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Jay Bruce was hitting .364 with 10 home runs, nine doubles and five triples in 184 Triple-A at-bats.
It's not often a last-place team that didn't even suit up the previous evening is responsible for the day's biggest headline -- unless it's a managerial firing -- but these things can certainly happen when the team in question boasts baseball's No. 1 prospect. Reds outfielder Jay Bruce will be promoted to make his major league debut today against the Pirates. Bruce is a probable future All-Star with elite superstar potential. He's also polished enough to make an immediate impact. While it is too much to ask for him to duplicate Ryan Braun's improbable 2007 rookie season, if anyone has a chance to make that sort of impact this year, it's Bruce. That's not really a secret; Bruce was owned in nearly a third of ESPN leagues before the announcement was made, and that has doubled to better than 60 percent as of this morning. Move fast if there is still hope to get him in yours.
The 21-year-old was a first-round draft pick in 2005, but not even the Reds expected him to move as quickly as he has. After struggling in rookie ball, Bruce turned in a solid 2006 campaign in Class A, then followed with a dominating three-level performance in 2007 that culminated in his hitting .305/.358/.567 as a 20-year-old in Triple-A. This year, the sweet-swinging lefty leads the International League with a .364 average, and has hit .456 since May 3.
With Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn manning the outfield corners, Bruce will take over in center field, ending the unproductive Corey Patterson-Ryan Freel platoon. Patterson will likely be dispatched in the next day or two, while Freel will stick around as the team's top reserve outfielder. Though Freel will pick up some starts against tougher left-handers, Bruce is not expected to be confined to a strict platoon. He was hitting .389 versus lefties in Triple-A this year despite striking out 17 times while drawing only one walk.
The one hole in Bruce's game is his poor contact rate. He's struck out nearly once per game in his minor league career, so don't expect .300 averages to be the standard right away in the majors. However, the same elite bat speed that facilitates his ample power means that he'll eventually be a high-average hitter when his strike-zone judgment improves.
Bruce is talented enough to put together a long string of .300-30-100 seasons. For the remainder of 2008, expect him to play well enough to hold down the center-field job and receive at least 350 at-bats. He'll strike out plenty but be productive enough when he does make contact to hit .270 or .275 with around 15 home runs, a few steals and plenty of run production. He'll be a rookie-of-the-year threat despite spending nearly the first third of the season in the minors, and deserves to be owned in fantasy leagues of any size.
• Past editions: 5/26: Kershaw sharp in his debut | 5/25: Rockies bit by injury bug
Arizona third baseman Chad Tracy was activated from the disabled list and made his 2008 debut with a start at first base Monday. He went 1-for-4 as the Diamondbacks lost to the Braves. Tracy will begin taking time from Mark Reynolds immediately and should settle in as the starter if his surgically repaired knee holds up. The two will likely be platooned in the short term, with the left-handed Tracy getting more at-bats. Reynolds didn't help his cause with two early defensive gaffes in Monday's game. … Nine-game winner Brandon Webb was hit hard and unable to finish the fifth inning despite eight strikeouts. Promising rookie Max Scherzer struck out four in 2 2/3 scoreless relief innings and will continue to have value pitching out of the bullpen. … With Mark Kotsay's back ailing, rookie Gregor Blanco got the start in center field for the Braves. He went 3-for-3 with a walk, bringing his average to .299. The left-handed Blanco has little power, but he's stolen four bases in 97 at-bats and could earn more playing time at the expense of Kotsay or work his way into a platoon with Matt Diaz, who has struggled mightily with right-handed pitching this year. … Salomon Torres picked up his third save for Milwaukee on Monday with a perfect 11th inning versus the Nationals. Closer Eric Gagne has indicated that he'll be ready to return after the minimum 15-day DL stint; Torres will continue to be the first ninth-inning option while Gagne is out. … The Ryan Dempster experiment is still running smoothly in Chicago. The Cubs closer-turned-starter lowered his ERA to 2.56, besting Chad Billingsley's fine effort with seven innings of one-run ball. … Colorado's Ryan Spilborghs went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run against Philadelphia. The 28-year-old is now hitting .300 in 89 at-bats and will be an everyday player while Matt Holliday is out. Rockies speedster Willy Taveras, who had missed two