How did Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer fare in first full pro season?

Marcelo Mayer, arguably the top prospect in the Red Sox farm system and one of the brightest young talents in all of baseball, wrapped up his first full professional season last month.

Originally selected by Boston with the fourth overall pick in last summer’s amateur draft out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif., Mayer appeared in four Grapefruit League games earlier this spring before breaking minor-league camp with Low-A Salem.

With the Salem Red Sox, the 19-year-old infielder batted .286/.406/.504 with 26 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 40 RBIs, 46 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 51 walks, and 78 strikeouts over 66 games (308 plate appearances). Despite missing a significant chunk of time with a sprained right wrist in late April and most of May, Mayer earned a promotion to High-A Greenville in early August.

Making the jump from Salem to Greenville alongside fellow top prospect Blaze Jordan, Mayer initially got off to a rough start with the Drive and was batting just .179 in his first 17 games as the calendar flipped to September. But the left-handed hitter ended the year on a strong note by registering multiple hits in six of the eight games he played in.

All told, Mayer slashed .265/.379/.449 with four doubles, one triple, four homers, 13 runs driven in, 15 runs scored, one stolen base, 17 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 25 games (116 plate appearances) with Greenville. Between the two Class-A affiliates, he hit a respectable .280/.399/.489 to go along with 30 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 53 RBIs, 61 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 68 walks, and 107 strikeouts across 91 games spanning 424 total trips to the plate.

As a result of such a productive season, Mayer was recently named to Baseball America’s Age 19 Prospect All-Star Team. He and fellow 2021 draftees Harry Ford, Jordan Lawlar, and James Wood were all recognized for what they did during their age-19 seasons.

On the other side of the ball, Mayer was coming off a debut season in the Florida Complex League in which he committed 10 errors in just 177 2/3 innings at shortstop. He later told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey that improving defensively had “been a focal point of his offseason work” and he put that on display this year.

In Salem, Mayer made 10 errors over 505 1/3 innings at his primary position and was named the best defensive shortstop in the Carolina League. In Greenville, the 6-foot-3, 188-pounder logged 189 innings at short and committed just two errors there. While defensive metrics for minor-leaguers are not made public, Mayer did see his fielding percentage rise from .956 with the Red Sox to .974 with the Drive.

Mayer, who turns 20 in December, is currently regarded by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and SoxProspects.com as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system. In terms of top-100 prospect rankings, Baseball America has him at No. 12, MLB Pipeline has him at No. 7, and FanGraphs has him at No. 19.

It goes without saying that Mayer is an exciting player who possesses All-Star potential. While the native Californian is still a ways away from making it to the major-leagues, he is projected to return to Greenville next spring. Depending on how things go there, he could make it up to Double-A Portland by the end of the 2023 campaign.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox claim Jake Reed off waivers from Orioles, designate Eduard Bazardo for assignment

The Red Sox have claimed right-hander Jake Reed off waivers from the Orioles. In order to create space for Reed on the 40-man roster, fellow righty Eduard Bazardo was designated for assignment, per the team’s transactions log.

Reed, 30, was designated for assignment by the O’s on Tuesday after they claimed veteran outfielder Jake Cave off waivers from the Twins.

Interestingly enough, Reed was originally selected by Minnesota in the fifth round of the 2014 amateur draft out of the University of Oregon. The Arizona native did not make his major-league debut until last July with the Dodgers and has since pitched for two different clubs in the Mets and Orioles.

In 10 appearances (one start) between Los Angeles and New York last season, Reed allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits, two walks, and 10 strikeouts over 10 innings of work. That is good for an ERA of 3.60 and FIP of 3.07.

While those numbers are certainly respectable, it was more of a struggle for Reed this year. In the process of bouncing around between the Mets, Dodgers, and Orioles, he surrendered 15 runs (13 earned) on 17 hits, eight walks, and 13 strikeouts across 16 2/3 innings. That translates to a 7.02 ERA and 5.09 FIP.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Reed primarily operates with a sinker and slider, though he also mixes in a four-seam fastball and changeup from time to time.

Given that he still has one minor-league option remaining, Reed has the ability to be shuttled between Boston and Triple-A Worcester for one more season. For his minor-league career, he owns a lifetime 3.84 ERA in 150 outings (215 2/3 innings) at the Triple-A level.

