Teammate Manny Banuelos has found Triple-A to be a little bit tougher so far with a 3.86 ERA through five starts with 12 walks allowed and 24 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings. For the season, Banuelos has a 3.64 ERA, but with a 1.56 WHIP in part due to too many walks and batters hitting .272 against him.

The Yankees also promoted their other top pitching prospect Dellin Betances to Triple-A this past week. In his first start, Betances went six innings, allowing three runs while striking out eight. At AA, Betances had a 3.42 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings.

The Milwaukee Brewers recently promoted right-handed starting pitcher Wily Peralta to Triple-A and he has responded with three solid outings, leaving him with a 1.80 ERA through 20 innings with only three walks allowed and 24 strikeouts. For the season, Peralta has a 3.22 ERA with a .232 batting average against and 141 strikeouts in 139 2/3 innings.

The Detroit Tigers promoted top pitching prospect Jacob Turner to Triple-A back on August 11th and in two starts, he has struck out 14 in 11 1/3 innings with a 4.76 ERA. Turner finished his stint at AA with a 3.48 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings with a .239 batting average against.

Jarrod Parker of the Arizona Diamondbacks is slowly starting to round into form after missing all of the 2010 season due to Tommy John surgery. After struggling the first half of the season, Parker has been putting things together of late, posting a 2.52 ERA since the All-Star break with 51 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings.

Matt Harvey struggled in his first couple of outings in AA for the New York Mets after being promoted at the end of June, but since then he has settled in, winning his last four starts. In his last seven starts, Harvey has a 2.77 ERA and has struck out 45 in 39 innings.

Catcher Travis d’Arnaud has been solid for the Toronto Blue Jays at AA, hitting .326 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI. Though J.P. Arencibia has been strong in the power department with 19 home runs, he has yet to hit for average batting just .210 on the season leaving an opening for d’Arnaud next season. He was a first round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007 and was traded to the Blue Jays in the deal for Roy Halladay.

Outfielder A.J. Pollock could get a look in spring training next season with the Arizona Diamondbacks based on his performance in AA this season. A first round pick in 2009, Pollock is hitting .304 with 7 home runs, 65 RBI and 29 stolen bases.

Although he does not have a place to play in the major leagues with Albert Pujols in front of him, Matt Adams has continued to display power in the minor leagues this season with 28 home runs and 90 RBI in AA while hitting .316. Adams hit .310 in .210 and .355 in 2009 across two levels so he is not the prototypical high power low average hitter.

Left-handed starting pitcher Eric Surkamp will give the San Francisco Giants another golden arm in their rotation in sometime in the next year. Surkamp has a 2.03 ERA with 156 strikeouts in 128 1/3 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .217 batting average. Though he is a little old for the level at age 24, his numbers are at the top of the Eastern League.

Matt Moore was recently promoted to Triple-A by the Tampa Bay Rays where he has been even more dominant that he was at AA which did not seem possible. Through five starts, Moore has a 0.88 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings and a .152 batting average against. For the season, Moore has fanned 180 hitters in 133 innings.

Kevin Slowey is coming up from the minor leagues to replace the injured Scott Baker in the Minnesota Twins rotation. Slowey has a 3.55 ERA over seven starts with 29 strikeouts in 38 innings, though the league was hitting .288 against him at Triple-A. Slowey will start on Sunday against the Cleveland Indians.

The Toronto Blue Jays recalled starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez from AA and he will get the start Wednesday against the Oakland A’s. Alvarez had a 2.86 ERA in 15 games with 66 strikeouts in 88 innings with a .245 batting average against.

The Washington Nationals have several starting pitchers that should see some time in September this season. The lesser known of the two is Tom Milone, a 10th round pick in the 2008 draft. Milone is 9-6 on the season with a 3.52 ERA and has struck out 125 in 122 2/3 innings on the season. Brad Peacock will likely see a few starts in September as well after just recently being promoted to AAA. Between two levels, Peacock has a 2.61 ERA with 152 strikeouts in 124 innings, though he has found it a bit tougher in Triple-A with a 4.97 ERA through five starts.

Outfielder Brett Jackson has gotten off to a hot start at AAA for the Chicago Cubs with seven home runs in 91 at bats. For the season, Jackson is hitting .267 with 17 home runs and 18 stolen bases and should soon find himself patrolling the outfield in Wrigley Field.

