Category: Sports

Red Sox to promote prospects Franklin Arias, Brandon Clarke to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Franklin Arias and pitching prospect Brandon Clarke from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Arias, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 72 prospect in the sport. The right-handed hitter batted a stout .346/.407/.397 with four doubles, nine RBIs, 15 runs scored, four stolen bases, six walks, and 12 strikeouts in 19 games (86 plate appearances) for Salem to open the season. He did not play in Sunday’s series finale against Hickory.

Among 93 qualified hitters in the Carolina League coming into play on Sunday, Arias ranked third in swinging-strike rate (6.1 percent), sixth in batting average, 11th in strikeout rate (14 percent), 13th in line-drive rate (29.2 percent), 21st in on-base percentage, 29th in wOBA (.401), 30th in OPS (.804), 34th in slugging percentage and wRC+ (128), and 46th in speed score, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Arias has seen the vast majority of his playing time to this point in the season come at shortstop. With Salem, the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder logged 135 1/3 innings at short, where he committed just one error in 70 defensive chances. He also made one start at second base and two starts at DH.

A native of Venezuela, Arias originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Caracas in January 2023. He put forth a strong professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that season, then caught fire in the Florida Complex League last year. To go along with being named the FCL’s 2024 MVP and top prospect, he was rewarded with a promotion to Salem in late July and was later recognized as Boston’s Minor League Baserunner of the Year.

“I definitely want to be the best player I can be. [But] I try to take it day to day and try not to look too far in the future,” Arias told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (through a translator) earlier this month. “I feel that’s what helped me get that MVP last year, and I think if I can take that day-to-day approach this year, I can have some similar results.”

Arias, who does not turn 20 until November, also told Speier that he is aiming to make it to Double-A Portland or even Triple-A Worcester before his age-19 season draws to a close. If he were to receive a promotion to Portland at some point this winter or fall, he would join Roman Anthony (2023) and Xander Bogaerts (2012) as the two most recent Red Sox prospects to reach the Double-A level as teenagers.

In Greenville, Arias is slated to join a middle infield mix that already includes the likes of Marvin Alcantara, Nazzan Zanetello, Fraymi De Leon, and Justin Riemer (on the injured list). It would not be terribly surprising if he emerged as the Drive’s primary shortstop moving forward, though he could spend additional time at second base to get others reps at short.

Clarke, meanwhile, is not yet ranked by Baseball America as one of Boston’s top pitching prospects, though that will likely be changing soon. The 22-year-old left-hander was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (148th overall) of last summer’s draft out of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. He forewent his commitment to transfer to South Carolina by signing for $400,000, but did not pitch for an affiliate after putting pen to paper.

Clarke, instead, waited until April 10 of this year (his 22nd birthday) to make his professional debut. The Virginia native then posted a 0.93 ERA (1.20 FIP) with 17 strikeouts to just two walks in his first three starts (9 2/3 innings) for Salem. He only gave up two hits in that stretch as two of his three outings to kick off the 2025 campaign were both scoreless and hitless.

Among the 118 Caroline League pitchers who entered Sunday with at least nine innings under their belts early on, Clark ranked first in FIP and xFIP (1.55), second in strikeout rate (47.2 percent) and groundball rate (68.8 percent), batting average against (.061), and WHIP (0.41), third in line-drive rate (6.3 percent) and swinging-strike rate (21.3 percent), 13th in ERA, and 17th in walk rate (5.6 percent), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Clarke stood out in spring training not just because of his large stature, but because of his arsenal as well. As highlighted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the athletic lefty throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. He operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 96-99 mph fastball that tops out at 100 mph, an 87-90 mph slider, an 81-85 mph sweeper, and an 87-89 mph changeup that is still considered a work in progress.

Much like Arias, Clarke is in line to face more advanced competition at the High-A level with this promotion. Presumably taking the place of fellow southpaw Hayden Mullins (promoted to Portland) in Greenville’s starting rotation, Clarke will join a talented pitching staff headed by 2024 second-round draft pick Payton Tolle, Juan Valera, and Jedixson Paez. He will likely make his Drive debut in the team’s upcoming series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field.

