Author: Brendan Campbell

Writing about the Red Sox and the Red Sox farm system.

Garrett Whitlock to make third start of season for Red Sox against Angels on Wednesday

Garrett Whitlock will make his third start of the season for the Red Sox in Wednesday night’s game against the Angels at Fenway Park, manager Alex Cora said Saturday.

After opening the year in Boston’s bullpen as a multi-inning reliever, Whitlock moved into the starting rotation on April 23 and has made two starts against the Rays and Blue Jays on the road. Over 16 2/3 total innings of work, the right-hander has posted a miniscule 0.54 ERA and 2.20 FIP to go along with four walks and 20 strikeouts.

While Whitlock will remain in the Sox’ rotation for the time being, Cora would not commit to the 25-year-old as a starter beyond Wednesday since the club has three off days within the next two weeks.

“Let’s see how it goes,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo). “We’ve got the off day on Monday. Obviously, we’ve got another off day a week from Monday. He’ll start on Wednesday and then we’ll keep making decisions.”

Cora also indicated that Whitlock’s pitch count on Wednesday will surpass the career-high of 61 he threw in Toronto this past Thursday. In his first time out as a starter in St. Petersburg last Saturday, the righty needed just 48 pitches (33 strikes) to toss four scoreless, one-hit innings.

With Whitlock sticking as a starter for now, Tanner Houck is expected to remain in the bullpen. Houck began the season as a member of Boston’s starting rotation but his last two appearances have come in relief after missing the team’s four-game series in Toronto on account of not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Between the two, the Sox can mix and match with Houck and Whitlock if they so choose when it comes to their respective roles. Also, as noted by Cotillo, the impending returns of left-handers James Paxton and Chris Sale at some point this summer will further shake up the club’s rotation mix in the coming months.

(Picture of Garrett Whitlock: Joshua Bessex/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer dealing with minor right wrist soreness; shortstop has not played since April 23

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has not appeared in a game for Low-A Salem since April 23 and is currently dealing with minor right wrist soreness, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Per Speier, Mayer’s absence initially came as a result of team-implemented workload management, but has since developed soreness in his right wrist that will keep him sidelined through the end of the weekend.

Boston’s director of player development, Brian Abraham, told Speier that the club is hopeful Mayer will not land on the injured list and will instead be able to return to action for Salem’s next series against Myrtle Beach that begins on Tuesday. He also said that Mayer has still been able to participate in baseball activities, including swinging the bat, despite his wrist ailment.

Mayer, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball. The Red Sox originally selected the California-born shortstop with the fourth overall pick in last summer’s amateur draft.

After signing with the Sox for $6.664 million, Mayer made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and stood out there. To begin his first full season as a pro, the left-handed hitter has batted .333/.397/.491 (148 wRC+) with six doubles, one home run, 10 RBIs, nine runs scored, three stolen bases, six walks, and 17 strikeouts over 13 games (63 plate appearances) with Salem.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

J.D. Martinez scratched from Red Sox lineup as veteran slugger continues to deal with adductor tightness

J.D. Martinez was originally slated to return to the Red Sox lineup for Saturday’s contest against the Orioles at Camden Yards. The veteran slugger was in line to start at designated hitter and bat cleanup for Boston.

A little more than three hours before first pitch, however, it was revealed that Martinez was scratched from the Sox’ lineup as left fielder Alex Verdugo moved up to the four-hole and Christian Arroyo was inserted as the team’s new designated hitter.

Coming into Saturday night, Martinez had missed six of Boston’s last nine games while dealing with left adductor tightness that first became an issue around April 20. The Red Sox are just 3-6 during that stretch.

While he will not be starting on Saturday, Martinez will be available to pinch-hit off the bench and will likely start on Sunday, per manager Alex Cora.

Martinez, 34, is in the midst of the final year of the five-year, $110 million contract he originally signed with the Sox in February 2018. Through 15 games this season, the right-handed hitter is batting .278 (15-for-54)/.344/.481 with eight doubles, one home run, eight RBIs, five walks, and 16 strikeouts over 61 plate appearances.

