Red Sox lose infielder Jonathan Araúz on waivers to Orioles

Former Red Sox infielder Jonathan Arauz has been claimed off waivers by the Orioles, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon. Boston had designated Arauz for assignment last Friday in order to create a spot on both the 26- and 40-man roster for outfielder Rob Refsnyder.

Arauz, who turns 24 in August, joined the Red Sox organization when he was acquired from the Astros in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. The switch-hitting Panamanian batted .250/.325/.319 with one home run and nine RBIs as a rookie during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Over the last two seasons, Arauz was shuttled between Boston and Triple-A Worcester on a consistent basis while undertaking a utility role with the big-league club. He appeared in games at second base, third base, and shortstop while providing adequate defense at each position.

After making Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training this year, Arauz struggled to find his footing at the plate both in the major- and minor-leagues. In two separate stints and six games with the Red Sox, he went 0-for-10 with one RBI, one run scored, and three strikeouts. With the WooSox, the 23-year-old batted just .185/.242/.239 across 24 games spanning 99 plate appearances.

Originally signed by the Phillies as an international free agent in 2014, Arauz does have a connection to the Orioles’ front office. When the Phillies dealt Arauz and reliever Ken Giles to the Astros in December 2015, current Baltimore general manager Mike Elias was serving as Houston’s amateur scouting director and had worked his way up to assistant general manager before leaving for the O’s in November 2018.

So, in a sense, Elias is now reunited with Arauz, whose versatility and two minor-league options likely appealed to the Orioles. He has since been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

(Picture of Jonathan Arauz: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Red Sox call up Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester, place Christian Arroyo on COVID-19 related injured list

The Red Sox are going to call up outfielder Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester before Wednesday’s game against the Athletics at Fenway Park, according to The Boston Globe’s Speier. The move has since been made official, the team announced.

Duran will take the roster spot of utility man Christian Arroyo, who was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup because of illness and is expected to be placed on the COVID-19 related injured list. Arroyo, who is vaccinated, tested positive for the virus, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed during his weekly hit on WEEI.

This will mark Duran’s third stint with the Red Sox this season. The speedy 25-year-old previously filled in for Enrique Hernandez, who spent one day on the COVID-19 related injured list back in May, and Jackie Bradley Jr., who missed Boston’s series in Oakland earlier this month while on paternity leave.

In three games with the big-league club, Duran has gone 4-for-13 (.308) at the plate with one triple, two runs scored, and five strikeouts while seeing time in both center and right field. With the WooSox this season, the left-handed hitter is batting .305/.379/.531 (140 wRC+) with 12 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 34 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 48 strikeouts over 43 games spanning 198 plate appearances. He hit his sixth homer of the year at Polar Park on Tuesday.

By swapping Arroyo for Duran, the Red Sox now have five outfielders available to them in Duran, Bradley Jr., Franchy Cordero, Rob Refsnyder, and Alex Verdugo. Hernandez, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain on June 8, remains sidelined for the time being.

In addition to Duran, Boston is also promoting right-hander Josh Winckowski from Worcester to make his second career major-league start against Oakland on Wednesday night. The club will presumably make room for Winckowski by optioning another pitcher to Triple-A.

(Picture of Jarren Duran: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Josh Winckowski will make second career start for Red Sox on Wednesday

Josh Winckowski will start for the Red Sox against the Athletics on Wednesday, the club announced on Tuesday.

With Nathan Eovaldi (low back inflammation) and Garrett Whitlock (right hip inflammation) both on the 15-day injured list, the Sox found themselves down two starters heading into their nine-game homestand at Fenway Park.

Nick Pivetta pitched admirably in Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Oakland, allowing just one run on three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts across eight strong innings of work.

Winckowski, meanwhile, will be making his second career big-league start on Wednesday. The right-hander made his major-league debut while serving as the Sox’ 27th man in a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles in Boston on May 28.

Over just three innings, Winckowski surrendered four runs on six hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts on 62 pitches (36 pitches). He threw 29 sinkers, 16 sliders, 16 four-seam fastballs, and one changeup, per Baseball Savant. His fastball averaged 93.9 mph and topped out at 96 mph.

