Red Sox release relief prospect Luis De La Rosa, who was part of Andrew Benintendi trade

The Red Sox released five minor-leaguers on Monday, including one of the prospects they acquired from the Royals as part of the three-team Andrew Benintendi trade a little more than three years ago.

Boston cut ties with right-hander Luis De La Rosa, who came over from Kansas City in June 2021 as one of the three players to be named later in the Benintendi deal. The Red Sox also acquired fellow righty Grant Gambrell from the Royals and outfielder Freddy Valdez from the Mets after bringing in Josh Winckowski and Franchy Cordero four months prior.

De La Rosa, then just 18 years old, had originally signed with the Royals for $147,500 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 18. At the time he was traded to the Red Sox, the Santo Domingo native had yet to pitch above the Dominican Summer League and hadn’t done so since 2019 since the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season.

Upon switching organizations for the first time in his young career, De La Rosa made his stateside debut for Boston’s rookie-level Florida Complex affiliate on June 29, 2021. He spent the rest of the season in Fort Myers and returned there for the start of the 2022 campaign before making the jump to Low-A Salem that July.

In his first taste of full-season ball, De La Rosa pitched to a 4.72 ERA with 38 strikeouts to 12 walks in 11 relief appearances (34 1/3 innings) for Salem down the stretch in 2022. The 21-year-old spent all of 2023 with the Sox’ Carolina League affiliate as well, posting a 2.94 ERA with a staff-leading 88 strikeouts to 40 walks over 28 outings (six starts) spanning 70 1/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .208 batting average against.

Despite those relatively solid results, the Red Sox elected to move on from De La Rosa, who was at minor-league camp in Fort Myers this spring and likely gunning for a spot in High-A Greenville’s bullpen to start the 2024 season. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound hurler will now presumably look to take his talents elsewhere in the coming weeks.

In addition to De La Rosa, the Red Sox also parted ways with right-handers Nate Tellier and Jordan DiValerio (two members of Boston’s 2020 undrafted free agent class), left-hander Jorge Rodriguez (an international signee out of Mexico in 2017), and outfielder Deundre Jones (a 17th-round pick in the 2022 draft) on Monday, per the MiLB.com transactions log.

With De La Rosa’s release, only two of the five players the Red Sox ultimately acquired from the Royals and Mets as part of the Benintendi trade remain in the organization. Like De La Rosa, Valdez was cut loose last May after unsuccessfully transitioning to pitching. Cordero, on the other hand, was non-tendered by Boston in November 2022 and has since signed with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.

As for the players who are still with the Red Sox, Winckowski is coming off a promising 2023 season in which he forged a 2.88 ERA over 84 1/3 big-league innings (83 1/3 of which came in relief) and is now competing for a spot in Boston’s Opening Day starting rotation. Gambrell, meanwhile, made it to Triple-A Worcester last year and is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 37 prospect in the system.

(Picture of Luis De La Rosa: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Former Red Sox outfield prospect Marcus Wilson announces retirement

Former Red Sox outfield prospect Marcus Wilson took to social media on Sunday to announce his retirement from professional baseball.

As part of a heartfelt Instagram post, Wilson gave “a special thanks to a select few from the Red Sox” as well as his coaches from the Diamondbacks and Mariners organizations. He also showed gratitude towards his mother, wife, and daughter before indicating that he was going to shift his focus towards a career in mixed martial arts.

“I’ve had a lot of time to digest everything that’s been going on and I feel good about my decision so going forward if you ever wanna hit me up don’t be weird about it I’m really fine lol!” Wilson wrote. “I’m excited for my new journey I’m going to be taking up martial arts and ever since 2020. I’ve been extremely fascinated with the sport and finally excited to get to do martial arts! Peace and love everybody. Thank you.”

Wilson, 27, was originally selected by the Diamondbacks with the 69th overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Calif. The Los Angeles-area native forwent his commitment to Arizona State University by signing with the club for $1 million that summer.

As he continued to climb up the minor-league ladder, Wilson established himself as one of the better outfield prospects in Arizona’s farm system. He was then traded by the Diamondbacks to the Red Sox for catcher Blake Swihart in April 2019.

Wilson bounced between then-High-A Salem and Double-A Portland in his first season as a member of the Red Sox organization, but he ended the year on a strong note with the Sea Dogs and was added to Boston’s 40-man roster that November in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

Unfortunately, Wilson did not play any affiliated ball in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the minor-league season. He instead spent the final three or so weeks of the 2020 campaign at the Sox’ alternate training site in Pawtucket and then made the jump to Triple-A Worcester the following spring.