Bazardo, meanwhile, has now been designated for assignment on two separate occasions this year. After clearing waivers in April, the 27-year-old hurler spent the majority of the season with the WooSox before having his contract selected in September.

Upon returning to the big-league club, Bazardo pitched to a 2.76 ERA and 6.05 FIP to go along with 11 strikeouts to four walks over 12 relief appearances spanning 16 1/3 innings of work. He owns a 2.33 ERA since breaking in with Boston last April.

Unlike Reed, Bazardo has two minor-league options remaining, which could make him more appealing to other teams. Should he clear waivers in the coming days, the native Venezuelan will have the ability to reject an outright assignment to the minors in favor of free agency since he has previously been outrighted.

By effectively swapping Reed for Bazardo, the Red Sox’ 40-man roster remains at full capacity. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has been plenty busy this month, as Easton McGee was claimed from the Rays last Wednesday and Caleb Hamilton was claimed from the Twins on Tuesday.

Since this particular transaction took place during a postseason game, it will not be officially announced until Friday morning.

(Picture of Jake Reed: Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Thad Ward diagnosed with left oblique strain

On Monday night, Red Sox pitching prospect Thad Ward was forced to exit his Arizona Fall League start in the fourth inning after being escorted off the mound by a team trainer.

Ward, making his second start for the Scottsdale Scorpions, had allowed two runs on four hits, five walks, and two strikeouts over three-plus innings of work in a 7-1 loss to the Surprise Saguaros.

According to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Ward was removed from Monday’s contest with a left oblique strain. It remains to be seen if the right-hander will pitch again before the Arizona Fall League season comes to a close next month.

Ward, 25, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 25 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking ninth among pitchers in the organization. The former fifth-round draft selection out of the University of Central Florida was sent to the AFL this year after missing the majority of the 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Upon returning to the mound in July, Ward made 13 starts across four different levels. With Double-A Portland — where he last pitched at in 2021 — the 6-foot-3, 192-pound hurler posted a 2.43 ERA with 41 strikeouts to 14 walks over seven starts spanning 33 1/3 innings of work to close out the 2022 campaign.

In his first start for Scottsdale last Tuesday, Ward sat at 91-94 mph with his two-seam fastball while also mixing in an 81-85 mph slider (his best pitch) and an 87-89 mph changeup.

Ward, who turns 26 in January, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this winter. As noted by Speier, the Red Sox likely plan on adding the righty to their 40-man roster in order to prevent that from happening. If that is indeed the case, Ward could be in a position to make his major-league debut at some point next summer.

(Picture of Thad Ward: Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Red Sox claim Caleb Hamilton off waivers from Twins, designate Abraham Almonte for assignment

The Red Sox have claimed catcher Caleb Hamilton off waivers from the Twins. In order to create space for Hamilton on the 40-man roster, outfielder Abraham Almonte was designated for assignment, per the team’s transactions log.

It is not clear when Hamilton was removed from the Twins’ 40-man roster. The 27-year-old was originally selected by Minnesota in the 23rd round of the 2016 amateur draft out of Oregon State University. He made his major-league debut in August and went 1-for-18 with one home run, one RBI, five runs scored, four walks, and 14 strikeouts over 22 games.

From behind the plate, Hamilton logged 38 innings at catcher and did not throw out any of the six baserunners who attempted to steal off him. The 6-foot, 185-pounder also made six appearances at first base and has experience at every other defensive position in the minor-leagues.

At the Triple-A level this season, Hamilton appeared in 62 games for the St. Paul Saints. The right-handed hitter batted .233/.367/.442 with 10 doubles, 11 homers, 43 runs driven in, 34 runs scored, one stolen base, 43 walks, and 67 strikeouts across 251 trips to the plate. He made 29 starts at catcher and threw out six of 32 base stealers.

Hamilton, who turns 28 in February, has two minor-league options remaining. The Washington state native becomes the fourth catcher on Boston’s 40-man roster, joining the likes of Reese McGuire, Connor Wong, and Ronaldo Hernandez.

During the team’s end-of-season press conference at Fenway Park earlier this month, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom indicated that catcher would be one position group the club explores making external addition at over the winter.

