Under The Knife 9/15/25

Meeting Jesus

Jesus Made (pronounced Mah-day) is painting a picture that’s hard to ignore. At age-18, he’s already lit up multiple minor‑league levels and now finds himself in Double‑A, doing more than just holding his own: he’s dominating enough to force questions about when, not if, he’ll be in the bigs alongside Jackson Chourio and Jacob Misiorowski. His slash line in 2025 (.288/.383/.803) across about 450 at bats, 6 homers, 46 steals, shows both the polish and the upside. He’s got a feel for the strike zone, bat speed that generates extra base hits, speed that stretches plays and pressurizes defenses, and enough power potential (especially from both sides) to suggest a bat that could do damage rather than just hit singles.

Rafael Furcal is a useful comparison. Furcal, himself a switch‑hitting Dominican shortstop with elite speed, rose fast through Atlanta’s system in the late ’90s. In the minors he was punishing lower levels: .328 average in Danville, 60 steals in 66 games, then over .330 with 70+ steals in another stop before promotions. Furcal’s bat was more contact‑oriented with speed and instinct rather than raw power, but he had enough impact tools to force a jump to the majors fairly early, and once there he was productive: Rookie of the Year, consistently high batting averages, stealing bases, making plays.

Made so far reflects many of those attributes. He’s showing that he can combine advanced plate discipline, gap hitting, speed, and consistent contact at age levels many 18‑year‑olds haven’t yet mastered. Defensively he’s still establishing himself, but his offensive profile gives him room to force the trajectory. The difference today is pitchers are more advanced, the jump from High‑A to Double‑A is steeper, scouting and analytics pick apart weaknesses earlier, and power is more rewarded. If Made can maintain or even improve his walk rates, keep the strikeouts from spiking, adjust to better secondary stuff, and stay healthy, he has the tools to mirror a Furcal‑style rise, maybe even improve on it with better power.

What does that mean in tangible terms? If I were putting odds on it, I’d say there’s a real shot he sees some major league time in 2026, especially if the Brewers need an infusion of youth, speed, or positional flexibility. A September cup of coffee feels very plausible. A full‑time gig is likely 2027. If he rakes in Double‑A, maybe even gets some time in Triple‑A, and the defense holds up, then a midseason ‘26 promotion isn’t out of the question. But the risk is real for any prospect, especially one this young: slumps, adjustments at each level, mental fatigue, even minor injuries can delay things.

Willy Adames was allowed to leave both on budgetary issues and let’s not forget he wasn’t homegrown. Adames was pushed out of Tampa and became a great fit for a Brewers era, with the gap filled by Joey Ortiz and Andrew Monasterio. Again, neither is homegrown and neither will hold back Made once he’s ready. They’re the kind of talent that the Brewers have long been able to find deep in trades or wandering the desert of the waiver wire. Neither will fellow SS prospect Cooper Pratt, who could shift left or right depending on need and timing. Pratt was thought to be ahead of Made in terms of when he’d get there, but now it looks like that’s swapped despite a solid Double-A campaign. Note however that Pratt started at SS with Made at 2B in their first game together.

In short, the Furcal comp isn’t just nostalgic window‑dressing. It’s a yardstick. Made is running close to that yardstick now, maybe even surpassing it in some categories. If he keeps trending up, the Brewers will be forced to consider him far sooner than many expect.

Oh and Made wasn’t alone. Luis Pena, another age-18 shortstop that has played more third this season, went along with Made to Biloxi. Both were signed in January 2024, alongside another player, Jorge Quintana, who was sent to the Padres in a deal. Someone deserves a bonus in the scouting department!

Hope I never have to write about either down here. Let’s get to the injuries:

TARIK SKUBAL, SP DET (no injury)

For the panic that happened in Detroit, the Tarik Skubal story in retrospect doesn’t look so bad. I almost did a UTK Flash after Skubal signaled to the dugout and came out early in his start but here we are on Sunday evening (Monday for you) and it’s quite possible that Skubal doesn’t miss a start. To me, this isn’t a story about Skubal’s side/oblique, but about his trust in a medical staff and an organization to say that he felt something, didn’t trust it, but trusted them.

An MRI “came back clean”, but what does that mean? It’s not one thing for all the times these kinds of phrasing are used. In this case, I’m told there was no evidence of strain and that it’s believed he had cramping or some sort of transient event. If you ever had the ol’ “stitch in your side” running? That diaphragmatic issue (with very little agreement on what the primary cause is) gives you an idea why Skubal felt something enough to call for the medical staff.

There’s lots of attention to breath work these days, but very little about breathing itself. Dr. Belisa Vranich has written several books and leads seminars on breathing technique. It’s pretty interesting stuff and has a lot of application to pitchers, especially in the pitch clock era. While we may never know exactly what happened with Skubal, there is the chance it recurs, either immediately or down the line, so the Tigers will not only watch his side work closely, they’ll have to shadow him in his next start, currently penciled in for Thursday.

JOSE ALVARADO, RP PHI (strained forearm)

Jose Alvarado isn’t going to be in the playoffs due to the terms of the JDA, but now he’s not going to help the team get there. The remade bullpen was remade in large part because of that suspension and the opportunities at upgrades. A mild strain to Alvarado’s forearm is just enough to keep him out for the rest of the season, so the team will rehab him through it and send him off for his normal off-season, watching the playoff run from a distance.

Alvarado’s strain is minor and were it not for the circumstances, this would probably be about a month. The team has a $9m option on Alvarado next year with a small buyout, so given those circumstances and the assumption of health for next year, it seems reasonable they would pick it up. If not, he’s likely to make more on the open market given his results. Suspensions aren’t good, but the shiny closer tag has value to a lot of teams and Alvarado’s not long removed from being a very good one.

Lots of info on the injuries that might decide the AL West, another key Phillies injury, and a Dodgers situation no one expected. Read it all for just five bucks a month.