In his first stint with the WooSox, Wilson batted .242/.370/.452 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs over 64 games (265 plate appearances). Despite putting up those solid numbers, the right-handed hitting infielder was designated for assignment by the Red Sox in the wake of the July trade deadline. He was then claimed off waivers by the Mariners, but spent the rest of the 2021 season with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma before yet again losing his spot on a 40-man roster that October.

Wilson remained with the Mariners through the winter and returned to Tacoma for the start of the 2022 season. After clubbing 12 homers and posting an .806 OPS in 59 games (238 plate appearances) for the Rainiers, Wilson earned his first big-league call-up in late June. He made his major-league debut against the Orioles at T-Mobile Park on June 29 and drew a walk in his first career plate appearance after pinch-hitting for Sam Haggerty in the eighth inning of a 9-3 win.

Wilson appeared in a total of three games for the Mariners, going 1-for-5 with a single, a run scored, that one walk, and four strikeouts while seeing playing time in both right and center field. He was then sent back down to Tacoma in early July before being designated for assignment and outrighted off Seattle’s 40-man roster, which cleared the way for him to elect free agency at the end of the year.

Last February, Wilson returned to the Red Sox on a minor-league contract for the 2023 season. Serving as upper-level outfield depth, Wilson was limited to just 37 games with the WooSox and spent much of the first half of the year on the development list before being released. He had not signed with another team prior to announcing that he was hanging up the cleats for good on Sunday.

All told, Wilson slashed .248/.351/.406 with 141 doubles, 21 triples, 71 home runs, 327 RBIs, 394 runs scored, 114 stolen bases, 380 walks, and 850 strikeouts while logging starts at all three outfeed spots in 729 career minor-league games (2,941 plate appearances). That includes parts of four seasons (2019-2021, 2023) with the Red Sox in which he peaked as the No. 20 prospect in the system in Oct. 2019, per SoxProspects.com rankings history.

(Picture of Marcus Wilson: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

After injury-shortened 2023 season, Red Sox catching prospect Brooks Brannon set to take part in inaugural Spring Breakout

When looking at the Red Sox’ roster for next weekend’s inaugural Spring Breakout game against the Braves, one of the names that sticks out is Brooks Brannon.

Brannon was one of four catching prospects to make the Red Sox’ 28-man roster, joining Kyle Teel, Nathan Hickey, and fellow 19-year-old Johanfran Garcia. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Brannon, who turns 20 in May, is coming off an injury-shortened 2023 campaign in which he was limited to just 17 total games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem. The right-handed hitter flashed intriguing power in that brief sample, however, as he slashed .264/.303/.583 with three doubles, one triple, six home runs, 23 RBIs, 12 runs scored, four walks, and 20 strikeouts over 77 plate appearances.

After returning to the FCL for the start of his first full professional season, Brannon slashed .250/.294/.542 with three doubles, one triple, three homers, 14 runs driven in, eight runs scored, three walks, and 12 strikeouts in 11 games (52 plate appearances) for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate. He then received a promotion to Salem in late June and went 7-for-24 (.292) with three more home runs, nine RBIs, four runs scored, one walk, and eight strikeouts across six games.

Following the major-league All-Star break, Brannon started at designated hitter for Salem in its matchup against the Delmarva Shorebirds on July 14 and went 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts. Due to a lingering back strain, though, that would ultimately prove to be his final game of the season.

Brannon was placed on Salem’s 7-day injured list on July 29 and then transferred to the 60-day injured list on August 8. He took part in the Red Sox’ fall performance program in September. There, at the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, Brannon told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith that his top priority in 2024 is to stay healthy.

“The No. 1 goal is just to be healthy the whole year,” Brannon said. “I just want to play the whole year. That’s the No. 1 goal. Outside of that, I’ll be looking to improve everything about my game until I’m done playing.”

Brannon was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Randleman High School in North Carolina. On the heels of leading all high schoolers with 20 home runs as a senior, Brannon forwent his commitment to the University of North Carolina by signing with Boston for an above-slot for $712,500, which is more in line with what a third-round pick typically receives.

As noted in his Baseball America scouting report, Brannon “has plenty of pull power when he connects,” but his career 6.5 percent walk rate thus far “points to the need to control his aggressiveness and refine his swing decisions.”

Brannon, for his part, acknowledged that he is working to improve on his approach and swing decisions when speaking with Smith last fall.