“This is one of the areas I fully expect that we’re going to explore additions,” Bloom said. “It’s nice to know that we have two guys (McGuire and Wong) that are familiar with how we do things, that showed a lot of good things. But we owe it to ourselves and everybody who cares about this team to look to get better and catcher is certainly not going to be an exception to that.”

It is no sure thing that Hamilton will stick on the Sox’ 40-man roster through the off-season, but the fact that he is versatile and posted a 1.027 OPS against left-handed pitching at Triple-A this season certainly makes him intriguing if he is given an opportunity to fight for a spot on Boston’s Opening Day roster in the spring.

Almonte, meanwhile, was acquired from the Brewers in exchange for cash considerations towards the end of July. The well-travelled 33-year-old appeared in 32 games for Triple-A Worcester before having his contract selected on September 7.

In 15 games with the Red Sox, the switch-hitting Almonte slashed .257/.297/.400 to go along with two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, seven runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and 12 strikeouts over 37 plate appearances. He saw playing time at all three outfield positions.

If Almonte goes unclaimed and clears waivers in the coming days, the native Dominican has the ability to refuse an outright assignment to the minor-leagues since he has already accrued more than five years of big-league service time.

Following Tuesday’s series of moves, the Red Sox’ 40-man roster is back at full capacity. Expect the team to make an announcement on Wednesday morning since they are not allowed to do so during postseason games.

Speedy Red Sox prospect David Hamilton named Eastern League Player of the Month for September

Red Sox infield prospect David Hamilton has been named the Eastern League Player of the Month for the month of September, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In 14 games for Double-A Portland, Hamilton batted .429 (24-for-56) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, 10 runs driven in, 15 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, nine walks, and 14 strikeouts. The left-handed hitter led the Eastern League in batting average, hits, runs, stolen bases, and on-base percentage (.508). He also ranked fifth in slugging percentage (.643) and second in OPS (1.151), per MiLB.com.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, Hamilton slashed .251/.338/.402 (104 wRC+) to go along with 16 doubles, nine triples, 12 homers, 42 RBIs, 81 runs scored, a franchise high 70 stolen bases, 56 walks, and 119 strikeouts over 119 games (531 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs. His 81 runs scored and 70 stolen bases ranked tops among all Eastern League hitters this season.

Defensively, Hamilton saw the vast majority of his playing time this year come in the middle infield. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder out of the University of Texas logged 543 2/3 innings at second base and 460 1/3 innings at shortstop. But he also made two starts in center field, a position he had never played before in his professional career.

Speed is undoubtedly Hamilton’s top tool. According to FanGraphs, Hamilton possesses 60-grade speed on the 20-80 scale. His 9.4 Speed Score with the Sea Dogs this season ranked first among qualified Double-A hitters. Back in August, he was recognized by Eastern League Managers for being the fastest baserunner in the league. Less than a month later, the Red Sox named Hamilton their  Minor League Baserunner of the Year for 2022.

Hamilton, 25, was acquired from the Brewers alongside fellow prospect Alex Binelas in the December 2021 trade that saw Hunter Renfroe go to Milwaukee and Jackie Bradley Jr. return to Boston. The Brewers originally selected the former Longhorn in the eighth round of the 2019 amateur draft.

It’s been an interesting journey for Hamilton since then. He missed the entirety of his junior season after slicing his Achilles tendon while riding an electric scooter in Austin. That raised questions about whether he would be able to regain his elite speed. But he has gone 122-for-139 in stolen base attempts since making his pro debut last May.

Because of his speed, Hamilton could soon play into the Red Sox’ future plans. Beginning next season, the bases across Major League Baseball will increase in size from 15 to 18 inches square. The league is hopeful that this change will encourage more teams to be more aggressive and steal more bases since the distance between the bases will be reduced by approximately 4.5 inches.

Hamilton, who played in the Arizona Fall League last year, already has experience when it comes to these stolen base. He told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith earlier this month that he does not think the size increase “plays that much into base stealing.”

“The bases aren’t too much bigger to make that big of a difference,” Hamilton said. “I guess close plays, it will make a difference. … I love it, stealing bases. For them to try to bring it back, it’s exciting for me.”

If chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom does envision Hamilton being a part of Boston’s future, the club has a fascinating decision to make regarding the speedster’s role moving forward.

Hamilton can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time later this winter. The Red Sox will have until November 20 to add him — and all other eligible minor-leaguers — to their 40-man roster. If left unprotected, Hamilton would become available to other teams during December’s Rule 5 Draft. His speed could make him an appealing target for rebuilding clubs in search of quickness off the bench.

If Hamilton remains in the Red Sox organization through the winter, he would likely receive an invite to major-league spring training and open the 2023 season with Triple-A Worcester.

(Picture of David Hamilton: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox catching prospect Ronaldo Hernández could receive fourth minor-league option next season

Red Sox catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez was called up from Triple-A Worcester on two separate occasions this season, yet he never got into a game and has yet to make his major-league debut.

Instead, Hernandez spent one day on the big-league roster in late April after Christian Vazquez was briefly placed on the COVID-19 related injured list. He then spent an additional day with the club in early August after Vazquez was traded to the Astros. But he was quickly optioned following the acquisition of Reese McGuire from the White Sox.

When Worcester’s season ended in late September, Hernandez made the trek to Boston and was added to the Red Sox’ taxi squad for their final road trip of the year in Toronto.

Despite not making his impact felt in the majors this season, Hernandez still enjoyed a relatively productive year at the plate in Worcester. The right-handed hitting backstop batted .261/.297/.451 with 27 doubles, 17 home runs, 63 RBIs, 50 runs scored, 21 walks, and 92 strikeouts in 105 games (439 plate appearances) with the WooSox.

From behind the plate, Hernandez logged 577 1/3 innings and threw out 16 of 65 possible base stealers. The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder out of Colombia also allowed 13 passed balls and committed six errors.

Hernandez, who turns 25 next month, was originally acquired from the Rays with minor-league infielder Nick Sogard in a February 2021 trade that sent pitchers Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs to Tampa Bay.

At that time, Hernandez was already a member of the Rays’ 40-man roster after being added in November 2019. His status did not change after being traded, so he has used minor-league options in each of the last three seasons.

Under normal circumstances, players typically receive three minor-league options. As MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith reported earlier this month, though, Hernandez — who did not play above rookie ball until 2018 — is expected to be eligible for a fourth option next year since “he has fewer than five full seasons of pro ball while using three options.”

If Hernandez receives a fourth option like the Red Sox expect him to , they would once again be able to send him to Worcester next season to continue to develop and provide depth. Without that option, Hernandez would need to make Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training if the club did not want to trade him or expose him to waivers.

“The main goal is to be here in the big-leagues,” Hernandez told Smith (through interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez) last weekend. “If they have that option next year, that’s fine. That’s not a big deal for me. My main goal is to keep improving every day and try to be better so I can make it to the big-leagues and stay here. So my focus doesn’t change whether I have the extra option or not.”

Beyond Hernandez, McGuire and Connor Wong are the only other catchers on the Sox’ 40-man roster. During the team’s end-of-season press conference at Fenway Park on Thursday, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom indicated that catcher would be one position group the Red Sox explore making external additions at over the winter.

“This is one of the areas I fully expect that we’re going to explore additions,” Bloom said. “It’s nice to know that we have two guys that are familiar with how we do things, that showed a lot of good things. But we owe it to ourselves and everybody who cares about this team to look to get better and catcher is certainly not going to be an exception to that.”

McGuire and Wong split time behind the plate for the Sox after Vazquez was traded in August and Kevin Plawecki was designated for assignment in late September. Even though they were out of it at that point, Hernandez never received a promotion. As noted by Smith, this reflects that the Red Sox “still feel like he has improvements to make and he’s not in the immediate plans for 2023. ”

Depending on how the offseason plays out, however, Hernandez could solidify his case for an Opening Day roster spot if he is able to impress club officials and put together a strong showing in spring training.

“Obviously, if I can make the team and stay here with Boston, it would be great,” said Hernandez. “That’s what I’m working for. But I can’t focus on things that I can’t control. I’m going to work hard this offseason. I’m going to work hard and improve in all the aspects of my game and we’ll see what happens in spring training. But I’m confident that my skillsets will be good enough to play in the big-leagues.

