Red Sox promote OF prospect Nelly Taylor to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Nelly Taylor from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Taylor is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 50 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The athletic 21-year-old is in his first full professional season after being selected in the 11th round of the 2023 draft out of Polk State College (Winter Haven, Fla). He had committed to transfer to Florida State before signing with the Red Sox for $300,000 last July.

In 101 games for Salem this season, Taylor batted .228/.336/.358 with 24 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 46 RBIs, 69 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 60 walks, and 106 strikeouts over 434 plate appearances. While a .694 OPS is far from eye-popping, the left-handed hitter is slashing .302/.408/.476 in August.

Among 52 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Taylor ranks fourth in line-drive rate (27.2 percent), 11th in speed score (7.6), 12th in walk rate (13.8 percent), 20th in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent), 21st in on-base percentage, 22nd in isolated power (.130), and 26th in slugging percentage and wRC+ (109), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Taylor has drawn encouraging reviews for his defensive prowess in the outfield this season. The 6-foot, 180-pounder saw playing time at all three spots for Salem, though 54 of his 93 non-DH starts came in center. There, he recorded one outfield assist and committed one error in 131 chances. He notched two more outfield assists in right as well.

Taylor, who does not turn 22 until January, has a unique story in that he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer, when he was just five years old. As he explained to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith in a wide-ranging profile last September, Taylor had the tumor removed but was unable to play contact sports — such as football — in his youth as a result.

According to his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Taylor is “a player fans will want to root for” since he has “the work ethic to reach his potential.” He is slated to bat fifth and start at DH for Greenville in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

(Picture of Nelly Taylor: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer ‘likely done’ for season due to lumbar strain

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer is likely done for the remainder of the season, as was first reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Mayer, who has not played in a game since July 30 for Double-A Portland, is dealing with a lumbar strain in his lower back. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted to Triple-A Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel on August 12 but was placed on the injured list last Tuesday.

As noted by Speier, Mayer is no longer with the WooSox and is instead rehabbing at the Red Sox’ Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, Fla. According to Brian Abraham, Boston’s director of player development, Mayer is expected to make a full recovery and can look forward to a normal offseason.

“We just got to a point where he really was plateauing with the improvement, and needed to get a little bit more deeper into what was going on,” Abraham told Speier. “Certainly unfortunate for Marcelo, but I think the good news is we know what the issue is.”

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. The Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.) product has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted a stout .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He made 65 starts at shortstop and one at third base, committing 11 errors in 216 total defensive chances.

Mayer was placed on the Sea Dogs’ injured list on August 1, two days after exiting Portland’s game with what was initially described as lower back and upper glute muscle soreness. The issue was deemed minor and the Red Sox proceeded to elevate Mayer to Worcester “with the expectation that he’d quickly find his way into the lineup,” according to Speier.

Mayer, however, hit a snag of sorts as the soreness in his lower back persisted. He was subsequently sent for an MRI, which led to the diagnosis of a lumbar strain. Rather than act aggressively, the Red Sox elected to send Mayer to extended spring training so that he could focus on his rehab.

“A really strong year from Marcelo. We’re going to take the positives out of it,” said Abraham. β€œPromoted to Triple-A, an opportunity to make some noise going into next year. We’re expecting a full recovery, so it will be all in the rear-view mirror by the time this offseason rolls around and he prepares for next year.”

If Mayer does not play again in 2024, this will mark the second straight year he has not been able to finish a season, which raises concerns about his durability. He was shut down last August with a left shoulder impingement he suffered while running the bases three months prior.

“I mean, obviously not ideal,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Mayer when speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Monday. β€œHe had a good season, did a good job. But honestly, I didn’t know. I’ll talk to [player development] and see what happens. But getting him right is the most important thing. There’s a lot of potential there. There’s things that we have to work on. [The] injuries, obviously, from my end, [are] concerning, to be honest with you. Just have to make sure we can keep him healthy.”

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Mikey Romero from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Romero is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The left-handed hitting 20-year-old batted .271/.319/.498 with 20 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, one stolen base, 16 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 59 games (276 plate appearances) for Greenville this season.

