Does Edgardo Henriquez’s Recent Promotion Put Him on Fast Track to MLB?

The Dodgers promoted three of their top 25 prospects to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers on this week. Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper thinks the Dodgers’ No. 17 prospect, Edgardo Henriquez, has the potential to follow in the footsteps of the Phillies’ Orion Kerkering.

Last season, Kekering quickly moved up the minor league ladder after beginning the season in Low-A. By the postseason, the reliever was part of the Phillies’ MLB bullpen. He made three appearances and was credited with one win. Across three innings, Kerkering logged a 3.00 ERA with six strikeouts and two walks and allowed one run and three hits.

Henriquez, the Dodgers’ most recent promotion to Triple-A, has already played at three different minor league levels. In May, he was promoted from the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to the Class-A Great Lake Loons. A month later, the reliever was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, where he played until his Triple-A promotion.

The 22-year-old has rapidly progressed since returning from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2023 season. In April, the Venezuelan pitcher had a 57 percent strike rate that slightly improved to a 59 in May. Since June, Henriquez has shown significant improvement, as he now boasts a 63.7 strike rate. Overall this season, batters average .157 against the right-hander.

In addition to being able to strike batters out, Henriquez has a powerful arm that can touch triple-digit speeds. As the season has proceeded, Henriquez is more consistently hitting the 100-mph mark. He threw a season-high 103.5 mph fastball on Sunday, while he was still part of the Tulsa Drillers.

Despite being a right-handed pitcher, Henriquez is more dominant against left-handed batters than right-handed batters. Left-handed hitters slash .123/.275/.175 while right-handed hitters slash .181/.284/.325.

You can read more about the rising star and the two other prospects the Dodgers promoted to Triple-A here.

Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

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