Tag: alex cora

Red Sox OF prospect Jhostynxon Garcia recognized for productive week with Double-A Portland

Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia was named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week for April 14-20 on Monday.

Garcia, Boston’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, appeared in five of Double-A Portland’s six games on the road against the Hartford Yard Goats this past week. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 9-for-19 (.474) with two doubles, one home run, five RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and two strikeouts.

Batting out of the three-hole in all five games he got into at Hartford’s Dunkin’ Park, Garcia doubled and drove in two runs on Tuesday, recorded three hits and drove in two runs on Wednesday, singled twice on Thursday, sat on Friday, went hitless on Saturday, and homered for the first time this season in Sunday’s series finale.

Through his first 11 games for the Sea Dogs in 2025, Garcia is batting .308/.429/.462 with three doubles, one home run, six RBIs, seven runs scored, two stolen bases, nine walks, and 11 strikeouts over 49 plate appearances. Among 84 qualified Eastern League hitters, he ranks eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in walk rate (18.4 percent) and batting average, 10th in wOBA (412), 12th in OPS (.890) and wRC+ (156), 15th in line-drive rate (28.6 percent), 20th in slugging percentage, 29th in swinging-strike rate (10.1 percent), 32nd in strikeout rate (22.4 percent), and 34th in isolated power (.154), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia has seen all his playing time to this point in the season come in center field. The 6-foot, 215-pounder has logged 99 errorless innings in center for Portland thus far, recording one outfield assist in the process of doing so. He also has past experience in the corners, with MLB Pipeline grading his field tool as a 50 and his arm tool as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Aptly nicknamed “The Password” because of his hard-to-spell first name, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. The San Fernando de Apure native was a lesser-known prospect at this time a year ago, but he put together a breakout 2024 campaign that saw him soar from Low-A all the way to Double-A while clubbing an organizational-leading 23 home runs in 107 games.

Garcia, the older brother of Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia, was added to Boston’s 40-man roster last November to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft and subsequently took part in his first major league camp this spring. Though he was not competing for an Opening Day roster spot, the elder Garcia still had the chance to showcase himself (at the Spring Breakout and Futures at Fenway South games) and impress manager Alex Cora in Fort Myers.

“Good swing,” Cora said of Garcia when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) back in February. “He moves in the outfield, too. He’s a big dude, but he moves. … So he’s impressive.”

Garcia, who does not turn 23 until December, told Smith in camp that his goal for the season was “to have at least a couple of games toward the end of the year in the big leagues.” For as lofty as that may seem, it could become feasible if Garcia continues to produce with Portland and forces his way up to Triple-A Worcester before long.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox prospect Mikey Romero catching eye of Alex Cora in spring training

Before Wednesday afternoon’s Grapefruit League contest against the Rays at JetBlue Park, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked about which prospects outside of The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer have caught his eye so far this spring.

“Mikey Romero, the last three, four days,” Cora quickly responded. “He’s a good player, a really good player. Good at-bats, good defender. Mikey Romero is a good player. We just got to get him healthy. He did everything this offseason to put himself in good shape. He’s a lot stronger now. This is the first time I’ve had a look consistently and I like him as a player. … Good instincts, really good instincts.”

Romero, who turned 21 in January, is not in major-league camp with the Red Sox in Fort Myers but has appeared in three Grapefruit League games thus far. The left-handed hitting infielder has gone 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run scored, and one walk while seeing playing time at second base and shortstop.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School (Calif.), Romero has already endured plenty on and off the field to this point in his professional career. The San Diego forwent his commitment to Louisiana State by signing with Boston for an under-slot $2.3 million and made a positive first impression in his brief pro debut between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem.

Romero’s first full season in the professional ranks was not nearly as memorable. He opened the 2023 campaign on the injured list due to a stress reaction in his lower back that he suffered during spring training and did not return to action until late June. He then spent the better part of the next two months rehabbing with the FCL Red Sox and Salem before being promoted to High-A Greenville in mid-August. Just three games into his first stint with the Drive, however, Romero sustained a stress fracture that cost him the remainder of the year.

