Red Sox’ Franklin Arias named Florida Complex League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Franklin Arias has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of June 24-30, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Arias went 7-for-15 (.467) with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, four runs scored, five stolen bases, three walks, and three strikeouts in five games for the FCL Red Sox last week. The 18-year-old then went 4-for-7 (.571) with two doubles, one RBI, three runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and one strikeout between Games 1 and 2 of Monday’s doubleheader against the FCL Braves at the JetBlue Park complex in Fort Myers.

Following Monday’s performance, Arias is now batting a stout .308/.432/.513 with 13 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 23 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 35 games (146 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox after a relatively slow start to the season. The right-handed hitter leads Boston’s rookie-level affiliate in doubles, runs scored, stolen bases, extra-base hits (17), and total bases (60), per MiLB.com.

Defensively, Arias has seen all of his playing time on the field this season come at either shortstop or second base. The projectable 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has made 23 starts at short, where he has committed five errors in 98 chances, and eight at second, where he has yet to commit an error. He has also served as the FCL Red Sox’ designated hitter three times, including Game 2 of Monday’s twin bill.

Arias is currently regarded by both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Caracas in January 2023. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June and slashed .350/.440/.453 over 37 games while impressing with his defense.

Arias, who does not turn 19 until November, is the second member of this year’s FCL Red Sox to earn Player of the Week honors, joining fellow infielder and 2023 signee Yoeilin Cespedes (June 3-9). Cespedes has since received a promotion to Low-A Salem but has yet to appear in a game there due to left-hand soreness, according to SoxProspects.com Chris Hatfield.

As part of a new scheduling quirk, the 2024 Florida Complex League regular season will end on July 25. Barring a trade or other sort of surprise, it seems more likely than not that Arias will be joining Cespedes in Salem before the end of the summer.

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo likely requires Tommy John surgery

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo is likely to require Tommy John surgery, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Like fellow right-hander Luis Perales, Bastardo has damage in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of his throwing elbow. Surgery is viewed as the likely outcome, though the 22-year-old will meet with a doctor before making a final decision.

Bastardo, who just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, has been on Double-A Portland’s injured list since June 6. The night prior, he left his start at Hadlock Field in the fourth after crumpling to the ground in pain following the delivery of a pitch. He was initially diagnosed with a sprained UCL, but it appears further imaging and testing revealed a more serious prognosis.

In 10 starts for Portland this season, Bastardo posted a 5.36 ERA and 4.32 FIP with 53 strikeouts to 21 walks over 45 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .225 against him. His 26.6 percent punchout rate ranks 16th among 50 Eastern League pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings coming into play on Tuesday, per FanGraphs.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for $35,000 in July 2018, Bastardo is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. As noted by Speier, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound righty has shown an intriguing fastball that has reached 97-98 mph this year. He also features a swing-and-miss changeup, a curveball, and a slider.

If he does indeed undergo Tommy John surgery, Bastardo would be looking at a lengthy rehab process that would keep him sidelined for the rest of 2024 and most — if not all — of 2025. An internal bracing procedure to repair the damaged UCL would have a faster recovery timeline but would still necessitate a lengthy absence.

Unlike Perales, who is slated to visit Dr. Jeffrey Dugas in Birmingham, Ala. next week, Bastardo is not on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster. He can, however, become a minor-league free agent at the end of the 2025 season, so the timing of all this is far from ideal.

(Picture of Angel Bastardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox pitching prospect Luis Perales to undergo Tommy John surgery

Top Red Sox pitching prospect Luis Perales will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, as was first reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedics Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

Perales has been on Double-A Portland’s 7-day injured list since June 9 after leaving his start with elbow inflammation the night prior. As noted by Cotillo, the Red Sox were initially optimistic that the right-hander — who was in Boston for imaging late last week — was not dealing with a serious injury but an MRI revealed “significant damage” in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of his pitching elbow.

Perales, 21, was in the midst of a breakout season after being added to Boston’s 40-man roster over the winter and taking part in his first big-league camp this spring. He opened the 2024 campaign at High-A Greenville, where he posted a 3.42 ERA and 2.04 FIP with 46 strikeouts to 10 walks in seven starts (26 1/3 innings) for the Drive.

