With A-ball regular seasons wrapped up, several players received promotions to extend their years. Eli Willits is now up in Double-A, while Cubs outfielder Caden Sorrell joins the club’s High-A team for the postseason.
Willits moving to Double-A
Eli Willits will continue playing in 2026, as the former first-overall pick was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg.
Willits was with High-A Wilmington through the end of their season. He tallied 31 more stolen bases with the Blue Rocks, giving him 60 total on the year. The infielder slashed .230/.392/.420 with 24 extra-base hits over 64 games in High-A.
It’s the second in-season promotion for Willits, who started 2026 in Low-A.
Stanifer to Triple-A
Blue Jays pitching prospect Gage Stanifer was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo.
Stanifer’s been a great swing-and-miss pitcher over the last two seasons. That was very much evident in New Hampshire, as he finished second in the Eastern League with 133 batters over 97 innings.
However, it is worth noting that Stanifer, for the past few weeks, has worked in short stints as a reliever.
Cubs shift 2026 picks up
The Cubs moved 2026 draft picks Caden Sorrell and Chase Meyer to High-A South Bend, joining the club for their playoff run.
Sorrell handled Low-A very well. With Myrtle Beach, the former Texas A&M Aggie slashed .295/.347/.523 with five home runs and eight extra-base hits with the Pelicans.
Meyer needed to get innings before 2026 ended. The 21-year-old struck out 10 over 7.1 IP with Myrtle Beach before he moved up.
Other notes
The Padres assigned Coleman Borthwick to Low-A Lake Elsinore. Borthwick, the club’s top pick from the 2026 MLB Draft, joined the Storm for their playoff run.
Astros catching prospect Jason Schiavone was promoted to Triple-A Sugar Land. Schiavone, amidst a breakout year, hit 31 home runs between High-A and Low-A.
The Phillies made some moves, shifting Aidan Miller from Low-A to Double-A. Miller, thanks to injury, has missed most of 2026. Nestor Cortes, meanwhile, was activated off the injured list and pitched a scoreless inning in Game 1 of the Florida State League playoffs for Clearwater.
Milwaukee promoted Eric Bitonti and Daniel Dickinson to Double-A Biloxi. Bitonti finished 2025 second in the Midwest League in home runs (25), while Dickinson was third in that circuit in walks (88).
Guardians infielder Welbyn Francisca was promoted to Double-A Akron. Francisca slashed .277/.356/.538 (.897 OPS) with 17 home runs and 31 extra-base hits over 65 games.
Royals pitching prospect Hunter Owen was promoted to Triple-A Omaha.
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