Yolmer Sánchez batting eighth and starting at second base in Red Sox debut on Wednesday

Yolmer Sanchez will bat eighth and start at second base in his Red Sox debut against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Sanchez joined the club in Toronto earlier this week and was called up from Triple-A Worcester on Monday to take the place of Jarren Duran, who was placed on the restricted list due to his vaccination status.

This will mark Sanchez’s first big-league action since 2020, and it just so happens to come on his 30th birthday. After spending the first seven years of his major-league career (2014-2020) with the White Sox and all of 2021 with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the native Venezuelan signed a minor-league deal back in February.

Serving as experienced infield depth with Triple-A Worcester, the switch-hitting Sanchez batted a respectable .253/.381/.424 (120 wRC+) with 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, 32 runs scored, four stolen bases, 44 walks, and 60 strikeouts in his first 68 games (265 plate appearances) with the WooSox.

The versatile 5-foot-11, 200 pounder also saw playing time at third base, shortstop, and second base, where he won an American League Gold Glove award while with the White Sox in 2019.

With Sanchez starting at second base in Wednesday’s series finale against the Jays, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has subsequently given Trevor Story the night off. This was the plan all along so that Story could get off his feet for two days since Boston will be enjoying an off day in Chicago on Thursday.

While Sanchez — who is out of minor-league options — is likely to be taken off Boston’s major-league roster following Wednesday’s contest at Rogers Centre, the Sox will not have to expose the veteran infielder to waivers since he is filling in for Duran as a COVID-related substitute.

In other words, when the Red Sox arrive in Chicago on Thursday ahead of their series against the Cubs, they will presumably activate Duran from the restricted list and return Sanchez to Worcester.

That said, Sanchez — donning the No. 47 — will become the 20th different position player to appear in a game for the Sox this season as they look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays on Wednesday. First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. eastern time on NESN and MLB Network.

(Picture of Yolmer Sanchez: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Latest ESPN mock draft has Red Sox taking LSU’s Cade Doughty with second-round pick

In his latest 2022 mock draft for ESPN.com, Kiley McDaniel has the Red Sox taking Louisiana State University infielder Cade Doughty with their second-round pick at No. 41 overall.

The Red Sox received the 41st overall pick in this year’s draft after failing to sign 2021 second-round pick Jud Fabian out of the University of Florida.

Another SEC product, Doughty is currently regarded by Baseball America as the 56th-ranked prospect in this summer’s draft class. The 21-year-old Denham Springs native was originally selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 39th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of high school, but he opted to honor his commitment to LSU as opposed to going pro then.

In 59 games with the Bayou Bengals this season, the right-handed hitting Doughty batted .298/.393/.567 with 19 doubles, 15 home runs, 57 RBIs, 56 runs scored, four stolen bases, 29 walks, and 49 strikeouts over 282 plate appearances. He missed nearly two weeks of action from late May until early June due to a dislocated left shoulder.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Doughty “doesn’t possess the lightning-quick bat speed seen in other high-round prospects, but more times than not, his timing is right, and his barrel stays in the zone with slight lift and proper extension. He has expanded the zone a bit more in 2022, as the punchouts increased from a year ago, with 49 in 238 at-bats. Seeing a heavy dose of plus sliders with high-velocity fastballs that the SEC has to offer, Doughty has proven in his time at Baton Rouge he can perform against the country’s top arms. When his plate discipline is on point, he is in the discussion of the upper-tier bats in this year’s class.”

Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder saw the majority of his playing time this year come at second base while making a handful of appearances at third base and shortstop as well. Baseball America notes that “his range isn’t quite there for shortstop, but his solid-average arm is more than capable to handle third. There is room for improvement on the dirt but his athleticism and baseball IQ are enough to be hopeful that Doughty will be able to stay on the infield moving forward.” 

On the basepaths, Doughty has amassed just nine stolen bases in his three seasons at LSU. In regards to his speed, the redshirt sophomore is best described as an average runner who “will capitalize on defensive mishaps as he has throughout his career” in Baton Rouge.