Among the 85 South Atlantic League hitters who have made at least 275 trips to the plate this year, Romero ranks fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in isolated power (.227), ninth in OPS (.817), 12th in batting average, 16th in wRC+ (126), 21st in strikeout rate (21 percent), and 34th in line-drive rate (22.7 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Romero saw all of his playing time on the field with the Drive come at either shortstop or second base. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 307 2/3 innings at short and 134 innings at second, committing eight errors in 179 total chances. He also started eight games at DH.

A native of Southern California, Romero was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for $2.3 million that July but has struggled to stay on the field since entering the professional ranks.

After a strong pro debut between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2022, Romero was limited to just 34 games between three affiliates last year. He received a promotion from Salem to Greenville on August 15 but appeared in only three games for the Drive before being shut down for the rest of the season with “persistent lower-back issues.”

To that end, Romero did not make his 2024 debut until early May, as he opened the season on the injured list and completed a three-game rehab assignment in the FCL before rejoining the Greenville lineup on May 15. He initially got his second stint with the Drive off to a slow start but turned in a monster July (.354/.382/.781 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 19 games) and was recognized as the South Atlantic League Player of the Month.

Leading up to Sunday’s promotion, Romero had slashed .260/.327/.360 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 12 August contests for Greenville. He suffered a concussion earlier this month after taking a bad hop to the face in the infield but returned to action on August 14 following a brief seven-day stint on the injured list.

Romero, who does not turn 21 until January, should help fill the void in the Portland lineup that was created when top prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell were promoted to Triple-A Worcester within one week of each other. In doing so, he will be getting the opportunity to face more advanced pitching in the upper minors for the first time in his young career.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox minor leaguer suspended for positive drug test

Red Sox minor league pitcher Anthony Felix has received a 56-game suspension for violating the drug prevention and treatment program for minor league players assigned outside of the United States and Canada, Major League Baseball announced on Friday.

Felix, a right-hander who pitched in the Dominican Summer League this season, tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol, which is known for its ability to promote fat loss while preserving lean muscle mass. The 20-year-old has been placed on the restricted list and will not be paid during his suspension.

A native of the Dominican Republic himself, Felix signed with the Red Sox for $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo back in June. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound hurler posted a 3.55 ERA (4.81 FIP) with 26 strikeouts to 14 walks in 14 relief appearances (25 1/3 innings) between Boston’s two DSL affiliates this year. He is not currently ranked among the organization’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com.

Felix, who does not turn 21 until next May, is the second Red Sox minor leaguer to be disciplined for violating MLB’s drug prevention and treatment program for minor league players assigned outside of the United States and Canada this season. Fellow righty Charlie Zink was also handed down a 56-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol last month.

(Picture of Fenway Park: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Hunter Dobbins to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Hunter Dobbins from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by SoxProspects.com’s Ed Hand.

This promotion comes after Dobbins put together another strong start for Portland in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Somerset Patriots at Hadlock Field. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out seven and walked only one while scattering three hits over six scoreless innings. He threw 86 pitches (56 strikes) and induced 17 swings-and-misses.

In 21 starts for the Sea Dogs this season, Dobbins posted a 3.17 ERA and 2.98 FIP with 98 strikeouts to 39 walks over 105 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .232 batting average. That includes a 1.79 ERA (2.68 FIP) in his last nine outings (45 1/3 innings) dating back to June 30.

Among 23 qualified Eastern League pitchers coming into play on Wednesday, Dobbins ranks first in FIP, third in ERA, sixth in batting average against, seventh in WHIP (1.23), ninth in groundball rate (40.9 percent) and swinging-strike rate (12.3 percent), and 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.4), strikeout rate (22.5 percent), and xFIP (4.02), per FanGraphs.

Dobbins, who turns 25 next week, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The Texas Tech product was originally selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round of the 2021 draft but did not make his professional debut until the following June, as he was still recovering from the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of his junior season.

Since making his pro debut at Low-A Salem a little more than two years ago, Dobbins has emerged as an intriguing arm while working his way up the minor-league ladder. As recently highlighted by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound hurler has sat in the mid-to-upper 90s and topped out at 99 mph with his fastball this year. He has also mixed in a splinker (a splitter-sinker hybrid), a sweeper, a slider, and a curveball for his secondaries.

With this promotion, Dobbins figures to join a WooSox starting rotation that — at the moment — includes Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, Brad Keller, Jason Alexander, and Shane Drohan. Like Fitts, Dobbins will need to be added to the 40-man roster this winter if the Red Sox intend to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. How he fares at the minors’ top level could play a role in that decision.