After receiving a promotion to Portland in late May, Perales made his Double-A debut on June 2 and allowed just one unearned run while striking out seven over five innings. He took the mound for the Sea Dogs again at Hadlock Field six days later and yielded two runs (one earned) before departing with one out in the top of the third inning.

Altogether, Perales forged a 2.94 ERA (2.01 FIP) with 56 strikeouts to 12 walks in nine starts (33 2/3 innings) between Greenville and Portland this season. His 38.9 percent strikeout rate ranks eighth among 894 minor-leaguers who have pitched at least 30 innings to this point in the year, per FanGraphs.

A native of Venezuela, Perales originally signed with the Red Sox for $75,000 as an international free agent coming out of Guacara in July 2019. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound hurler is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks first among pitchers in the organization. Before getting hurt, Perales was making strides toward possibly being in the Sox’ major-league plans by next season. He was recently tabbed by Baseball America as the No. 57 prospect in the sport, marking the first time he has been included in the outlet’s top-100 rankings.

Now, Perales will miss the rest of 2024 and most — if not all — of 2025 while recovering and rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, which can be a grueling process. Since he is on the club’s 40-man roster, the Red Sox could recall Perales and place him on the 60-day injured list to free up a roster spot for someone else. That would, however, start his big-league service time clock.

Regardless of that though, it is worth noting — as SoxProspects.com Chris Hatfield did — that Perales will likely have burned through two of his three minor-league option years by the time he is ready to fully contribute in 2026. He could become eligible for a fourth option down the line, but that is not a given.

(Picture of Luis Perales: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Cutter Coffey earns South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Cutter Coffey has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of June 10-16, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Coffey put on quite the power display in High-A Greenville’s last series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field. The right-handed hitting infielder went 8-for-19 (.421) with one double, six home runs, 15 RBIs, eight runs scored, five walks, and just one strikeout.

After going deep in Hickory last Sunday, Coffey homered in all five games he appeared in this past week. The 20-year-old slugger clubbed solo shots on Tuesday and Wednesday, a three-run blast on Thursday, a grand slam and another three-run homer on Friday, and a two-run bomb on Saturday before getting Sunday’s series finale off.

With his grand slam on Friday, Coffey became the first player in Greenville Drive history to hit a home run in five consecutive games. His three-run home run later that night helped him notch the first multi-homer game of his professional career.

Since returning from Greenville’s 7-day injured list on May 22, Coffey has batted .240/.337/.627 with two doubles, nine home runs, 24 RBIs, 13 runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 17 strikeouts in his last 19 games (86 plate appearances). On the 2024season as a whole, he has slashed .232/.313/.507 with six doubles, 11 homers, 33 runs driven in, 26 runs scored, four stolen bases, 15 walks, and 37 strikeouts over 35 games (160 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Among 83 hitters in the South Atlantic League who have made at least 160 trips to the plate to this point in the year, Coffey ranks 10th in slugging percentage, 17th in OPS (.820), second in isolated power (.275), 15th in swinging-strike rate (9.2 percent), and 20th in wRC+ (122), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Coffey has seen playing time at every infield position besides first base for Greenville this season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has logged 140 1/3 innings at third base, 113 innings at shortstop, and 17 innings at second base, committing 13 errors in 91 total defensive chances. He has also started four games as the Drive’s designated hitter.

Coffey, who just turned 20 last month, is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 35 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The California native was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Liberty High School in Bakersfield. He signed with the club for $1.85 million and forwent his commitment to the University of Texas by doing so.

After making his professional debut in the Florida Complex League that summer, Coffey spent the first four months of the 2023 campaign with Low-A Salem before first arriving in Greenville last August. He has since hit .202/.293/.399 in 53 games (239 plate appearances) with the Drive, though the results as of late have certainly been more encouraging.

Coffey is the second member of the Drive to earn South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors this season, joining fellow infielder Tyler Miller (April 22-28). On the flip side, right-hander Juan Daniel Encarnacion was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 6-12.