Arroyo, on the other hand, hit his first home run of the season on Friday and is currently batting .205 (8-for-39)/.220/.282 to go along with RBIs, three runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and nine strikeouts over his first 14 games (42 plate appearances) of 2022. Saturday will mark the second consecutive day and third time overall in which the 26-year-old has been used as a designated hitter so far this season.

(Picture of J.D. Martinez: Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Christian Arroyo homers, Rich Hill takes perfect game into fifth inning as Red Sox hold on for 3-1 win over Orioles

The Red Sox kicked off the final leg of their road trip with a 3-1 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday night. With the win, Boston improved to 9-12 on the season.

Matched up against Kyle Bradish, who was making the first start of his big-league career for the O’s, to begin things on Friday, the Sox got on the board first in their half of the second inning.

Enrique Hernandez led off the top of the second with a single to shallow center field. After Franchy Cordero flew out, Christian Arroyo followed by clubbing a 408-foot two-run homer into Baltimore’s bullpen.

Arroyo’s first home run of the season gave Boston an early 2-0 lead. It was also the first home run hit by a Red Sox batter since Rafael Devers went deep off Corey Kluber in St. Petersburg last Friday.

Jackie Bradley Jr. kept the rally going by reaching base on an infield single. He then scored all the way from first when Christian Vazquez ripped a single to right field that got past Trey Mancini and rolled all the way to the wall. Vazquez was easily thrown out at third, but the damage had already been done.

Rich Hill, making his fourth start of the year for the Sox, took full advantage of the three-run cushion he was given. The veteran left-hander allowed just one hit and no walks to go along with four strikeouts over four-plus innings of work.

After retiring each of the first 12 batters he faced, Hill took a perfect game bid into the fifth inning but yielded a leadoff single to Austin Hays, which is how his night would come to an end. Finishing with a final pitch count of 50 (35 strikes), the 42-year-old southpaw threw 24 curveballs, 20 four-seamers, four sliders, and two changeups while lowering his ERA on the season to 3.71.

In relief of Hill, Tanner Houck got the first call from manager Alex Cora out of the bullpen. Houck, fresh off being activated from the injured list, stranded the lone base runner he inherited in the fifth despite allowing one hit and one walk in the inning. The right-hander sat down the side in order in the sixth but ran into additional trouble in the seventh when he loaded the bases with two outs.

Houck did not falter, though, as he punched out the pinch-hitting Rougned on three straight strikes to escape the jam and hand things over to Jake Diekman in the eighth. Diekman, in turn, needed 17 pitches to toss a scoreless frame.

Hansel Robles was dispatched for the ninth and immediately served up a solo home run to Ryan Mountcastle that was followed by a line-drive single off the bat of Hays.

With the tying run at the plate, Robles issued a balk that allowed Hays to advance to second. He then got Ramon Urias to fly out and Tyler Nevin to line out to right for the first two outs.

Cora went back into the bullpen and gave Robles the hook in favor of Matt Strahm, who walked Anthony Santander on five pitches to put the tying run on base with runners at first and second. The lefty, however, did not give in as he fanned the pinch-hitting Chris Owings to slam the door on Baltimore and earn the first save of his major-league career.

Next up: Eovaldi vs. Watkins

The Red Sox will go for the series win over the Orioles by sending right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound on Saturday night. Fellow righty Spenser Watkins will get the ball for Baltimore.

First pitch from Camden Yards is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Rich Hill: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Red Sox activate Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck from restricted list, add Franchy Cordero and Jaylin Davis from Triple-A Worcester in slew of roster moves

Before opening up a three-game weekend series against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday night, the Red Sox made a series of roster moves.

First off, right-handers Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck were both activated from the restricted list. Secondly, outfielder Jaylin Davis was recalled from Triple-A Worcester and fellow outfielder Franchy Cordero had his contract selected from Worcester.

In order to make room for these four on the major-league roster, right-handers Tyler Danish and John Schreiber were sent down to Triple-A Worcester while infielder Travis Shaw was designated for assignment, the club announced.

Crawford and Houck return from the restricted list after both were placed on it this past Monday. Neither pitcher was eligible to pitch in the Sox’ last series against the Blue Jays in Toronto due to their unvaccinated status. Houck will piggyback Rich Hill, who will be making his fourth start of the season for Boston on Friday.