“The front office knows what they’re doing,” Dobbins told Smith. β€œWe’ve got some really good people in charge of us. So whenever they see me ready, I’ll be there.”

(Picture of Hunter Dobbins: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote pitching prospects Bryce Bonnin, Reidis Sena to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox promoted pitching prospects Bryce Bonnin and Reidis Sena from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland on Tuesday. Neither pitcher appeared in the Sea Dogs’ series-opening 1-0 loss to the Somerset Patriots at Hadlock Field.

Bonnin, 25, posted a 4.04 ERA and 3.93 FIP with 40 strikeouts to 16 walks in 19 relief appearances (35 2/3 innings) for Greenville this season. That translates to a 28 percent strikeout rate and an 11.2 percent walk rate for the right-hander, who held opposing hitters to a .164 batting average.

Sena, 23, forged a 3.56 ERA and 4.29 FIP with 67 strikeouts to 24 walks in 28 relief appearances (48 innings) for the Drive this season. That translates to a 32.4 percent strikeout rate and an 11.6 percent walk rate for the righty, who limited opposing hitters to a .201 batting average.

Bonnin, who turns 26 in October, joined the Red Sox organization as a minor-league free agent back in March after being released by the Reds. The Texas Tech product was originally selected by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2020 draft but has dealt with injuries throughout his professional career. He most notably missed the final three months of the 2022 campaign and all of 2023 with a rotator cuff issue that cost him some time to begin 2024 as well.

When healthy, though, Bonnin has proven to be quite effective. In 2022, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound hurler was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in Cincinnati’s farm system. He was also recognized by the outlet as having the best fastball in the Reds organization.

This season, Bonnin has reached 98 mph with his mid-90s heater while also mixing in an 84-85 mph slider and a changeup. He is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, which describes him as a “low-risk, high-reward signing” who “had two plus pitches prior to rotator cuff injury, but command and control were always a concern.”

Sena, meanwhile, originally signed with the Red Sox for $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in December 2018. The Neiba native began his professional career as a starter but has been used strictly out of the bullpen since last year. Like Bonnin, Sena is not ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, though he did get some attention from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen last month.

Longenhagen tabbed Sena as his 41st-ranked Red Sox prospect. He wrote that the 6-foot-1, 175-pound righty “generates huge over-the-top arm speed, resulting in mid-90s heat that plays down a bit due to downhill plane. Sena’s cutter, which tends to live around 90 mph but has peaked at 95, helps mitigate some of his fastball’s vulnerability in this way. He doesn’t locate it well enough to be a bat-misser, instead relying on his power mid-80s curveball to get whiffs.”

Bonnin and Sena can both become Rule 5-eligible this winter if they are not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. In the meantime, they join a bullpen mix in Portland that includes the likes of Alex Hoppe, Christopher Troye, Jonathan Brand, Jacob Webb, Brendan Cellucci, and Zach Bryant.

(Picture of Bryce Bonnin: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list with low back inflammation, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Mayer is dealing with a lower back and upper glute muscle issue that has kept him sidelined for the last three weeks. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted from Double-A Portland to Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel last Monday but has not yet appeared in a game for the WooSox.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. He has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He spent nine days (August 1-10) on the Sea Dogs’ injured list before being activated and joining the WooSox at Polar Park last Tuesday.

“I’m feeling much better,” Mayer told reporters (including Speier) that same afternoon. “My lower back and my upper glute was just bothering me a little bit. I missed a week in Somerset due to pec soreness and then my back kind of flared up on me. So we’ve just kind of been being cautious with it. Β Don’t want to play when my back is hurt and then I end up getting more hurt than I need to, so we’ve just been taking it pretty slow, but I feel good.”

As noted by Speier, the decision to place Mayer on the injured list was made in part to create an opening on Worcester’s roster. Still, the fact of the matter is that Mayer is facing yet another lengthy late-season absence due to injury. He missed the final six weeks of the 2023 campaign with a left shoulder impingement.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Blake Wehunt named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Wehunt has been named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 12-18, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Wehunt was superb in his last start for High-A Greenville this past Friday. Going up against the Aberdeen IronBirds on the road, the 23-year-old right-hander struck out six and walked only one over five scoreless, no-hit innings in which he faced the minimum. He threw 65 pitches (38 strikes) and induced a game-high nine swings-and-misses.