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Hayden Mullins to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Hayden Mullins from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Mullins, 24, has certainly gotten his season off to an encouraging start. In four outings (three starts) to open the 2025 campaign for Greenville, the left-hander posted a 1.06 ERA (2.22 FIP) with 27 strikeouts to three walks over 17 innings in which opposing hitters batted just .186 against him. He fanned six across four scoreless frames in his last time out against Hub City this past Thursday.

Entering play on Sunday, Mullins was one of 31 qualified pitchers in the South Atlantic League. Among those 31, he ranked first in strikeout rate (42.9 percent) and xFIP (2.10), second in strikeouts per nine innings (14.29), third in FIP and swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), fifth in ERA, eighth in walks per nine innings (1.59) and walk rate (4.8 percent), 10th in WHIP (0.82), 13th in batting average against and line-drive rate (20 percent), and 15th in groundball rate (44 percent), per FanGraphs.

A former 12th-round draft selection of the Red Sox coming out of Auburn in 2022, Mullins received a $97,500 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until August 2023 due to Tommy John surgery recovery and rehab. The Tennessee native spent all of 2024 with Greenville and has since compiled a 3.48 ERA (3.81 FIP) with 145 strikeouts to 45 walks over 106 total innings at the High-A level.

Listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, Mullins throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the under-the-radar lefty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that reaches 95 mph, an 81-85 mph slider, a 78-80 mph curveball, and an 81-83 mph changeup. He has flashed bat-missing ability with most, if not all, of his offerings.

Mullins, who turns 25 in September, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 14th among pitchers in the organization. He is not included in Baseball America’s or MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Red Sox prospects list at the moment, but that could soon change if he shows that he can adjust and hold his own against more advanced competition in the upper-minors.

As he prepares to make the leap from High-A to Double-A for the first time, it is worth noting that Mullins can become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November protection deadline. The Red Sox will presumably use this promotion to help determine if Mullins is worthy of such a spot, though he could emerge as a possible trade candidate well before that decision needs to be made.

Regardless, Mullins is slated to join a talented pitching staff in Portland that– as of this writing– includes the likes of David Sandlin, Yordanny Monegro, Blake Wehunt, and fellow southpaw Connelly Early, among others. He will likely make his Double-A debut at some point during the Sea Dogs’ upcoming series on the road against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this coming week.

(Picture of Hayden Mullins: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Jhostynxon Garcia recognized for productive week with Double-A Portland

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia was named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week for April 14-20 on Monday.

Garcia, Boston’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, appeared in five of Double-A Portland’s six games on the road against the Hartford Yard Goats this past week. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 9-for-19 (.474) with two doubles, one home run, five RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and two strikeouts.

Batting out of the three-hole in all five games he got into at Hartford’s Dunkin’ Park, Garcia doubled and drove in two runs on Tuesday, recorded three hits and drove in two runs on Wednesday, singled twice on Thursday, sat on Friday, went hitless on Saturday, and homered for the first time this season in Sunday’s series finale.

Through his first 11 games for the Sea Dogs in 2025, Garcia is batting .308/.429/.462 with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, seven runs scored, two stolen bases, nine walks, and 11 strikeouts over 49 plate appearances. Among 84 qualified Eastern League hitters, he ranks eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in walk rate (18.4 percent) and batting average, 10th in wOBA (412), 12th in OPS (.890) and wRC+ (156), 15th in line-drive rate (28.6 percent), 20th in slugging percentage, 29th in swinging-strike rate (10.1 percent), 32nd in strikeout rate (22.4 percent), and 34th in isolated power (.154), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia has seen all his playing time to this point in the season come in center field. The 6-foot, 215-pounder has logged 99 errorless innings in center for Portland thus far, recording one outfield assist in the process of doing so. He also has past experience in the corners, with MLB Pipeline grading his field tool as a 50 and his arm tool as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Aptly nicknamed “The Password” because of his hard-to-spell first name, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. The San Fernando de Apure native was a lesser-known prospect at this time a year ago, but he put together a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him soar from Low-A all the way to Double-A while clubbing an organizational-leading 23 home runs in 107 games.

