Triple-A Louisville outfielder Chris Heisey was selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis.

"It's tough to have a better week than what Chris had," said Bryan Engle, Messiah head baseball coach. "Both (being promoted and being named to the Futures Game) are huge. Chris has continued to climb the ladder within the Reds organization, and he's now a step away (from the major leagues). Talent-wise, he's right there. You're the next door neighbor to the big-league team. And I don't mean that geographically."

It's been a dominating season for Heisey who made the jump to the top minor league team in the Cincinnati Red's organization last week. Heisey was the Carolina Mudcat's top batter, batting .347 with 13 home runs, 40 RBIs and a .426 on-base percentage in 71 games before his promotion. In six games for the Louisville Bats, Heisey has continues his hot hitting with a .348 (8-23) batting average in six games.

The 24-year-old Heisey, a 17th-round selection by the Reds in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, was ranked at or near the top of the Southern League in numerous offensive categories before his promotion. Heisey has led the Southern League batting race for several weeks, while appearing in the top five in a multitude of other offensive categories. Prior to being sent to Louisville, Heisey was fourth in home runs (13), first in hits (94), second in on-base percentage (.426), first in slugging (.572), second in extra base hits (33), and first in runs scored (54).

The 11th annual XM All-Star Futures Game, which pits the best Minor League prospects from the United States against the best from the rest of the world, will be held at Busch Stadium on Sunday, July 12, at 2 p.m. ET. The Futures Game rosters are selected by Baseball America, the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, MLB.com and all 30 major league clubs. Every major league organization must be represented by at least one player, but no club is allowed to send more than two.