FutureSox MiLB Team of the Week — Aug. 16-22

It’s a star-studded cast in the FutureSox MiLB Team of the Week as Yoelqui Cespedes (No. 2), Micker Adolfo (No. 12), Yolbert Sanchez (No. 16), Romy Gonzalez (No. 21) and Caleb Freeman (No. 22) produced standout performances to earn weekly honors.

Here’s a look at the full lineup for the period of Aug. 16-22:

Catcher — Xavier Fernandez (Double-A) — 6 G, .444/.524/.500, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, R

• Unranked catcher Xavier Fernandez put together a productive week at the plate and hit safely in five of Birmingham’s six games against Tennessee (CHC). The 26-year-old backstop amassed a .524 OBP throughout the period thanks to three walks. Fernandez holds an OPS of .852 this season, which is the second-highest mark of his career.

First baseman — Samir Dueñez (Hi-A) — 4 G, .333/.412/.800, 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 5 R

• Hi-A first baseman Samir Dueñez homered twice and scored three runs in Winston-Salem’s 13-2 win against Hickory (TEX) on Wednesday to earn the nod at first base. Dueñez, who is in his first year with the organization, also contributed a pair of hits in an 8-1 victory Saturday. The 25-year-old Venezuelan has six multi-hit performances since the start of August.

Second baseman — Yolbert Sanchez (Double-A) — 7 G, .435/.458/.826, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, SB

• White Sox No. 16 prospect Yolbert Sanchez put together another monster week at the plate to continue his surge at Double-A Birmingham. The 24-year-old middle infielder, who holds a standout .364/.394/.485 slash line through 26 games with the Barons, homered thrice in the series against Tennessee (CHC). Sanchez is in the midst of an eight-game hit streak, which includes three multi-hit efforts.

Third baseman — Luis Curbelo (Hi-A) — 5 G, .368/.455/.789, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R, SB

• Former sixth-round selection Luis Curbelo hit safely in all five appearances in Hi-A Winston-Salem’s series against Hickory (TEX) to earn the third base spot in the FutureSox Team of the Week. Curbelo posted a dynamite 1.244 OPS throughout the five-game stretch, which included a pair of doubles and a pair of homers. The 23-year-old infielder also swiped his second base of the season Wednesday. Curbelo has hit safely in 13 of the past 16 contests and paces the Dash in a number of offensive categories, including OPS (.781), home runs (19) and RBI (55).

Shortstop — Romy Gonzalez (Triple-A) — 5 G, .476/.476/1.095, 4 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R, SB

• How about that for an introduction, eh? Romy Gonzalez, ranked as the No. 21 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline, delivered a pair of homers, including the walk-off winner, in his Triple-A debut, and followed with three doubles in the series finale for Charlotte and Norfolk (BAL). Gonzalez, who became MiLB’s second member of the 20-20 club this season Thursday in his final game with Double-A Birmingham, produced a remarkable 1.571 OPS throughout the week. The 24-year-old infielder also swiped his 21st base of the season, which is one shy of doubling his previous single-season high of 11 set in 2019 with Low-A Kannapolis.

Outfield — Mikie Mahtook (Triple-A) — 6 G, .591/.609/1.227, 5 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R

• Mikie Mahtook continued to swing one of the hottest bats in Minor League Baseball with eight extra-base hits (three home runs) across a six-game stretch over the past week. The 31-year-old former Ray and Tiger posted three consecutive multi-hit performances to begin Triple-A Charlotte’s series against Norfolk, which included a two-homer, five-RBI performance in the opener. Mahtook owns a standout .353/.392/.721 slash line in the month of August.

Outfield — Yoelqui Cespedes (Double-A) — 7 G, .360/.360/.520, 2 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, SB

• White Sox No. 2 prospect Yoelqui Cespedes earned his second consecutive weekly honor with another strong showing at the plate. The 23-year-old outfielder has hit safely in eight of the past nine games, which includes three multi-hit efforts. Cespedes, who earned a promotion to Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday after he posted a 128 wRC+ in 45 games with Hi-A Winston-Salem, also stole his 11th base of the season in the series finale.

Outfield — Micker Adolfo (Triple-A) — 4 G, .500/.571/1.083, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R

• White Sox No. 12 prospect Micker Adolfo continued to pummel Triple-A pitching with a pair of homers and four RBI in four games against Norfolk (BAL). The 24-year-old outfielder owns an impressive .906 OPS through 20 games with the Knights after he logged a career-high .844 OPS and 126 wRC+ in 57 games with Double-A Birmingham to begin the season. Adolfo owns a .350/.409/.650 slash line since the start of August.

Starting pitcher — Noah Owen (ROK, ACL) — 2 G, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K

• First-year right-hander Noah Owen struck out 11 batters across two appearances (one start) with the ACL White Sox to earn the Pitcher of the Week honor. Owen, 20, whom the White Sox selected in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Golden West Junior College, scattered four hits and did not allow a run in five innings of work and is off to a solid start in Arizona.

Relief pitcher — Caleb Freeman (Double-A) — 3 G, 2 GF, 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

• White Sox No. 22 prospect Caleb Freeman continued to see his stock rise with another strong showing out of the bullpen with Double-A Birmingham. The former 15th-round selection out of Texas Tech finished a pair of games for the Barons and allowed just one baserunner in three relief appearances. Freeman, who struck out four batters in his three innings of work, holds an 11.21 K/9 rate this season.