Garcia, the older brother of Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia, was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last November to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft and subsequently took part in his first major league camp this spring. Though he was not competing for an Opening Day roster spot, the elder Garcia still had the chance to showcase himself (at the Spring Breakout and Futures at Fenway South games) and impress manager Alex Cora in Fort Myers.

“Good swing,” Cora said of Garcia when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) back in February. “He moves in the outfield, too. He’s a big dude, but he moves. … So he’s impressive.”

Garcia, who does not turn 23 until December, told Smith in camp that his goal for the season was “to have at least a couple of games toward the end of the year in the big leagues.” For as lofty as that may seem, it could become feasible if Garcia continues to produce with Portland and forces his way up to Triple-A Worcester before long.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote Rule 5 addition Jack Anderson to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox promoted right-hander Jack Anderson from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester on Friday, as was first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Andrew Parker.

Anderson opened his first season in the Red Sox organization with Portland as a member of the Sea Dogs’ bullpen. The 25-year-old appeared in two games for Boston’s Eastern League affiliate out of the gate, allowing one unearned run on four hits, zero walks, and 10 strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of relief.

A former 16th-round draft pick of the Tigers coming out of Florida State in 2021, Anderson switched organizations for the first time in his professional career over the winter when the Red Sox plucked him in the minor-league phase of December’s Rule 5 Draft.

Anderson appeared in three Grapefruit League games for Boston as a minor-league call-up this spring, yielding two earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and five strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings. He also retired the lone batter he faced (former Red Sox farmhand Esteban Quiroz) in the club’s exhibition finale against the Sultanes de Monterrey in Mexico on March 25.

In that particular outing, which only required five pitches (four strikes), Anderson threw three four-seam fastballs, one cutter, and one slider, per Baseball Savant. Throwing from a three-quarters arm slot, the 6-foot-3, 197-pound righty reached 91.6 mph with his heater, 84.6 mph with his cutter, and 80.1 mph with his slider.

Anderson, who does not turn 26 until November, has previous experience at the Triple-A level. The Florida native appeared in eight games (made one start) for Detroit’s top affiliate last season and posted a 5.82 ERA (4.98 FIP) with 10 strikeouts to six walks over 17 innings with the Toledo Mud Hens.

With the WooSox, Anderson seems likely to join a righty-heavy bullpen mix that consists of Luis Guerrero (on the 40-man roster), Bryan Mata, Nick Burdi, Isaiah Campbell, Jose Adames, Wyatt Mills, Jacob Webb, and lefty Brendan Cellucci. Hobie Harris, who was also taken in the minor-league phase of December’s Rule 5 Draft, is currently on Worcester’s 7-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

(Picture of Jack Anderson: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox acquire OF prospect Yophery Rodriguez from Brewers in Quinn Priester trade

The Red Sox acquired outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez from the Brewers for right-hander Quinn Priester on Monday.

In addition to Rodriguez, Boston acquired a Competitive Balance Round A selection (33rd overall pick) in the 2025 draft and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Rodriguez, 19, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Milwaukee’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Brewers for $1.5 million as an international free agent coming out of San Pedro De Macoris in January 2023.

Shortly after signing, Rodriguez made a positive first impression in his professional debut. The left-handed hitter was recognized as a 2023 Dominican Summer League All-Star after batting .253/.393/.449 with 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 36 RBIs, 34 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 41 walks, and 40 strikeouts in 52 games (224 plate appearances) for DSL Brewers 1.

Rodriguez made the jump stateside in 2024, with the Brewers aggressively having him skip the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and instead assigning him to Low-A Carolina out of spring training. As an 18-year-old all of last season, he slashed .250/.343/.383 with 23 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 60 RBIs, 59 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 59 walks, and 115 strikeouts in 110 games (484 plate appearances) for the Mudcats.

Rodriguez broke camp with High-A Wisconsin this spring and had gotten his 2025 campaign off to a strong start, going 5-for-12 (.417) with one double, one triple, five runs scored, one walk, and three strikeouts in his first three games. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder made three starts in center field for the Timber Rattlers and has made 138 starts there for his young career. He also has limited experience in the corners, with five starts in left field and eight starts in right field under his belt.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Rodriguez “doesn’t have one spectacular tool, but he does a lot of things well. He’s a good fastball hitter with a smooth left-handed swing and his plate discipline is solid for his age, though he ran into trouble with more swing-and-miss against offspeed stuff. Rodriguez makes quality contact and shows flashes of what could be future average or better power.

