Category: Uncategorized

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer doubles in return to Low-A Salem’s lineup

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer returned to Low-A Salem’s lineup on Monday after spending the last 10 days on the injured list due to a right wrist sprain.

Batting third and starting at shortstop, Mayer went 1-for-3 with one double, walk, one strikeout, one RBI, and two runs scored in Salem’s 6-2 win over the Columbia Fireflies at Carillion Clinic Field.

Monday marked the first time Mayer had played in a game since May 19 and just the fifth time he had done so since April 23. The 19-year-old had been dealing with nagging soreness in his right wrist since late April. He traveled to Boston to undergo further testing on that wrist last weekend and an MRI revealed that there was no significant damage.

Following Monday’s performance, the right-handed hitting Mayer is now batting .333/.391/.513 on the season with 11 doubles, one home run, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, four stolen bases, eight walks, and 24 strikeouts over 18 games spanning 87 plate appearances.

The Red Sox originally selected Mayer with the fourth overall pick in last year’s amateur draft out Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif. The California native is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 12 prospect in all of baseball.

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

Red Sox promote top pitching prospect Brandon Walter to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted top pitching prospect Brandon Walter to Triple-A Worcester, according to multiple reports.

Walter, 25, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks second among pitchers in the organization. The left-hander was originally selected by Boston in the 26th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware.

After signing with the Sox for a modest $35,000, Walter saw his first full professional season get wiped out as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Castle native then burst onto the scene in 2021 by posting a 2.92 ERA in 25 appearances (14 starts) between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville.

This spring, Walter broke camp with Double-A Portland and continued to impress. In nine starts for the Sea Dogs, the southpaw pitched to a 2.88 ERA and 2.88 FIP with 68 strikeouts to just three walks over 50 innings of work. He allowed a total of two earned runs while striking out 19 in his final two starts.

Among qualified Eastern League pitchers, Walter ranks fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (12.24), first in walks per nine innings (0.54), third in strikeout rate (34.7%), sixth in swinging strike rate (16.8%), first in walk rate (1.5%), fifth in batting average against (.191), first in WHIP (0.78), fifth in ERA, fourth in FIP, and second in xFIP (2.42), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Walter throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out 95 mph, an 82-85 mph changeup, and an 80-83 mph slider, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Walter, who turns 26 in September, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter. Given how he has performed so far this year, it seems all but certain that the Red Sox will protect and add the lefty to their 40-man roster by the November deadline.

In the meantime, Walter will join a talented WooSox rotation that already includes the likes of No. 1 pitching prospect Brayan Bello, Josh Winckowski, Kutter Crawford, and Connor Seabold.

Walter last pitched on May 26, so he could be in line to make his WooSox debut against the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

(Picture of Brandon Walter: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox place Matt Strahm on COVID-19 related injured list, recall Hirokazu Sawamura from Triple-A Worcester

Before wrapping up their five-game series against the Orioles at Fenway Park on Monday night, the Red Sox placed left-handed reliever Matt Strahm on the COVID-19 related injured list.

In a corresponding move, right-handed reliever Hirokazu Sawamura was recalled from Triple-A Worcester, the team announced.

At this time, it is not yet clear if Strahm has tested positive for COVID-19 or is simply experiencing virus-like symptoms. Through 18 relief appearances this season, the 30-year-old southpaw has posted a 3.68 ERA and 1.77 FIP with 16 strikeouts to three walks over 14 2/3 innings of work.

Sawamura, meanwhile, returns from Worcester after being optioned there on Saturday. Unsurprisingly, the Japanese-born righty did not get into a game with the WooSox. This season with the big-league club, he has produced a 3.60 ERA and 3.47 FIP to go along with 13 strikeouts to six walks across 18 appearances spanning 15 innings pitched.

Following Monday’s roster move, the Red Sox will now be without Strahm and Hansel Robles (on the 10-day injured list due to back spasms) for the time being. Alex Cora’s bullpen currently consists of the likes of Sawamura, Matt Barnes, Jake Diekman, Austin Davis, John Schreiber, Tyler Danish, Ryan Brasier and Phillips Valdez. Tanner Houck could be included there, too, but he is not available to pitch on Monday, per Cora.

(Picture of Matt Strahm: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox release right-hander Darin Gillies

The Red Sox released right-hander Darin Gillies from his minor-league contract on Sunday, per MiLB.com’s transactions log.

