Bryce

Rainer

It’s an unfortunate development as Rainer was in the midst of a phenomenal professional debut, slashing .288/.383/.448 with five homers and nine steals across 35 games for Low-A Lakeland. The 19-year-old prodigy, who was the 11th-overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, was rapidly cementing his status as top-25 range prospect for dynasty purposes prior to suffering a dislocated right shoulder earlier this week on the strength of his stratospheric underlying 90th percent average exit velocity this season, which checked in at 108 mph, according to MLB Pipeline. He’s expected to be ready for spring training, but the lost development time is

There won’t be an official update from the Tigers until Rainer undergoes further evaluation and testing this week to determine the severity of the issue. It’s a tough development for the 19-year-old prodigy, who has blossomed into a top-25 range prospect for dynasty purposes this season after being selected 11th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Not only was he posting elite exit velocity data relative to his age and level — 108 mph 90th percentile average exit velocity, per MLB Pipeline — but he was hitting .288/.383/.448 with five homers and nine steals across 35 games in his professional debut. There should be an additional update on his status at some point later this week.

Rainer winds up with a slightly over-slot $5.8 million signing bonus after being selected 11th overall by Detroit in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 19-year-old prep shortstop is the prototypical third base prospect entering his professional career as he possesses a hug arm and big-time left-handed pop. He’s light years away from making the big leagues, but it’s easy to forecast a path to fantasy stardom if he manages to put everything together on his rise through the Tigers’ system.

Harvard Westlake has provided several quality players to the highest level, and Rainer obviously has a chance to be next. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound shortstop has a chance for four plus tools, and three of those -- hit, power and speed -- carry with it fantasy relevancy. The arm won’t show up in box scores, but it does make him likely to stick at shortstop; or at least a switch won’t have to do with his skill set. There’s obvious risk with a prep bat and Rainer won’t make an immediate impact, but the upside here is a hitter who can hit around .300 with 25 homers and a similar number of steals. A lot to like there.