Red Sox place Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran on restricted list, call up Connor Seabold, Yolmer Sánchez from Triple-A Worcester

Before opening a three-game series against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Monday, the Red Sox placed closer Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran on the restricted list.

To take their place on the major-league roster, right-hander Connor Seabold and infielder Yolmer Sanchez were called up from Triple-A Worcester, the team announced.

Neither Houck or Duran are vaccinated against COVID-19 and therefore cannot travel to Canada. They will not receive pay or service time for the next three days and will instead work out at Fenway Park before rejoining the Red Sox in Chicago later this week.

Seabold, meanwhile, will make the second start of his big-league career at Rogers Centre on Monday night while filling in for the injured Garrett Whitlock. The 26-year-old made his major-league debut in a spot start against the White Sox last September and allowed two runs in three innings at Guaranteed Rate Field.

In 11 starts for the WooSox this season, Seabold has posted a 2.09 ERA and 2.99 FIP with 51 strikeouts to 14 walks over 51 2/3 innings of work. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound hurler works with a fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 10 pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Unlike Seabold, Sanchez is not on Boston’s 40-man roster. That said, the Red Sox will be able to return the 29-year-old to Worcester without having to expose him to waivers following the conclusion of their series in Toronto.

Sanchez, who actually turns 30 on Wednesday, originally signed a minor-league deal with Boston back in February. The Venezuela native spent the first seven years of his major-league career with the White Sox and won the American League Gold Glove Award for second baseman in 2019.

In 68 games (265 plate appearances) with the WooSox this season, the switch-hitting Sanchez has batted .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 while seeing playing time at every infield position besides first base.

On Sunday, manager Alex Cora said that Sanchez will likely make his first start for the Red Sox at second base on Wednesday so that Trevor Story can get off his feet for two days as Boston is off on Thursday.

(Picture of Connor Seabold: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Chris Murphy named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Chris Murphy has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 20-26, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Murphy made one start for Double-A Portland in its series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels at The Diamond on Saturday. The left-hander yielded just one hit and three walks to go along with eight strikeouts over six scoreless innings of work to lead the Sea Dogs to a 2-1 victory.

In 15 outings (13 starts) for Portland 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 pitchers in the Eastern League, the 24-year-old 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.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of San Diego, Murphy is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among pitchers in the organization.

Murphy becomes the third Sea Dog to earn Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors this season, joining the likes of right-handers Brayan Bello and Victor Santos.

Equipped with a 92-94 mph fastball that can reach 96-97 mph, an 80-82 mph changeup, a 73-75 mph curveball, and an 80-84 mph slider, Murphy can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this winter.

The Red Sox, of course, would need to add the 6-foot-1, 175-pound southpaw to their 40-man roster by late November in order to prevent that from happening. With that, it seems increasingly likely that Boston could promote Murphy to Triple-A Worcester at some point this summer if he continues to impress at the Double-A level.

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

Connor Seabold will start for Red Sox in Monday’s series opener against Blue Jays

In addition to Yolmer Sanchez, the Red Sox will also be calling up right-hander Connor Seabold from Triple-A Worcester ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto, according to manager Alex Cora.

Seabold, who joined the Red Sox in Cleveland as a member of their taxi squad, will make the second start of his major-league career opposite Blue Jays hurler Kevin Gausman at Rogers Centre on Monday night.

While Sanchez is expected to take the place of outfielder Jarren Duran on Boston’s roster, it’s likely that Seabold will take the place of fellow right-hander Tanner Houck, who will also be placed on the restricted list since he, too, is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and therefore cannot travel to Canada.

The Red Sox originally hoped that Garrett Whitlock (right hip inflammation) would be able to return from the 15-day injured list in time to start on Monday. That is no longer the case as that responsibility will now fall to a rookie in Seabold.

In 11 starts for the WooSox this season, the 26-year-old has posted a 2.09 ERA and 2.99 FIP with 51 strikeouts to 14 walks over 51 2/3 innings of work. He was limited to just one inning in his most-recent outing at Polar Park on Friday so that he would be ready to go in case the Red Sox needed him.