A former 10th-round draft pick of the Mariners out of Arizona State University in 2015, Gillies originally signed a minors pact with the Sox back in March. It included an invite to major-league spring training.

After breaking camp with Double-A Portland, Gillies made four appearances for the Sea Dogs and earned a promotion to Triple-A Worcester on April 21. The 29-year-old then made six appearances for the WooSox before being demoted on May 17 as part of a series of roster moves that saw pitching prospects Brayan Bello and A.J. Politi get promoted to Worcester.

Gillies’ second stint with Portland lasted less than two weeks. All told, the hard-throwing righty posted a 16.36 ERA and 6.13 FIP with 12 strikeouts to nine walks over 12 relief outings (11 innings) between the Sea Dogs and WooSox in 2022.

(Picture of Darin Gillies: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Christian Vázquez leaves Sunday’s win early due to groin tightness

Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez was removed from Sunday’s 12-2 win over the Orioles due to groin tightness, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) at Fenway Park.

Vazquez was replaced behind the plate by Kevin Plawecki in the eight inning on Sunday after going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI, and one run scored out of the six-hole. Plawecki drew two walks and scored an additional run in his place.

While he was taken out of the game and will be further evaluated on Monday, Vazquez is confident he will be back in Boston’s lineup for the series finale against Baltimore.

It is understandable why Vazquez would want to return to action as soon as possible. Over his last 15 games, the right-handed hitting backstop has slashed a scorching .412/.455/.569 with one home run, 14 RBIs, and six runs scored.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, he has thrown out six of the 23 base runners who have attempted to steal against him while logging 282 2/3 innings behind the plate.

Vazquez, who turns 32 in August, can become a free-agent for the first time this winter. The native Puerto Rican has spent the entirety of his professional career with the Red Sox since being selected by Boston in the ninth round of the 2008 amateur draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in Gurabo.

(Picture of Christian Vazquez: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox go deep 5 times en route to 12-2 blowout win over Orioles; Bobby Dalbec, Franchy Cordero among those who homered

The Red Sox hit five home runs en route to a convincing 12-2 victory over the Orioles on Sunday afternoon. Bobby Dalbec, Franchy Cordero, Rafael Devers, Christian Arroyo, and Enrique Hernandez all went deep as Boston improved to 23-25 on the season at Fenway Park.

Matched up against Orioles left-hander Bruce Zimmermann out of the gate, the Sox kicked off the scoring in their half of the second inning. Christian Vazquez reached base via a one-out double and Dalbec followed by crushing his second homer in as many days. After Arroyo recorded the second out, Cordero proceeded to crank a 448-foot solo shot to dead center field to give his side an early 3-0 lead.

An inning later, Devers joined in on the action with a leadoff home run that was deposited 434 feet into the right field bleachers. In the fourth, Arroyo and Hernandez contributed to the cause with their third and fourth home runs of the season, respectively.

To that point in the contest, Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta had yet to allow a run through his first four innings. In what was his 10th start of the year for Boston, the right-hander wound up yielding just one run on five hits, three walks, and five strikeouts over six solid innings of work.

That lone Baltimore run off of Pivetta came in the top of the fifth, when Cedric Mullins hit a two-out double and Trey Mancini drove him in on an RBI single to right field that was nearly caught by a sliding Arroyo.

Boston got that run right back, however, as Vazquez scored Xander Bogaerts all the way from first on an RBI double that was laced down the right field line.

Pivetta, meanwhile, ended his day by retiring three of the final four batters he faced in the sixth. The 29-year-old hurler finished with a final pitch count of 106 (64 strikes) while lowering his ERA on the season down to 3.95.

In relief of Pivetta, Tanner Houck got the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The hard-throwing righty needed just 14 pitches (11 strikes) to face the minimum over two scoreless frames with the help of two double plays.

The bottom of the eighth was all about insurance for the Sox. Cordero capped off his productive day at the plate with a two-run double, J.D. Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk, and Bogaerts delivered with a two-run double of his own off Marcos Diplan.

Those five runs put Boston up, 12-1, going into the ninth. Phillips Valdez gave one of those runs back but otherwise slammed the door on the Orioles to secure a 12-2 win.