“Getting into pro ball, I definitely matured as a hitter,” he said. “Guys just don’t throw 85 down the middle with an average breaking ball anymore. Guys throw gas and they can put it wherever they want. It sinks and it runs and it rises. Part of maturing was picking certain zones to hit depending on the pitcher and playing to my strengths. I’d say another part of maturing was I’m naturally a high energy, aggressive person and having to tone that back a bit because it worked against me. So having to calm down a bit.”

On the other side of the ball, Brannon unsurprisingly saw all of his playing time on the field last year come at catcher. Between the FCL and Salem, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound backstop logged 75 innings behind the plate and committed just one error while throwing out seven of 28 possible base stealers.

Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, which ranks Brannon as the Red Sox’ No. 23 prospect, laude the Tar Heel State native for his “plus arm strength and quick feet behind the plate.” They also praise him for having strong hands and relentless work ethic, but acknowledge that he is “overly active as a catcher and his framing and blocking skills will have to improve” if he intends on sticking behind the plate moving forward.

To that end, Brannon told Smith in September that improving defensively was “going to be a focus in every aspect of catching this offseason” after he struggled “a lot” in that area last year.

Barring a surprise and assuming he remains healthy, Brannon is expected to return to Salem for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. In the more immediate future, Brannon should get the chance to showcase his skills when he and his fellow Red Sox prospects host the Braves’ top prospects at JetBlue Park next Saturday afternoon.

(Picture of Brooks Brannon: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Justin Slaten has impressed Craig Breslow this spring

When recently asked by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden about who has stood out to him at spring training thus far, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow offered a simple, yet informative response.

“Slaten has been impressive,” Breslow said. “He’s shown the ability to get swings-and-misses in the zone on his secondaries with enough (on his fastball) to keep hitters off balance.”

Breslow is, of course, referring to right-hander Justin Slater, whom the Red Sox acquired from the Mets for minor-league lefty Ryan Ammons in the moments following the completion of December’s Rule 5 Draft.

Slaten’s journey to Boston has been somewhat unique. The 26-year-old had spent the previous five seasons in the Rangers organization after being selected by the club in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft out of New Mexico. He was then left off Texas’ 40-man roster this past November, which subsequently made him available to other teams on the final day of the Winter Meetings in Nashville.

The Red Sox, as noted by The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey, had targeted Slaten as a top priority going into the Rule 5 Draft, but saw him come off the board before they were set to pick. They then swung a trade with the Mets, who took Slaten eighth overall, by dealing away Ammons (a 10th-round selection in the 2023 amateur draft out of Clemson) as well as cash considerations to New York.

“It was kind of the marriage of the data, the raw pitch characteristics, the performance, the scouting group, everyone kind of aligned. This budding pitching infrastructure, we were able to get additional perspectives, and when there’s alignment across all of those groups, it makes for a fairly easy decision,” Breslow said at the time. “He’s a guy with huge swing-and-miss stuff, profiles as a back-of-the-bullpen type arm, so we’re really excited to get him here and see what he can do.”

As a Rule 5 Draft pick, Slaten was immediately inserted into Boston’s big-league mix and added to the 40-man roster. He took part in the club’s rookie development program in January, was at Winter Weekend in Springfield, and is now vying for a spot in the Sox’ Opening Day bullpen at major-league spring training camp down in Fort Myers.

Slaten is coming off a 2023 season in which he posted a 2.87 ERA (4.03 FIP) with 86 strikeouts to 20 walks in 40 appearances (one start) spanning 59 2/3 total innings of work between Texas’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He allowed just one run on three hits, four walks, and 10 strikeouts across five outings (8 1/3 innings) after being promoted to Triple-A Round Rock in September, then struck out six over 3 2/3 frames of relief for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League.

So far this spring, Slaten has gotten into four Grapefruit League games for Boston. He has allowed only two hits, zero walks, and one hit batsman with four strikeouts over four scoreless innings in which he has held opposing hitters to a .133 batting average against. Considering that he last pitched on Tuesday, he could conceivably be used as part of this weekend’s Dominican Republic Series against the Rays in Santo Domingo.

“Velocity, movement,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Slaten when speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last month. “Obviously we’ve got to make sure he throws that over the heart of the plate. But so far, so good. Big boy with good stuff. I think if you look around, we’re a little bit bigger in that department this year. A lot of big bodies, a lot of big dudes with nasty stuff. So we’ve just got to make sure we throw that nasty stuff over the heart of the plate and take our chances.”

Standing at a sturdy 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Slaten operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 95-97 mph fastball, a mid-80s sweeping slider, an 89-91 mph cutter, and a low-80s curveball that features two-plane break. He demonstrated improved control last year and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 28 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization.