In 10 starts for the Drive, Wehunt has posted a 4.80 ERA and 3.70 FIP with 49 strikeouts to 11 walks over 45 innings pitched. That comes after he forged a 2.16 ERA (2.76 FIP) with 44 strikeouts to 11 walks in eight starts (33 1/3 innings) for Low-A Salem to open his first full professional season before receiving a promotion to Greenville in early June. Between the two stops, opposing hitters have batted just .199 against him.

Among the 113 South Atlantic League pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings to this point in the year, Wehunt ranks 10th in walks per nine innings (2.20), 11th in walk rate (6 percent), 16th in WHIP (1.07), 30th in xFIP (3.58), 39th in FIP, 43rd in batting average against (.222), 50th in strikeout rate (26.6 percent), and 53rd in groundball rate (41.2 percent), per FanGraphs.

Wehunt, who turns 24 in November, was selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of last year’s draft out of Kennesaw State. The Georgia native signed for $100,000 and is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 33 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at an imposing 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Wehunt throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, he operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that has reached 96 mph this season, an 82-86 mph slider, and an 84-85 mph splitter.

Wehunt becomes the third Greenville hurler to earn South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honors this season, joining fellow righties Juan Daniel Encarnacion (May 6-12) and Yordanny Monegro (July 29-August 4). He was also recognized as the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 29-May 5 while still with Salem.

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

Red Sox to promote rising prospect Kristian Campbell to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting fast-rising prospect Kristian Campbell from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Campbell is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 98 prospect in the sport. The 22-year-old will reunite with fellow recently-promoted top-100 prospects Marcelo Mayer (No. 10), Roman Anthony (No. 18), and Kyle Teel (No. 31) after spending the last two-plus months with “The Big Three” in Portland.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, Campbell opened his first full professional season at High-A Greenville after turning heads at spring training. The right-handed hitter proceeded to bat .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive. He then earned a promotion to Portland in early June.

With the Sea Dogs, Campbell turned things up a notch and slashed a stout .362/.463/.582 with 17 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 56 games (255 plate appearances). He was named Eastern League Player of the Week twice (June 10-16, August 5-11) and the Eastern League Player of the Month for June.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at four different positions so far this season. With Portland specifically, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder made 21 starts at shortstop, 15 at second base, 11 in center field, and one at third base. He is considered a fringe-average fielder despite possessing plus speed.

Given the fashion in which Campbell has broken out to the point where he is now only one call away from the major leagues, the case can be made that the Red Sox have a Big Four in Worcester as opposed to just a Big Three. Regardless of that, the WooSox are off on Monday and are slated to open a six-game road series against the Norfolk Tides on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Adam Bates named to Australia’s WBSC U23 World Cup national team

Red Sox pitching prospect Adam Bates has been named to the Australian national team for next month’s WBSC U23 World Cup in China.

Bates, who turned 19 last week, was among 12 pitchers to make Team Australia’s roster. The Aussies will compete in Group A with China, Colombia, Great Britain, Japan, and Puerto Rico. The biennial tournament runs from September 6-15.

A Sydney-area native, Bates signed with the Red Sox for $200,000 as an international free agent last September after impressing at the 2023 U18 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan. Though he had prior experience pitching in the Australian Baseball League as a 17-year-old in 2022, the right-hander made his organizational/professional debut for Boston’s Florida Complex League affiliate in May and spent his first season stateside in Fort Myers.

In 11 appearances (nine starts) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox, Bates posted a 3.96 ERA and 4.32 FIP with 36 strikeouts to 17 walks over 36 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .278 against him. His 17.2 percent swinging-strike rate ranked 12th among the 76 FCL pitchers who threw at least 30 innings this year, per FanGraphs.

Listed at a projectable 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Bates operates with a high-80s fastball that tops out at 91 mph, a low-70s curveball, and a low-80s changeup, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report. He also throws a cutter that he picked up from former Padres righty and fellow Australian Chris Oxspring, as he explained to hosts Andrew Parker and Ed Hand on the To The Show We Go podcast back in February.

Bates is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, which describes him as having “room to grow.” It’s early and things can change, but it will be interesting to see if Bates can make his way to Low-A Salem at some point in 2025.

(Picture of Adam Bates: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)