The Cincinnati Reds called up shortstop Zack Cozart. He was profiled in the minor league report last week. Cozart started on Thursday night going 1-for-3 with a run scored from the seventh hole in the batting order. He was not in the starting lineup on Friday night instead giving way to Edgar Renteria. Given how manager Dusty Baker loves to play veterans, Cozart may not become the everyday starter for a while.

If you like scouting minor league prospects, be sure to have your DVD player set on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET for the MLB All-Star Futures Game featuring the top minor league prospects in baseball. Here is a look at some of the more under the radar players that could be ready to have an impact in September or in 2012.

The Houston Astros minor league system has produced very little in the past couple of seasons but that could soon change with the arrival of second basemen Jose Altuve. He was ranked 28th by Baseball America in the Astros farm system but has quickly shot up the charts, hitting .387 between two levels this season with nine home runs, 56 RBI and 24 stolen bases. Given the lack of talent in the Astros infield, he should be arriving sooner rather than later.

The Seattle Mariners could use some offensive punch and could look at third basemen Alex Liddi the second half of the season. Liddi is hitting .260 on the season in Triple-A with 17 home runs, 61 RBI and five stolen bases. Given his 36 walk to 108 strikeout ratio at the plate, he would likely provide a little pop but drag down the team batting average. making him more of an AL-only play that mixed league format player at this point.

San Diego Padres third basemen James Darnell took a step closer to the major leagues when he was recently promoted to Triple-A. Darnell hit .333 in AA with 17 home runs and 62 at bats with more walks than strikeouts in 76 games. He should get a long look in September and have a good shot and starting the year in San Diego in 2012.

The Cincinnati Reds could soon have their first solid shortstop since the days of Barry Larkin once prospect Zack Cozart is promoted from AAA. Cozart is hitting .321 with seven home runs and 31 RBI with nine stolen bases and is hitting .341 over his last 10 games. Cozart was a second round pick back in 2007 and this is the first season he has hit over .300 so temper expectations once he is recalled in terms of help he can provide your fantasy baseball team in the batting average category.

Starting pitcher Neil Ramirez could be in line for a promotion the second half of the season if the Texas Rangers are in need of rotation help. Ramirez has a 3.80 ERA in AAA with 76 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings. Ramirez has allowed only five home runs on the season while holding hitters to a .223 batting average against.

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to stockpile young pitching and Matt Moore looks to be next in the line of recent young guns to make an impact in the major league rotation. Pitching in AA for the Montgomery Biscuits, Moore has a 2.29 ERA for the season with 107 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. He has been even tougher over his 58 1/3 innings with a 1.08 ERA and a .154 batting average against.

I usually don’t like writing about prospects below the AA level because most are not going to have an impact in the current fantasy baseball season but for those in dynasty leagues or long term keeper leagues, here are a few guys to keep an eye on.

Tyler Skaggs was one of the key components that the Arizona Diamondbacks picked up in the Dan Haren trade with the Los Angeles Angels and is currently at Advanced A. Skaggs has a 3.38 ERA on the season with 111 strikeouts in 90 2/3 innings with a .219 batting average against. There is an off chance the Diamondbacks could include Skaggs in a trade if they are still in the pennant chase in a few weeks if they could get an impact bat or pitcher.

The hype train had been building by New York Mets fans for Matt Harvey who was dominating and was just recently promoted to AA after posting a 2.37 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 76 innings. His first start was a rough one for the Binghamton Mets as he allowed nine hits and four runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Mixed Leagues – 12/15 teams:

SP – Brandon Beachy (ATL) – Beachy came off the disabled list after an oblique injury to make the start on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays and continued to dominate with 11 strikeouts. Beachy now has a 2 – 1 record with 57 strikeouts over 50 innings. There is a chance that leagues with a shallow reserve squad may have him sitting on the waiver wire.

SP - John Lannan (WAS) – Tough to recommend a Washington Nationals pitcher but Lannan has pitched very well of late, allowing two runs or less in six consecutive starts. On the season, Lannan has a 5 – 5 record with a 3.40 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings.