Since returning to Triple-A Worcester on May 29, Winckowski has made two starts for the WooSox. The 23-year-old struggled against the Syracuse Mets on May 3, but was superb in his last time out against the Buffalo Bisons (6 strikeouts over 7 scoreless innings) en route to being named International League Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

Because that start came on June 8, Winckowski will be working on six days rest when he takes the mound on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4, 202 pound hurler was slated to start for the WooSox at Polar Park on Thursday, but that will no longer be the case.

Originally acquired from the Mets in the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals last February, Winckowski is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization.

The Red Sox will need to create a spot on their 26-man roster for Winckowski, who turns 24 later this month and is already on the 40-man roster.

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

Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez both homer as Red Sox cruise to 6-1 win over Athletics

The Red Sox returned home to Fenway Park for the first time in nearly two weeks on Tuesday and continued their winning ways with a series-opening win over the Athletics.

Boston defeated Oakland by a final score of 6-1 in a tidy two hours and 43 minutes to take the season series from the A’s and improve to 33-29 on the year.

Matched up against rookie left-hander Jared Koenig to begin things on Tuesday, Xander Bogaerts kicked off the scoring with a first-inning broken-bat RBI single to right field.

An inning later, Rob Refsnyder delivered with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly that scored Christian Vazquez from third base. In the bottom of the third, J.D. Martinez clubbed his eighth home run of the season and his third in his last four games.

Rafael Devers’ doubled Boston’s advantage in the fourth. With runners on first and second and no outs in the inning, Devers took an 0-1, 88 mph sinker on the inner half of the plate from Koenig and crushed it 439 feet into the right field bleachers.

Devers’ team-leading 15th big fly of the year — a three-run blast that left his bat at a blistering 107.3 mph — gave the Sox a commanding 6-0 lead at the end of the four.

To that point in the contest, Nick Pivetta had been cruising right along in his 13th start of the season for Boston. The right-hander took a no-hit bid into the fourth inning before giving up a leadoff single to Tony Kemp. He then took a shutout bid into the eighth inning before yielding a leadoff home run to Stephen Vogt.

Pivetta did not let that rattle him, though, as he proceeded to retire the next (and final) three batters he faced to end his night on a solid note. Finishing with a final pitch count of 100 (67 strikes), the 29-year-old hurler wound up allowing just the one run on three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts over eight strong innings of work.

Of the 100 pitches Pivetta threw, 55 were four-seam fastballs. He induced a game-high seven swings-and-misses with the pitch while topping out at 96.2 mph with it. He also lowered his ERA on the season down to 3.50.

In relief of Pivetta, Phillips Valdez received the first and only call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The righty allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, but closed it out from there to secure the 6-1 victory.

Next up: Kaprielian vs. Winckowski

The Red Sox will call up rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski to start the second game of this three-game set on Wednesday. The Athletics, on the other hand, will turn to fellow righty James Kaprielian.

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

(Picture of J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz tosses 4 scoreless innings in professional debut

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League on Tuesday afternoon.

Matched up against the FCL Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, the right-hander allowed just two hits and no walks to go along with two strikeouts over four scoreless innings to lead the FCL Red Sox to an 11-0 win.

While pitch counts from these games are not available to the public, Rodriguez-Cruz took a no-hitter into the third inning and wound up retiring 12 of the 14 batters he faced.

The Red Sox originally selected Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. They swayed the 18-year-old away from his commitment to the University of Oregon by signing him for $497,500.

After not pitching competitively last season, Rodriguez-Cruz took part in the Sox’ fall performance program and came into the year ranked by FanGraphs as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Back in March, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin described Rodriguez-Cruz as “a very projectable righty” who “showed a loose, whippy, inconsistent delivery on the showcase circuit and was sitting mostly 91-92 mph while topping out at 94. His curveball has good-looking shape but lacks power, and he has pretty crude feel for creating action on his changeup, but ERC is a premium arm talent developmental prospect.”

Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot-3, 160 pound righty works at 90-93 mph and tops out at 95 mph with his fastball, 75-78 mph with his curveball, and 80-83 mph with his changeup.