Originally acquired from the Phillies with Nick Pivetta in exchange for relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree in August 2020, Seabold is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 10th among pitchers in the organization.

Last September, Seabold made big-league debut against the White Sox under somewhat similar COVID-related circumstances. The California-born righty allowed two runs in three innings at Guaranted Rate Field on Sept. 11 and was optioned back down to Worcester the following day.

Since he pitched in the Arizona Fall League last year, it is already known that Seabold is vaccinated against COVID-19. The 6-foot-3, 200 pounder is already on Boston’s 40-man roster as well. On the mound, he works with a four-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s slider, a low-80s changeup, and a mid-70s curveball.

Seabold will become the 10th (9th if you exclude Austin Davis) different pitcher to start a game for the Red Sox this season. He will be followed by Michael Wacha on Tuesday and Nick Pivetta on Wednesday.

(Picture of Connor Seabold: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Yolmer Sánchez expected to take Jarren Duran’s spot on Red Sox’ roster for upcoming series in Toronto

The Red Sox are going to call up infielder Yolmer Sanchez from Triple-A Worcester ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Sanchez will take the roster spot of outfielder Jarren Duran, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and will therefore be placed on the restricted list since he cannot travel to Canada.

While Sanchez is not on Boston’s 40-man roster, the club can still add him to the big-league roster in place of Duran for the next three days and then return him to Worcester without exposing him to waivers following Wednesday’s series finale at Rogers Centre.

A veteran of seven major-league seasons (2014-2020) with the White Sox, Sanchez originally signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox back in February. In 68 games with the WooSox this season, the versatile switch-hitter has batted .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 over 265 trips to the plate. He has also seen playing time at every infield position besides first base.

At the big-league level, Sanchez owns a career .245/.300/.360 slash line to go along with 32 home runs and 215 RBIs across 657 games with Chicago. The Venezuela native took home the American League Gold Glove Award for second baseman in 2019.

According to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Sanchez will likely make his first start of the year on Wednesday, which is also his 30th birthday. The plan is for him to start at second base in place of Trevor Story, who would have the chance to get off his feet for two days since Boston is off on Thursday.

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

Red Sox collect 15 hits in 8-3 win to finish off sweep of Guardians

The Red Sox wrapped up the first leg of their three-city road trip by finishing off a three-game sweep of the Guardians on Sunday night. Boston defeated Cleveland by a final score of 8-3 at Progressive Field to improve to 19-4 in the month of June and 42-31 on the season.

Matched up against Northeastern University’s own Aaron Civale to begin things on Sunday, the Sox threatened in both the first and second innings before finally getting on the board in the top of the third.

Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers reached base via a pair of hard-hit singles to lead off the inning. With runners on first and second and no outs, J.D. Martinez nearly grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Instead, Guardians second baseman committed a throwing error after getting the force out at second. That allowed Duran to score from third and give his side an early 1-0 lead.

An inning later, Franchy Cordero and Christian Vazquez led the fourth off with back-to-back doubles off Civale and switched places by doing so. Duran then moved Vazquez up to third on a two-base hit of his own while Martinez drove him in on an RBI force out.

Fast forward to the sixth, and Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Alex Verdugo all reached with two outs against Guardians reliever Sam Hentges to fill the bases for Trevor Story, who plated two on a softly-hit, bloop single to left field that was just out of the reach of a sprawling Ernie Clement.

To that point in the contest, Rich Hill was in the midst of his 14th start of the season for the Red Sox. After working his way into and out of trouble through the first five innings Sunday, the veteran left-hander got tagged for one run in his sixth and final frame on an RBI groundout off the bat of Oscar Gonzalez.

Hill did retire each of the final three batters he faced and wound up allowing just the one run on five hits and four walks to go along with five strikeouts over six strong innings of work. The 42-year-old southpaw finished with a final pitch count of 83 (51 strikes) and induced five of his eight swings-and-misses with his curveball, a pitch he threw 38 times. His ERA on the season now sits at 4.09.