“And hopefully, it’s with the Red Sox,” he added. “But we’ll see what happens. I can’t control the decisions they are going to make. But the things I can control, which is preparing for next season and preparing to be ready for spring training, that’s what I’ll do.”

Hernandez told Smith that if the Red Sox were to go in a different direction, there would be “a lot of options and a lot of opportunities out there with other organizations.

“I know the type of player that I am,” he said. “I know what I can do. And that’s why I’m not too worried about what’s going to happen in the future.”

(Picture of Ronaldo Hernandez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox relief prospect Jacob Wallace ended his season by posting 1.38 ERA in final 19 appearances for Double-A Portland

In some respects, it was a tale of two seasons for Red Sox relief prospect Jacob Wallace.

After spending the entirety of the 2021 campaign with High-A Greenville, Wallace made the jump to Double-A Portland out of camp earlier this spring. The right-hander got off a tough start while going up more advanced competition, as he posted a 6.75 ERA in the month of April.

By the time the All-Star break arrived in late July, Wallace’s numbers had not improved much. Although he was holding opposing batters to a .191 batting average against, the 24-year-old was struggling with his command and walking nearly 22 percent of the batters he had faced to that point. That led to an ERA of 5.87 and a FIP of 5.96.

Maybe he worked on something or maybe he just took some time off. But whatever Wallace did over the course of the four-day summer break clearly worked.

From July 22 through the end of the regular season, Wallace pitched to a much-improved 1.38 ERA and 4.07 FIP to go along with 30 walks to 17 walks across 19 relief appearances spanning 26 innings of work. The free passes were still an issue to a certain extent, but the righty did manage to lower his walk rate down to 16.3 percent in the second half.

“I started off the year not doing so hot with the control,” Wallace told The Eagle-Tribune’s Mac Cerullo last month. “As much emphasis as there is always with it, I struggled a little bit. I was getting in my own head with my mechanics and beating myself out there, which haltered a good season right out of the gate. But I worked on it all year long and the mechanics kind of clicked, and that’s helped me get better control and keep the walks down.”

A native of Methuen, Mass., Wallace was originally selected by the Rockies in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Connecticut. The following September, the Red Sox acquired the local hurler as the player to be named later in the August 2020 trade that sent veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar to Colorado.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Wallace is described by SoxProspects.com as having “among the best raw stuff for a true relief prospect in the system, with the potential for two plus pitches.” Those two pitches — a high-90s fastball and mid-80s slider — are now complemented by a changeup and a cutter.

“I’m still getting the perfect location on it and trying to get it inside to lefties and away to righties and locating that really well, but overall feeling great throwing it,” Wallace said. “Just pure confidence going into the game knowing if [the catcher] puts down a cutter I’m going to throw it for a strike, swing and miss, whatever I need.”

Wallace, who does not turn 25 until next August, can become Rule 5-eligible this off-season if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November deadline. Assuming he remains in the organization through the winter, it appears likely he will break camp with Triple-A Worcester in the spring.

“I’m going at my pace. I feel like what I’ve learned this year would have been lost on me if I’d just jumped up to Worcester early with a good start,” said Wallace. “I wouldn’t have grown as a player as much as I did this year sticking around in Portland. It’s honestly perfect that I haven’t moved up, and growing as a player down here and being able to really feel comfortable down here and gain that confidence, pitching against the Double-A guys because they’re good enough as it is. But I’m excited for that next step and that’s on the Red Sox to tell me when that’s the case.”

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

Could Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata make his MLB debut next season?

The Red Sox saw their top pitching prospect in Brayan Bello make his major-league debut this season. Could fellow right-hander Bryan Mata be next in line next year?

Bello, who appeared in 13 games and pitched 57 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2022, has graduated from his prospect status. Barring a major surprise, Mata will likely enter the 2023 season ranked by most publications as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Although he has yet to debut for the Sox, Mata has gotten a taste of the big-league lifestyle. The 23-year-old hurler travelled with the club to Toronto as a member of the taxi squad for their final road trip of the season. He threw a bullpen session at Rogers Centre prior to Friday’s game against the Blue Jays.

