The 27th and 28th of April marked the first two days when we saw notable movement across the Minor League Baseball roster landscape. Several prospects off to hot starts received a promotion after the first month of the year, including two former first-rounders: Owen Murphy and Riley Quick.
Murphy & Ewing to Triple-A
The International League received more high-end talent over the off day, as A.J. Ewing (Mets) and Owen Murphy (Braves) both made their way to Triple-A.
Ewing, one of the best contact hitters in the Minors, did nothing to lower his prospect stock. The outfielder left Binghamton with the third-most walks (17) in the Eastern League, as well as 12 stolen bases and 22 hits across 18 contests.
Murphy, meanwhile, will get a look at Triple-A after an interesting run with Double-A Columbus. The former first-round pick struck out 27 over 20 innings in the Southern League, second-most in that circuit.
However, he walked 18 and conceded five home runs with the Clingstones.
Quick up to Cedar Rapids
Riley Quick was promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids on the 27th. Quick, formerly of the Alabama Crimson Tide, was one of two first-round picks for the Twins in 2025. He’ll join the other, Marek Houston, with the Kernels.
The 36th overall pick of the 2025 Draft, Quick struck out 13 over eight innings over three starts. He walked three, allowed just one hit, and no earned runs.
Quick induced a lot of swing-and-miss down in Fort Myers, not surprising given the raw figures. Based on data collected from Statcast, his changeup had a 78% swing-and-miss rate. His sinker (41%) had a high one, as well. The right-hander also possesses what would be plus extension at the MLB level, roughly around seven inches.
That makes a fastball that plays up to 97-98 MPH just a bit more potent.
Other moves
The Mets moved several pitchers to Triple-A, aside from Ewing. Dylan Ross and former Brave Luke Jackson were both transferred to Syracuse.
Ben Jacobs, the Tigers’ third-round pick from 2025, was promoted from Low-A Lakeland to High-A West Michigan. The former ASU pitcher struck out 24 over 16 innings for the Flying Tigers.
Kiefer Lord, the Carolina League leader in strikeouts (34), was promoted from Low-A Delmarva to High-A Frederick. Lord was a third-round pick by the O’s in 2023.
Twenty-year-old Nate Payne, one of the best swing-and-miss men in the Florida State League, was promoted to High-A Beloit. Payne was tied with Seth Hernandez for the FSL league lead in strikeouts (32) before the move.
Check out more of our Minor League coverage, including a look at Week 4 of the 2026 Minor League season.