Given that he does not turn 19 until August, it seems likely that the Red Sox will exhibit patience when it comes to Rodriguez’s development. The upside is certainly there, but on the flip side of that, there is no need to rush things.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Christian Arroyo scratched from Red Sox lineup due to illness; Franchy Cordero starting in his place

Christian Arroyo was originally batting ninth and starting in right field for the Red Sox in their series opener against the Athletics at Fenway Park on Tuesday night.

But shortly before first pitch, it was Franchy Cordero who ran out to take Arroyo’s spot in the field and in Boston’s lineup. In the bottom of the first inning, it was revealed that Arroyo was a late scratch because of illness, the team announced.

Following Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Athletics, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier) that Arroyo felt ill before the game and is currently going through COVID-19 protocols.

Coming into play on Tuesday, Arroyo was batting .187/.227/.319 with three doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, and 17 strikeouts over 34 games (98 plate appearances) this season.

The versatile 27-year-old has also made appearances at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and right field. More information regarding his status will likely become available on Wednesday.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox host Texas A&M commit Stanley Tucker for pre-draft workout in San Diego

The Red Sox held a pre-draft workout at the University of San Diego’s Fowler Park over the weekend and junior college prospect Stanley Tucker was among those in attendance, per his Twitter account.

Tucker, 20, is currently committed to transfer and play Division I college baseball at Texas A&M University. This past season with New Mexico Junior College, the right-handed hitting infielder batted .407/.487/.785 with 20 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs, 90 RBIs, 82 runs scored, 37 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 36 strikeouts over 58 games (262 plate appearances) en route to being named a 2022 NJCAA First Team All-American.

A native of Richmond, Texas, Tucker is not regarded by industry publications such as Baseball America or MLB Pipeline as one of the top prospects in this year’s draft class. That being said, Baseball America noted back in December that at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, Tucker “is a little undersized but has plus speed and makes consistent hard contact.”

Defensively, Tucker is listed an an infielder who has plenty of experience up the middle, but he played some center field this year as well. He also pitched in high school, so his arm strength could be considered a plus tool depending on what evaluators have seen.

In last year’s 20-round amateur draft, the Red Sox selected two junior college products in Reedley College infielder B.J. Vela and Chipola College right-hander Luis Guerrero, who were taken in the the 16th and 17th round, respectively. Boston also signed Western Oklahoma State College righty Jhonny Felix as an undrafted free agent.

The Red Sox do have a connection to Stanley’s alma mater in Nick Pivetta, who is currently the only active major-leaguer who played for the Thunderbirds. The 29-year-old hurler was originally selected by the Nationals in the fourth round of the 2013 draft out of New Mexico Junior College.

(Picture of Stanley Tucker via his Instagram)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Jacob Webb to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted relief prospect Jacob Webb to High-A Greenville, per the team’s minor-league transactions log. A spot on Greenville’s roster became available when fellow right-hander Brian Van Belle was promoted to Double-A Portland on Monday.

Webb, 23, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 14th round of the 2021 amateur draft of Miami University and signed with the club for $122,500 last July. The Ohio native is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 57 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking 26th among pitchers in the organization.

After closing out the 2021 campaign in Salem, Webb returned to the Red Sox for the start of his first full professional season. Leading up to Tuesday, the righty posted a 2.19 ERA and 3.33 FIP with 39 strikeouts to 19 walks over 18 relief appearances spanning 24 2/3 innings of work. He also converted three of a possible six save opportunities.

Among Carolina League pitchers who have accrued at least 20 innings on the mound so far this year, Webb ranks seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (14.23), 16th in strikeout rate (33.6%), 11th in swinging strike rate (18.3%), 18th in ERA, and 26th in FIP, per FanGraphs.

As indicated by his 16.4% walk rate, command has been an issue at times for Webb. Still, the stuff is there and it clearly played a factor into his promotion. Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the burly 6-foot-5, 245 pound hurler works with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball, an 81-85 mph slider, and a changeup.

Now that he has been promoted to Greenville, Webb will join a Drive bullpen that includes the likes of Ryan Fernandez, Cody Scroggins, Casey Cobb, Devin Roedahl, Michael Gettys, Jacinto Arredondo, Robert Kwiatkowski, and Austin Lambright.