Doughty, who does not turn 22 until next March, was one of 255 prospects who participated in the MLB Draft Combine in San Diego earlier this month. It is unclear if he consented to the pre-draft MRI program, which would require whichever team that drafts him to offer no less than 75% of the recommended slot value in the form of a signing bonus.

The 41st pick in this summer’s draft, for instance, has a recommended slot value of $1,905,500. So, if the Red Sox were to select Doughty in the second round, they would have to offer him at least $1,429,125 in signing bonus money or would otherwise risk losing him to free agency.

Boston has not drafted and successfully signed a player out of LSU since 2011, when it took right-handed reliever Matty Ott in the 13th round.

(Picture of Cade Doughty: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Red Sox comeback attempt falls short as bullpen blows late lead in 6-5 loss to Blue Jays

For the first time this month, the Red Sox have lost consecutive games. After dropping Monday’s series opener to the Blue Jays, Boston nearly bounced back with a come-from-behind win but were instead walked off by Toronto in a crushing 6-5 loss.

It was nearly a come-from-behind win because the Sox found themselves trailing by three runs after just one inning. Michael Wacha, making his 13th start of the season, ran into some early trouble as he walked two of the first three batters he faced before giving up an RBI double to Teoscar Hernandez. One batter later, Matt Chapman followed with a two-run double that plated both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez.

Despite facing an early 3-0 hole, the Boston bats quickly responded in the second inning when Trevor Story laced a 375-foot solo shot to left field off Toronto starter Ross Stripling. Story’s 12th home run of the season left his bat at a blistering 113.4 mph, making it the hardest-hit batted ball of his career.

With his team only trailing by two runs now, Wacha was able to settle in a bit. The right-hander yielded one more run on a Santiago Espinal single in the third but retired five of the final six Blue Jays he faced from the middle of the fourth inning up until the end of the fifth.

Moments before Wacha tossed a scoreless fifth inning, the Sox cut into the Jays’ lead a little more in their half of the fifth. Christian Vazquez and Franchy Cordero led off with a single and double to put runners at second and third with no outs. Rob Refsnyder then drove in Vazquez on an RBI groundout to make it a 4-2 contest in favor of Toronto.

Upon recording the final out of the fifth, Wacha had thrown 90 pitches (57 strikes). The 30-year-old hurler wound up giving up four earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and two strikeouts over five innings of work. His ERA on the season now sits at 2.69.

In relief of Wacha, Ryan Brasier was first dispatched out of the bullpen by the Red Sox. The righty maneuvered his way around a pair of two-out singles to hold the Jays at four runs heading into the seventh.

Now matched up against Blue Jays reliever Trent Thornton, Christian Arroyo reached base with two outs to bring the potential tying run to the plate in the form of Refsnyder. Already 1-for-3 on the night, Refsnyder delivered in the clutch yet again with a game-tying two-run home run that came on a 1-0, 96 mph fastball down the heart of the plate.

Refsnyder made it a 4-4 game with his second homer of the season. After John Schreiber took care of business in the latter half of the seventh, Vazquez gave his side its first lead of the night a half-inning later on a go-ahead RBI single off Tim Mayza.

The Sox then loaded the bases with one out when the pinch-hitting Bobby Dalbec drew a six-pitch walk off new reliever Matt Gage. But Arroyo followed by lining into an inning-ending double play.

Taking a newfound 5-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth, Tyler Danish sat down the side in order on 15 pitches. With closer Tanner Houck unavailable due to his vaccination status, though, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was forced to get creative and he turned to Danish for a second inning in the ninth.

That decision did not pan out, as Danish gave up a single and issued a walk to lead off the inning. He was then given the hook in favor of Hansel Robles, who proceeded to surrender a game-tying single to Bo Bichette that was followed by a walk-off hit off the bat of Guerrero Jr.

Danish was charged with the loss, Robles with the blown save, and the Red Sox fell to 2-7 against the Blue Jays this season. They now sport an overall record of 42-33 on the year.

Next up: Pivetta vs. Manoah in finale

Having already seen their streak of consecutive series wins snapped at seven, the Red Sox will look to snap their two-game losing streak against the Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Canadian-born right-hander Nick Pivetta will get the start for Boston while fellow righty Alek Manoah will do the same for Toronto.