Even though he was not directly taken by the Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft over the winter, Slaten still must stick on Boston’s active roster (or injured list, if he is hurt) for the entirety of the 2023 season. If those conditions cannot be met, the Sox will have to expose Slaten — who cannot be optioned to the minor-leagues — to waivers and then, if he clears, offer him back to the Rangers for $50,000.

Earlier in camp, it appeared as though Slaten and fellow pitching prospect Bryan Mata were competing for the same bullpen spot. Mata, like Slaten, was gunning to make the Opening Day roster since he is out of minor-league options and would be facing the possibility of being placed on waivers. He has since suffered a hamstring strain that shut him down from throwing until just recently.

As The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams highlighted on Wednesday, there is still no timetable for when Mata could be available to get into a game, which puts his status for Opening Day in question. The Red Sox could, however, place the hard-throwing 24-year-old on the injured list to start the season and delay their decision on what to do with him until he is physically cleared to return to action.

Regardless, Mata’s injury gives Slaten an advantageous edge for a roster spot with less than three weeks to go until the Red Sox open the 2024 season in Seattle on March 28. The fact Breslow has been impressed with him this spring certainly speaks to that.

(Picture of Justin Slaten: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox OF Wilyer Abreu hits first homer of spring: ‘The at-bats have been really, really good’

On an otherwise quiet afternoon for the Red Sox offensively, Wilyer Abreu provided some thump in Wednesday’s 7-1 loss to the Twins at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla.

Coming into Grapefruit League play on Wednesday, Abreu had gone just 2-for-17 (.118) with a triple, one RBI, one run scored, five walks, and seven strikeouts through his first eight games of the spring. After tripling in Tuesday’s win over the Rays, the 24-year-old outfielder carried over that momentum as he made the short trek over from the Fenway South complex.

Starting in right field and batting fifth for Boston, Abreu got the visitors on the board first by homering off Minnesota starter Joe Ryan with one out in the top of the second second. Ryan, who had just fanned Triston Casas on six pitches, got ahead in the count against Abreu at 0-2 before offering up an 88.6 mph splitter at the bottom of the strike zone.

Abreu, in turn, drilled the pitch to deep right-center field for his first homer of the spring. The ball, according to Baseball Savant, left Abreu’s bat at a blistering 106 mph and had a launch angle of 26 degrees. Though Statcast was unable to determine how far the ball has hit, it likely traveled close to 420 feet before landing in the seats.

Despite taking an early lead, the Red Sox lineup was held in check by Twins pitching the rest of the way and ultimately fell to 8-5-1 in Grapefruit League action. Abreu — who struck out looking in the fourth and grounded into a force out in the sixth to finish the day 1-for-3 — was replaced defensively by Mark Contreras in right field to start the latter half of the sixth inning.

Following Wednesday’s contest, Abreu is now batting .150/.320/.400 with the one triple, the one homer, two runs driven in, two runs scored, five walks, and eight strikeouts in nine games (25 plate appearances) so far this spring. All nine of his starts have come in right field, where he has yet to commit an error over 41 defensive innings.

“He’s been putting together good at-bats,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Abreu when speaking with reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams). “Results aside, the at-bats have been really, really good. We’ve just got to stay with the process. He’s been swinging at the right ones and putting good swings on it.”

Abreu, who is attending his second spring training with the Red Sox, is looking to crack his first Opening Day roster after debuting for Boston late last season. The left-handed hitter was called up on August 22 and made his big-league debut against the Astros — the team that originally signed him as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2017 and traded him away a little more than five years later — at Minute Maid Park in Houston that same night.

From that point forward, Abreu batted an impressive .316/.388/.474 with six doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, nine walks, and 23 strikeouts in 28 games (85 plate appearances) to kick off his major-league career. Among American League rookies who made at least 80 trips to the plate in 2023, Abreu ranked first in batting average, third in on-base percentage, ninth in slugging percentage, fourth in OPS (.862), fourth in hard-hit rate (49.1 percent), and fifth in wRC+ (135), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Abreu saw playing time at all three outfield spots with Boston down the stretch last year. The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder logged 76 innings in left, 85 1/3 innings in center, and 7 1/3 innings in right. Altogether, he posted two defensive runs saved and ranked in the 97th percentile of all big-leaguers in average arm strength (94.7 mph), according to Baseball Savant.

With Alex Verdugo out of the picture after being dealt to the Yankees in December, Abreu appears to be the leading candidate to take over as the Red Sox’ primary right fielder in 2024. Cora himself acknowledged as much in a recent conversation with MLB.com’s Ian Browne.

