Tag: Baseball

Red Sox officially call up Brayan Bello ahead of top prospect’s MLB debut, designate Hansel Robles for assignment

The Red Sox have officially called up top pitching prospect Brayan Bello from Triple-A Worcester. In order to make room for Bello on the 26-man roster, veteran reliever Hansel Robles was designated for assignment, the club announced Wednesday.

Bello will make his major-league debut in Wednesday night’s series finale against the Rays at Fenway Park. He will become the second Red Sox pitching prospect to make his first career start this season, joining fellow right-hander Josh Winckowski in doing so.

Regarded by Baseball America as the No. 1 pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 44 prospect in all of baseball, Bello has posted a 2.33 ERA and 2.88 FIP to go along with 114 strikeouts to 33 walks over 15 appearances (14 starts) and 85 innings between Double-A Portland and Worcester this season.

The 23-year-old out of the Dominican Republic works with a four- and two-seam fastball, a devastating changeup, and a slider. He will wear the No. 66 and become the first Red Sox player to do so since Brandon Brennan last year.

To put it simply, there is plenty of hype surrounding Bello’s debut. That being said, it seems likely that his first stint in the majors will be a short one, as he could be optioned back down to the WooSox immediately following Wednesday’s contest with the Rays.

As for Robles, his designation was first reported by the Boston Sports Journal’s Sean McAdam on Tuesday night. The 31-year-old righty lost his spot on Boston’s roster after pitching to a 5.84 ERA (5.75 FIP) with 21 strikeouts to 14 walks across 26 appearances (24 2/3 innings) in his first full season with the club.

The Sox now have the next seven days to either trade, release, or waive Robles, who has the right to refuse an outright assignment to the minor-leagues in favor of free agency if he clears waivers. In that scenario, the Red Sox would then be on the hook for the rest of Robles’ 2022 salary.

By designating Robles for assignment, not only did the Red Sox open a spot on their 26-man roster for Bello, but they also cleared a spot on their 40-man roster — which now sits at 39 players — as well.

That open spot will eventually be needed when Chris Sale is activated from the 60-day injured list, though Boston could do something else with it in the meantime.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Ceddanne Rafaela to represent Red Sox in All-Star Futures Game

Ceddanne Rafaela will represent the Red Sox in the All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium later this month, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Full rosters for the American and National League squads will be revealed on Thursday, but eight participants — including Rafaela — were unveiled earlier Wednesday morning on MLB Network Radio.

Rafaela, 21, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the 22nd-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally signed the versatile infielder/outfielder for just $10,000 as an international free-agent coming out of Curacao in July 2017.

After earning Minor League Defensive Player of the Year honors within the organization in 2021, Rafaela began the 2022 campaign at High-A Greenville. In 45 games with the Drive, the speedy right-handed hitter batted a stout .330/.368/.594 (155 wRC+) with 17 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 36 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 10 walks, and 51 strikeouts over 209 plate appearances. He even hit for the cycle on May 17.

That level of production at High-A earned Rafaela a promotion to Double-A Portland on June 7. Since then, the Willemstad native has slashed .278/.333/.578 (143 wRC+) with five doubles, two triples, six homers, 18 RBIs, 14 runs scored, three stolen bases, five walks, and 20 strikeouts in his first 23 games (100 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs.

Listed at 5-foot-8 and 152 pounds, Rafaela has experience at all three outfield positions and every infield position besides first base. This season alone between Greenville and Portland, he has seen playing time at second base, third base, and (primarily) center field.

Rafaela, who turns 22 in September, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the second time in his career this winter. And, unlike last year, he now appears to be a slam dunk to be added to Boston’s 40-man roster in order to receive Rule 5 protection.

While Rafaela may not be alone in representing the Red Sox at the All-Star Futures Game, he will definitely be heading to Los Angeles on July 16 to participate in the seven-inning showcase.

(Picture of Ceddanne Rafaela: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox designate Hansel Robles for assignment

The Red Sox have designated veteran reliever Hansel Robles for assignment, according to Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal.

By designating Robles for assignment, Boston has created an opening on its 26-man roster for top pitching prospect Brayan Bello, who will be called up from Triple-A Worcester and make his major-league debut against the Rays on Wednesday.

The move also creates an opening on the Sox’ 40-man roster, which now sits at 39 players. They could opt to save that spot for Chris Sale, who is currently on the 60-day injured list but is expected to be activated next week, or they could use it on a non-40-man player in the meantime.

As for Robles, the 31-year-old right-hander originally joined the Red Sox after coming over from the Twins at last year’s trade deadline. He quickly earned the trust of manager Alex Cora during Boston’s postseason run and re-joined the club on a minor-league deal back in March.

