Two of baseball's top prospects could see MLB action relatively soon. Rumors suggest the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros are considering calling up the best young players in their farm system.
Shortstop Corey Seager is the Dodgers' top prospect and now the No.4-ranked prospect in the MLB (after third baseman Kris Bryant joined the Chicago Cubs shortly after Opening Day), according to Baseball America. He was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to Triple-A Oklahoma City last week after batting .375/.407/.675 with 17 runs scored, 5 home runs and 15 RBIs in 20 games with Tulsa.
Similarly, the Astros are expected to bump shortstop Carlos Correa - their top prospect and Baseball America's No. 3-ranked young star - from Double-A Corpus Christi to Triple-A Fresno this month. He's tearing up the competition right now, batting .389/.468/.731 with 23 runs scored, 7 home runs, 31 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 27 games with Corpus Christi.
Both Correa and Seager may also move up in the prospect rankings depending on how long Addison Russell remains on the Cubs' 25-man roster.
Because of the injury to shortstop Jed Lowrie, who is expected to be out until the All-Star Break, ESPN Insider Buster Olney has heard Correa could be with the Astros sooner rather than later.
"I've been told the Astros are open to the idea of promoting him to the big leagues in the weeks ahead," he said on the Baseball Tonight Podcast on Thursday. "They're going to see what they see of him in Triple-A."
Olney's guest, ESPN Insider Keith Law, agreed with the assessment.
"It seems like the Astros are putting Correa on the fast-track all of a sudden," he added.
Fellow baseball insider, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, also talked about Correa in his "Inside Baseball" column on Thursday.
"Carlos Correa, perhaps MLB's best prospect, was just promoted to Triple-A after tearing it up at Double-A, and some are suggesting he could be in the bigs within two or three weeks, assuming all goes well."
Olney and Law also see the same trend going on with Seager and the Dodgers. Although Los Angeles has Jimmy Rollins at shortstop, the veteran is struggling so far this season and batting just .167/.248/.306 with 12 runs scored, 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in 28 games.
"I think [Seager] is in the same boat [as Correa] in Triple-A, where the Dodgers are watching him and they're open to the idea of promoting him at some point if there's a need," Olney said.
"Looking at him physically, Corey Seager looks like a fully grown man at this point," Law assessed. "He's strong enough, big enough. I don't think he's going to have a lot of problems making more than enough hard contact in the big leagues."
Heyman also tweeted earlier this week that Seager could follow Correa in 2015.
Such moves are likely guaranteed for next season if both clubs decide to hold off this year. It's likely the Astros shift Lowrie over to third in 2016 because current third baseman Luis Valbuena, despite having seven home runs already, is batting .206 through 27 games and has never hit over .250.
As for the Dodgers, Rollins will be a free agent after the season. It's clear the veteran shortstop is nearing the end of his career and Los Angeles probably isn't interested in re-signing him.
It's possible we only get a taste of Correa and Seager in 2015. If that's the case, expect to see them on a full-time basis next year.
UPDATE: Multiple sources have said Correa was promoted, but the move is expected to come in the next week or two.
UPDATE: Carlos Correa has been promoted to Triple-A Fresno, according to the Houston Astros Twitter account.