Shortly after Hill’s day came to a close, Boston and Cleveland traded runs in the seventh inning. Devers pushed across Vazquez on a 105.8 mph RBI single in the top half, then committed a throwing error in the bottom half that ultimately allowed Ernie Clement to score off Ryan Brasier.

In relief of Brasier, Hansel Robles got the next call out of the Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Making his first appearance since June 18, Robles yielded a leadoff double to Jose Ramirez that was followed by a two-out run-scoring single from Jimenez.

Taking a 6-3 lead into the ninth, the Red Sox proceeded to break it open. A one-out walk drawn by Jackie Bradley Jr. and two-out single from Devers put runners at first and second for Martinez. Martinez scored Bradley Jr. and allowed Devers to advance to third on a 334-foot double off Tanner Tully. Devers then scored from third on a wild pitch that put Boston ahead by five runs at 8-3.

Tanner Houck was used for the third time in this series and closed it out in 1-2-3 fashion to extend Boston’s winning streak to seven consecutive games.

In Sunday’s win, Duran went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored, Devers went 3-for-5 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk, Martinez went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, one run scored, and one walk, Verdugo went 2-for-3 with three walks, Story went 2-for-6 with a stolen base and the 499th and 500th RBIs of his career, and Vazquez went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored, and a walk.

Next up: On to Toronto

The Red Sox will head north of the border for the second time this season to take on the 40-32 Blue Jays in a three-game series. Connor Seabold, who just recently joined the team in Cleveland, is expected to make his second career start for Boston. Fellow right-hander Kevin Gausman will take the mound for Toronto.

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

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Alex Verdugo comes through with go-ahead 3-run home run as Red Sox top Guardians, 4-2, for seventh straight series win

The Red Sox clinched their seventh straight series victory on Saturday with their second straight win over the Guardians at Progressive Field. Boston defeated Cleveland by a final score of 4-2 to extend its winning streak to six consecutive games and improve to 41-31 on the season.

Josh Winckowski, who was born in nearby Toledo, made his fourth start of the season for the Sox. The rookie right-hander allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings of work.

Both runs Winckowski gave up to Cleveland came in the bottom of the third. There, Steven Kwan led off by drawing a seven-pitch walk and immediately scoring from first on an RBI triple from Amed Rosario. Rosario then scored on a Jose Ramirez sacrifice fly to give his side an early 2-0 lead.

Fast forward to the top of the sixth, and the Red Sox lineup finally got something going against Guardians ace Shane Bieber. Held to just two hits up until that point in the contest, J.D. Martinez came to the plate with two outs and ripped a line-drive single to left field. Xander Bogaerts followed with a hard-hit single of his own to put runners at first and second for Alex Verdugo.

On the third pitch he saw from Bieber, Verdugo deposited a 2-0, 81 mph knuckle-curveball on the inner half of the plate 447 feet into the left field seats to give Boston its first lead of the night at 3-2. Verdugo’s fifth home run of the season was his longest of his career to this point. The ball left his bat at a blistering 108.8 mph.

Winckowski, meanwhile, recorded the first out of the bottom of the sixth before yielding a one-out single to Franmil Reyes. Reyes would prove to be the final batter Winckowski would face as he was relieved by Jakie Diekman.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 77 (52 strikes), Winckowski induced all five of his swings-and-misses with a slider, a pitch he threw 29 times. The 23-year-old hurler also topped out at 96 mph with his sinker, a pitch he threw 36 times. His ERA on the season now sits at 3.60.

In relief of Winckowski, Diekman received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The veteran left-hander stranded the lone runner he inherited by getting the final two outs of the sixth.

The seventh inning was a different story, however, as Diekman allowed two of the four Guardians he faced to reach base to put runners at first and second with two outs. John Schreiber was then summoned to face Rosario, and he won that matchup by fanning the former Met on three straight strikes to retire the side and strand two more base runners.