Altogether, Romero struggled to a .214/.294/.286 slash line with five doubles, two triples, 13 RBIs, 15 runs scored, two stolen bases, 14 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 34 total games (144 plate appearances) across three levels in 2023. He dropped from No. 6 to No. 16 in Baseball America’s Red Sox prospects rankings heading into 2024, though more pressing issues were at hand for Romero on a personal level.

On Valentine’s Day last year, Romero’s father — Mike Romero — passed away following a lengthy battle with tongue cancer. Mikey Romero then reported to Fort Myers for camp but was sidelined by back spasms and missed roughly the first month of the 2024 season as a result. He completed a three-game rehab assignment in the FCL before re-joining Greenville on May 15. From that point forward, he looked like a different hitter.

Romero consistently lined the ball in the air in the process of batting .271/.312/.509 with 20 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, one stolen base, 16 walks, and 58 strikeouts over 59 games (276 plate appearances) for Greenville. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for July and subsequently received a promotion to Double-A Portland in late August. He then closed out the season by slashing .243/.257/.543 with three doubles, six home runs, 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, two walks, and 25 strikeouts in 16 games (74 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Between the FCL, Greenville, and Portland in 2024, Romero batted .271/.312/.509 with 24 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 53 RBIs, 54 runs scored, one stolen base, 18 walks, and 84 strikeouts over 78 games (362 plate appearances). Among the 31 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 360 trips to the plate last year, Romero most notably ranked second in isolated power (.238), fourth in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.821) and wRC+ (127), and 11th in batting average and wOBA (.366), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Romero saw most of his playing time last season come at either second base or shortstop. With Portland in particular, he made 14 starts at shortstop and just one at second base, committing two errors in 52 total defensive chances. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds but currently weighs in at around 205-207 pounds as he continues to add muscle to his athletic frame.

In addition to shedding light on his strength gains, Romero looked back on a season that netted him 2024 SoxProspects.com Comeback Player of the Year honors when speaking with Rob Bradford on Audacy’s ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ Podcast earlier Wednesday.

“Last year was a really good year for me, finishing at Double-A,” Romero said. “You can look at the stats and see that it was a great year. I think just being healthy, and playing — towards the end of the season — every day, it was great. To get to play for [Iggy Suarez at High-A and Chad Epperson at Double-A], I learned so much. Being with the older guys once I got to Double-A was pretty cool, to just pick their brains and see how they go about their business.”

Romero enters 2025 ranked by Baseball America as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He is projected to break camp with Portland next month and is aiming to carry over the momentum he gained last year into the upcoming season. Simultaneously, he is looking to take advantage of the opportunity he is getting by playing in big-league spring training games for the first time and sharing a dugout with established veterans like Alex Bregman.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said Romero. “Whether I’m starting or whether I’m backing up, coming in in the sixth inning. It’s just cool to be in the same dugout as a lot of these guys. Bregman, just a bunch of these guys. It’s really cool. Getting to see how they go about their business, not only for me playing but also just to be around the caliber of players we have in this clubhouse. It’s pretty cool. I’m taking advantage of it and I’m excited.”

Though the past year has undoubtedly been tough for Romero, he has been able to maintain a positive mindset thanks in part to his faith and the implementation of routines that he expects will keep him healthy. He also got married in November and is looking forward to what lies ahead in both his life and playing career.

“Starting off the year with my dad passing was, obviously, tough on my family, on me,” Romero said. “But I think the Lord was gracious to me. I got to play a full year healthy, I had a pretty damn good year, and to get to the cherry on top I got to marry my now-wife. Going into 2025, there’s no better feeling to have her here with me as well as to be healthy and to be getting spring training reps and just to be around the guys.”

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year

Top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named Baseball America’s 2024 Minor League Player of the Year, the publication announced on Tuesday.