First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Injured Red Sox prospect Triston Casas resumes baseball activities in Fort Myers

Injured Red Sox prospect Triston Casas started his hitting and fielding progression in Fort Myers on Monday and is ‘moving along well,’ according to the Boston Herald’s Steve Hewitt.

Casas sprained his right ankle on the basepaths at Polar Park on May 17 and has not appeared in a game since then. The 22-year-old first baseman was placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list on May 22 and has been rehabbing in Fort Myers since early June.

Initially, the Red Sox did not anticipate that Casas would be sidelined for too long. Due to the nature of his injury, however, the left-handed hitter could not swing a bat pain-free on account of the amount of stress he places on his landing foot.

It was only just recently that Casas was able to start swinging a bat again, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham tells The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith adds that the 6-foot-5, 250-pound slugger has begun hitting off a Tee.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the 26th overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft out of American Heritage High School (Plantation, Fla.), Casas is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 18 prospect in all of baseball.

In 36 games with the WooSox this season, Casas has batted .248/.359/.457 (115 wRC+) with nine doubles, six home runs, 22 RBIs, 22 runs scored, 23 walks, and 35 strikeouts across 156 trips to the plate.

As of this moment, there is no definitive timetable for when Casas could return to Worcester’s lineup. That said, the Pembroke Pines native will likely need to complete a brief rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League before he is cleared to suit up for the WooSox again.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox activate Silvino Bracho from taxi squad, option Connor Seabold to Triple-A Worcester

Before taking on the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday night, the Red Sox selected the contract of right-handed reliever Silvino Bracho from Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, fellow right-hander Connor Seabold was optioned to Worcester following Monday’s game.

Bracho will provide the Sox with a fresh bullpen arm for the final two games of their series against the Jays at Rogers Centre. The 29-year-old had been traveling with the club as a member of their taxi squad.

Originally signed to a minor-league contract back in March, Bracho has posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks in 18 appearances (1 start) spanning 31 1/3 innings of work for the WooSox this season. The native Venezuelan spent the first five years (2015-2018, 2020) of his big-league career with the Diamondbacks and pitched to a 4.82 ERA (4.86 FIP) over 89 2/3 innings of relief. He works with a changeup, four-seam fastball, slider, and a seldom-used sinker.

The Red Sox did not need to create room on their 40-man roster for Bracho since Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran are on the restricted list due to their unvaccinated status. They will, however, need to expose Bracho to waivers if they intend on removing him from the 40-man roster at the conclusion of this series.

Seabold, meanwhile, made the second start of his big-league career in place of the injured Garrett Whitlock on Monday. The 26-year-old allowed seven earned runs on nine hits, one walk, one hit batsman, and seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in Boston’s 7-2 loss to Toronto.

Currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in the Sox’ farm system, Seabold owns a 2.09 ERA with 51 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 starts (51 2/3 innings pitched) for the WooSox this season.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Connor Seabold gets hit hard as Red Sox see 7-game winning streak come to an end in 7-2 loss to Blue Jays

The Red Sox saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end against the Blue Jays on Monday night. Boston went down quietly in a 7-2 loss to Toronto to fall to 42-32 on the season.

With Garrett Whitlock still on the injured list, the Sox recalled Connor Seabold from Triple-A Worcester to make the second start of his major-league career in Monday’s series opener.

Seabold, who last pitched an inning for the WooSox on Friday, had a tough go of things in his first outing north of the border. The right-hander got rocked for seven earned runs on nine hits, one walk, and one hit batsman to go along with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of work.

After issuing a leadoff walk to the very first batter he faced in George Springer, Seabold gave up an RBI double to Bo Bichette. He then stranded Bichette at third base and retired the side in order in the second, making it seem as though he was about to settle in.

That was not the case, however, as Seabold served up a 422-foot solo shot to Springer and a 414-foot two-run blast to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the bottom of the third. On the heels of a scoreless fourth inning, he put runners at first and third with one out in the fifth. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drove in one of those runners on an RBI groundout, then Matt Chapman plated two more on a 362-foot two-run homer to left field.