Next up: Hill vs. Wells in series finale

The Red Sox will look to earn their fifth straight series victory in Monday’s finale against the Orioles. Boston will give the ball to veteran left-hander Rich Hill while Baltimore will roll with right-hander Tyler Wells.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Franchy Cordero: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Josh Winckowski struggles in major-league debut as Red Sox fall to Orioles, 4-2, and settle for doubleheader split

The Red Sox were unable to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Orioles on Saturday. After taking Game 1 behind a complete game effort from Nathan Eovaldi, Boston fell to Baltimore, 4-2, in the night cap at Fenway Park.

Contrary to the seasoned Eovaldi, Josh Winckowski made his major-league debut for the Sox in Game 2. The rookie right-hander allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts over just three innings of work.

All three runs Winckowski gave up came in the top of the third. Austin Hays and Anthony Santander both reached base to lead off the inning before Ramon Urias drove in Hays with a two-out RBI single to center field. Rougned Odor followed by crushing a three-run home run 410 feet to right-center, which gave the Orioles an early 4-0 lead.

The third inning would prove to be Winckowski’s last. The 23-year-old wound up throwing 62 pitches (36 strikes) while inducing a total of seven swings-and-misses. He also hovered around 92-97 mph with his fastball.

In relief of Winckowski, Austin Davis received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The left-hander answered the call by retiring the side in order in the fourth.

A half-inning later, the Red Sox lineup finally got something going against an old friend in Orioles starter Denyi Reyes. Trevor Story led things off with a groundball double and scored from second on a one-out RBI single off the bat of Christian Vazquez.

From there, Ryan Brasier, Tyler Danish, Jake Diekman, Matt Barnes, and Phillips Valdez held the O’s at four runs with a scoreless frame each to keep the Sox within striking distance.

Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth, Boston was now matched up against righty reliever Jorge Lopez. Bobby Dalbec, one of the heroes of Game 1, reached on a Jorge Mateo fielding error to lead things off. A Jackie Bradley Jr. single allowed Dalbec to move all the way up to third. Christian Arroyo then drove Dalbec in by beating out a potential double play.

Down to their final out, Enrique Hernandez stepped up to the plate representing the tying run for the Red Sox. He could not complete the comeback, though, as he grounded into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 twin killing.

All told, the Sox went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base as a team. With Saturday night’s loss, Boston is now 22-25 on the season.

Next up: Zimmermann vs. Pivetta

The Red Sox will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta in Game 4 of this five-game series on Sunday afternoon. The Orioles will counter with left-hander Bruce Zimmermann.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski fare in major-league debut?

Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski made his major-league debut in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Orioles at Fenway Park.

Serving as Boston’s 27th man for the twin bill and donning the No. 73, Winckowski allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts over three innings of work.

Both of those Baltimore runs came in the top of the third. After working his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and recording his first career punchout in the second, Winckowski ran into trouble in the third. The right-hander yielded a leadoff single to Austin Hays and a seven-pitch walk to Anthony Santander. The right-hander then got the first two outs of the frame before giving up an RBI single to Ramon Urias and three-run home run to Rougned Odor.

Odor’s 410-foot blast came off a 1-0, 93.8 mph sinker from Winckowski that was at the bottom of the zone. It gave the Orioles a 4-0 lead and played a key role in Winckowski’s day ending after just three innings. He was relieved by left-hander Austin Davis and ultimately took the loss as Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 4-2.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 62 (36 strikes), the 23-year-old hurler threw 29 sinkers, 16 sliders, 16 four-seam fastballs, and one changeup. He induced seven swings-and-misses between those four pitches while hovering around 92-97 mph with his fastball.

Winckowski, who turns 24 next month, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization.

Since he served as the club’s 27th man, Winckowski will more than likely be optioned back down to Triple-A Worcester following the conclusion of Saturday’s night cap.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox place Hansel Robles on injured list, option Hirokazu Sawamura; Ryan Brasier, Phillips Valdez recalled from Triple-A Worcester

In addition to appointing Josh Winckowski as the 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Orioles at Fenway Park, the Red Sox made four additional roster moves prior to Game 1.

Most notably, Hansel Robles was placed on the 15-day injured list due to back spasms while Hirokazu Sawamura was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, fellow relievers Ryan Brasier and Phillips Valdez were recalled from Worcester.