“He’s a good player who has a chance to be the starting right fielder of the Red Sox,” said Cora. “He controls the strike zone. He plays good defense. He has a cannon. He can run the bases. Let’s see what happens. There’s a lot of decisions we have to make. The reason we have tough decisions is that we have good, dynamic players.”

Abreu, who does not turn 25 until June, comes into the 2024 season ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system. That is up 12 spots from where he was last year. Baseball America also has him tabbed as the No. 6 prospect in the organization while SoxProspects.com currently ranks him eighth.

Because he is still considered a prospect, Abreu has yet to graduate from his rookie status. As such, he could be one of several rookies to make the Sox’ Opening Day roster later this month, joining the likes of Ceddanne Rafaela and Justin Slaten, among others.

Like he told Browne, though, Abreu will not be taking anything for granted these next few weeks. He will instead be doing everything in his power to ensure that he is on the flight to Seattle ahead of the Red Sox’ Opening Day matchup against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 28.

“Although there’s a good opportunity for me to stay on the team, I don’t take it for granted, and I’ll work as hard as I can to prove that I can be on this team,” he said. “I don’t want to leave anyone with a doubt that I can be a major-league player.”

(Picture of Wilyer Abreu: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Cooper Criswell emerging as candidate for spot in Red Sox’ starting rotation: ‘He’s definitely put himself in the conversation’

With Lucas Giolito facing the possibility of undergoing season-ending elbow surgery, the Red Sox’ starting rotation has taken a massive hit in the weeks leading up to Opening Day.

One of the main storylines at spring training camp in Fort Myers so far has been the composition of Boston’s rotation. Giolito was expected to provide that group with a durable workhorse after signing a two-year, $38.5 million contract in January, but those plans now appear to be in serious jeopardy.

Instead, the Red Sox will now need other pitchers to step up in the wake of Giolito’s potential lengthy absence. Of the internal options who could help fill in, Cooper Criswell is among those who were singled out by both manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow on Tuesday.

Criswell was, of course, the first major-league free agent to sign with the Red Sox after Breslow replaced Chaim Bloom this past fall. The 27-year-old right-hander inked a one-year, $1 million contract with Boston on December 13 and was instructed by both Breslow and pitching coach Andrew Bailey to prepare as a starter heading into camp.

“They want me to come to spring training prepared to be a starter,” Criswell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith at Red Sox Winter Weekend back in January. “Just because it’s easier if they want to move me into a bulk role out of the bullpen or even a reliever. Obviously it’s easier to transition from a starter to a reliever rather than a reliever to a starter. So I’m going to be geared up, ready for spring training to go as a starter.”

A former 13th-round draft selection of the Angels coming out of North Carolina in 2018, Criswell originally broke in with Los Angeles in 2021. The Georgia native started just one game for the Halos in his big-league debut that August and was then claimed off waivers by the Rays the following July.

Criswell again started just one game for Tampa Bay down the stretch in 2022 before seeing his usage surge last year. In a career-high 10 appearances out of the Rays bullpen, the righty posted a 5.73 ERA and 5.35 FIP with 27 strikeouts to 11 walks over 33 innings of relief.

Criswell was called up by the Rays on eight separate occasions last season and was then non-tendered in November. Despite being cut loose by Tampa Bay, Criswell — as noted by ESPN’s Jeff Passan at the time — found a solid market and leveraged it into a fully-guaranteed major-league deal with Boston.

Going into his first camp with the Red Sox, Criswell was on the outside looking in when it came to competing for a spot in the season-opening rotation and was viewed as more of a swingman type who could provide length out of the bullpen. He also has a minor-league option remaining, so him starting the season and remaining stretched out at Triple-A Worcester to begin the season wasn’t out of the equation, either.

In light of Giolito’s elbow woes, though, Criswell has now joined the likes of Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, and Josh Winckowski as the leading internal candidates to make up the back end of Boston’s starting rotation out of the gate later this month. His case is also aided by the fact that the Red Sox may consider utilizing a six-man rotation to combat against a season-opening west coast road trip as well as a stretch that has them playing 13 days in a row from April 9-21.

“It would be unfair to say we overlooked him, but we just weren’t as familiar with him given that he wasn’t with us,” Breslow said of Criswell when speaking with reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) at JetBlue Park on Tuesday. “I think what has been impressive and what we knew we were getting is an elite strike-thrower. I think there were some questions as to whether or not we can help boost the stuff and I think in pretty short order, it’s ticked up a little bit while maintaining the ability to shape pitches very, very well and pounding the strike zone. So I think he’s definitely put himself in the conversation.”