Chapman would prove to be the last Blue Jay Seabold would face. The 26-year-old was given the hook after throwing 86 pitches (54 strikes). While the results were not all that positive, he did induce 21 total swings-and-misses with his four-seam fastball, changeup, and slider. The 21 whiffs are the most recorded by a Red Sox pitcher in a game this season.

In relief of Seabold, Tyler Danish received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Danish, making his first appearance in six days, retired the only batter he faced to end the fifth inning. From there, Austin Davis and Hirokazu Sawamura each worked a pair of scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh while Hansel Robles did the same in the eighth.

To that point in the contest, the Jarren Duran-less Red Sox lineup had been thoroughly held in check by Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. It took until the third inning for Boston to get its first hit off Gausman. That happened when Bobby Dalbec reached base via a two-out single. Dalbec then stole second base, but was left there after Rafael Devers grounded out to extinguish the threat.

In the sixth, Devers laced a 90 mph double that deflected off the second-base bag and put a runner in scoring position with one out. Xander Bogaerts then drew a two-out walk, but Alex Verdugo followed by flying out to Springer in center field.

Christian Vazquez made it up to second base with two outs in the seventh. Gausman did not allow him to advance any further than that by fanning the last batter he faced in Dalbec. In three starts against the Red Sox this year, Gausman has allowed one two runs (one earned) over 21 innings. That is good for an ERA of 0.43.

David Phelps kept Toronto’s hopes of a shutout alive in the eighth, but former Red Sox pitching prospect Shaun Anderson did just the opposite in the ninth. Anderson, who was pitching against the team that drafted him for just the second time in his big-league career, made things a bit interesting.

Back-to-back singles from Bogaerts and Verdugo to lead off the inning put runners on the corners for Trevor Story, who scored his side’s first run on a sacrifice fly.

Verdugo moved up to third on a Vazquez single and scored from there on a Dalbec RBI single that deflected off Anderson. Rob Refsnyder then wrapped up a hitless night by flying out to center field to end the game.

All told, the Red Sox went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position on Monday and left eight runners on base as a team. They are now 2-6 against the Blue Jays so far this season.

Next up: Wacha vs. Stripling

The Red Sox will look to bounce back and keep their hopes of a series win alive in the middle game of this three-game set with the Blue Jays on Tuesday night. Michael Wacha will get the start for Boston while fellow right-hander Ross Stripling will do the same for Toronto.

First pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Connor Seabold: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Silvino Bracho with Red Sox as member of team’s taxi squad

Silvino Bracho has joined the Red Sox on their taxi squad in Toronto. There is a chance the right-handed reliever could be activated for the final two games of Boston’s series against the Blue Jays if Connor Seabold is optioned to Triple-A Worcester following Monday’s game at Rogers Centre.

The Sox originally signed Bracho to a minor-league contract back in March after the 29-year-old spent the entirety of the 2021 campaign in the Giants organization.

In 18 appearances (1 start) with the WooSox this season, Bracho has posted a 3.16 ERA and 2.58 FIP with 36 strikeouts to four walks over 31 1/3 innings of work.

Bracho, who turns 30 next month, broke in with the Diamondbacks in 2015 after signing with Arizona as an international free-agent out of Venezuela in 2011. The Maracaibo native pitched to a 4.67 ERA in his first four big-league seasons before undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2019.

After making just one appearance for the D-backs in 2020, Bracho became a free-agent and pitched exclusively at the Triple-A level in 2021 while with the Giants.

That being said, it has now been nearly two full years since Bracho appeared in a major-league game. Per Baseball Savant, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound righty works with a three-pitch mix that consists of a changeup, four-seam fastball, and slider. He has also used a sinker in the past.

If Bracho is indeed activated and gets into a game against the Jays this week, he would become the 19th different pitcher the Red Sox have used this season. At the conclusion of this series, however, Boston would have to designate Bracho for assignment — and thus expose him to waivers — if it wanted to remove him from the 26-man roster since he is out of minor-league options.

