Tag: 2023 season

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo impresses in 2024 debut for Double-A Portland

The conditions were far from ideal, but Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo still impressed in his 2024 debut for Double-A Portland over the weekend.

Due to a snowstorm hitting southern Maine and blanketing Hadlock Field with snow on Thursday, Portland was forced to postpone its first two games of the season against the Hartford Yard Goats on Friday and Saturday. Thanks to diligent work from the team’s grounds crew, though, the Sea Dogs were able to celebrate Opening Day in front of a crowd of 6,074 on Sunday afternoon.

Bastardo, in turn, rose to the occasion. The 21-year-old right-hander allowed only one earned run on one hit and two walks to go along with three strikeouts over five solid innings of work. That lone run came in the top of the third after Rockies prospect Ryan Ritter drew a leadoff walk, stole two bases, and scored from third on an RBI groundout off the bat of Bladimir Restituyo.

That sequence of events gave the Yard Goats an early 1-0 lead, but Bastardo did not waver. He instead got through the rest of the third inning unscathed and went on to retire the final seven batters he faced before making way for reliever Theo Denlinger in the top half of the sixth.

Finishing with 67 pitches (44 strikes), Bastardo induced seven swings-and-misses. He was later charged with the tough-luck loss as the Sea Dogs fell to the Yard Goats by a final score of 1-0 after being held to just three hits as a team. As such, he is now 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 0.60 WHIP on the young season.

Bastardo, who turns 22 in June, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks seventh among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of the town of Moron in July 2018.

Bastardo first arrived in Portland last August after pitching to a 4.62 ERA (3.82 FIP) with 139 strikeouts to 46 walks over 21 starts (103 1/3 innings) for High-A Greenville. He then made three starts for the Sea Dogs before the 2023 campaign drew to a close, allowing a total of nine earned runs on 12 hits, nine walks, and 10 strikeouts across 16 frames in which he held opposing hitters to a .207 batting average against.

Unlike other intriguing pitching prospects in the system such as Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales, Bastardo was not added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November despite being Rule 5-eligible. He was ultimately passed over in December’s Rule 5 Draft (meaning he could become eligible again this offseason) and now appears set for a key role in Portland’s starting rotation to begin the year.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Bastardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and features a medium leg kick in his delivery. The righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 mph, an 84-88 mph changeup, an 81-84 mph curveball with 11-to-5 break, and an 85-88 mph slider, per his scouting reports from Baseball America and SoxProspects.com.

As is the case with most young arms in the organization, it will be interesting to see if Bastardo can benefit from the revamped pitching infrastructure the Red Sox have begun to implement under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. How he fares this year in regards to improving his command and control could impact how he is viewed (as a starter or future reliever) moving forward.

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

Red Sox prospect Luis Cohen ‘has several traits teams look for in young pitchers’

After two years in rookie ball, Red Sox pitching prospect Luis Cohen has been assigned to Low-A Salem for the start of the 2024 minor-league season.

Cohen originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2022. The Tucacas native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League shortly thereafter, pitching to a 2.89 ERA with 42 strikeouts to 14 walks over 13 appearances (12 starts) spanning 46 2/3 innings of work.

Last summer, Cohen made the jump to the Florida Complex League. The 20-year-old right-hander made a strong first impression in his stateside debut by earning July’s FCL Pitcher of the Month honors. Altogether, he posted a 3.46 ERA with 39 strikeouts to 14 walks in 10 outings (seven starts, 39 innings) for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate.

Among the 48 FCL pitchers who eclipsed the 30-inning threshold in 2023, Cohen ranked 24th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.00), 12th in walks per nine innings (3.23), 16th in strikeout rate (25.3 percent), 15th in walk rate (9.1 percent), 11th in batting average against (.206), sixth in WHIP (1.08), eighth in line-drive rate (15.6 percent), 12th in ERA, eighth in FIP (3.85), and 17th in xFIP (4.56), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot and 172 pounds, Cohen throws from a three-quarters arm slot and has a high leg kick. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 91-93 mph fastball that tops out at 94 mph, a 74-78 mph curveball that has depth, an 80-82 mph slider that has a horizontal break, and an 80-82 mph changeup that shows late fade.