“His first big-league bullpen,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters, including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, last week.

As The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier previously reported, Mata was unlikely to be added to the 28-man roster since the Red Sox just wanted to familiarize him “with the big-league environment, including pregame pitchers’ meetings that take place in advance of series and games.”

Still, that the Red Sox elected to include Mata in such meetings shows that they think highly of him. Boston originally signed the native Venezuelan for just $25,000 in January 2016. He had already emerged as one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the system before undergoing Tommy John surgery last April.

Upon returning from the procedure earlier this spring, Mata made one start for Low-A Salem and three starts for High-A Greenville before making the jump to Double-A Portland — the level he last pitched at in 2019 — in late June. With the Sea Dogs, he posted a 1.85 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) and strung together 18 consecutive scoreless frames before earning a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late August.

In five starts with the WooSox, Mata pitched to 3.47 ERA and 3.12 FIP with 30 strikeouts to 15 walks over 23 1/3 innings of work. According to Speier, the 6-foot-3, 238-pound righty was operating with a high-90s sinker, a four-seam fastball that reached triple digits, an improving slider, and a whiff-inducing changeup.

While his arsenal is tantalizing, Mata does need to work on throwing more strikes and giving up fewer walks. Though his 29.4 percent strikeout rate remained constant between Portland and Worcester this year, he saw his walk rate rise from 11.7 percent to 14.7 percent after going from Double-A to Triple-A.

“I think the strike-throwing thing is the next step,” Cora said. “He had some good games and some OK games. The stuff will always play. And he’s come a long way since his injury. And we really like his season. He was able to get his innings. We’re really excited. It’s just a matter of we need to be patient. But as far as stuff, he’s really good.”

Mata, who turns 24 in May, is already a member of Boston’s 40-man roster. Because of that, he could be in a position to make his major-league debut at some point next season. There are still some things to iron out, though, and they could determine Mata’s role moving forward. Can he stick as a starter? Or is he better suited for the bullpen? The answer will be revealed soon enough.

(Picture of Bryan Mata: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ J.D. Martinez named co-American League Player of the Week

If that was it for J.D. Martinez’s time with the Red Sox, he certainly ended his tenure in Boston on a high note.

Both Martinez and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge were named co-American League Players of the Week for the week of October 4, Major League Baseball announced earlier Thursday afternoon.

Judge hit his 62nd home run of the year on Tuesday to set a new American League record. Martinez, meanwhile, ended his fifth and possibly final season with the Sox in vintage fashion en route to earning Player of the Week honors for the 10th time in his illustrious career.

The veteran slugger slashed .353/.389/.794 with three doubles, four home runs, seven RBIs, nine runs scored, two walks, and eight strikeouts over his last nine games (36 plate appearances) dating back to September 26. Two of those four homers came in Wednesday’s 6-3 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

On the 2022 campaign as a whole, Martinez slashed .274/.341/.448 to go along with 43 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 62 runs driven in, 76 runs scored, 52 walks, and 145 strikeouts across 139 games spanning 596 trips to the plate.

In some ways, it was a tail of two seasons for Martinez. The right-handed hitting designated hitter posted a respectable .849 OPS in 81 games leading up to the All-Star break. After representing the Red Sox in the Midsummer Classic for the fourth time in five years, Martinez’s second-half debut was delayed by four days due to back spasms.

The 35-year-old returned to Boston’s lineup on July 26. He limped to the finish line from that point forward by slashing just .233/.301/.400 in his final 58 games. Those numbers would look a lot worse had he not picked it up over the last two weeks of the season.

Regardless of how this season played out, though, it’s hard to argue with the overall body of work Martinez put up over the last five years. The five-year, $110 million contract he signed with the Sox in February 2018 will go down as one of the best free-agent deals in franchise history.

Dating back to the start of the 2018 season, when he was first brought in by then-president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to provide the Red Sox with a sizable boost, Martinez made four All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger Awards, and won a World Series. His 130 home runs over the last five seasons are the 15th-most in all of baseball. His .889 OPS is the 12th-highest.

“I think he earned every penny of that contract,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Wednesday. “He was always here. He worked so hard on his craft. I’m glad he had a great day today. We’ll see what the future holds.”