By making the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster out of spring training, Robles ensured that he would earn $2.25 million in guaranteed money this year. The Dominican-born hurler got his first full season in Boston off to a solid start by posting a 0.93 ERA in April.

Since the calendar flipped to May, however, Robles began to struggle while seeing his fastball velocity dip. He allowed one run in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s loss to Tampa Bay and now owns a 5.84 ERA over 26 appearances (24 2/3 innings) this season.

The Sox will have the next seven days to either trade, waive, or release Robles. If claimed by another club, that team would then be on the hook for the remainder of his 2022 salary. If he goes unclaimed, Robles would then be able to refuse an outright assignment to the minor-leagues and become a free-agent instead.

At that point, another team could sign Robles for the rest of the season for league minimum while the Red Sox would still be responsible for the rest of his salary. Either way you look at it, it appears that Robles’ time with Boston has come to an end.

(Picture of Hansel Robles: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Nick Pivetta gives up season-high 7 runs as Red Sox fall to Rays, 8-4

The Red Sox saw their mini two-game winning streak come to an end on a rainy Tuesday night with an 8-4 loss at the hands of the Rays at Fenway Park.

Nick Pivetta, making his 17th start of the season for Boston, struggled for the first time in a a while. Over 5 2/3 innings of work, the right-hander allowed a season-high seven earned runs on eight hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with just four strikeouts on the night.

Three of those seven runs came right away in the first inning, as Pivetta allowed the first three batters of the game to reach base before giving up a bases-clearing, three-run double to Kevin Kiermaier with one out. He escaped any further damage by getting Taylor Walls to line into an inning-ending double play.

Despite falling behind by three runs before taking their first at-bats, the Red Sox did not back down to the Rays. Matched up against old friend Jeffrey Springs, J.D. Martinez accounted for Boston’s first hit of the night on a two-out double in the bottom of the first. Moments later, Xander Bogaerts crushed a 413-foot two-run home run to dead centerfield off his former teammate to account for his side’s first two runs.

Bogaerts’ seventh home run of the season — and first in more than a month — left his bat at 103.9 mph and cut the Sox’ deficit down to one run at 3-2. In the bottom of the second, Trevor Story led things off by clubbing his 14th homer of the year — a 383-foot solo shot over the Green Monster that knotted the game up at 3-3.

Pivetta, meanwhile, was able to settle into his outing by stringing together four consecutive scoreless frames before running into more trouble in the sixth. There, he issued a leadoff walk to Wander Franco, who later scored on an RBI force out off the bat of Kiermaier that broke the 3-3 tie. After Randy Arozarena doubled to put runners at second and third, Walls drove in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly and Rene Pinto plated another on an infield single that was aided by some quality baserunning from Arozarena.

Pinto would prove to be the final batter Pivetta would face as he was got the hook from Sox manager Alex Cora. Jake Diekman relieved Pivetta and officially closed the book on the righty’s night by allowing the runner he inherited to score before ending things in the sixth.

Of the 85 pitches Pivetta threw on Tuesday, 56 went for strikes and only five of those were swing-and-miss inducing. The 29-year-old hurler was also charged with his sixth loss of the season as his ERA now sits at 3.68.

Moments before Pivetta took the mound in the sixth, the Red Sox had a golden opportunity to take their first lead of the night in the fifth. With Ryan Thompson now in the game for Tampa Bay, Rob Refsnyder and Martinez led off with a single and double to put runners at second and third with no outs. But neither runner was able to advance as Bogaerts grounded out, Christian Vazquez popped out, and Trevor Story struck out.

Hansel Robles was next out of the Boston bullpen in the seventh. His recent struggles only persisted as he walked two and gave up one run on an Isaac Paredes RBI single.

In the latter half of the seventh, the Sox were able to get that run back when Jarren Duran led off with a double and eventually scored on a Bogaerts sacrifice fly to cut Tampa Bay’s lead down to four runs at 8-4.

Tyler Danish held the Rays at eight runs by tossing a pair of scoreless innings, meaning the Red Sox were still trailing by four going into their half of the ninth. Duran and Refsnyder led off with back-to-back singles off Jason Adam. Adam followed that sequence by fanning Martinez and Bogaerts. Vazquez was then struck by a changeup to load the bases for Story.

Story, representing the potential tying run, popped out to Franco to end the game and ensure that Boston would go just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position while leaving 11 runners on base as a team.

With the loss, the Red Sox wrap up the first half of the 2022 season with a record of 45-36. They also fall to 9-17 against the American League East this year.