American League:

OF - Justin Ruggiano (TB) – Ruggiano has been splitting time in the Tampa Bay Rays outfield since Sam Fuld cooled down and should continue to split time. He has struggled over his last four games but is still hitting .333 with three home runs and 10 RBI this season.

OF – Josh Reddick and Darnell McDonald (BOS) – With Carl Crawford on the disabled list with a leg injury, Reddick and McDonald will be splitting Crawford’s at-bats until he returns. McDonald himself just returned from the disabled list right before the Crawford injury so his current statistics are not appealing but McDonald did hit .345 with two home runs and 11 RBI over 29 at-bats over nine games during his rehab assignment. Reddick only has 21 at-bats with the Sox so far but he is hitting over .400.

SS - Eduardo Nunez (NYY) – With Derek Jeter on the disabled list, Nunez is playing everyday until he returns. Nunez has eight hits and four RBI in the seven games since Jeter has been out of action. Nunez also has played nine games at third base and four at second.

National League:

OF - Emilio Bonifacio & Dewayne Wise (FLA) – Chris Coghlan was demoted after struggling all season. Dewayne Wise was called up to take his roster spot and will split time with Bonifacio. Since Bonifacio has been with the Marlins all year, I would expect him to receive the majority of the playing time. Bonifacio has also logged 21 games at short, eight at third and three at second base.

1B - Mark Hamilton (STL) – With Albert Pujols out for at least six weeks with a fractured wrist, the Cardinals called up Hamilton to take his roster spot. Lance Berkman will take over at first and Jon Jay will take over in the outfield until Pujols returns, but Hamilton could receive a couple of starts at first especially if Berkman’s nagging injuries act up. Hamilton is a career .281 hitter in the minors.

Devin Mesoraco (CIN) has been on fire of late for the Louisville Bats, hitting .439 over his last 10 games with three home runs and 14 RBI. For the season, Mesoraco is hitting .330 with eight home runs and 39 RBI. There is a good chance he could see action in the major leagues before September if the Reds deal one of their two current platooning catchers.

Outfielder Dayan Viciedo is patiently cooling his heels in Triple-A as he waits for the Chicago White Sox to open a spot n their lineup for him. Viciedo has hit .436 over his last 10 contests with a home run and five RBI. For the season, Viciedo is hitting .318 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have already promoted several top prospects this season and Trayvon Robinson could be next in line for a job in the outfield. Robinson is batting ..390 over his last 10 games with three home runs and 11 RBI. For the season, Robinson is hitting .304 with 14 home runs, 42 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Brett Jackson (CHC) has returned to action for the Tennessee Smokies and is hitting .268 for the season with six homwe runs, 25 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 18 attempts. A first round pick in the 2009 draft, there is a chance he could skip Triple-A with the Cubs floundering in the standings.

Pitcher Jacob Turner (DET) has had smooth sailing for the most part at Double-A at the age of 20, with a 3.05 ERA through 11 starts with a .223 batting average against. Turner has struck out 61 in 73 2/3 innings and should be looking at a promotion to AAA the second half of the season.

Third basemen Lonnie Chisenhall (CLE) did not get the call up to the big leagues when the Indians were looking for an infielder. Chisenhall has been struggling of late, hitting .154 in his last 10 games and is batting .250 for the year with five home runs and 30 RBI. He still has work to do against southpaws, whom he is hitting just .174 against in 69 at bats.

The Colorado Rockies recalled outfielder Charles Blackmon from Triple-A to fill in for Dexter Fowler who was placed on the disabled list. Blackmon could have a little more playing time in his future as there was a chance that Fowler was headed for a demotion to the minor leagues based on his performance before getting injured. Blackmon started in left field and hit seventh on Tuesday night going 0-for-3. Blackmon was hitting .337 in Triple-A with 10 home runs, 49 RBI and 12 stolen bases and should get starts against right-handed pitching.

The Oakland A’s promoted Jemile Weeks from Triple-A with second basemen Mark Ellis going on the disabled list. I wrote about Jemile Weeks in the minor league report last week. Weeks hit first in the batting order Tuesday night going 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

First basemen Mike Carp was promoted to the major leagues by the Seattle Mariners after hitting .350 in Triple-A for the Tacoma Rainiers with 19 home runs and 58 RBI. Carp has never gotten much of a chance the last two seasons when promoted to the major leagues, accumulating 91 at bats and collecting one home run. He is definitely an option to pick up if you are looking for power in AL-only leagues.