As noted by McCaffrey, the Red Sox liked Criswell’s raw numbers while he was with the Rays and have been impressed with him so far this spring. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound hurler operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of an upper-80s sinker, a mid-70s sweeper, a lower-80s cutter, and a lower-80s changeup. He ranked in the 90th percentile of all big-leaguers by averaging 6.9 feet of extension off the mound on his pitches last year, per Baseball Savant.

“I would consider a sweeper one of my best pitches, for sure,” Criswell told Smith. “I feel comfortable throwing any of those, especially the three — sinker/slider/changeup — any pitch, any count. I’m getting the confidence in the cutter just as much as the other three pitches.”

Criswell, who does not turn 28 until July, has pitched two innings of relief in each of his first two outings of the spring, allowing one run on five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He is scheduled to get the start in Wednesday’s Grapefruit League matchup against the Twins at Hammond Stadium. Could it be a preview of what is to come in the early stages of the season? Only time will tell.

 (Picture of Cooper Criswell: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Grant Gambrell overcame adversity in 2023

After missing the entirety of his first full season as a member of the Red Sox organization due to injury, pitching prospect Grant Gambrell bounced back nicely in 2023.

Gambrell was, of course, one of two players to be named later the Red Sox acquired from the Royals in the February 2021 trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City. Unlike several others involved in that deal, though, Gambrell and fellow right-hander Luis De La Rosa did not switch organizations until that June.

To that point in the 2021 season, Gambrell — a former third-round draft selection of the Royals out of Oregon State — had posted a 4.37 ERA in five starts (22 2/3 innings) for Kansas City’s High-A affiliate. The California native remained at the High-A level upon joining Boston’s minor-league pipeline and struggled to a 7.16 ERA in eight starts (32 2/3 innings) for the Greenville Drive before hitting the injured list in early August.

That is where Gambrell would spend the rest season. It turns out that he had been plagued by discomfort in his heel and ankle area dating back to his first spring training with the Royals. He attempted to pitch through it, but was ultimately diagnosed with a benign tumor in his calcaneus, the heel bone, after meeting with a doctor in Boston towards the tail end of the 2021 campaign.

Gambrell then underwent a series of five surgeries to remove that tumor and spent all of 2022 rehabbing at the Red Sox’ JetBlue Park complex in Fort Myers, Fla. As MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith highlighted last June, “it definitely was a long journey” for Gambrell.

“It definitely had its very, very low points,” Gambrell said. “After surgery one, two, three, you’re just kind of just saying to yourself like, ‘Man, I don’t even know if this is ever gonna be fixed. I don’t know if this is ever going to be healed.’”

With help from Chris Sale and other rehabbers, Gambrell made it through the recovery process and returned to competitive action with Greenville last April. The 26-year-old righty got off to a bit of a rough start before shaking off the rust and leveraging his performance with the Drive into a promotion to Double-A Portland in late May.

In 15 starts for the Sea Dogs, Gambrell forged a 3.42 ERA with 84 strikeouts to 32 walks over 84 1/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .227 batting average against. He was then promoted again from Portland to Triple-A Worcester in late August and made two starts for the WooSox, allowing just two runs with 14 punchouts to five walks in 10 1/3 innings, before the 2023 season drew to a close.

Altogether, Gambrell went 9-6 with a 3.63 ERA (4.23 FIP) and 134 strikeouts to 46 walks across 23 starts (126 1/3 innings) between Greenville, Portland, and Worcester in 2023. He trailed only Brian Van Belle for the organizational lead in innings pitched and was subsequently named SoxProspects.com’s Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Gambrell altered his pitch mix to some degree while he was sidelined in 2022. As he noted in his conversation with Smith, Gambrell eliminated his four-seam fastball in favor of a two-seam fastball that sits between 92-95 mph. He also added a cutter last spring to complement a slider and mid-80s changeup.

“We were looking at some video and where my hand placement is at release point,” explained Gambrell, who was introduced to the cutter by the Red Sox. “Found I was a seam-shifted guy. So the cutter is a good pitch for me and it’s been pretty good ever since I started throwing it.”

Gambrell, who does not turn 27 until November, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 37 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 16th among pitchers in the organization. Barring a surprise, he is expected to return to Worcester’s rotation for the start of the 2024 minor-league season.

