MLU: Serna Motions to Dismiss Batters

Welcome to the Minor League Update. Every day, we tell you the latest about what happened to the prospects you care about, and maybe a few more you should. Here’s who made waves yesterday:

Hitter of the Day:

Daniel Pierce, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (Low-A Charleston): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.Our offseason report on Pierce notes a power upside beyond that which the 14th-overall pick in last year’s draft had shown in his amateur days. Early on in his age-19 and pro debut season, the former Georgia prep has raised his batting line from .143/.333./.143 with zero homers to .263/.391/.970 with two homers over the course of three hours or so.

Pitcher of the Day:

Luis Serna, RHP, New York Yankees (High-A Hudson Valley): 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 10 K, 1 BB.Serna has been something of a name prospect in the Yanks system for a minute now, but has understandably become lost in the shuffle after not sticking the landing on his Low-A debut in 2024 and missing most of 2025 with injury. But he throws a fascinating changeup, and certainly made a statement in his 2026 debut Thursday night.

Juan Valera, RHP, Boston Red Sox (High-A Greenville): 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 9 K. 1 BB.Valera is another pitching prospect who fell into the “what have you done for me lately?” pit in 2025, posting an unsightly ERA at High-A after an intriguing seven-start run at Low-A in 2024 saw him jump onto top 10 lists that offseason. A fastball that gets up to triple digits probably doesn’t hurt his odds of improving on that mark in 2026.

Kendry Chourio, RHP, Kansas City Royals (Low-A Columbia): 4 ⅔ IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 6 K.Second on the Royals list this and nearly jumping onto the 101 this past offseason after 22 ⅔ innings as a 17-year-old in the Carolina League, Chourio’s advanced pitching game belies the less than whelming top-line numbers he’s put up so far. He already locates the ball far better than most pitchers his age (and no doubt many who are considerably older), and his mid-90s fastball, curve, and change, make for a rapidly developing arsenal.

Edwin Arroyo, SS/2B, Cincinnati Reds (Triple-A Louisville): 2-4, HR, BB, 2 R, RBI, SB.Traded over from Seattle in the Luis Castillo deal of way back when, Arroyo has never again reached the high-water mark he hit as a prospect in the early spring of 2023. He has nevertheless made it to Triple-A as a 22-year-old, following up on a Double-A campaign in which he made a lot of contact and a scalding winter league run. Still, a combination of un-prodigious contact quality and some tendency to chase may keep him from making a serious big league impact in the near term.

Raudi Rodriguez, OF, Los Angeles Angels (Double-A Rocket City): 2-4, HR, BB, 2 R, 4 RBI.Another Halos prospect skipping from Low-A to Double-A, Rodriguez had a massive Arizona Fall League Campaign (.433/.514/.650!), but entered yesterday’s action 0-for-17 in the Southern League. He’ll put a charge into one at times—he maxed at 109.4 mph in the AFL—but will also chase a bit.

Coy James, 2B/3B/LF, Washington Nationals (Low-A Fredericksburg): 3-4. 2B, BB, R, 4 RBI, SB.A well-compensated fifth-rounder—his bonus was the highest ever awarded to a player picked as late as he was—out of Mocksville in Davie County, NC, James was lured out of his Mississippi commitment thanks to a well-rounded (if not yet eye-popping) collection of tools. Off to a slow start prior to Thursday evening, he’s already played an assortment of positions after being listed as a shortstop on draft day.

Others of Note

Blake Burke, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi): 3-5. 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, SB.Jesús Made, IF, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi): 3-6, 2 3B, R, 4 RBI. George Lombard Jr., SS, New York Yankees (Double-A Somerset): 3-6, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI.Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B, Chicago White Sox (High-A Winston-Salem): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.Luke Dickerson, IF, Washington Nationals (Low-A Fredericksburg): 3-4, 2 2B, BB, 2 R, RBI.Dylan Dreiling, OF, Texas Rangers (Double-A Frisco): 2-4, 2B, HR, BB, R, 2 RBI.Jake Brooks, RHP, Colorado Rockies (Double-A Hartford): 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 11 K.Trey Gibson, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (Triple-A Norfolk): 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 4 K.Eduardo Rivera, LHP, Boston Red Sox (Double-A Portland): 4 ⅓ IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 7 K.