Campbell enjoyed a meteoric rise in his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Georgia Tech. The 22-year-old was not ranked among Boston’s top 30 prospects by Baseball America to open the 2024 campaign and did not draw too much attention as a result.

After adding strength and overhauling his swing to better impact the baseball over the winter, Campbell broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring. The right-handed hitter batted .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for May and was promoted to Double-A Portland in early June.

In his next 56 games for the Sea Dogs, Campbell slashed a stout .362/.463/.582 with 17 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 255 plate appearances. He was named the Eastern League Player of the Week twice (June 10-16, August 5-11) and the Eastern League Player of the Month for June before receiving another promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late August.

With the WooSox, Campbell hit .286/.412/.486 to go along with two doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 17 runs scored, four stolen bases, 13 walks, and 18 strikeouts over 19 games (85 plate appearances). He suffered a left lat strain while running from home to first base on September 11 and was subsequently shut down for the remainder of Worcester’s season.

All told, Campbell finished 2024 with a .330/.439/.558 line in 115 total games (517 plate appearances) between Greenville, Portland, and Worcester. He doubled 32 times, tripled thrice, homered 20 times, drove in 77 runs, scored 94 runs, stole 24 bases, drew 74 walks, and struck out 103 times. His 180 wRC+ was the top mark in the minors this year, per Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes.

On the other side of the ball, Campbell saw playing time at four different positions at all three of his stops this season. The versatile 6-foot-3, 210-pounder logged 310 1/3 cumulative innings at second base, 298 2/3 innings at shortstop, 204 innings in center field, and 44 innings at third base. To that end, he was named the Sea Dogs’ Defensive Player of the Year.

“He’s the kind of guy who bought into the programming, bought into what he felt like he needed to improve and what we provided for him in terms of training and focus,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Campbell when speaking with Pontes. “He added about 15 to 20 pounds of muscle and strength. When we talk about impacting the baseball, that’s a big thing.”

Campbell, who was also named 2024 Eastern League MVP on Tuesday, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 24 prospect in the sport. The Georgia native is joined by fellow Red Sox prospects Roman Anthony (No. 1), Marcelo Mayer (No. 10), Kyle Teel (No. 25), Braden Montgomery (No. 59), and Frankin Arias (No. 92) on Baseball America’s top 100 list.

“It just kind of all clicked at one time and happened this season pretty fast,” Campbell told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I think it caught me off guard and caught some other people off guard, but it’s been cool. It’s been happening fast but in a good way. I had a pretty good season, but it’s just a start. I’ve got to try to do it all again next year and the year after that.”

Campbell, who does not turn 23 until next June, has turned the Red Sox’ Big Three of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel into a Big Four. Unlike Anthony, Mayer, and Teel, though, Campbell hits from the right side of the plate. That distinction could help set him apart once he is deemed ready to contribute at the big-league level, which could come as soon as early 2025.

“It’s going to be interesting how we make it fit,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam) in Toronto on Tuesday. “But (his bat) plays. And like I said before, right-handed hitters at Fenway are needed to create balance and change games. And he’s going to change games.”

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox trade prospect Nick Yorke to Pirates in swap of former first-round picks

The Red Sox once again dipped into their middle infield depth in order to complete a trade with the Pirates on Monday afternoon.

In exchange for right-hander Quinn Priester, Boston traded infield prospect Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh. Yorke becomes the third young infielder to be dealt by the Red Sox in the last three days, joining Eddinson Paulino and Cutter Coffey, who were shipped off to the Blue Jays alongside righty Gilberto Batista for catcher Danny Jansen on Saturday.

Yorke, 22, entered Monday ranked by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitter had batted .310/.408/.490 with eight doubles, six home runs, 19 RBIs, 32 runs scored, six stolen bases, 24 walks, and 32 strikeouts in 38 games (169 plate appearances) for Triple-A Worcester this season after earning a promotion from Double-A Portland in early June.