With that being said, Gambrell can once again become Rule 5-eligible at year’s end. He made a somewhat compelling case to be added to the Sox’ 40-man roster this past November but was passed over in December’s Rule 5 Draft after being left unprotected. As long as he stays healthy, Gambrell has the chance to further elevate his profile in the coming months regardless of the role he is given.

“Whatever the team needs,” Gambrell told Smith. “This week I could be in the starting rotation and next week I could be in the bullpen. Honestly, it wouldn’t matter to me as long as I can help the team win in any type of way, any type of situation. I’m going to go out there and treat it the same no matter what. No matter what the score is, no matter if I’m in the bullpen or starting.”

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Cutter Coffey homers in first at-bat of spring

Infield prospect Cutter Coffey proved to be the difference maker in the Red Sox’ split-squad win over the Nationals at JetBlue Park on Saturday afternoon.

Called up by the big-league club for the first time this spring, Coffey was inserted into the Grapefruit League contest as a defensive replacement for starting third baseman Rafael Devers in the top of the sixth. A half-inning later, he stepped up to the plate for the first time with two outs and one runner on base following a Tyler Heineman single.

Matched up against Nationals reliever Cole Henry, who was added to Washington’s 40-man roster last November, Coffey worked a 1-0 count before taking the right-hander way deep over the faux Green Monster in left field for a towering go-ahead, two-run home run.

Coffey’s blast lifted the Sox from a 2-1 deficit to a 3-2 lead. Fellow minor-league infielder added some insurance with a solo homer of his own an inning later as Boston went on to defeat Washington by a final score of 4-2 to remain unbeaten at home this spring.

Coffey, who finished the day 1-for-2 after flying out in the eighth inning, is looking to bounce back this year after a relatively underwhelming first full season in pro ball. The 19-year-old was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 23 prospect in Boston’s farm system at this time last spring but has since dropped from the outlet’s top 30 list completely.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Liberty High School in Bakersfield, Coffey forwent his commitment to the University of Texas by signing with Boston for $1.85 million that July. The California native then made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, where he went 4-for-32 (.125) with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in a brief 11-game sample.

After playing his way onto a full-season roster last spring, Coffey broke camp with Low-A Salem to kick off the 2023 campaign. In 81 games for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate, the right-handed hitter batted .226/.341/.348 with 14 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 30 RBIs, a team-high 51 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 45 walks, and 79 strikeouts over 349 plate appearances.

Though a .689 OPS may be far from eye-popping, Coffey’s under-the-hood numbers with Salem were more encouraging. Among 44 qualified hitters in the Carolina League last year, for instance, Coffey produced the highest line-drive rate (29.4 percent) and 1oth-lowest swinging-strike rate (8.9 percent). He also ranked 11th in walk rate (12.9 percent), 17th in on-base percentage and isolated power (.122), 15th in speed score (6.6), and 19th in wRC+ (102), per FanGraphs.

In light of that production, Coffey received a promotion to High-A Greenville in early August. Unlike Roman Anthony, who made the jump from Salem about two months prior, Coffey’s production at Greenville did not catch up to his underlying metrics. Instead, Coffey closed out the 2023 season by slashing just .136/.253/.167 with two doubles, five RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base, 11 walks, and 21 strikeouts in 18 games (79 plate appearances) with the Drive.

Altogether, Coffey hit .210/.325/.315 (88 wRC+) with 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 35 runs driven in, 59 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, 56 walks, and exactly 100 strikeouts over 99 total games (428 plate appearances) between Salem and Greenville last year. Defensively, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder saw playing time at every infield position besides first base with both the Red Sox and Drive. He committed a total of 20 errors in 281 chances between second base (where he logged 69 innings), third base (326 1/3 innings), and shortstop (379 1/3 innings), which translates to a .929 fielding percentage.

Coffey, who does not turn 20 until May, profiles best as a third baseman moving forward given his arm strength (he pitched in high school). Though he has soft hands and adequate body control, there are questions regarding his range as he continues to add size to his frame.

Barring a surprise in the weeks leading up to Opening Day, Coffey is expected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. There, he should have the chance to get back on track and maybe even work his way up to Double-A Portland before the year is over.

(Picture of Cutter Coffey: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox agree to minor-league deal with former All-Star first baseman C.J. Cron

The Red Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with free agent first baseman C.J. Cron, as was first reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The deal, which includes an invite to major-league spring training, would allow Cron to earn $2 million if he is added to Boston’s active roster and up to $500,000 in performance bonuses, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Cron, 34, is a veteran of 10 big-league seasons who most recently split the 2023 campaign with the Rockies and Angels. Due to lingering back issues, the right-handed hitter was limited to just 71 games between the two clubs, batting .248/.295/.434 with 12 doubles, 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, 38 runs scored, 17 walks, and 65 strikeouts over 278 plate appearances. He got into just 10 games for the Halos after being traded from Colorado to Los Angeles in late July and ended the year on the injured list.