Next up: Bello Day

In the rubber match of this three-game set on Wednesday, it will be Brayan Bello making his first career start for the Red Sox. The 23-year-old right-hander is regarded by Baseball America as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system.

On the other side of things, the Rays will counter with a seasoned veteran in right-hander Corey Kluber. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Nick Pivetta: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox ‘hopeful’ that Michael Wacha (heavy arm) will be able to start against Yankees on Friday

The Red Sox are hopeful that Michael Wacha will be able to start against the Yankees on Friday night, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) prior to Tuesday’s contest with the Rays at Fenway Park.

Wacha was originally slated to make his 14th start of the season for Boston on Monday. But the veteran right-hander was instead scratched the night before due to what the team described as a “heavy arm.” Austin Davis started in his place.

On the heels of his latest outing against the Blue Jays in Toronto on June 28, Wacha first began complaining of “a heavy, tired feeling” in his throwing arm on Sunday. While that feeling resulted in him missing a start, it does not appear as though it will require a stint on the 15-day injured list.

The 31-year-old hurler previously spent 12 days on the injured list back in May due to left intercostal irritation. With the Red Sox this season, he has posted a 2.69 ERA and 3.97 FIP with 50 strikeouts to 22 walks over 70 1/3 innings of work.

If Wacha can indeed go on Friday, he would be opposed by left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. of the Yankees in the second game of a four-game weekend series in Boston.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Luis De La Rosa named Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Luis De La Rosa has been named the Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 27 – July 3, Minor League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

In two starts against the FCL Braves and FCL Twins at JetBlue Park on June 27 and July 2, De La Rosa did not allow a run over 8 1/3 combined innings of work. The right-hander struck out 15 of the 34 batters he faced while issuing two hits, four walks, and hitting three.

On the 2022 season as a whole, De La Rosa has posted a 1.26 ERA and 3.72 FIP to go along with 20 strikeouts to nine walks across four appearances (three starts) spanning 14 1/3 innings for the Sox’ rookie-level affiliate.

Among 100 FCL pitchers who have accrued at least 10 innings on the mound this year, De La Rosa ranks 20th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.56), 13th in strikeout rate (33.3%), 24th in swinging strike rate (34.6%), fifth in batting average against (.104), 24th in WHIP (0.98), and 12th in ERA, per FanGraphs.

De La Rosa, who turns 20 on Wednesday, was one of three players to be named later the Red Sox acquired from both the Mets and Royals as part of the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City last February.

Originally signed by the Royals as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018, De La Rosa did not make his Red Sox organizational debut until June 29 of last season. Since then, the Santo Domingo native owns a 2.41 ERA in 12 outings (eight starts) in the Florida Complex League.

While not regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system, De La Rosa does operate with a four-pitch mix that consists of an 89-91 mph fastball that tops out in the low-90s, a 77-79 mph curveball, an 83-86 mph changeup, and a slider, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds with more room to grow, De La Rosa can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this winter. The odds of him being left unprotected and scooped up by another team are likely slim, but it should be interesting to see if the righty can work his way to Low-A Salem before season’s end.

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

Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer earns Carolina League Player of the Week honors

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for the week of June 27 – July 3, Minor League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

In Low-A Salem’s last series on the road against the Lynchburg Hillcats, Mayer went 10-for-23 (.435) across five games with five doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, seven runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and six strikeouts. On the 2022 season as a whole, the left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing a robust .291/.376/.522 with 21 doubles, seven homers, 29 runs driven in, 32 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 25 walks, and 58 strikeouts over 44 games spanning 210 trips to the plate.

Among qualified Carolina League hitters, Mayer ranks eighth in batting average, 10th in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.898), fifth in isolated power (.231), and third in wRC+ (145), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Mayer has unsurprisingly seen all his playing time on the field this season come at shortstop. The 6-foot-3, 190 pounder has logged 336 1/3 innings at the position and has committed a total of six errors.

Mayer, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the California-born infielder with the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista.

As encouraging as Mayer’s first full season in pro ball has been thus far, it has not come without its bumps. A sprained right wrist required a stint on Salem’s 7-day injured list and resulted in Mayer being limited to just five games in the month of May.

Since returning from the IL on May 30, though, Mayer has posted a .903 OPS over his last 27 games. He also becomes the third consecutive Red Sox prospect to earn Carolina League Player of the Week honors, joining the likes of Niko Kavadas (now in Greenville) and Blaze Jordan.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox top pitching prospect Brayan Bello to make first career start on Wednesday

Brayan Bello has been informed that he will start for the Red Sox on Wednesday, per MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison.