“Rodriguez has good defensive instincts—especially on balls hit over his head—and an average arm, but he’s a solid-average runner, so he doesn’t have prototypical center field speed,” the report adds. “He projects to be a fringe-average defender in center field but more likely ends up in right field, where he should be an average to above defender.”

Rodriguez, who does not turn 20 until December, has been assigned to High-A Greenville and will presumably report to Boston’s South Atlantic League affiliate in the coming days. With the Drive, he is slated to join an outfield mix that includes the likes of Miguel Bleis, Zach Ehrhard, Kolby Johnson, and Nelly Taylor, among others.

(Picture of Yophery Rodriguez: Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Blake Aita named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week after impressive pro debut

Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Aita has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 31-April 6, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Aita, Boston’s sixth-round selection in the 2024 draft out of Kennesaw State, made his professional debut by getting the start in Low-A Salem’s season opener against the Delmarva Shorebirds last Friday. The right-hander tossed five scoreless, no-hit innings in which he walked only one and struck out four en route to notching the first win of his young career.

After retiring the first seven batters he faced at Carilion Clinic Field, Aita issued a one-out walk to Yasmil Bucce in the top of the third. The 21-year-old then negated that free pass by getting Edrei Campos to ground into an inning-ending double play and cruised from there by sitting down the side in order in his final two frames. He finished with 58 pitches (36 strikes) and induced seven swings and misses as Salem defeated Delmarva, 12-1.

Aita was taken by the Red Sox with the 177th overall pick in last summer’s draft and received an under-slot $300,000 signing bonus. The Tennessee native did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate after putting pen to paper, likely because he had just logged 85 1/3 innings and earned 2024 All-Atlantic Sun First Team honors in his sophomore season at Kennesaw State. He, instead, had to wait until late last week to make his pro debut.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Aita throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the sturdy righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph fastball (his velocity ticked up in spring training), an 80-82 mph sweeper, an 86-89 mph cutter, and an 85-89 mph changeup.

Aita, who turns 22 in June, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 39 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 20th among pitchers in the organization. Though it is still early into the minor-league season, it should be interesting to see if Aita can work his way up to High-A Greenville before long.

(Picture of Blake Aita: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

What does Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales have in store for 2025?

After a strong debut season in the Dominican Summer League last year, what does power-hitting Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales have in store for 2025?

Hailing from the Dominican Republic himself, Gonzales entered the professional ranks at just 17 by signing with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent last January. He received the sixth-largest bonus in Boston’s 2024 signing class but was undoubtedly the top offensive performer between the club’s two DSL affiliates.

In 47 games for DSL Red Sox Blue and Red, Gonzales batted a stout .320/.391/.517 (140 wRC+) with 11 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 29 RBIs, 29 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 19 walks, and 20 strikeouts over 192 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting slugger was named a DSL All-Star as he helped DSL Red Sox Red secure the organization’s first Dominican Summer League title since 2016. He was also recognized as Boston’s 2024 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

“He’s a big, strong kid already who has a good feel to hit, a good feel for contact,” said Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero, who described Gonzales as “a big, strong animal” when speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith earlier this week. “So we just need to make a couple of minor adjustments on his launch angles and things like that. And those really low line drives, we can start getting him to elevate it a little bit more and more and find some gaps.”

Gonzales, who turned 18 in December, arrived in Fort Myers for his first spring training in the United States early last month. The towering first baseman/outfielder has taken well to instruction and already looks larger than his listed height and weight of 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. He was a late addition to Boston’s Spring Breakout roster on March 13, as he took the place of Allan Castro. Though he struck out in his lone at-bat against the Rays in Port Charlotte that night, he showed flashes of his power potential in the following afternoon’s “Futures at Fenway South” showcase against the Twins at JetBlue Park.