Miller and Encarnacion have since been promoted to Double-A Portland. As such, it will be interesting to see if Coffey joins them on the Sea Dogs before the season draws to a close.

(Picture of Cutter Coffey: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Eastern League Player of the Week

Rising Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of June 10-16, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Campbell enjoyed a productive week in Double-A Portland’s series against the Reading Fightin Phils. Appearing in all six games at FirstEnergyStadium, Campbell went 12-for-28 (.429) with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and eight strikeouts.

After collecting six hits in the first two games of the series, Campbell went 0-for-5 on Thursday to snap a nine-game hitting streak. He then went deep twice on Friday to mark the first multi-homer game of his professional career and closed out the weekend by stroking three more hits on Sunday.

Since being promoted on June 4, Campbell has batted .392/.456/.667 with six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 10 runs driven in, 13 runs scored, two stolen bases, five walks, and 10 strikeouts in his first 12 games (57 plate appearances) with Portland. This comes after he slashed .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight homers, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) with Greenville to begin his first full season as a pro.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at two different positions since joining the Sea Dogs earlier this month. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has started four games at second base and six in center field after being used in a similar capacity with the Drive. He has also started two games as Portland’s designated hitter after serving as Greenville’s DH on eight separate occasions.

Campbell, who turns 22 later this month, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Georgia Tech product was taken by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall selection in last year’s draft, which is the pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

After signing with the Red Sox for $492,700 last summer, Campbell made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League but quickly worked his way up to Greenville, skipping Low-A Salem altogether, in late August. He then played a major role in helping the Drive take home their first South Atlantic League title since 2017.

As highlighted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Campbell spent most of the offseason in Fort Myers to work on his strength and conditioning as well as his swing. He added some bulk to his wiry frame and proceeded to turn heads in his first spring training by displaying eye-opening exit velocity at the plate on the back fields of the Fenway South complex.

“He hits the crap out of the ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham recently told Speier. “His swing is incredibly fast. He drives the ball to all fields. He has really good plate discipline. He’s a hitter that does a lot of things really well. It’s exciting to see what he could potentially do and already what he’s done.”

Cambell is the fourth member of the Sea Dogs to earn Eastern League Player of the Week honors this season, joining Matthew Lugo (April 15-21), Blaze Jordan (April 22-28), and Kyle Teel (May 27-June 2). On the flip side, left-hander Zach Penrod was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 13-19.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Daniel Encarnacion earns promotion to Double-A Portland, struggles in Sea Dogs debut

The Red Sox promoted pitching prospect Juan Daniel Encarnacion from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland on Thursday, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Encarnacion got the start for Portland against the Reading Fightin Phils at FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday night. The 23-year-old right-hander did not fare well in his Double-A debut, as he surrendered seven earned runs on five hits, four walks, and one strikeout over just 2 1/3 innings of work. Only 29 of the 58 pitches he threw went for strikes.

The decision to elevate Encarnacion from Greenville comes at a time when Portland finds itself short on starting pitching depth. Within recent days, the Sea Dogs have placed fellow righties Angel Bastardo, Luis Perales, and CJ Liu on the 7-day injured list for varying reasons.

Encarnacion spent parts of three seasons (2022-2024) with Greenville and was evidently ready for a new challenge at a more advanced level. In nine starts for the Drive this year, the righty posted a 4.50 ERA and 3.54 FIP with 52 strikeouts to 13 walks over 40 innings pitched. Opposing hitters batted .250 against him.

Though some of those numbers may not necessarily jump off the page, Encarnacion did show signs of improvements in other areas — such as his command and control — while with Greenville this season compared to last. To expand further on that, he cut his walk rate from 9.2 percent to 7.5 percent and raised his strikeout rate from 22.1 percent to 29.9 percent.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Encarnacion originally signed with the Red Sox for $40,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Pedro de Macoris in September 2018. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 59 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 31st among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 173 pounds, Encarnacion throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the lanky hurler primarily operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 85-87 mph slider, and an 89-91 mph changeup.