Davis, who was claimed off waivers from the Giants and immediately optioned to Worcester on Thursday, will join the Red Sox for his first big-league stint of 2022. The right-handed hitting 27-year-old began the season with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento and batted .295/.340/.500 with two home runs and seven RBIs over 10 games spanning 47 plate appearances. He will wear the No. 43 with his new team.

Joining Davis from Worcester is Cordero, who appeared in 48 games with the Sox last season but was designated for assignment in October. After remaining in the organization through the winter, the 27-year-old opened the 2022 season with the WooSox and has since slashed .296/.378/.535 with eight doubles, three home runs, 24 RBIs, 13 runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 19 games (82 plate appearances) at the Triple-A level. He will start at first base and bat sixth for Boston in Friday’s series opener against Baltimore.

Danish and Schreiber were both added from Worcester when Crawford and Houck were placed on the restricted list earlier this week. Danish has made four appearances with the Red Sox so far this season and has posted a 3.86 ERA with six strikeouts to two walks over 4 2/3 total innings of work. Schreiber, on the other hand, pitched on both Wednesday and Thursday. The 28-year-old righty retired seven of the eight batters he faced across 2 1/3 scoreless frames.

Refsnyder, meanwhile, was first called up from Worcester after catcher Christian Vazquez and infielder Jonathan Arauz were placed on the COVID-19 related injured list on April 19. The 31-year-old made his Red Sox debut four days later and went 2-for-5 (.400) with two doubles, one RBI, and one walk in the three games he appeared in.

Since they were COVID substitutes, both Refsnyder and Schreiber were taken off the Sox’ 40-man roster and returned to the WooSox without having to be exposed to waivers.

As for Shaw, the veteran infielder effectively lost his spot on the major-league roster to Cordero after an 0-for-19 start to the plate this season. The Red Sox now have the next seven days to either trade, release, or waive Shaw.

(Picture of Franchy Cordero: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Hard-throwing Red Sox relief prospect Franklin German ‘is very much on the Alex Cora watchlist’

Red Sox pitching prospect Franklin German’s first season as a full-time reliever is off to a promising start.

In six relief appearances for Double-A Portland so far this in 2022, the right-hander has allowed one unearned run on two hits, no walks, one hit batsman, and 15 strikeouts over eight innings of work.

Among Eastern League pitchers who have accrued five or more innings on the mound, German ranks second in strikeout rate (57.7%), tied for first in walk rate (0.0%), sixth in batting average against (.080), third in WHIP (0.25), first in FIP (0.27), and second in xFIP (1.36), per FanGraphs.

It’s obviously a small sample size, but still noteworthy nonetheless. German, of course, was the prospect the Red Sox acquired from the Yankees alongside fellow righty Adam Ottavino in January 2021.

While Ottavino provided Boston with experienced bullpen depth at the big-league level last year, German struggled to find his footing as a starter in Portland. The former 2018 fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Florida posted a 5.45 ERA over his first 19 outings (18 starts) of 2021 before permanently moving to the Sea Dogs’ bullpen in late August.

Since moving to the ‘pen on a full-time basis, German has surrendered just three hits and one walk while striking out 22 of the 43 batters he faced going back to last season. One reason behind the success he has enjoyed as a reliever is as simple as an uptick in fastball velocity.

As The Athletic’s Peter Gammons wrote on Friday, German “threw in the mid-90s” in 2021. But “he showed  up in Fort Myers this spring throwing 98-100, and says when he was moved to the bullpen for five appearances last September, he was far more excited and velocity picked up.”

Per Gammons, German has been clocked at 99-102 mph so far this season while putting up big swing-and-miss numbers. Because of the stuff he has displayed, the hard-throwing hurler ” is very much on the Alex Cora watchlist.”

German, who turns 25 in September, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 25 prospect in Boston’s farm system. In addition to his high-octane fastball, the 6-foot-2, 195 pounder also works with a changeup and slider.

Seeing how he is currently dominating at Double-A, one has to wonder how long it will be until German earns a promotion to Triple-A Worcester, or perhaps even the major-leagues. For what it’s worth, he will need to be added to the Sox’ 40-man roster by late November if the club intends to protect him from the 2022 Rule 5 Draft.