According to that same scouting report, Cohen “has several traits teams look for in young pitchers and has gained velocity and improved each year.” He could also “see his velocity tick up even more and break out in 2024 if he shows consistency with his command and secondary pitches.”

Cohen, who turns 21 late next month, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 38 prospect in Boston’s farm system. That now ranks 16th among pitchers in the organization after the site updated its top 60 list on Thursday.

A projected starter, Cohen is not the lone member of Boston’s 2022 international signing class to make Salem’s Opening Day roster. He is joined by the likes of Denis Reguillo, Johanfran Garcia, Marvin Alcantara, and Natanael Yuten. The Red Sox open their season at home against the Carolina Mudcats on Friday night.

With that being said, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported on Monday that from Double-A down, Red Sox minor-league affiliates will employ six-man rotations with multi-inning relievers behind them this season. In Cohen’s case, Salem has virtually every Monday off this year, so he would be in line to make one start per week and then spend time between his outings conducting “goal-oriented side work” for the sake of his own development.

It is an interesting strategy that stems from the Red Sox overhauling their pitching infrastructure under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and director of pitching Justin Willard, but it is one that could benefit younger arms such as Cohen in the long run.

(Picture of Luis Cohen: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Former Red Sox OF prospect Albertson Asigen signs minor-league deal with White Sox

Former Red Sox outfield prospect Albertson Asigen signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Saturday, per MiLB.com’s transactions log. He has been assigned to Chicago’s Low-A affiliate in Kannapolis, N.C.

Asigen, 22, was released on Wednesday as part of a larger series of minor-league cuts made by the Red Sox. The Dominican Republic native originally signed with Boston for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Puerto Plata in October 2019.

Because the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season, Asigen did not make his professional debut until July 2021. He spent the first two years of his pro career in the Dominican Summer League, batting .297/.397/.402 with seven doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 39 RBIs, 56 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 42 walks, and 55 strikeouts over 77 total games spanning 310 plate appearances.

Last June, Asigen made the jump stateside by opening his 2023 campaign in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. The right-handed hitter appeared in 14 games for Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate, going 14-for-42 (.333) with two doubles, one triple, five RBIs, 12 runs scored, seven stolen bases, six walks, and five strikeouts before receiving a promotion to Low-A Salem in early July.

With the Salem Red Sox, Asigen slashed .318/.436/.434 with five doubles, two triples, two homers, 12 runs driven in, 22 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 24 walks, and 42 strikeouts across 42 games (156 plate appearances). Among the 151 hitters Carolina League hitters who made at least 150 trips to the plate last year, he ranked 20th in walk rate (15.4 percent), second in batting average, third in on-base percentage, 20th in slugging percentage, 10th in OPS (.870), 22nd in speed score (7.6), first in line-drive rate (31 percent), and fourth in wRC+ (153), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Asigen saw playing time at all three outfield positions while with Salem. The stocky, 5-foot-10, 175-pounder logged 170 innings in left, 15 innings in center, and 157 1/3 innings in right. He recorded a total of four outfield assists while committing three errors in 57 defensive chances.

Despite producing relatively strong offensive numbers last season, it is worth noting that — between the FCL and Salem — Asigen posted a .434 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that he may have been the beneficiary of good luck throughout the year. That could have played a role in the Red Sox electing to cut Asigen, though it’s certainly possible he requested to be released in an effort to find more playing time elsewhere.

Asigen, who turns 23 in late August, was never viewed as a top Red Sox prospect but will now look to start anew as a member of the White Sox organization. The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, who also play in the Carolina League, are slated to open their season on Friday. Depending on how things shake out there, it should be interesting to see if Asigen can work his way up to High-A at some point in 2024.

(Picture of Albertson Asigen: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Could Red Sox prospect Christopher Troye make MLB debut this season?

When discussing which prospects could possibly make their major-league debuts for the Red Sox in 2024, Christopher Troye should be among those in the conversation.

Troye, a hard-throwing catcher-turned-reliever, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 34 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 14th among pitchers in the organization. The 25-year-old right-hander was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 12th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of UC Santa Barbara.

A native of California himself, Troye signed with Boston for a slightly under-slot $122,500 and made his professional debut in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. He was, however, limited to just two appearances with the FCL Red Sox before the 2021 season drew to a close.