(Picture of Jacob Webb: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Brendan Cellucci finding success as opener with High-A Greenville

On the morning of May 11, Red Sox pitching prospect Brendan Cellucci woke up with an 11.70 ERA through his first nine appearances (10 innings) of the season for High-A Greenville.

Since being selected by the Sox in the 12th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Tulane University, Cellucci had always been used as a reliever. But the left-hander was struggling mightily while repeating High-A to begin the 2022 campaign.

So, after the first week of May, the Drive decided to switch things up with their pitching staff. Cellucci would become an opener and make his first professional start on Wednesday, May 11, against the Asheville Tourists.

In two scoreless innings of work at McCormick Field that night, the 23-year-old faced the minimum while walking one and striking out four on 26 pitches — 19 of which were strikes.

Since then, Cellucci has thrived as an opener who pitches exclusively on Wednesdays and Sundays. In 10 starts for the Drive, the lefty has posted a miniscule 1.83 ERA and 2.82 FIP with 30 strikeouts to 14 walks over his last 19 2/3 innings of work.

As a reliever to start off the year, Cellucci produced an 18.2% strikeout rate, 18.2% walk rate, .317 batting average against, and a 2.30 WHIP. As a quote-unquote starter, he has produced a 38% strikeout rate, 17.7% walk rate, .138 batting average against, and a 1.17 WHIP, per FanGraphs.

Walks do remain an issue for Cellucci, though the Philadelphia-area native has been able to cut down on the free passes just a bit since moving to Greenville’s starting rotation.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Cellucci operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 83-86 mph curveball, and an 85-87 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Cellucci, who turns 24 at the end of the month, is currently regarded by FanGraphs as the 39th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. Back in March, FanGraphs’ Kevin Goldstein and Tess Taruskin described Cellucci as a southpaw with a solid foundation who “just needs to work on his ability to locate his three offerings in order to actualize his potential role as an impact reliever.”

With that being said, Cellucci can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter. The Red Sox, of course, would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the November deadline if they intend to prevent that from happening.

In the meantime, it certainly seems as though Cellucci could be on his way to earning a midsummer promotion to Double-A Portland given that he has already logged 67 innings in Greenville dating back to the start of last season.

(Picture of Brendan Cellucci: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Josh Winckowski named International League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Josh Winckowski has been named International League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 6-12, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Winckowski’s latest start for Triple-A Worcester came in the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader against the Buffalo Bisons at Sahlen Field last Wednesday. The right-hander scattered just three hits and one walk to go along with six strikeouts over seven scoreless and dominant innings to lead the WooSox to a 9-0 win.

Since doubleheaders in the minor-leagues consist of two seven-inning contests, it is considered to be Winckowski’s first complete game of the season. The 23-year-old needed all of 74 pitches (51 strikes) to retire 19 of the 23 batters he faced.

In nine starts with Worcester this year, Winckowski has posted a 3.37 ERA and 2.68 FIP with 43 strikeouts to eight walks over 42 2/3 innings of work. Among International League pitchers who have already surpassed the 40-inning plateau, the righty ranks 14th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.07), sixth in walks per nine innings (1.69), 11th in strikeout rate (25.7%), seventh in walk rate (4.8%), 11th in swinging strike rate (12.7%), eighth in batting average against (.209), fourth in WHIP (0.96), 10th in ERA, second in FIP, and third in xFIP (3.25), per FanGraphs.

Winckowski, who turns 24 in a little over two weeks, made his major-league debut for the Red Sox at Fenway Park last month against the Orioles. While serving as the 27th man in a doubleheader, he gave up four runs in three innings in the second game of the twin bill on May 28. He was optioned back to Worcester shortly thereafter.

The Red Sox are currently down two starters after placing both Garrett Whitlock (right hip inflammation) and Nathan Eovaldi (low back inflammation) on the injured list over the weekend.

Nick Pivetta is slated to start Tuesday’s series opener against the Athletics back in Boston. But the Sox have yet to announce who will start the final two games of the three-game set.

As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, Winckowski appears to be a prime candidate to come up for one of those two games since the WooSox pushed his next start back to Thursday.

Winckowski would be on extended rest if he were to pitch for the Red Sox at some point this week, so he should probably be viewed as the top choice right now.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Katie Morrison/MassLive)