As highlighted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting, Ian Cundall, Gonzales pinch-hit and took over for starting right fielder Miguel Bleis midway through the exhibition. He then grounded out to short in his first at-bat, ripped a single through the left side of the infield in his second at-bat, and crushed a no-doubt solo home run over the faux Green Monster in his third and final at-bat.

Gonzales is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. MLB Pipeline has him four spots higher at No. 15, while Baseball America does not yet have him ranked. He is in extended spring training right now and is expected to play in the rookie-level Florida Complex League once that season gets underway next month. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra recently predicted that Gonzales will lead the FCL in home runs this year with 12 in 54 games.

“His combination of raw power and swing decisions will make him one of the best first-base prospects in baseball,” they wrote of Gonzales, who also figures to see playing time in the outfield moving forward after making 14 starts in right and two starts in center last season. He does, after all, possess “plus-plus” arm strength that MLB Pipeline grades as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

“He’s really intriguing overall,” Romero said. “I know that we’ve played him some in center field throughout the spring, and we’ll do that in extended some and kinda go from there. But give him every chance. If not, he can definitely profile in a corner.”

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Valera opening 2025 season with High-A Greenville

Rising Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Valera will open the 2025 minor-league season with High-A Greenville, as was revealed when the Drive released their Opening Day roster earlier Wednesday.

It is an aggressive assignment for Valera, who turns 19 in May and is easily the youngest player on Greenville’s roster. Still, despite having limited experience above rookie ball, the Red Sox believe the right-hander is deserving of such a challenge after putting together an impressive spring in Fort Myers.

“He had a productive offseason coming into camp strong, physically and mentally,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said of Valera. “We saw a jump in velocity and an improvement in his secondaries with a willingness to challenge in the zone. He earned an opportunity to be challenged in Greenville.”

Valera, who originally signed with Boston for a modest $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023, was not on many people’s radars at this time last year. The Sabana Grande de Palenque native was coming off a debut season in which he put up a 5.93 ERA (4.67 FIP) with 31 strikeouts to 20 walks over 15 appearances (27 1/3 innings) in the Dominican Summer League.

To open the 2024 campaign, though, Valera began to draw attention to himself thanks to what he was doing in the Florida Complex League. In 11 outings (nine starts) for the FCL Red Sox, the righty posted a 1.79 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks over 40 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .128 against him. He was then rewarded with a promotion to Low-A Salem on July 23 and closed out the season by pitching to a 2.35 ERA (3.54 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in seven starts (23 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate while holding opponents to a .120 batting average.

Altogether, Valera forged a 1.99 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to 28 walks in 18 appearances (16 starts) spanning 63 1/3 innings between the FCL and Salem. He led all Red Sox minor-leaguers who logged at least 60 innings last season in ERA, batting average against (.125), WHIP (0.85), line-drive rate (10.3 percent), and groundball rate (56.6 percent), per FanGraphs. To that end, he was recognized as a 2024 Florida Complex League All-Star and SoxProspects.com’s Pitcher of the Year.

Looking to build off the momentum he gained in his first season stateside, Valera came into camp this spring and wasted little time turning heads on the backfields. He was named to the Red Sox’ Spring Breakout roster last month and pitched against prospects from the Twins organizations in the first-ever “Futures at Fenway South” game at JetBlue Park on March 14. As part of that showcase, in which he struck out four and allowed two runs in three innings, Valera showed flashes of his potential.

Valera, as noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, featured a 97-99 mph fastball that reached 100 mph “multiple times.” The 6-foot-3, 205-pound hurler also mixed in an 89-92 mph slider, an 86-88 mph sweeper, and a 91-94 mph changeup. If there were any drawbacks from the performance, it’s that Valera lost the strike zone a bit after his typical three-quarters arm slot got “out of sync.” Josh Norris echoed the same sentiment in a recent piece for Baseball America.

Lauded by club officials for his work ethic and openness to instruction, Valera is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization. MLB Pipeline has him ranked 18th among its top 30 Red Sox prospects, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 19 ahead of its next rankings update.