“He had a great season,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Yorke when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). “He’s a good player but obviously where we’re at roster-wise and within the organization, it’s something we have to take advantage of in a sense.”

Yorke was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 17th overall pick in the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif. The Newport Beach native forwent his commitment to the University of Arizona by signing with Boston for $2.7 million. He made his professional debut the following May and burst onto the scene by slashing .325/.412/.516 with 20 doubles, 14 home runs, and 62 RBIs in 97 games (442 plate appearances) between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville as a 19-year-old in 2021.

After being recognized as the organization’s Minor League Offensive Player of the Year, Yorke came into the 2022 campaign ranked by Baseball America as the No. 31 prospect in the entire sport. However, due to injuries to his toe, back, and wrist, he was limited to just 80 games with Greenville and batted .232/.303/.365 over 373 plate appearances. He subsequently dropped from BA’s top-100 list but had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. He then bounced back to the tune of a .268/.350/.435 slash line in 110 games (506 plate appearances) for Portland in 2023 while playing in the All-Star Futures Game and being named the Sea Dogs’ Most Valuable Player.

Yorke somewhat surprisingly returned to Portland for the start of the 2024 season and batted .251/.325/.366 in 45 games (197 plate appearances) out of the gate. While a .691 OPS is far from eye-popping, Yorke made strides in terms of his swing decisions and hard-hit rate, which led to him making the jump to Worcester on June 5.

In addition to what he did offensively between Portland and Worcester this season, Yorke also played the outfield for the first time in his professional career. Traditionally a second baseman, the 6-foot, 200-pounder made 11 starts in left field for the Sea Dogs and 15 starts in left field with the WooSox, mainly in deference to the rehabbing Vaughn Grissom.

With the likes of Grissom, David Hamilton, Enmanuel Valdez, Chase Meidroth, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell making up a crowded middle infield mix in the upper minors for the Red Sox, Yorke became expendable. The Red Sox took advantage of that and improved an area of weakness (pitching depth) by trading Yorke to the Pirates for Priester.

“In Quinn, we see a young starting pitcher with a ton of potential,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “He throws strikes and misses and keeps the ball on the ground, which is a good place to start when seeking rotation pieces. It hurts to give up a player as talented as Nick, but we saw upper-level middle infielders as an area where we have a lot of good players.”

Yorke, who does not turn 23 until next April, will report to the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, Ind. If he is not called up for his major-league debut by the end of the season, he will need to be added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster this winter in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Richard Fitts impresses in final outing of spring

Red Sox pitching prospect Richard Fitts looked sharp in his final outing of the spring on Tuesday afternoon.

Fitts got the start in the Sox’ exhibition finale against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. The right-hander was tasked with facing plenty of big-league regulars but held his own, scattering just two hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 3 1/3 scoreless innings of work in a winning effort.

Though he kept Texas off the scoreboard, Fitts did deal with his fair share of traffic on the base paths. The 24-year-old gave up a leadoff single to Marcus Semien in the first inning, but stranded him at first. He then worked his way around a one-out double from top Rangers prospect Wyatt Langford in the second and a leadoff walk drawn by Leody Taveras in the third.

Both Langford and Taveras made it as far as third base but failed to advance past there. After the Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, Fitts retired the lone batter he faced in the latter half of the fourth by fanning reigning ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia on six pitches. He was then relieved by Isaiah Campbell, the first of seven bullpen arms used by manager Alex Cora as Boston went on to defeat Texas by a final score of 4-1.

Finishing with 54 pitches (33 strikes), Fitts induced a game-high seven whiffs and was credited with the winning decision. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound righty threw 25 sliders, 20 four-seam fastballs, and nine changeups while averaging 93.9 mph and topping out at 95.8 mph with his heater, according to Baseball Savant.