It remains to be seen if Martinez, a pending free-agent, will be back with the Red Sox next season. The native Floridian is open to a reunion himself, though chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. could elect to go in a different direction as far as the future of Boston’s designated hitter role is concerned.

“There’s always a pathway. That’s a Chaim question. My famous line,” Martinez said with a laugh. “That’s a Chaim question and you’ve got to go ask him. There’s always a path. Right now, I’m a free-agent. We’ll see where life takes me.”

(Picture of J.D. Martinez: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

J.D. Martinez homers twice as Red Sox finish off sweep of Rays to close out 2022 season

The Red Sox closed out the 2022 season on Wednesday night by completing a three-game sweep of the Rays. Boston defeated Tampa Bay, 6-3, at Fenway Park to finish the year with a 78-84 record.

With left-hander Josh Fleming starting for the Rays, the Sox drew first blood right away in their half of the first inning. After Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts hit back-to-back one-out singles, Alex Verdugo grounded into a force out at second base.

That put runners at the corners with two outs for J.D. Martinez, who worked a full count before depositing a hanging sinker from Fleming 389 feet into the Red Sox bullpen for a three-run homer that gave his side an early 3-0 lead.

The Rays responded in their half of the third. After giving up a one-out single to Randy Arozarena, Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta served up a two-run home run to Ji-Man Choi that traveled 348 feet over the Green Monster and trimmed Boston’s deficit down to one run at 3-2.

Pivetta, making his 33rd and final start of the season for Boston, lasted just four innings due to a high pitch count of 103 (69 strikes). The right-hander yielded two runs on four hits and three walks to go along with five strikeouts on the night. He finishes the year with an ERA of 4.56 over 179 2/3 innings.

To break it down even further, Pivetta posted a 6.61 ERA in 16 starts against divisional opponents and a 2.95 ERA in 17 starts against all other teams. The 29-year-old hurler did not factor into the decision on Wednesday.

Shortly after Pivetta’s night had ended, Martinez got to Fleming again. This time around, the veteran slugger clubbed a 406-foot solo shot off the lefty that cleared the Green Monster in 4.9 seconds for his second big fly of the game and his 16th of the season.

Taking a 4-2 lead into the fifth, Eduard Bazardo received the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Bazardo worked his way around a leadoff walk and one-out double before handing things over to Matt Strahm, who faced the minimum in the sixth.

Ryan Brasier, meanwhile, recorded the first two outs of the seventh before yielding a 333-foot home run to Vidal Brujan that barely cleared the right field fence. It appeared as though Verdugo had come up with a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch on the other side of the wall, but he failed to come up with the ball cleanly as it wound up landing in the Red Sox bullpen.

Although the Rays again made it a one-run game, John Schreiber kept them off the board in the top of the eighth. The Sox then tacked on some important insurance runs in the bottom half when Triston Casas drew a bases-loaded walk off Jimmy Yacabonis and Christian Arroyo followed by ripping an RBI single to right field that brought in Yu Chang from third.

Now with a three-run lead in hand, Matt Barnes entered in the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning to secure the win and notch his eighth and final save of 2022.

Bogaerts, Martinez receive curtain calls

As Brasier warmed up before the start of the seventh inning, Chang came on to take over for Bogaerts at shortstop. Bogaerts, who is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free-agent this winter, received a standing ovation from the Fenway crowd. He tipped his cap to them as he left the field and was first greeted in front of the Red Sox dugout by Devers, who gave him a hug.

An inning later, Martinez — a pending free-agent himself — was pulled after he stepped up to the plate for what would have been his last at-bat of the season. He, too, received a standing ovation from the crowd and he raised his fist in response as Bogaerts greeted him. Connor Wong pinch-hit for Martinez.

In what might have been their final game as Red Sox teammates, Bogaerts and Martinez each went 2-for-3. Arroyo also enjoyed a multi-hit performance. On the other side of things, Bazardo earned the first win of his big-league career.

The final numbers

As previously mentioned, the Red Sox finish the 2022 campaign with a record of 78-84, good for last place in the American League East. Against divisional opponents specifically, Boston went 26-50. They went 43-38 at home and 35-46 on the road.

(Picture of J.D. Martinez: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)