(Picture of Franklin German: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox)

Red Sox designate Travis Shaw for assignment, call up Franchy Cordero from Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have designated corner infielder Travis Shaw for assignment, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. In Shaw’s place, first baseman/outfielder Franchy Cordero is expected to be called up from Triple-A Worcester.

Shaw, who turned 32 earlier this month, signed a minor-league deal with Boston during spring training after spending the latter half of the 2021 campaign with the club. The left-handed hitter made the Sox’ Opening Day roster but got off to a dreadful start in which he went 0-for-19 at the plate with seven strikeouts over seven games.

Between Shaw and Bobby Dalbec, Red Sox first baseman have struggled to the tune of a .357 OPS so far this season, which ranks dead last in the major-leagues.

Although Cordero is a natural outfielder, the 27-year-old began making the transition to first base last year and made back-to-back starts at the position for the WooSox this week ahead of his impending promotion.

Cordero lost his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster back in October but will now fill the void left behind by Shaw, who will either be traded, waived, or released by the Sox within the next seven days.

With Worcester this season, Cordero has batted a stout .296/.378/.535 with eight doubles, three home runs, 24 RBIs, 13 runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 19 games spanning 82 trips to the plate. Last year, the left-handed slugger appeared in 48 games for Boston and mustered just a .497 OPS with one homer and 51 strikeouts across 136 plate appearances.

In addition to swapping Cordero for Shaw, the Red Sox have other moves to make ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Orioles as well. Right-handers Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck both need to be activated from the restricted list and it is not yet clear which two players will be sent down to make room for them.

(Picture of Travis Shaw: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox Getty Images)

Red Sox muster just 3 hits off Alek Manoah in 1-0 loss to Blue Jays

The Red Sox had an opportunity to salvage a series split against the Blue Jays but, much like their lineup, were unable to take advantage of it. Boston fell to Toronto by a final score of 1-0 at Rogers Centre to lose the four-game series and drop to 8-12 on the season.

Garrett Whitlock, making his second start and sixth overall appearance of the year for the Sox, was not as sharp as he was in his last time out but was still effective nonetheless. The right-hander allowed just one unearned run on four hits and two walks to go along with two strikeouts over three innings of work.

The lone run the Jays scored off Whitlock came as a result of a Christian Arroyo fielding error in the bottom of the third inning. Lourdes Gurriel reached base on Arroyo’s miscue, advanced to second base on a walk drawn by Raimel Tapia, and scored from second on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Alejandro Kirk.

Kirk’s run-scoring base hit gave Toronto an early 1-0 lead and was the precursor to Whitlock’s day ending once he recorded the final out of the third. Of the 61 pitches the 25-year-old hurler threw on Thursday, 41 went for strikes. He threw 37 sinkers, 17 sliders, and seven changeups.

In relief of Whitlock, Austin Davis received the first call from manager Alex Cora out of the Boston bullpen in the middle of the fourth. The left-hander notched the first two outs of the frame and issued one walk before making way for John Schreiber, who ended things in the fourth while also working his way around a two-out double in an otherwise clean fifth inning.

Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes followed with a scoreless frame each in the sixth and seventh, while Hansel Robles sat down the side in order in the eighth.

To that point in the contest, a Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez-less Red Sox lineup had already squandered multiple scoring chances against Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah.

It took until the fifth inning for a Boston batter to get into scoring position when Arroyo reached base via a one-out single and immediately stole second. He was, however, stranded there after Bobby Dalbec and Travis Shaw both struck out swinging to extinguish the threat.

Fast forward to the seventh, and Enrique Hernandez led the inning off with his eighth double of the season. With Manoah seemingly on the ropes, Bradley Jr. advanced Hernandez to third on a softly-hit groundout, but neither Arroyo nor Dalbec could drive him in.

Down to their final three outs in the ninth with Jordan Romano on the mound for Toronto, Alex Verdugo grounded out to second, and Rafael Devers laced a 100.3 mph single back up the middle to put the tying run on base for Hernandez, who hit the ball hard himself but right into Gurriel’s glove in right field. Bradley Jr., on the other hand, struck out on four pitches to seal the 1-0 defeat for Boston.

