Recapping Week 16 of the 2026 MiLB Season

Thanks to the Futures Games and All-Star Game break, full-season Minor League affiliates didn’t return to session until this past weekend. But there was plenty of action from Week 16 of the 2026 Minor League season, highlighted by a pair of top Royals prospects.

Even 10 for Hammond

Royals prospect Josh Hammond had what would have been a very good week in just three days.

The 2025 first-rounder had 10 hits over three games. Hammond had three in the Low-A Columbia Fireflies opener versus the Charleston Riverdogs on the 17th. Then, Hammond had five hits one day later, which included two doubles. He ended the weekend with two more.

That outburst gave Hammond 98 hits on the season, three behind current Carolina League leader Luis Guanipa (ATL).

Chourio leads no-no

Keeping with the Royals theme, pitching prospect Kendry Chourio struck out 10 over five no-hit innings, part of a combined no-hitter thrown by the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits.

That contest was an obviously great one for Quad Cities, as the team won 11-0 on July 9. Derlin Figueroa and Blake Mitchell also went deep. For Figueroa, it was his 18th, while Mitchell hammered his 17th of the season with Quad Cities.

Three-home run week for Melendez

Up in Triple-A, Mets outfielder MJ Melendez had three home runs over the weekend to have sole possession of the level lead in said category.

Jose Fernandez (ARI) and Jordan Beck (COL) each had two in the PCL, while Robert Moore (PHI), Christopher Morel (NYM), Shawn Ross (PIT), and Tre’ Morgan (TB) also had two in the International League.

Notable performers

Here are other notable performers from the last week:

1B Jonathon Long (AAA – CHC): eight hits, one home run over three games
INF Ryan Fitzgerald (AAA – LAD): eight hits, one home run over three games
P Jackson Kent (AAA – WSH): eight strikeouts, one earned run over five innings
P George Klassen (AAA – LAA): 11 strikeouts, one earned run over six innings
C Derek Berg (AA – PIT): six hits, two home runs over three games
OF Theo Gillen (AA – TB): six hits, two home runs over three games
OF Druw Jones (AA – ARI): six hits, one home run over three games
P Jack Cebert (AA – NYY): nine strikeouts, no earned runs over 4.2 IP
P Bryce Mayer (AA – HOU): eight strikeouts, no earned runs over five innings
OF Ike Irish (A+ – BAL): nine hits, three home runs over three games
INF Andy Lugo (A+ – MIN): six hits, one home run over four games
OF Carlos Jimenez (A+ – SEA): eight hits, three home runs over three games
P Trevor Harrison (A+ – TB): eight strikeouts, no earned runs over 5.1 IP
P Holden Wilkerson (A+ – TOR): seven strikeouts, no earned runs over 5.2 IP
INF Jake Rucker (A – MIN): seven hits, one home run over three games
1B Easton Shelton (A – LAD): eight hits, two home runs over three games

Stats as of the last seven days.

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