It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time to think about the minor leagues. We’re back with another edition of This Week in Minor League Baseball, chock full of scouting reports, transaction news, highlights and more.

Three prospects scouts liked this week

Spencer Jones, New York Yankees, CF

Team: High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Age: 21
Stats: .265/.302/.551, 5 HR, 0.16 BB/K

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Scout says: Jones was New York’s first-rounder last year out of Vanderbilt, and he’s listed at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds. So, there are inevitable Aaron Judge comparisons. There’s swing and miss and his bat path can get too long and a little too grooved and very uphill, but this guy moves better than Judge does and his tools are a little louder. Judge has become a really good defender, and I don’t know that Jones has the instincts Judge does, but he can run and he can play center and he can really throw and the power is outrageous. He controls the zone OK. He’ll swing at some pitches he thinks he can hit but his bat path is not conducive to hitting them. He maybe needs to rein it in a little bit as it’s not a plus-plus-plus approach, but he knows what he’s doing. There’s some feel there. If you’re not going to count the guys in the majors (with the Yankees), he’s their best prospect and it’s not even close. The tools are so big, you have to get out of the way for a year and be like, “This is not normal. This looks really good and could be really good.” The ceiling there is through the roof. If he’s punching out 40 percent of the time and repeating Double A in 2025, then we can have a conversation about backing off a little bit.

Spencer Jones legs out an RBI-Triple 🔥

— Hudson Valley Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 2, 2023

Ben Joyce, Los Angeles Angels, RHP

Team: Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas
Age: 22
Stats: 8 appearances, 8 1/3 IP, 4.32 ERA, 13 K, 10 BB

Scout says: He was their third-rounder out of Tennessee last year and he has a huge arm. He sits 100 mph. It’s a lower arm slot, kind of funky, and it’s got to be a really, really hard look for right-handed hitters. He’s throwing behind their back. He’s got a short little slider now and in spring he had a slower curve, which I thought was good. The pre-tacked ball in the Southern League has complicated things, so he might not be able to throw that curve for a strike right now. The command is the main issue, although I’ve never seen him all that wild. The slider is 88-90 mph and the curve is 82-83. The fastball topped out at 103 in spring training, and he’s maybe hit 105, but I haven’t seen that. I would be shocked if he doesn’t come up at some point this year. I don’t know if he projects as a big-league closer because of the control issues, but if he can tone that down, he could be a Daniel Bard type. Probably more of a set-up guy because the control comes and goes.

Ben Joyce's Stuff (2Ks/1 IP) 🧑‍🚒🔥

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 26, 2023

Lyon Richardson, Cincinnati Reds, RHP

Team: Low-A Daytona Tortugas/Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
Age: 23
Stats: 6 starts, 16 IP, 1.13 ERA, 23 K, 6 BB

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Scout says: He’s a 2018 second-rounder who missed all of last year due to Tommy John surgery, but he’s back and he’s pretty impressive. He’s like f—ing Tarzan. He’s as athletic as they come. He can spin it, he can move it around. I know it’s control over command, but it’s big stuff. I saw him when he was in Daytona ramping up. He threw three innings, sat 97 mph and touched 101. It was a repeatable delivery, high-effort. He mixed in a solid-average curve that flashed above average, as well as an above-average slider. The changeup was plus. He throws it with so much confidence and conviction. It was really diving. The bottom was falling out of it. He hides his arm a little bit and it comes out late. What most impressed me was his killer instinct. He was a big fish in (a) small pond facing younger guys, but he was out for blood. Some guys down at that level take it for granted a bit. He’s got all the makings — killer instinct, mound presence, repeatable delivery. You could start him, you could put him in the ‘pen in (a) playoff run as a swingman type in high leverage.

