Adamczewski makes major leap in Crew's prospect list

This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- The newest addition to MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Brewers prospects list was outshining some of the brightest young stars in the organization before a back injury slowed him down.

Second baseman Josh Adamczewski, Milwaukee’s 15th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft from northwest Indiana, entered the Top 30 all the way up at No. 16 over the weekend when infielder Caleb Durbin graduated prospect status. Adamczewski -- which is pronounced ad-am-SHEF-ski -- was slashing .360/.450/.539 for Single-A Carolina through May 2, when he developed back discomfort that has lingered for the last month.

“It’s a real shame, because when those guys were all hot,” said Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan of the prospect-rich Carolina club, “he was probably the hottest of them all.”

Adamczewski, who underwent an X-ray and an MRI scan last week, was diagnosed with left sacroiliac joint irritation, also known as SI joint irritation. He landed on the 7-day IL and is expected to see a specialist soon to ensure the player and club have a full picture of the injury.

It means a break from the Mudcats’ impressive infield corps, which is led by Luis Peña (Brewers’ No. 9 prospect) and his Carolina League-leading 167 wRC+ and Jesús Made (Brewers’ No. 1, overall No. 23) who ranks eighth in the league with a 133 wRC+. Filippo Di Turi no longer ranks among MLB Pipeline’s Brewers Top 30, but he’s 11th in the league with a 128 wRC+, and power-hitting first baseman Eric Bitonti (Brewers’ No. 7) is 26th with a 109 wRC+ on the strength of seven home runs, which is tied for third in the league.

Add Adamczewski -- “Just a relentless hitter,” as Flanagan describes him -- and it made for one of the most exciting lineups in Minor League Baseball.

Because he’s already missed a month, Adamczewski will have to get at-bats in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League before he’s ready to restart at Carolina. That means the back injury will chew up a significant chunk of what was shaping into a breakthrough season for a player who just turned 20 on May 10.

Still, he has time. Adamczewski was mulling a scholarship offer at Ball State when the Brewers picked him in the 15th round in ‘23 and signed him for $252,500, adding him to a growing stable of players from the Midwest.

“He was playing very well and having an outstanding season,” Flanagan said. “But unfortunately, with this injury, he doesn't feel he can really swing the bat the way he wants. So we'll get it checked out further and give him some time to recover, and hopefully get him back to 100 percent.”

Minor matters

• Peña earned Carolina League Player of the Week honors spanning May 26-June 1 after slashing .412/.474/.882 with one triple, two home runs and four RBIs. His 1.356 OPS led the league for the week. It is Peña’s first time winning a Player of the Week Award.

• Bitonti recorded his second consecutive two-homer game on Sunday in Carolina’s 4-2 win over Salem, giving the 2023 third-round Draft pick a homer in four of his last seven at-bats over the weekend. Over his past eight games, Bitonti is batting .367 (11-for-30) with six home runs and 11 RBIs.

• Right-hander Coleman Crow struck out nine across five scoreless innings in Double-A Biloxi’s 5-1 win over Rocket City on Sunday. The nine punchouts were his most in a game since amassing 12 as a member of Rocket City against the Shuckers on April 20, 2023. This season, Crow has 37 strikeouts in 31 innings while surrendering just seven walks.

• Outfielder Kenny Fenelon homered in his professional debut on Monday as the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League opened with two Milwaukee teams in action: DSL Brewers Blue and DSL Brewers Gold. Fenelon, the Brewers’ top signee in this year’s international class with a $1.3 million bonus, went deep in a losing effort for the Gold squad.