After the Sox blew multiple scoring chances and Matt Strahm navigated his way around some trouble in the eighth, Jarren Duran provided some insurance in the top of the ninth with an RBI single that plated Bobby Dalbec.

Taking a 4-2 lead into the latter half of the ninth, Tanner Houck made quick work of the Guardians to preserve the win and notch his sixth save of the season.

With the win, the Red Sox move to 18-4 in the month of June and into sole possession of second place in the American League East. Duran went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Kevin Plawecki went 2-for-4 with a double.

Next up: Hill vs. Civale

The Red Sox will go for the weekend sweep of the Guardians on Sunday afternoon. Veteran left-hander Rich Hill will get the start for Boston while former Northeastern University right-hander Aaron Civale will do the same for Cleveland.

First pitch from Progressive Field is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. eastern time.

(Picture of Alex Verdugo: Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Connor Seabold joins team in Cleveland, is likely to make 2022 debut in Toronto on Monday

Red Sox pitching prospect Connor Seabold has joined the team in Cleveland as a member of their taxi squad.

While Rich Hill will start Sunday’s series finale against the Guardians, the expectation is that Seabold will either start or pitch after an opener in Monday’s series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto, per The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham.

Seabold was limited to just one inning for this very reason in his latest start for Triple-A Worcester on Friday night at Polar Park. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits and now owns a 2.09 ERA with 51 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 outings (51 2/3 innings) with the WooSox this season.

Originally acquired from the Phillies with fellow righty Nick Pivetta in exchange for relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree in August 2020, Seabold is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in the Sox’ farm system, which ranks 10th among pitchers in the organization.

Boston finds itself in need of starting pitchers for its upcoming series at Rogers Centre as Nathan Eovaldi (low back inflammation) and Garrett Whitlock (right hip inflammation) remain out on the 15-day injured list.

Tanner Houck would seemingly be an option to fill in against the Jays, but he is not eligible to pitch in Toronto since he is not vaccinated against COVID-19. Houck, as well as outfielder Jarren Duran, will therefore be placed on the restricted list.

Seabold, who is vaccinated, made his major-league debut against the White Sox under somewhat circumstances last September while filling in for the COVID-stricken Pivetta. The then-25-year-old yielded two runs in three innings at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sept. 11 and was optioned back down to Worcester the following day.

Now 26, Seabold is looing forward to the challenges his second big-league outing — and first north of the border — will present.

“I’m stoked,” Seabold told NESN’s Jahmai Webster at Progressive Field on Saturday. “I mean, getting another opportunity to come back up and prove what I can do, that’s what you look for.”

Equipped with a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball, Seabold is already a member of Boston’s 40-man roster. So, in theory, the Red Sox could add the California-born hurler to their major-league roster on Monday when Houck goes on the restricted list.

(Picture of Connor Seabold: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Chris Sale strikes out 6 in second start of rehab assignment

Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale made the second start of his rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Saturday morning.

After throwing just one inning in his first rehab outing on Monday, Sale pitched deeper into his start this time around. Matched up against the Twins’ FCL affiliate at JetBlue Park, the veteran southpaw scattered three hits and no walks to go along with six strikeouts over 2 2/3 scoreless innings of work. He also hit one of the 12 batters he faced.

According to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, Sale sat between 92-96 mph with his fastball on Saturday while mixing in a slider in the 91-94 mph range and a changeup in the 85-87 mph range.

Sale will likely need to make two more rehab starts in order to get stretched out to five innings. When speaking with reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) prior to Saturday’s game against the Guardians, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Sale will throw a bullpen session in Fort Myers and will then make his next start for Double-A Portland.

That will presumably come on Thursday, as Sale will be able to pitch on regular rest while the Sea Dogs host the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field. The 33-year-old could then make his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Worcester the following week as the WooSox will be hosting the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park.