Nasty changeup from Lyon Richardson to record his first strikeout of the game. #Reds

— OnBaseMachine (@RedsFan_Brandon) April 30, 2023

Hear from our staff

• Mariners outfield prospect Jonatan Clase has been promoted from High-A Everett to Double-A Arkansas after hitting .333 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs and 17 steals. Not a bad start to the season for the 20-year-old, whom the club protected last winter by adding him to the 40-man roster. Clase’s biggest weapon is his speed. He has 119 steals in 205 minor league games. — Corey Brock

• Shane Drohan, who is starting games in Double A for the Red Sox, might be having a breakout season. His velocity is up. He’s added a cutter. He’s been pretty dominant so far with a 0.62 ERA in five starts. On that same team, 2020 first-rounder Nick Yorke is off to a good start after a disappointing 2022, batting .291 with a .919 OPS. — Chad Jennings

• Padres left-handed pitching prospect Robby Snelling stayed in Arizona last summer after being drafted 39th overall. He made his professional debut last month and has compiled a 0.86 ERA in five starts with Low-A Lake Elsinore. At 19, he’s one of the youngest pitchers in the California League. — Dennis Lin

• So … which Reds prospect had a better day at the plate on Thursday? Matt McLain hit for the cycle. Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit three homers. Encarnacion-Strand now has seven home runs in 13 games this year. — C. Trent Rosecrans

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Notable transactions

• Pirates center fielder Tres Gonzalez, a fifth-rounder last year out of Georgia Tech, batted his way out of the Florida State League and earned a promotion to High-A Greensboro. He hit .299 with a .427 OBP and .830 OPS in Low A, and I personally saw him reach base in nine straight plate appearances when I was in Bradenton a few weeks ago. In other Pittsburgh/Gonzo news, former Pirates first-rounder Nick Gonzales is off the injured list at Triple A after recovering from a shoulder ailment.

• More good injury news. All coming off the IL this week: Nationals center fielder Robert Hassell II, Rockies outfielder Zac Veen, Giants infielder Marco Luciano and Yankees catcher Austin Wells.

• And some bad news. Rays slugger Curtis Mead landed on the IL with a wrist injury that shouldn’t keep him out long and isn’t considered serious. Definitely serious are the injuries to Reds infielder Leonardo Balcazar (torn ACL) and Guardians right-hander Daniel Espino (shoulder surgery). They are out for the year, and Espino missed most of last year, too.

• Blue Jays pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann pulled himself from his most recent start with an apparent arm injury, although it’s worth noting he has not been added to the injured list since.

Plays of the week

You heard C. Trent Rosecrans talk about it above, now see Matt McLain’s cycle for yourself.

🚲 Matt McLain hits for his second career cycle!@LouisvilleBats | @Reds

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 5, 2023

Sticking with Cincinnati’s never-ending stock of infielders, here’s Elly De La Cruz casually flirting with triple digits on a throw across the diamond.

Elly De La Cruz threw this ball 99.2 MPH across the diamond 🔥

The fastest throw by an infielder this year in Triple-A and MLB. @ellylacocoa18 ╳ @LouisvilleBats

— Reds On The Rise (@RedsOnTheRise) May 6, 2023

Inside-the-park homers are cool, but Nick Biddison, let’s please be careful on the “slide” into home.

Inside-the-park homer alert 🚨@Dodgers' 2022 4th-round pick Nick Biddison goes on a mad dash around the bases for the @RCQuakes:

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 4, 2023

Don’t tell me the route efficiency for Justin Dirden. I don’t want it to spoil this catch.

Leaping grab? No problem for Justin Dirden!!

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 6, 2023

Finally, here’s a nice snag by Tigers prospect Colt Keith, who manages to turn a double play.

Colt Keith and Luis Santana combine for a terrific 5-3 double play to get Erie out of the inning.

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 2, 2023

Keep going, baby

There’s always more stuff to read! Here are looks at the systems of the Twins and Red Sox, courtesy of Aaron Gleeman and Chad Jennings. Melissa Lockard learned about the adjustments Giants pitching phenom Kyle Harrison is making in Sacramento. Finally, Evan Drellich has the skinny on why the $185 million payout in the recent minor-league lawsuit is in limbo.

(Top photo of Spencer Jones: Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)