Dodgers Prospect Notes: Morales Mashes for Loons, Root Racks up Ks, Sirota Closing in on Record, De Paula Singles in Futures Game, more

Jared Massey 07/13/2026 Prospect Notes Leave A Comment

Emil Morales

Hitter of the Week

This season has been a learning experience for Emil Morales. The 19-year-old shortstop crushed his way to High-A Great Lakes after dominating in Ontario for a month and a half, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Now, it seems, Morales has caught up to the league and is breaking out.

Despite struggling with contact at times, Morales has been remarkably consistent this year. His OPS in May, when he was promoted, was .847. Last month, it was .843. Now it’s skyrocketed to 1.166 in July thanks to last week’s performance, where he hit .500 with a two-homer game on Thursday. He also added three doubles and three walks.

Morales has been exclusively playing shortstop since his promotion, though he doesn’t project there long term. If his bat continues developing like this, it’ll play anywhere.

Pitcher of the Week

One of the big questions I have this season is: why is Zach Root still in A-ball? After pitching in the SEC last year and dominating in his debut, it seems like he’s ready for a greater challenge. His last start proved that.

On Tuesday, Root had one of his best starts as a professional. He allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings, walking a pair and striking out a career-best 11 batters. He lowered his season ERA to 2.37 and has now struck out 69 batters in 49 ⅓ innings. Nice.

There’s really not much left for Root to prove with the Loons, so it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he takes the next step toward the big leagues. Tulsa could use the pitching help as they march toward the Texas League playoffs. With Root on that staff, the Drillers will be a juggernaut.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

James Tibbs III hit well last week, batting .375 with a double and a stolen base. The 23-year-old slugger is on another home run drought, having not gone yard in two weeks.

Zach Ehrhard was hot and cold last week, with a pair of multi-hit efforts but also three hitless contests. He did manage to bat .278 with a double and his 14th homer of the season, matching last year’s total in 50 fewer games. Oh, and the homer was of the inside-the-park variety, his second of the year.

Ryan Ward hit .400 last week with two doubles and two homers. Alek Thomas batted .350 with two doubles and three homers. Jack Suwinski hit .462 with four doubles. Hyeseong Kim went 5 for 13 with a double, three walks and a stolen base.

Jackson Ferris allowed three runs in 4 ⅔ innings while striking out six. He now has 14 Ks in his last 10 ⅔ innings and only three walks. Definitely a step in the right direction.

Double-A Tulsa

Zyhir Hope had just five hits last week, though three of them were homers. Two of them came in Wednesday’s game. He now leads the team with 19, placing 5th in the Texas League.

Josue De Paula played in just three games but batted .375 with a double. He then went to Philly on Sunday to play in the Futures Game, where he started in left field and went 1 for 2 with a single.

Mike Sirota replaced JDP in the Futures Game and struck out in his only at bat. Back in Tulsa, Sirota reached base safely in all four games he played, extending his on base streak to 72 games. He’s two shy of the minor league record.

Kendall George hit .500 in his first full week back in Double-A after recovering from his knee injury. He’s shown no ill effects, as he tripled, stole a pair of bases and had the walk-off hit on Tuesday.

On the mound, Christian Zazueta started off the week with five innings of two run ball, striking out eight for his third consecutive start. On Sunday, he pitched an abbreviated three-inning outing, allowing a run with no walks and three Ks.

Adam Serwinowski had some bad luck, surrendering three runs (only one was earned) with four walks and four strikeouts. Despite his struggles this season, he’s still struck out 94 batters, 4th most in the Texas League.

High-A Great Lakes

Eduardo Quintero had four hits last week, two doubles and two homers, including a grand slam. After going a month without hitting a ball over the wall, Quintero has finally rediscovered his power stroke. He has three homers already this month after hitting just three in June.

Charles Davalan hit three homers last week, matching his totals for May and June combined. His second was the most important, a two-run shot in the 8th inning of Saturday’s game that ended up being the winning hit.

Chase Harlan has cooled off a bit since his promotion, hitting .211 last week with a double and a homer. Logan Wagner, who led the team in longballs before his injury, clubbed a pair on Sunday to give him 12 in just 48 games.

Tyler Gough continues to post zeroes for the Loons. It was his third consecutive scoreless start since being called up from Ontario. He did struggle with his control, walking four, but also struck out five in his three innings of work.

Sterling Patick allowed four runs in five innings but also struck out seven. Aidan Foeller worked 4 ⅔ innings of three run ball while striking out eight. Brooks Auger also struck out eight while allowing four runs in his start.

Single-A Ontario

Mairoshendrick Martinus played the corners this week and belted a pair of homers, giving him 12 on the year. He also stole a pair of bases, with his 27 steals tying him with teammate Jaron Elkins for the team lead and 4th in the California League. Elkins continued his hot hitting, batting .360 with a double, a pair of homers and a pair of steals.

Easton Shelton reigns supreme in the power department, homering in three straight games over the weekend to extend his Cal League lead to 26. The next closest batter has 15, and that happens to be his teammate Ching-Hsien Ko. Ko homered in back to back games on Wednesday and Thursday.

Joendry Vargas batted .375 on the week with two doubles, a homer and a steal. Brendan Tunink hit .400 with a double, four walks and four stolen bases.

Brady Smith continues to rack up the Ks, striking out seven in three innings this week. His next strikeout will be #100 on the year and he’s vying to be the first Dodgers’ prospect to reach that milestone in 2026.

Hyun-Seok Jang pitched a career-best six innings, allowing one earned run while striking out eight. He’s now struck out 33 batters in his last 21 innings.

Luis Carias pitched a career-high six innings in relief on Sunday, striking out five. He also allowed just one earned run on Monday, giving him 9 ⅓ innings of two run ball with six Ks.

Cam Leiter, who missed his previous start, was pulled from his outing on Saturday with an apparent blister. Marlon Nieves, returning from the injured list, worked 2 ⅓ innings on Friday, allowing a run and recording a strikeout.

Edwin Diaz made his first rehab start since undergoing elbow surgery on Saturday, striking out a pair. His fastball was sitting 96-97 and he showed the sharp slider fans are accustomed to.

Rookie Leagues

One of the biggest breakout players in the Dodgers’ system this year is Luis Gamez, a 19-year-old righty out of Mexico. After dominating the Dominican Summer League last year, he came stateside and has been very impressive in the Complex League. He strung together a pair of no-hit starts, striking out 11 batters in each, before finally surrendering a hit in his third inning of relief work on Saturday. In his last four outings, Gamez has given up just two hits, one run, five walks and struck out 27 batters in 13 innings. He’s definitely a player to watch and may end up in Ontario before the year is over.

Last year’s 4th rounder, Aidan West, returned from a broken finger on Saturday, driving in a run in his first game in over a month. Davion Hickson, who was taken in the 5th round in 2025, made his long-awaited pro debut last Wednesday and worked a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a pair. The 22-year-old right-hander should rejoin the Tower Buzzers once he finishes his rehab stint.

18-year-old Moises Acacio slugged a pair of homers while playing second, short and right field. Infielder Daniel Mielcarek hit .556 in four games with a pair of homers and a stolen base.

In the DSL, Rubel Arias was 5 for 14 with a double and three stolen bases. Antoni Urena had three hits including two doubles and a steal. Helvin Mendoza was 6 for 16 with a double and two homers.

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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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