There's a Boston Red Sox infield prospect on the MLB Futures Game rosters, but it just might not be the one you'd expect.
Major League Baseball on Wednesday released the rosters for next weekend's Futures Game in Colorado as part of the All-Star Game week. Infielder Jeter Downs was the sole Boston prospect selected to play in the game.
Downs' prospect pedigree is fairly established at this point. He was Baseball America's No. 86 prospect a year ago when he the Dodgers traded him to Boston as part of the Mookie Betts blockbuster. This season, he ascended to No. 71 on BA's preseason list and checked in at No. 64 on the most recent rankings of the top 100 prospects. Baseball America also has him as the No. 2 prospect in the organization, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 3.
Downs has spent the entire 2021 season at Triple-A Worcester, where he's hitting .243 with seven home runs and 16 RBI.
It's slightly surprising, however, that someone like first baseman Triston Casas didn't make the cut. A first-round pick in 2018, Casas currently ranks 24th overall on BA's list, and SoxProspects has him as the No. 1 prospect in the entire Boston farm system. He's having a fine season at Double-A Portland with four home runs in 35 games, and he had himself a nice little run at the Olympic qualifying tournament earlier this month. Casas also will represent the United States at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Outfielder Jarren Duran is in a similar boat. He is setting the world on fire at Worcester and could even be on the verge of a call-up. He could also be headed to the Olympics, though.
The Futures Game will be played July 11 at Coors Field in Denver.
