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Robles, Kopech sent back to Minors

Nationals option outfielder to Triple-A; White Sox reassign righty
Victor Robles and Michael Kopech are both likely to have a Major League impact in 2018. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images, Ben Margot/AP)
March 20, 2018

Victor Robles and Michael Kopech are the futures of the Nationals outfield and White Sox rotation, respectively. But as of Tuesday, neither is the present.The Nationals have optioned MLB.com's No. 6 overall prospect back to the Triple-A Syracuse roster, the organization announced Tuesday, while the White Sox reassigned the No. 10

Victor Robles and Michael Kopech are the futures of the Nationals outfield and White Sox rotation, respectively. But as of Tuesday, neither is the present.
The Nationals have optioned MLB.com's No. 6 overall prospect back to the Triple-A Syracuse roster, the organization announced Tuesday, while the White Sox reassigned the No. 10 overall prospect to Minor League camp.

Robles got a long look in Major League camp. The 20-year-old outfielder played 21 Grapefruit League games and struggled toward the end, finishing with a .188/.216/.313 line, one homer, and three doubles in 51 plate appearances. His playing time was boosted by the fact that outfielders Adam Eaton and Michael A. Taylor missed a good portion of the spring with separate injuries. Robles hit .300/.382/.493 with 10 homers, eight triples, 37 doubles and 27 stolen bases in 114 games with Class A Advanced Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg last year before the Nats brought him up in September to help with the playoff push.
"He needs to play every day and continue to develop," manager Dave Martinez told MLB.com. "That's the big key for him. He's going to help us win many games, not only this year but for many many years, so we want him to keep developing."
The native of the Dominican Republic is expected to begin the season in the International League, where he'll get regular at-bats and playing time. It's likely he'll be back up with the big club at some point this summer, especially with Washington seemingly prepared to go all in on the 2018 season.
"Obviously, a super athletic center fielder with a ceiling to be an impact player all over the field," Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba told MiLB.com last week. "He's got Gold Glove-type actions in center, a very consistent swing and bat-to-ball skills that will hopefully have him hit at the top of the lineup for a long time.
"At this point in his development, he hasn't had a full year of development at Double-A or Triple-A, so better exposure to breaking balls, having consistency from at-bat to at-bat, having discipline as a hitter, I think some of those are what we'll see offensively. … That's part of the developmental process for a young hitter. That'll certainly happen somewhere. We'll see where that is, but it's a good thing that young hitters are developing so quickly and you want so much out of them that you have to remember it's a difficult process. He's a special talent that will hopefully get more time to develop into what he can be."
Kopech also spent much of the spring in Major League camp as a non-roster invitee who has not yet made his big league debut. The 21-year-old right-hander made four appearances, including three starts, and struggled, giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits and seven walks over seven innings.
"I feel like I'm going to be ready when I get the call," Kopech told MLB.com. "Right now, I'm just continuing to work on what I've been working on. It was good experience being around the older guys, guys that have been in the league for a couple years now."
Control has been the primary issue for the 2014 first-rounder since he entered pro ball four years ago. Last season, his first with the White Sox, Kopech tied for fifth in the Minors with 172 strikeouts over 134 1/3 innings at Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, but he also walked 65. His 2.88 ERA overall was second-lowest among full-season White Sox prospects.
Kopech has one of the Minors' best fastballs, regularly hitting triple digits. He's also earned impressive grades for his slider, and those two offerings lead to high strikeout totals. The right-hander is likely headed back to Charlotte, where he made three starts after a mid-August promotion.
Looking for a Kopech vs. Robles matchup this season? Syracuse and Charlotte don't meet until June 5-7, at which point it's possible either or both will be in the Majors.
Rodgers reassigned by Rockies: Colorado also made a move involving its top prospect when it reassigned No. 14 overall prospect Brendan Rodgers to Minor League camp Tuesday. The 21-year-old infielder hit .286/.352/.490 with three homers and a double over 23 Cactus League games as a non-roster invitee this spring. Primarily a shortstop, Rodgers spent more time at second base over the last few weeks as the Rockies try to add defensive versatility to speed his rise. He's likely to begin 2018 back at Double-A Hartford.
"I don't have a problem with playing anywhere," Rodgers told MiLB.com this week. "Wherever they tell me to play, I'm going to just go out there and play to the best of my ability. I'm definitely learning a lot at second base. I've been doing a lot of second base work. I think I've actually played more second than short in camp or maybe pretty close to even."
Dodgers send down Verdugo: With its season opener just nine days away, Los Angeles pared the roster a bit more, assigning outfielderAlex Verdugo to Minor League camp. The second-ranked prospect enjoyed a strong Cactus League showing, batting .324/.361/.618 with two homers, four doubles and six RBIs in 18 games. The 21-year-old will begin the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.