Cord Phelps is expected to promoted from Triple-A by the Cleveland Indians this week to provide help in the infield, possibly at third base for Jack Hannahan who has been struggling. Phelps is hitting .299 for the Columbus Clippers with seven home runs and 40 RBI plus two stolen bases. Phelps was a third round pick from Stanford University in 2008.

There are already rumblings that third basemen Brett Lawrie (TOR) could be looking at a promotion this weekend. Lawrie is hitting .354 on the season with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Though he still needs work defensively, luckily that doesn’t matter for fantasy baseball leagues because his bat is his ticket to staying with the major league team. He has been on a tear of late, hitting .422 over his last 10 games.

First basemen Anthony Rizzo (SD) has been crushing Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .370 batting average with 15 home runs and 60 RBI plus five steals thrown in. There are some concerns that he could struggle to hit left-handed pitching but he has held his own so far in 2011 in a small sample size, hitting .313 in 32 at bats against southpaws. Rizzo should give the Padres some much needed power in the middle of their lineup once he is recalled.

Outfielder Desmond Jennings could give the Tampa Bay Rays a boost at the top of the order when promoted, though he has not been running as much as in years past with only nine stolen base attempts through 49 games. Jennings is hitting .273 with eight home runs and 23 RBI, but is hitting only .184 in his last 10 contests with no steals.

Second basemen Dustin Ackley (SEA) has been rolling of late, hitting .381 in his last 10 games with five RBI. For the season, Ackley is hitting .292 with seven home runs, 26 RBI and six stolen bases. He started off slow in April hitting just .211 in 95 at bats but has picked it up in May batting .355 with five long balls.

Second basemen Jemile Weeks (OAK) may soon join his brother Rickie Weeks in the major leagues. With Mark Ellis struggling at the plate, Weeks could see action sooner than later. Weeks is hitting .335 in Triple-A with three home runs, 21 RBI and eight stolen bases. Weeks also fits Oakland’s on base approach with 25 walks against 29 strikeouts.

We have already seen the impact that rookie Eris Hosmer has made in Kansas City and third basemen Mike Moustakas should bot be too far behind. Moustakas is currently hitting .278 with eight home runs and 38 RBI in Triple-A for the Omaha Storm Chasers.

Outfielder Jordan Henry (CLE) has continued to hit and steal bases at AA for the Akron Aeros, batting .298 with 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts. Henry offers no power whatsoever, but if you are looking for a speed guy to store on reserve in AL-only formats, he is worth a look. Henry hit .333 in HiA and .300 in Double-A last year with a combined 29 steals between two levels.

Outfielder Anthony Gose (TOR) is hitting .274 at AA with two home runs, 16 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Gose was traded multiple times last season, first as part of the Roy Oswalt deal and then later for Brett Wallace. Gose has exhibited better plate discipline so far this season after striking out 132 times in a little over 500 at bats in 2010.

As if the San Francisco Giants needed more pitching, they have another left-handed starting pitching inching closer to the major leagues as Eric Surkamp has been a strikeout machine in AA so far this year. Surkamp has a 1.77 ERA through 38 1/3 innings with a whopping 56 strikeouts, though he still has some work to do on his control with 17 walks given so far.

Pitcher Brad Peacock (WAS) has done well for himself back in AA again after finishing 2010 there. Peacock has a 2.13 ERA through 42 1/3 innings with only seven walks surrendered and 56 strikeouts, including 14 in his last outing. Peacock should see a promotion to Triple-A later this summer with a chance to possibly make the Nationals rotation in 2011.

After switching between the bullpen and the rotation in his minor league career, the Atlanta Braves have finally stuck Paul Clemens in the rotation for good and he has responded in AA this year. He currently leads the Southern League in ERA at 1.99 through eight starts, with 45 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings.  He has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any outing so far in 2011.

Martin Perez is working to restore his top prospect status for the Texas Rangers as he repeats Double-A again this season. Perez has a 2.66 ERA through 40 2/3 innings with one home run allowed and 42 strikeouts. Keep in mind that he just turned 20 in April so despite his 5.96 ERA in AA last year, he is still someone to keep a close eye on.