75 Shed Long 2B

Long was named to the Fall Stars roster along with teammate Taylor Trammell, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports.

Long is hitting .243/.349/.297 in the Fall League. Like teammate Taylor Trammell, the lack of power in a limited sample so far is a little disappointing, but it follows some from his production at Double-A Pensacola. At both stops, however, he's displayed a good batting eye at least.

Long (face) is in Monday's starting lineup at Double-A Pensacola, Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com reports.

Long was fortunate to avoid a serious injury after getting hit in the face with a pitch Friday. His X-rays came back negative, and Long has been cleared to resume playing in the minors.

Long's face is swollen Saturday after getting hit in the face by a pitch Friday, but X-rays were negative, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Long appears to have avoided major injury. He should return to action at Double-A Pensacola within a few days, where he's hitting a solid .265/.358/.426 with eight homers and 13 steals in 77 games.

Long left Friday's Double-A action after suffering a face injury, John Eshleman of 2080Baseball.com reports.

Long was hit in the face with a pitch, but walked off the field under his own power on his way out of the game. The severity of the injury is currently unknown. Long was hitting .265 with eight homers and 33 RBI through 77 games at Double-A Pensacola in 2018.

Long will open the year at Triple-A Louisville.

This comes as a slight surprise, as Long only hit .227/.319/.362 in 160 plate appearances at Double-A last season, although he dealt with some bad luck on balls in play (.271 BABIP). Long has plus speed, a quick bat that generates above-average raw power, and the defensive chops to stick at second base. The big question is how his hit tool will translate against upper-level pitching. He should spend most, if not all of 2018 at Triple-A.