starts with a knee bruise, returned to the lineup and stole his 20th base. … Chase Utley, Chris Coste, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz all had big performances for the homestanding Phillies, who scored 20 runs a day after putting up 16 against these same Rockies. … Another strong start from Shaun Marcum powered the Blue Jays to a sweep of the Royals, who have dropped seven straight since being no-hit by Boston's Jon Lester. Marcum lowered his ERA to 2.64 and his WHIP to 0.87. … Orioles shortstop Freddie Bynum, the current nominal starter at the position, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and four men left on base to lower his average to an empty .234. Alex Cintron should supplant him as the starting shortstop soon. He's 6-for-13 since joining the team in mid-May. … White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko returned from a hand injury but went 0-for-3 against Cleveland. Tribe designated hitter Travis Hafner missed the game with shoulder soreness. … Rays ace Scott Kazmir silenced the Rangers, striking out 10 in seven innings of one-run ball. Kazmir, who didn't relinquish a base on balls in the outing, is now sporting a 1.50 ERA and has given up two total runs in his past four starts. … An unlikely pitching duel between Tigers veteran Kenny Rogers and Angels right-hander Jon Garland finally ended after 12 innings, with Los Angeles claiming a 1-0 victory. Both starters turned in seven scoreless innings, a feat that should not be expected often from either pitcher. The Tigers' Gary Sheffield left the contest after six innings with muscle spasms. … Bartolo Colon outdueled Felix Hernandez in his second start as a member of the Red Sox as Boston topped the homestanding Mariners. Colon is now 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis was a late scratch with a sore hand, so Sean Casey saw his first action since May 17, turning in a 1-for-4 performance.
Pedro Feliz, Phillies
It's hard to select just one player from a team that scored 20 runs, but Feliz stands out due to his six-game hitting streak. His 4-for-6 performance gave him 15 hits in his past 31 at-bats (.484), a streak during which he's raised his much-maligned batting average to .271 from .227.
Shelley Duncan, Yankees
An 0-for-4 performance with two strikeouts prolonged a season-long slump in which Duncan has just nine hits -- only one of them a home run -- in 55 at-bats. Opportunity is fading fast for Duncan, whose Yankees are reeling and in need of an offensive jolt which, in the past, Duncan had been able to provide.
"A lot of people wonder how [the Reds] could trade Josh Hamilton; well, [Jay Bruce is] the reason why. They knew it was a matter of time, so now he's going to get his opportunity. Hope everybody just slows down and gives this guy a chance to develop. It's still the biggest jump in professional sports, for me anyway, and that's from the minor leagues in baseball to the big leagues in baseball. The stats in Triple-A are nice, but it's a different gig when you're facing quality pitching every night."
-- Buck Showalter BBTN Minute 
• The Astros sent Fernando Nieve, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, to the minors in exchange for Jack Cassel's fresh arm. Cassel has made two spot starts already this year but will work in relief this time around.
•The Braves now have another fifth-starter candidate, as Buddy Carlyle has been activated from the disabled list. Carlyle will compete with Jeff Bennett and the ailing Jorge Campillo for starting opportunities as they arise and work from the bullpen in the meantime. The Braves designated former relief prospect Chris Resop for assignment to make room for Carlyle.
• Giants outfield prospect Nate Schierholtz hit an empty .304 in 112 big league at-bats last season. He'd been in a bit of a slump at Triple-A Fresno this May, but Monday hit for the cycle, bringing his season average back above .300. Schierholtz has proven he can hit for average, but hasn't quite displayed the 30-homer power the Giants organization thinks he possesses. The 24-year-old is viewed as the eventual successor to Randy Winn in right field.
• A's first baseman Daric Barton is only 22 but he's got competition for his job lining up behind him. Not only does Oakland's system contain solid first-base prospects Chris Carter and Sean Doolittle, but now the club might have to start paying closer attention to Tommy Everidge. The 25-year-old first baseman blasted three home runs and collected 10 RBIs on Monday for Double-A Midland. Everidge has been old for his leagues, but the A's love his combination of power and patience. He's up to 12 homers in 2008, a year after hitting 26 longballs in 461 California league at-bats.
• Former Brewers closer Derrick Turnbow has issued an astounding 15 walks in just 4 1/3 inning since his demotion to Triple-A. He's clearly not close to rejoining the Brewers' makeshift bullpen.