One of three pitchers acquired from the Yankees in the December trade that sent Alex Verdugo to New York, Fitts is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among arms in the organization behind only Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales. The Alabama native was originally selected by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn and is coming off a 2023 season in which he posted a 3.48 ERA (3.92 FIP) with 163 strikeouts to 43 walks over 27 starts (152 2/3 innings) for New York’s Double-A affiliate.

On the heels of earning Eastern League Pitcher of the Year honors, Fitts was dealt to the Red Sox alongside Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice. Identified by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. as someone who could strengthen an area of need in the minor-league pipeline, Fitts took part in the club’s rookie development program back in January and pitched three innings of relief for Boston in its inaugural Spring Breakout matchup against the Braves at JetBlue Park earlier this month.

With his first-ever big-league spring training start in the books, Fitts will now report to Triple-A Worcester and open the 2024 campaign in the WooSox’ starting rotation. His first start of the season could come as soon as this Sunday, when Worcester wraps up a three-game weekend series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa.

At this point in time, it remains to be seen if Fitts — who does not turn 25 until December — will be able to stick as a starter or ultimately move to the bullpen in the long run. He can nevertheless become Rule 5-eligible for the first time later this year, meaning the Red Sox would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November in order to prevent that from happening.

Based on the early returns, though, Fitts could very well make his major-league debut this season depending on how things shake out for the Red Sox. How he fares with the WooSox out of the gate will certainly be worth monitoring.

(Picture of Richard Fitts: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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’ 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)

Newcomer Mark Contreras hits Red Sox’ first home run of 2024

A newcomer hit the first home run of the spring for the Red Sox in their spring training opener against Northeastern at JetBlue Park on Friday afternoon.

Mark Contreras, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee, belted a go-ahead three-run homer in the third inning of the Sox’ 7-2 victory over the Huskies.

After grounding out to end to the bottom of the first, Contreras — Boston’s three-hole hitter and starting center fielder — stepped back up to the plate with two outs and runners on the corners in the latter half of the third. The left-handed hitter drilled a first-pitch strike from Northeastern reliever Joseph Hauser into the visitor’s bullpen in right field to score both David Hamilton and Nick Yorke.

By crossing home plate himself, Contreras gave the Red Sox their first lead of the day at 4-1. The 29-year-old remained in the game through the fourth inning before being replaced in center field by Allan Castro.

Friday represented a strong first impression for Contreras, who was brought in on a minor-league contract in November after spending the first six years of his professional career in the Twins organization.

“He’s a good player,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Contreras when speaking with reporters (including the Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo). “We recognized him early in the offseason. Good athlete, good baserunner, we just have to make sure he swings at the right ones.”

Contreras, who hails from California, was originally selected by the Twins in the ninth round of the 2017 amateur draft out of UC Riverside. The Moreno Valley native signed with Minnesota for a mere $10,000 that June, but established himself in the pro ranks by taking home a Rawlings MiLB Gold Glove Award in 2019 and earning MiLB.com organizational All-Star honors in 2021.

After getting off to a solid start at Triple-A St. Paul in 2022, Contreras was called up by the Twins for the first time that May. He debuted against the Astros and appeared in a total of 28 games, going 7-for-58 (.121) with one double, three home runs, six RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, one walk, and 21 strikeouts.

Contreras lost his spot on Minnesota’s 40-man roster that December after fellow outfielder Joey Gallo was signed to a one-year deal. He wound up clearing waivers and spending the first four-plus months of the 2023 campaign with St. Paul, where he batted .274/.352/.418 to go along with 17 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 54 RBIs, 52 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, 36 walks, and 99 strikeouts over 90 games (381 plate appearances), before being released by the Twins last August.

Since he has prior major- and minor-league experience at all three outfield positions, Contreras figures to provide the Red Sox with much-needed versatile depth at Triple-A Worcester to begin the 2024 season. The 6-foot, 195-pound speedster also has minor-league options remaining, which could play in his favor if the need arises for outfield help later in the year.

(Picture of Mark Contreras: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)