Encarnacion, who just turned 23 in March, is the 13th different pitcher to start a game for the Sea Dogs this season. Friday’s outing aside, it should be interesting to see how he fares in the upper minors moving forward.

(Picture of Juan Daniel Encarnacion: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Noah Dean earns Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors

Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 3-9, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Dean, 23, shined in his start for Low-A Salem against the Down East Wood Ducks on Sunday afternoon. Appearing in a game for the first time in nearly two weeks, the left-hander struck out eight and walked only one over five scoreless, no-hit innings of work.

After retiring the first nine batters he faced at Carilion Clinic Field, Dean saw his bid for a perfect game end when Erick Alvarez reached on a throwing error to lead off the fourth inning. He then issued a one-out walk to Beycker Barroso but escaped the jam by recording back-to-back strikeouts before ending his outing with a 1-2-3 top of the fifth.

Finishing with 70 pitches (45 strikes), Dean induced a game-high 13 swings-and-misses. He was relieved by right-hander Trennor O’Donnell, who took the combined no-hitter into the seventh and allowed two runs over four innings as the Red Sox defeated the Wood Ducks by a final score of 5-2.

Following Sunday’s sterling performance, Dean now owns a 4.28 ERA and 4.79 FIP with 45 strikeouts to 19 walks in nine appearances (seven starts) spanning 33 2/3 innings for Salem this season. He has yielded just four earned runs over his last five outings (19 innings) dating back to May 10 while holding opposing hitters to a minuscule .095 batting average.

Among the 81 pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings in the Carolina League to this point in the year, Dean ranks 12th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.03), 11th in strikeout rate (33.1 percent), first in batting average against (.145), 19th in WHIP (1.04), and 23rd in swinging-strike rate (14.4 percent), per FanGraphs. On the flip side, he is also averaging more than five walks per nine innings while sporting a .194 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that luck has been on his side.

Dean, who turned 23 in March, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Old Dominion. The New Jersey native signed with the club for $322,500 that July but did not make his professional debut until last April. He has since pitched to a 5.59 ERA (5.26 FIP) in 30 appearances (24 starts) and 96 2/3 innings for Salem.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dean throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with three different pitches: a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup, and a slider. As recently noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, though, the lefty has increased the usage of his slider and relied less on his fastball this season, which has generated softer contact.

Command and control are still a work in progress for Dean, who joins righty Blake Wehunt (April 29-May 5) as the second Salem hurler to earn Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors this year. In similar fashion to Wehunt, who made the jump to High-A Greenville earlier this month, Dean could be nearing a promotion as well.

(Picture of Noah Dean: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Yoeilin Cespedes named Florida Complex League Player of the Week

Red Sox infield prospect Yoeilin Cespedes has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of June 3-9, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Cespedes, 18, appeared in four games for the FCL Red Sox last week. The right-handed hitter went 7-for-16 (.438) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, six runs scored, three stolen bases, one walk, and one strikeout. He homered in back-to-back games (June 4 and 7) and is now riding a seven-game hitting streak as well as a 10-game on-base streak.

On the 2024 season — his first in the United States — as a whole, Cespedes is batting a stout .315/.393/.616 with eight doubles, one triple, four homers, 22 RBIs, 16 runs scored, three stolen bases, nine walks, and 13 strikeouts over 20 games (84 plate appearances) for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate.

Among 81 qualified hitters in the Florida Complex League coming into play on Monday, Cespedes ranked 12th in strikeout rate (15.5 percent), 14th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage, second in slugging percentage, fifth in OPS (1.009), third in isolated power (.301), and 10th in wRC+ (157), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Cespedes has effectively seen his playing time split between second base and shortstop so far this year. The 5-foot-10, 181-pounder has made five starts at the former and seven at the latter, committing three errors (all at short) and turning three double plays. He has also started eight games at DH, though five of those starts came in the early stages of the FCL season since he was still working his way back from a quadriceps strain.

Cespedes, who does not turn 19 until September, is currently regarded by both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.4 million as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of Azua in January 2023.