(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Red Sox release Thomas Pannone, Roberto Ramos from minor-league deals

The Red Sox have granted left-hander Thomas Pannone and first baseman Roberto Ramos their releases from the organization, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Both Pannone and Ramos had spent the entirety of the 2022 season with Triple-A Worcester after signing minor-league deals with Boston over the winter.

Pannone was granted his release so that he could sign with the KIA Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, according to Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The 28-year-old southpaw out of Rhode Island made 14 appearances (12 starts) for the WooSox this season and posted a 4.57 ERA (3.17 FIP) with 70 strikeouts to just eight walks over 63 innings of work.

Ramos is also likely to sign with a Korean club, per McDonald. The 27-year-old spent the 2020 and 2021 campaigns with the LG Twins and hit 46 home runs over 168 games, so he could possibly return there.

In 39 games with the WooSox, the left-handed hitting Ramos batted just .158/.287/.342 (71 wRC+) with five homers and 16 RBIs across 143 trips to the plate.

(Picture of Thomas Pannone: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

Red Sox promote top pitching prospect Chris Murphy to Triple-A Worcester

On the heels of being named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week on Monday, Red Sox pitching prospect Chris Murphy has been promoted from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Murphy, 24, was originally selected by the Sox in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of San Diego. The California-born left-hander is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among pitchers in the organization.

In 15 outings (13 starts) for the Sea Dogs this season, Murphy has posted a 2.58 ERA and 3.34 FIP with 91 strikeouts to 31 walks over 76 2/3 innings of work. Among qualified Eastern League pitchers, he ranks fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.68), fourth in strikeout rate (29.8%), first in batting average against (.169), second in WHIP (1.00), third in ERA, and third in FIP, per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Murphy operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96-97 mph, an 80-82 mph changeup, a 73-75 mph curveball, and an 80-84 mph slider. He has proven to be more effective against left-handed hitters compared to right-handed hitters over the course of his professional career and that has once again been the case this season.

Murphy becomes the third starting pitching prospect the Red Sox have promoted from Portland to Worcester so far in 2022, as he joins the likes of fellow southpaw Brandon Walter and hard-throwing righty Brayan Bello.

Like Walter, who is currently on the WooSox’ 7-day injured list because of a neck strain, Murphy can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November deadline.

With that, this promotion should give the Red Sox an ample opportunity to determine if Murphy — who does not turn 25 until next June — is indeed worthy of a 40-man roster spot. The lefty last pitched on Saturday, so he should be in line to make his Triple-A debut on Thursday or Friday, when the WooSox go up against the Rochester Red Wings on the road.

(Picture of Chris Murphy: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Blaze Jordan named Carolina League Player of the Week for second time this season

For the second time this season, Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week. He first took home the award for the week of May 9-15 and does so again for the week of June 20-26, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In Low-A Salem’s latest series against the Fredericksburg Nationals at Carilion Clinic Field, Jordan went 12-for-24 (.500) at the plate with two doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, three walks, and just one strikeout over the course of six games.

On the 2022 season as a whole, the right-handed hitting corner infielder is batting a stout .311/.364/.502 (139 wRC+) with 20 doubles, two triples, eight homers, 42 runs driven in, 39 runs scored, two stolen bases, 19 walks, and 44 strikeouts across 63 games (275 plate appearances) with the Salem Sox.

Among qualified Carolina League hitters, Jordan ranks seventh in strikeout rate (16%), seventh in batting average, 25th in on-base percentage, fifth in slugging percentage, sixth in OPS (.866), 17th in isolated power (.191), and eighth in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 220 pounder has logged 164 1/3 innings at first base and 315 innings at third base so far this season. He has committed a total of seven fielding errors and has also appeared in seven games as a designated hitter.

Jordan, 19, was selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2020 amateur draft out of DeSoto Central High School. The Southaven, Miss. native forwent his commitment to Mississippi State University by signing with Boston for $1.75 million. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect and the top power hitter in the organization’s farm system.

It is believed that the Red Sox will take a deliberate approach with Jordan’s development given that he does not turn 20 until December. He therefore could spend the rest of the year in Salem, though a late-season promotion to High-A Greenville is certainly possible under the right circumstances.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)