The start of Troye’s first full season in pro ball was slightly delayed due to an unspecified injury in 2022. He arrived at Low-A Salem from the Fort Myers complex that May and spent the rest of the year with Boston’s Carolina League affiliate, pitching to a 4.86 ERA (3.10 FIP) with 50 strikeouts to 24 walks over 26 relief appearances spanning 33 1/3 innings of work.

Because of those gaudy strikeout numbers, Troye began to garner more attention heading into the 2023 campaign. He broke camp with High-A Greenville last spring and promptly posted a 1.96 ERA (3.46 FIP) with 37 punchouts to nine walks in 14 outings (18 1/3 innings) for the Drive. Around the same time he was named the Red Sox’ Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for May, Troye received a promotion to Double-A Portland.

To start things off with the Sea Dogs, Troye produced a 4.63 ERA (2.85 FIP) with 22 strikeouts to 13 walks across his first 10 appearances (11 2/3 innings) through July 3. He then spent nearly three weeks on the injured list before returning to action on July 22. From that point forward, he forged a 3.26 ERA (2.86 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in his final 14 relief outings (19 1/3 innings) of the year.

Altogether, Troye went 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA (3.08 FIP) and 87 strikeouts to 36 walks in 38 total appearances (49 1/3 innings) between Greenville and Portland last season. Among the 59 Red Sox minor-leaguers who accrued more than 40 innings on the mound, Troye led the way in both strikeouts per nine innings (15.87) and strikeout rate (39.5 percent). He also ranked second in batting average against (.169), 13th in swinging-strike rate (15.8 percent), eighth in ERA, third in FIP, and fifth in xFIP (3.33), per FanGraphs.

Shortly after the minor-league season, Troye joined seven other Red Sox prospects in heading out west and taking part in the Arizona Fall League. He made eight appearances for the Glendale Desert Dogs, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits, six walks, and 11 strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings. Though that translates to a 6.23 ERA, it is worth noting that five of those six runs were surrendered in a single outing back in early October.

Fast forward more than five months later, and Troye — who turned 25 in February — has undoubtedly established himself as one of the more intriguing relief prospects in the organization. That much was made evident when he was included on the Red Sox’ first-ever Spring Breakout roster. And even though he did not pitch in the actual showcase against the Braves at JetBlue Park last Saturday, SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall said on the NESN broadcast that afternoon that he could see Troye or fellow righty Luis Guerrero reaching the majors at some point this season.

Troye, like Guerrero, possesses tantalizing yet raw stuff. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-95 mph fastball that tops out at 98 mph, an 82-85 mph curveball, and an 88-91 mph cutter. His heater “has among the highest [induced vertical break] in the system and shows plus carry up in the zone,” according to his recently-updated SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Even if Troye, who is expected to break camp with Portland next month, were not to make his big-league debut in 2024, this season can be considered important for other reasons. Troye, like other college draftees from 2021, can become Rule 5 eligible for the first time in his career this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November.

There is still plenty of time between now and then, but Troye could put himself on a similar track to Ryan Fernandez, who was left unprotected by the Red Sox and then scooped up by the Cardinals with the sixth overall pick in December’s Rule 5 Draft. As of now, it appears as though Fernandez is slated to make St. Louis’ Opening Day roster as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.

Troye, meanwhile, already has the kind of velocity that can play at the next level. It is now just a matter of him improving his command of the strike zone while also harnessing his arsenal in order to further develop and elevate his profile. With that being said, Troye does an impressive job documenting his journey through pro ball on X/Twitter as well as Instagram.

(Picture of Christopher Troye: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Eduardo Lopez homers on first pitch he sees this spring

Over the weekend, Red Sox outfield prospect Eduardo Lope left a strong impression by homering in his first at-bat of the spring.

Called up from minor-league camp for Sunday’s split-squad Grapefruit League contest against the Yankees at JetBlue Park, Lopez came into the game in the top half of the sixth inning as a defensive replacement for starting left fielder Jarren Duran.

An inning and a half later, Lopez stepped up to the plate for the first time to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Hitting from the left side, the switch-hitting 21-year-old wasted little time introducing himself to Yankees pitching prospect Clayton Beeter, as he promptly drilled the first pitch he saw from the righty over the visitor’s bullpen in deep right field for his first-ever home run in a major-league spring training game.