As part of his professional debut last season, Cespedes was named a Dominican Summer League All-Star and the Red Sox’ Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the Year. He is not yet viewed as a top-100 prospect in the sport but may not be too far off from garnering that kind of consideration.

Unlike past years, the 2024 Florida Complex League season will end in late July as part of a new scheduling quirk. Even if it looks like he is ready for a new challenge, the Red Sox will be sure to exhibit patience when it comes to Cespedes’ development. Still, it will be interesting to see if he makes the jump to Low-A Salem — and therefore gets his first taste of full-season ball — before or after the FCL Red Sox play their final game of the summer.

(Picture of Yoeilin Cespedes: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote top outfield prospect Miguel Bleis to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting top outfield prospect Miguel Bleis from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Bleis, 20, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitter batted .257/.349/.398 with 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 22 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 43 games (195 plate appearances) for Salem to begin the 2024 season.

After undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a left shoulder subluxation last summer, Bleis unsurprisingly got off to a slow start in his return to Salem this spring. He struggled to a .573 OPS through the end of April before turning a corner offensively in May by slashing .318/.408/.506. He then missed some time at the beginning of the month while recovering from a root canal but extended his hitting streak to 16 games and on-base streak to 25 games upon returning to action last week.

Among 79 qualified hitters in the Carolina League to this point in the year, Bleis ranks 18th in strikeout rate (19.5 percent), 25th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage, 26th in slugging percentage and OPS (.747), 24th in isolated power (.140), fourth in line-drive rate (30.2 percent), and 27th in swinging-strike rate (10.9 percent) and wRC+ (121), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Bleis saw the majority of his playing time in Salem this season come in center field. The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder logged 272 innings in center while committing two errors and recording two outfield assists. He also started six games in right field, where notched an additional assist, and six at designated hitter.

Bleis, who just turned 20 in March, originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.5 million as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021. The San Pedro de Macoris native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that July and followed that by turning heads in the 2022 Florida Complex League.

On the heels of an exciting stateside debut, Bleis came into the 2023 campaign ranked by Baseball America as the No. 88 prospect in the sport. He had a tough time of things in his first go-around with Salem and slashed .230/.282/.325 over 31 games before straining his shoulder and ultimately going under the knife last June.

As such, Bleis saw his prospect stock fall somewhat over the winter but is starting to gain some of it back. A new challenge in the form of a promotion to Greenville, where he will be tasked with facing more advanced pitching, could help him further elevate his profile and get back on top-100 prospects lists.

In making the jump from Salem, Bleis is now slated to join an outfield mix in Greenville that — at the moment — includes the likes of Allan Castro, Juan Chacon, Jhostynxon Garcia, Bryan Gonzalez, Eduardo Lopez, and Miguel Ugueto, among others. He will likely make his High-A debut in the Drive’s upcoming series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field this week.

(Picture of Miguel Bleis: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect from Alex Verdugo trade to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox have added pitching prospect Nicholas Judice to Low-A Salem’s roster from the Florida Complex League, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Judice, 23, was acquired from the Yankees as part of last December’s Alex Verdugo trade. The right-hander was originally selected by New York in the eighth round of the 2023 amateur draft out of Louisiana-Monroe but did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate after signing with the club for $185,500.

Judice instead made his professional debut with the FCL Red Sox late last month. The Lousiana native allowed two earned runs on three hits, two walks and four strikeouts over two outings (one start) spanning four innings of work for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate before receiving a promotion to Salem on Thursday.

Listed at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, Judice throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As highlighted by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, the projectable righty operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph two-seam fastball that can reach 96 mph, a sweeping mid-80s slider, and an occasional low-80s changeup.

Judice’s slider was tabbed by Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo as the best secondary pitch in the Yankees’ 2023 draft class. His changeup is one that shows fade and plays like “more of a gyro change” or fastball, as he explained to Smith in Fort Myers back in March.

Judice, who just turned 23 in April, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 55 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 28th among pitchers in the organization. He becomes the second young hurler to make the jump from the FCL to Salem this week, joining fellow righty Ovis Portes.

(Picture of Nicholas Judice: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)