalan, AKA Chuck D, had himself a solid week by hitting .286 with a double and a walk. Last year’s 41st overall pick is hitting .279/.403/.463 through 51 games in A-ball.

Emil Morales is continuing to acclimate to High-A and had himself a strong performance last week. He hit .304 with a pair of homers, including a 441-foot blast that you wouldn’t expect from a teenager.

Nico Perez broke out of his home run slump, belting his 7th of the season and his first since May 12th. Jose Meza added his 8th. Anson Aroz was promoted and had a pair of hits on Saturday including a double.

Christian Zazueta had an abbreviated outing on the mound, lasting just 2 ⅔ innings while striking out four. He now has 54 strikeouts in 40 innings this season. Aidan Foeller made his first start in three weeks, pitching two perfect innings with a pair of Ks. Brooks Auger had an odd start. He allowed just one hit over four shutout innings but also walked five.

Single-A Ontario

Easton Shelton had himself a week. He hit .294 with four homers, giving him 17 on the season. He’s just a homer behind Tibbs III for the org lead and leads the California League, with the next closest players at 10. A breakout season for the 20-year-old first baseman who signed as a free agent out of high school.

Chase Harlan continues to impress. The big third baseman hit .364 with four doubles and his 8th homer of the year on Wednesday. He’s third in the league in both BA and OBP, and ranks second with a 1.014 OPS.

Joendry Vargas went 7 for 21 with a pair of doubles, a homer and a stolen base. Landyn Vidourek clubbed a pair of taters, giving him six on the year. Mairoshendrick Martinus had three doubles and a longball. 

Ching-Hsien Ko hit .368 with a pair of doubles. AJ Soldra played in just three games but went 4 for 9 with his 7th homer of the season. Kellon Lindsey had a pair of two hit games to start the week but hasn’t appeared in a game since Wednesday.

Brady Smith continues racking up the strikeouts. He collected eight in just 3 ⅔ innings on Saturday, giving him 59 on the season which is good for third in the California League. Tyler Gough was impressive again, allowing just one run over five innings with six Ks.

Rookie Leagues

18-year-old Moises Bolivar batted .385 last week for the Arizona Complex League club, doubling and homering twice. Jhon Gil hit his first home run of the season last Monday. The 18-year-old is listed as a catcher but has spent most of his time in center field while also playing a game at second base.

21-year-old lefty Peter Bonilla worked a pair of two inning outings, allowing no runs and no hits while striking out eight.

The Dominican Summer League kicked off its season last Monday. Top international signees Rubel Arias and Ezequiel Melburne made their debuts. Arias homered in his first at bat, while Melburne doubled in his. 18-year-old Moises Acacio homered, drew five walks and stole a pair of bases on the way to a 1.300 OPS in his debut week.

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.
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2014-2026 | Dodgers Digest | All Rights Reserved