By going deep in his first and only plate appearance of the afternoon, Lopez gave the Red Sox a commanding nine-run lead as they went on to defeat the Yankees by a final score of 12-6.

Unlike other minor-leaguers who have made cameos for the Sox in Grapefruit League action this spring, Lopez is not currently viewed as one of the premier prospects in the organization. The Dominican Republic native was Boston’s top international signing in 2018, as he received a $1.15 million bonus to go pro that July. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and showed signs of promise there but has not yet lived up to his potential.

That, in part, is due to how often Lopez has been injured. The 2020 minor-league season being wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic certainly did not help things, but Lopez has been hindered by different issues since making his stateside debut three years ago. He was limited to just 11 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021 “due to an unspecified injury that may have been to his left hand/wrist,” according to SoxProspects.com. He returned to Salem in 2022 but made three separate trips to the injured list altogether there.

Last season actually represented a breakthrough of sorts for Lopez as he played in a career-high 79 games at High-A Greenville. In those 79 games, he held his own by batting .261/.356/.384 with 16 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 45 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 42 walks, and 81 strikeouts over 315 plate appearances for the Drive before being shut down in early September.

Though his offensive production tapered off to some degree in the second half, it was nonetheless a solid 2023 season for Lopez. Among those in the South Atlantic League who made at least 300 trips to the plate last year, Lopez ranked 15th in walk rate (13.3 percent), 19th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, 35th in OPS (.740), 28th in line-drive rate (20.8 percent), 36th in swinging-strike rate (12.6 percent), and 33rd in wRC+ (107), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, as he has throughout his career, Lopez saw playing time at all three outfield positions while with Greenville. The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder logged 147 innings in left, 218 2/3 innings in center, and 229 innings in right while committing a total of three errors in 130 chances. He also made one start at first base last July, which is something he had never done before then.

Lopez, who turns 22 in May, is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Double-A Portland for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. With that being said, it may be tough for Lopez to find at-bats if he is behind the likes of Roman Anthony, Corey Rosier, Phillip Sikes, and others on the Sea Dogs’ outfield depth chart to open the year.

(Picture of Eduardo Lopez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Nick Yorke likely to see playing time in outfield this season

The Red Sox optioned two players and reassigned eight non-roster invitees to minor-league camp on Monday. Chief among them was infield prospect Nick Yorke.

Taking part in his second big-league camp, Yorke appeared in 15 Grapefruit League games for Boston this spring. The right-handed hitting 21-year-old went just 2-for-22 (.091) with a pair of singles, three walks, and seven strikeouts. He did, however, go 2-for-2 with a double and RBI in this past Saturday’s Spring Breakout showcase against the Braves at JetBlue Park.

“He didn’t do much offensively,” manager Alex Cora said of Yorke when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) on Monday. “It felt like he was in between the whole camp. He didn’t get too many opportunities because of lack of versatility. He played great at second base. The times he was on the bases, good instincts.

“But the offensive side of it, that was his ticket when he got drafted — he’s going to be an offensive middle infielder,” Cora added. “And we’ve got to get back to that. I think now, slow things down, go do your work wherever he starts. PD (player development), they’ll determine that. Get his at-bats and get back to the hitter the organization envisioned when they drafted him in ‘20.”

Yorke was, of course, originally selected by the Red Sox in the first round (17th overall pick) of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. The California native came into the spring ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system after bouncing back from an injury-riddled 2022 at High-A Greenville and batting .268/.350/.435 with 25 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs, 61 RBIs, 74 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 51 walks, and 122 strikeouts in 110 games (506 plate appearances) with Double-A Portland last year.

Though his production dipped to some degree in the second half, Yorke represented the Red Sox at last July’s All-Star Futures Game in Seattle and was later named the Sea Dogs’ 2023 Most Valuable Player. He is now considered by Baseball America to be the best hitter for average in Boston’s farm system, though he struggled to put those bat-to-ball skills on display this spring.