Despite those disappointing results, Cron is just two years removed from making the National League All-Star team after slashing .257/.315/.468 with 29 homers and a career-high 102 RBIs over 150 games (632 plate appearances) for the Rockies in 2022. That came after he clubbed 28 home runs and posted a career-best .905 OPS in his first season with Colorado in 2021.

For his major-league career, which began in 2014, Cron is a lifetime .260/.320/.471 hitter with 194 doubles, 10 triples, 187 home runs, 604 runs driven in, 470 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 268 walks, and 928 strikeouts across 1,049 total games (4,043 plate appearances) with the Angels, Rays, Twins, Tigers, and Rockies. In that time frame, the former first-round draft selection out of Utah has forged a .781 OPS against right-handed pitching and an .814 OPS against left-handed pitching, though he has struggled with southpaws to some degree in each of the last two seasons.

On the other side of the ball, Cron has been used exclusively as either a first baseman or designated hitter since debuting with the Angels in 2024. Between Colorado and Los Angeles last year, the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder logged 502 innings at first, where he produced zero defensive runs saved, one out above average, and an ultimate zone rating of 1.3, per FanGraphs.

After losing Justin Turner to the Blue Jays in free agency, the Red Sox came into camp this spring relatively thin on right-handed hitting depth at first base. Bobby Dalbec had been projected to make the team as a backup option behind the left-handed hitting Triston Casas, but Cron now figures to challenge him for that spot in the coming weeks.

As someone who is capable of playing first base, third base, and both corner outfield spots, Dalbec may offer more positional versatility than Cron, but his offensive floor is not at the same level. In addition to spelling Casas at first base when needed, Cron could also take some at-bats away from projected everyday DH Masataka Yoshida (another left-handed hitter) if he were to make the team out of camp.

In the more immediate future, Cron — who is expected to arrive in Fort Myers for his physical in the coming days — will not occupy a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster once his signing becomes official. He will, however, have the ability to opt out of his deal if he is not added to the major-league roster within five days of Opening Day (March 28). That, as noted by Cotillo, is his right as an Article XX(B) free agent.

Dalbec, meanwhile, has one minor-league option remaining. In other words, the 28-year-old slugger could be heading back to Triple-A Worcester (where he hit 33 home runs in 114 games last year) for the start of the 2024 season if he loses out to Cron in this battle for a roster spot at camp.

(Picture of C.J. Cron: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Brainer Bonaci suspended for 2024 season

Red Sox minor-league infielder Brainer Bonaci has been suspended for the entirety of the 2024 season as a result of violating MiLB’s domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Bonaci had been placed on MLB’s restricted list for violating said policy in early October, which resulted in him being pulled from the Arizona Fall League following a brief stint with the Glendale Desert Dogs. The 21-year-old has been away from the Red Sox since then and has been working out at home in Venezuela this spring as opposed to the club’s Fenway South complex in Fort Myers.

A native of Catia La Mar, Bonaci originally signed with the Red Sox for $290,000 as an international free agent in July 2018. He came into the 2023 campaign ranked by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system and was a candidate to be added to the 40-man roster at year’s end in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

In 79 total games between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland last year, the switch-hitting Bonaci batted .297/.354/.464 with 18 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs, 44 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 30 walks, and 80 strikeouts over 350 plate appearances. Defensively, he saw playing time at second base, shortstop, third base, and left field.

After receiving a promotion from Greenville to Portland in early August, Bonaci appeared in just 16 games with the Sea Dogs before being placed on the reserve list on Aug. 30. He was then sent home “on administrative leave” while the league began its investigation, but was taken off the reserve list at the end of the minor-league season and permitted to take part in the Red Sox’ fall performance program in Fort Myers as well as the Arizona Fall League.

Bonaci arrived in Arizona in late September, but appeared in just two games for Glendale (going 1-for-7 with four strikeouts) prior to hitting the restricted list on Oct. 4. When asked about the matter by The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey in November, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said that “he was prohibited from commenting on the situation for now.”

As of this writing, it is not yet known how Bonaci violated the minor-league domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy. Regardless of that, though, the league’s investigation into the violation led to Bonaci being handed down a season-long suspension that could have further ramifications regarding his future as a member of the Red Sox organization.

(Picture of Brainer Bonaci: Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images)