In Greenville, Valera is slated to join a talented pitching staff that includes the likes of Payton Tolle, Jedixson Paez, Hayden Mullins, and Jojo Ingrassia, among others. The 2025 season begins for the Drive on Friday night when they open a three-game weekend series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Former Red Sox catching prospect Kyle Teel (part of Garrett Crochet trade) named International League Player of the Week

Former Red Sox catching prospect Kyle Teel has been named the International League Player of the Week for the week of March 28-30, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

One of four prospects traded to the White Sox for ace left-hander Garrett Crochet in December, Teel has gotten his 2025 season off to a tremendous start. Appearing in all three of Triple-A Charlotte’s games against Gwinnett over the weekend, the left-handed hitter went 6-for-12 (.500) with one double, two home runs, nine RBIs, four runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts as the Knights swept the Stripers.

Teel batted cleanup in all three contests for the Knights at Charlotte’s Truist Field, making two starts at DH and one start at catcher. The 23-year-old belted his first homer of the season on Friday, finished a triple shy of the cycle while driving in a career-high six runs on Saturday, and reached base twice on Sunday.

Originally selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Virginia, Teel is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Chicago’s farm system and the No. 51 prospect in the sport. After slashing .288/.386/.433 with 23 doubles, 13 home runs, 78 RBIs, 88 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 68 walks, and 116 strikeouts in 112 games (505 plate appearances) between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester last season, the New Jersey native was traded by the Red Sox to the White Sox for Crochet on December 11 alongside fellow prospects Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez.

All four were in major league camp with the White Sox this spring at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. Teel, in particular, impressed offensively by going 6-for-19 (.316) with one double, two home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored, four walks, and four strikeouts in 14 Cactus League games. On the other side of the ball, the athletic 6-foot, 210-pound backstop logged 34 2/3 error-less innings behind the plate but did not have much of a chance to show off his arm strength as he only (unsuccessfully) dealt with one base stealer.

As things stand in Charlotte, Teel is slated to split catching duties with another top 100 prospect in Edgar Quero. The plan out of the gate, as highlighted by Jeff Cohen of FutureSox.com, is for Teel and Quero to both be in the Knights’ lineup on a nightly basis, with the former serving as the DH when the latter is behind the plate and vice-versa.

While the case can be made that Teel and Quero are competing to be the backstop of the future for the White Sox, they are both currently behind Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss on Chicago’s catching depth chart. Still, the expectation is that, at the very least, Teel will make his big league debut at some point before the 2025 campaign ends. He could speed that timeline up if he continues to punish International League pitching the way he has been early on.

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Red Sox release pitching prospect from Andrew Benintendi trade

The Red Sox released minor-league pitcher Grant Gambrell on Wednesday, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Gambrell, 27, was one of two players to be named later acquired from the Royals as part of the three-team, seven-player trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City in February 2021. Along with fellow right-hander Luis De La Rosa, Gambrell did not switch organizations until four months after the original deal was made.

A former third-round draft selection of the Royals coming out of Oregon State in 2019, Gambrell missed the entirety of the 2022 season due to a benign tumor in his calcaneus (the heel bone) that required five surgeries to remove. The California native returned to the mound in 2023 and fared well across three levels, posting a 3.63 ERA (4.23 FIP) in 23 starts (126 1/3 innings) between High-A Greenville, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Worcester.

Fresh off being recognized as SoxProspects.com’s 2023 Comeback Player of the Year, Gambrell broke camp with Worcester last spring. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler forged a 4.09 ERA (4.38 FIP) with 65 strikeouts to 34 walks over 18 appearances (16 starts) spanning 83 2/3 innings before being placed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation in late July. That ultimately cost him the remainder of the 2024 campaign.

Gambrell appeared in three Grapefruit League games for the Red Sox as a minor-league call-up this spring and allowed three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Presumably, the righty was competing for a spot in Worcester’s season-opening starting rotation in camp. He will now have to look for opportunities elsewhere if he is intent on continuing his career.

With Gambrell’s release, right-hander Josh Winckowski is now the only one of the five players the Red Sox acquired from the Royals and Mets in the Benintendi trade who is still in the organization. Before Wednesday’s move, Boston had already cut ties with De La Rosa in 2024, Freddy Valdez in 2023, and Franchy Cordero in 2022.

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)