Robles last pitched in Sunday’s win over the Mariners before experiencing back issues while the Red Sox were in Chicago. Through 16 relief appearances this season, the 31-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.65 ERA and 5.20 FIP with 11 strikeouts to six walks over 17 innings pitched out of the bullpen.

Since his stint on the injured list is retroactive to May 25, the soonest Robles could return to action would be Thursday June 9, when the Sox take on the Angels in Anaheim.

Sawamura, meanwhile, has pitched to the tune of a 3.60 ERA and 3.47 FIP with 13 strikeouts to six walks across 18 appearances (15 innings) so far this season. The Japanese-born righty has been most effective when inheriting runners on the basepaths, but — at the same time — has fallen down Alex Cora’s depth chart.

Because he has pitched three times in the last four days, Boston elected to send Sawamura down to Worcester while adding fresh reinforcements in Brasier and Valdez.

Both Brasier and Valdez opened the 2021 season in the Sox’ bullpen but were optioned to the WooSox at separate points this month. Brasier, who was sent down on May 20, made two scoreless outings for Worcester. Valdez, who was sent down on May 2, produced a 1.17 ERA in six appearances (7 2/3 innings) for the affiliate.

The Red Sox did not need to use their bullpen as Nathan Eovaldi tossed a complete game in the day cap of Saturday’s twin bill. That could change in Game 2 with Winckowski making his first career start at the big-league level.

(Picture of Hansel Robles: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Nathan Eovaldi tosses first career complete game as Red Sox bounce back with 5-3 win over Orioles to open doubleheader

The Red Sox opened a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles with a bounce-back win at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon. Boston defeated Baltimore, 5-3, to improve to 22-24 on the season.

Nathan Eovaldi was Saturday’s early headliner. In his ninth start of the year for the Sox, the veteran right-hander tossed the first perfect game of his big-league career. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk to go along with six strikeouts over nine strong innings of work.

That first O’s run came right away in the first inning, as Cedric Mullins led off with a single, was able to advance to second when Trey Mancini reached on a Rafael Devers missed catch error, and scored from second on an RBI single off the bat of Trey Mancini.

So, three batters into his start, Eovaldi had yet to record an out and had already allowed one run to score. He was able to recover, though, as he stranded Mancini and Santander in the first before stringing together three straight scoreless frames.

While doing that, the Red Sox lineup got to Eovaldi’s counterpart in Jordan Lyles for three runs in their half of the second. After Alex Verdugo was thrown out at home plate for the first out of the inning, a two-out walk drawn by Kevin Plawecki put runners on the corners for Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bradley Jr. got his side on the board with an RBI double that plated Christian Arroyo. Enrique Hernandez followed with a two-run single through the left side of the infield that scored both Plawecki and Bradley Jr.

Fast forward to the fifth, and Eovaldi once again ran into trouble when he yielded a leadoff double to Ramon Urias and a game-tying, two-run home run to Robinson Chirinos.

With things still knotted at 3-3 in the sixth, Red Sox manager Alex Cora elected to have Bobby Dalbec pinch-hit for Franchy Cordero with left-handed reliever Keegan Akin on the mound for the Orioles. Dalbec proceeded to make Cora look like a very smart man by crushing a go-ahead, 397-foot solo shot into Baltimore’s bullpen.

Dalbec’s second home run of the season and first since April 10 put Boston up, 4-3. Arroyo provided some insurance an inning later with an RBI single that drove in J.D. Martinez from third base to make it a 5-3 game.

Eovaldi, meanwhile, took that newfound two-run lead and slammed the door shut on any chance of an Orioles comeback. The righty got the final two outs of the ninth by getting Rougned Odor to ground into a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

Finishing with a career-high final pitch count of 108 (75 strikes), Eovaldi was able to pick up his second save of the season while lowering his ERA down to 3.77. The 32-year-old hurler induced a total of 16 swings-and-misses on the afternoon. He topped out at 98.7 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Offensively, the Red Sox had 13 hits as a team. Devers accounted for four of them. Dalbec’s sixth-inning home run was the first of the pinch-hit variety from any Red Sox hitter this season.

Next up: Reyes vs. Winckowski in Game 2

The Red Sox will turn to Josh Winckowski for Game 2 of Saturday’s twin bill. The 23-year-old will be making his major-league debut opposite former Boston prospect Denyi Reyes, who will also be making his first career start for the Orioles.

First pitch from Fenway Park on Saturday night is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Nathan Eovaldi: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)