All told, Red Sox hitters went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base as a team en route to losing three out of four to the Blue Jays north of the border.

Next up: On to Baltimore

The Red Sox will now conclude their lengthy road trip with a three-game weekend series in Baltimore that begins on Friday night. Veteran left-hander Rich Hill will get the start for Boston in the opener and will be piggybacked by Tanner Houck. The Orioles have yet to announce who will be starting for them opposite Hill.

Regardless, first pitch from Camden Yards on Friday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Alek Manoah: Joshua Bessex/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox claim Jaylin Davis off waivers from Giants, option outfielder to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have claimed outfielder Jaylin Davis off waivers from the San Francisco Giants, the club announced earlier Thursday afternoon. A corresponding move was not needed since Boston had an opening on their 40-man roster.

Davis, 27, was designated for assignment by San Francisco last week after the Giants acquired right-hander Cory Abbott from the Cubs. Boston has optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.

A former 24th-round draft choice of the Twins out of Appalachian State University in 2015, Davis was dealt to the Giants in the same trade that sent Sam Dyson to Minnesota at the 2019 trade deadline. The North Carolina native made his major-league debut for San Francisco that September and appeared in 26 big-league contests with the club from 2019 to 2021.

In that 26-game span, the right-handed hitting Davis has batted .159/.221/.270 with one double, two home runs, four RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and 18 strikeouts over 68 total trips to the plate. He has also seen playing time at both corner outfield positions with 139 1/3 of his 147 1/3 career defensive innings coming in right.

After failing to make the Giants’ Opening Day roster out of spring training this year, Davis was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, where he hit .295/.340/.500 (109 wRC+) to go along with three doubles, two homers, seven RBIs, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, and 14 strikeouts over 10 games (47 plate appearances) with the River Cats.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, Davis, who turns 28 in July, should provide the Red Sox with some intriguing outfield depth in Worcester given the fact he has plus speed and power. It also helps that he has one minor-league option year remaining.

While Boston did not need to make a corresponding move to accommodate the addition of Davis on Thursday, they will need to make room on their 40-man roster on Friday when Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford are activated from the restricted list in Baltimore.

(Picture of Jaylin Davis: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Baseball America’s latest mock draft has Red Sox selecting prep outfielder Justin Crawford with top pick

In his latest 2022 mock draft for Baseball America, Carlos Collazo has the Red Sox selecting Bishop Gorman High School outfielder Justin Crawford with their top pick at No. 24 overall.

Crawford, Collazo writes is “a premium position player with professional bloodlines who has taken a step forward with his strength after the offseason. He’s an elite runner who should provide plenty of defensive value and he’s got a nice swing with power potential.”

The son of former Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford, Justin is regarded by Baseball America as the 29th-ranked draft-eligible prospect in this year’s class. He is set to graduate from the baseball powerhouse in Las Vegas that is Bishop Gorman High School, which has produced the likes of Joey Gallo as well as 2020 first-rounder Austin Wells.

Crawford, who turned 18 in January, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds and has a projectable frame. In 30 games played for Bishop Gorman this spring, the left-handed hitter has batted .451/.529/.804 with 11 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 30 RBIs, 44 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 15 walks, and five strikeouts over 121 plate appearances.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Crawford is “a great runner now with long and fluid strides and has posted exceptional run times in the 60-yard dash. He’s at least a 70-grade runner and should be able to cover massive swaths of ground in center field.”

MLB Pipeline, which has Crawford as their No. 37 draft prospect, notes that the left-handed hitting outfielder “has very good bat-to-ball skills” and is willing to make adjustments. He also “has the chance to be a plus defender in center field when all is said and done.”

A native of Nevada himself, Crawford is currently committed to play college baseball for the esteemed Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. It may take quite the signing bonus to sway him away from his commitment even if he is taken in the first round of this summer’s draft, which begins on July 17.

In prior mock drafts, the Red Sox have been linked to high school infielders, a college catcher, a college outfielder, and a college pitcher. The last time Boston used a first-round pick on a natural prep outfielder was 2009, when they took Rey Fuentes out of Fernando Callejo High School in Puerto Rico.

(Picture of Justin Crawford via his Instagram)