As noted by the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Red Sox will use the rest of spring training to determine if Yorke — who turns 22 next month — will return to Portland or make the jump to Triple-A Worcester for the start of the 2024 minor-league campaign. They will also dispatch the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder at other positions besides second base throughout the season in an effort to add to his defensive versatility.

“I was just talking to Abes (director of player development Brian Abraham). I think they are going to introduce him to left field,” Cora said. “He’s a good athlete. Big, strong and he moves well. He moves really well. So they are probably going to try to do that.”

Yorke, who has been used exclusively as a second baseman since entering the professional ranks, began taking reps in the outfield earlier in camp but saw all of his playing time in games this spring come at either second or DH. He told The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham last month that he hasn’t played outfield since eighth grade but was “happy to give it a shot.”

“I was always an outfielder until I got to high school,” said Yorke. “I never touched the infield until then. I was one of the more athletic kids and they put me there and the rest is history.”

Regardless of where he plays or what level he starts out at, though, Yorke is entering a pivotal season for his development in that he can become Rule 5 eligible for the first time later this year. As such, the Red Sox are surely planning on using these next few months to determine if Yorke, who needs to be added to the 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November, is in their future plans or not.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox catching prospect Ronald Rosario a late addition to Boston’s Spring Breakout roster

Ronald Rosario was a late addition to the Red Sox’ roster for Saturday’s inaugural Spring Breakout showcase against the Braves at JetBlue Park.

As a result of fellow catching prospect Brooks Brannon being removed from the roster for an undisclosed reason, Rosario was officially added to Boston’s roster on Thursday, per his MiLB.com player profile page. The 21-year-old did not get into the game itself on Saturday, with Kyle Teel and Johanfran Garcia handling things behind the plate in the seven-inning exhibition, but it was surely a nice distinction for a lesser-known minor-leaguer such as Rosario.

Unlike Brannon, Teel, Garcia, and Nathan Hickey (who started at DH on Saturday), Rosario is not regarded by outlets such as SoxProspects.com as one of the top catching prospects in Boston’s farm system. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $50,000 as an international free agent coming out of Palo Negro in July 2019 and was sparingly used after making his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League two years later.

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the 2020 minor-league campaign, Rosario appeared in just six Dominican Summer League games as an 18-year-old in 2021. He saw more playing time the following season in the Florida Complex League, but was still limited to 20 games and 51 plate appearances with Boston’s Fort Myers-based affiliate.

It was not until last season that Rosario began to establish himself as more of a regular. The right-handed hitter broke camp last spring as Low-A Salem’s Opening Day catcher and batted .250/.389/.429 with five doubles, one triple, one home run, 11 RBIs, 10 runs scored, 12 walks, and 22 strikeouts over his first 17 games (72 plate appearances) before earning a promotion to High-A Greenville in early May.

With Greenville, Rosario slashed .260/.344/.377 with 12 doubles, two triples, three homers, 33 runs driven in, 35 runs scored, one stolen base, 27 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 62 games (247 plate appearances) to close out the regular season. He then capped off a strong playoff run by clubbing the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning (and catching the final out) of the Drive’s South Atlantic League title-clinching victory over the Hudson Valley Renegades at Fluor Field on September 19.

All told, Rosario produced at a .258/.354/.388 clip (108 wRC+) with 17 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 44 RBIs, 45 runs scored, one stolen base, 39 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 79 total regular season games (319 plate appearances) between Salem and Greenville last year. Defensively, the 6-foot, 175-pound backstop logged 610 2/3 innings behind the plate in 2023 and threw out 30 of 160 possible base stealers while allowing 14 passed balls and committing 19 errors.

As highlighted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Rosario can best be described as a “fringe-average” defender who “doesn’t have the softest hands and can be error prone.” Last June, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote that Rosario “is a good receiver/framer with a 40 arm and ground game.”

Given that he is prone to making mistakes behind the plate, one has to wonder if a position change could be in store for Rosario at some point. He got into eight games as a first baseman for the FCL Red Sox in 2022, but would really need to hit in order to stick there moving forward.

Rosario, who just turned 21 in January, is expected to return to Greenville for the start of the upcoming 2024 minor-league season. Depending on how he fares in his second stint with the Drive, he could put himself in position to make the jump to Double-A Portland before year’s end.

(Picture of Ronald Rosario: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

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)

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)