So, in all likelihood, Sale could very well make his 2022 debut for the Red Sox during their penultimate series before the All-Star break against the Rays at Tropicana Field from July 11-14.

There are still a number of hurdles to clear, but Sale’s return would certainly be a welcomed one. The seven-time All-Star began the season on the 60-day injured list due to a right rib stress fracture he sustained in late February. His recovery was then slowed down in May because of a non-baseball health concern related to his family’s medical history.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox outright James Norwood to Triple-A Worcester after right-hander clears waivers

Five days after being designated for assignment by the Red Sox, right-hander James Norwood has cleared waivers and has therefore been outrighted to Triple-A Worcester, per MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

The Sox originally acquired Norwood from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations last Saturday. The hard-throwing 28-year-old spent one day on Boston’s major-league roster before being designated for assignment on Monday so that the club could create an opening for infielder Jeter Downs.

While he did not appear in a game with the Red Sox, Norwood does own an 8.31 ERA — but much more respectable 3.65 FIP — with 22 strikeouts to nine walks over 20 relief appearances (17 1/3 innings) for the Phillies this season.

Per Baseball Savant, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound hurler works with a four-seam fastball that has averaged 98.6 mph this year, a split-finger fastball, and a slider.

Norwood, who is out of minor-league options, will join a WooSox bullpen that includes several relievers with prior big-league experience like Kaleb Ort, Eduard Bazardo, Silvino Bracho, Taylor Cole, Geoff Hartlieb, Michael Feliz, and Phillips Valdez.

(Picture of James Norwood: Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Connor Seabold limited to 1 inning in latest start for Triple-A Worcester in case Red Sox need a starter for upcoming series in Toronto

Red Sox pitching prospect Connor Seabold went just one inning in his 11th start of the season for Triple-A Worcester on Friday night. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits, no walks, and two strikeouts.

Matched up against the Charlotte Knights at Polar Park, Seabold served up a first-pitch home run to the very first batter of the game in Mark Payton. He then struck out Yolbert Sanchez and Blake Rutherford in consecutive order before giving up a two-out single to Xavier Fernandez. Micker Adolfo ended the inning by grounding out to third base.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 21 (16 strikes), Seabold was relieved by fellow righty Taylor Cole in the second inning. Following Worcester’s 10-2 win over Charlotte, WooSox manager Chad Tracy explained to reporters (including MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison) that Seabold’s early departure was not injury- or performance-related.

“I just was told that he’s an option and they might need a starter and I was just told to limit him to one inning,” Tracy said. “So for now, that’s what we know. So we’ll see what happens.

As things stand right now, the Red Sox find themselves in need of a starter for Monday’s series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto. There was hope that Garrett Whitlock would be activated from the 15-day injured list in time to start that game, but the righty is still dealing with continued soreness in his right hip and is unlikely to pitch during the team’s road trip.

This is where someone like Seabold — who is on the 40-man roster comes into play. Since he only pitched one inning on Friday night, the 26-year-old would still be able to provide Boston with some length on Monday. He is also vaccinated against COVID-19, as that was a prerequisite for all minor-leaguers who played in the Arizona Fall League last year.

Originally acquired from the Phillies along with Nick Pivetta in August 2020, Seabold is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 10 pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system.

In his 11 starts with the WooSox this year, the California-born hurler has posted a 2.09 ERA and 0.99 WHIP to go along with 51 strikeouts to 14 walks over 51 2/3 innings of work. He is also holding opposing hitters to a .197/.262/.277 slash line against.

Under somewhat similar circumstances last season, Seabold made his major-league debut against the White Sox while starting in place of Pivetta at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 11. He allowed two runs over three innings in that outing and was optioned to Worcester the following day.

If Seabold does get the starting nod on Monday, he could replace another pitcher on the major-league roster like Tanner Houck, who will be placed on the restricted list since he remains unvaccinated against COVID-19.

As Tracy said, though, it’s more of a wait-and-see situation at the moment.

(Picture of Connor Seabold: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)