After Rich Hill suffered a left knee sprain in his start against the Cubs on Friday and was subsequently placed on the 15-day injured list as a result, the Red Sox found themselves in need of a starter for Wednesday night’s contest against the Rays at Fenway Park.

It just so happens that Bello also made his last start for Triple-A Worcester on Friday and would therefore be slated to work on regular rest. With Chris Sale set to make a rehab start for the WooSox at Polar Park on Wednesday, Bello became the clear choice.

Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic for a modest $28,000 in July 2017, Bello is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 44 prospect in all of baseball.

The 23-year-old right-hander began the 2022 season with Double-A Portland before earning a promotion to Worcester on May 17. Since then, he has posted a 2.81 ERA and 2.68 FIP with 72 strikeouts to 21 walks over nine appearances (eight starts) spanning 51 1/3 innings of work for the WooSox.

In his last time out against the Rochester Red Wings at Frontier Field on July 1, Bello scattered two hits and three walks while fanning eight over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Forty-nine of the 84 pitches he threw went for strikes and 15 were of the swing-and-miss variety.

Among International League pitchers who have accrued at least 50 innings this year, Bello — as of Monday — ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.62), second in strikeout rate (34.4%), first in swinging strike rate (16.2%), eighth in batting average against (.207), 11th in WHIP (1.17), fifth in ERA, second in FIP, and first in xFIP (2.64), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Bello throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 97-98 mph four-seam fastball that tops out at 99 mph, a two-seam fastball that typically sits in the mid-90s, an 87-89 mph changeup, and an 83-86 mph slider, according to his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Bello, who does not turn 24 until next May, is already a member of the Red Sox’ 40-man roster; though the club will have to make a corresponding move of some sort to add the hard-throwing righty to the active roster, likely by optioning another pitcher to Worcester on Wednesday.

That being said, Bello will become the third player and second pitcher to make his major-league debut for Boston so far this season, joining the likes of Jeter Downs and fellow hurler Josh Winckowski.

At this time, it remains to be seen how long Bello’s first stint in the majors will last. Regardless of that, though, there will be plenty of hype surrounding Bello when he takes the mound at Fenway Park for the first time just after 7:10 p.m. eastern time on Wednesday evening.

(Picture of Brayan Bello: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox infield prospect Lyonell James off to hot start in Florida Complex League

Red Sox infield prospect Lyonell James had a productive day at the plate while leading the club’s Florida Complex League affiliate to an 8-6 win over the FCL Orioles at JetBlue Park on Monday afternoon.

Batting ninth and starting at first base, James went 2-for-3 with a three-run double, a walk, and one run scored. The right-handed hitter is now batting .429/.529/.595 to go along with five doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs, seven runs scored, eight walks, and four strikeouts through 14 games (51 plate appearances) this season.

Among FCL hitters who have made at least 50 trips to the plate this year, James ranks first in batting average, second in on-base percentage, fifth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (1.125), fifth in strikeout rate (7.8%), 25th in walk rate (15.7%), and first in wRC+ (207), per FanGraphs.

The younger brother of prospect Axel James, Lyonell is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 56th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally signed the 19-year-old for $440,000 as an international free-agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2019.

At that time, Baseball America’s Ben Badler noted that James “stood out for his offensive upside. He uses his hands well at the plate, whipping his barrel through the zone with quick, snappy wrists to generate fast bat speed. Those wrists and hand-eye coordination help him put the ball in play with doubles power that should tick up given his hand speed and physical projection. James is an offensive-minded player with a chance to play third base, where he has solid hands and an average arm.”

That being said, James has seen the majority of his playing time this season come at third base. The 6-foot-3, 165 pounder has logged 99 innings at the hot corner and just 17 innings at first base following Monday’s action.

Considering that he does not turn 20 until October and has plenty of projection left, it’s certainly possible James spends the majority — if not the entirety — of the 2022 season at the complex in Fort Myers. Of course, there is always a chance he could earn a promotion to Low-A Salem at some point this year, particularly on the other side of the draft later this month.

In the meantime, though, James and the FCL Red Sox will take on the FCL Orioles squad in Sarasota beginning at noon on Tuesday.

(Picture of Lyonell James: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote speedy outfield prospect Phillip Sikes to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Phillip Sikes from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, per the team’s minor-league transactions log.

Sikes made his debut for the Drive in their game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Monday night and went 1-for-4 with a single and strikeout. The 23-year-old was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of last summer’s draft out of Texas Christian University.

After signing with Boston for $97,500 last July, Sikes began his first full professional season in Salem. In 50 games with the Red Sox, the right-handed hitting speedster batted .258/.390/.516 (150 wRC+) to go along with 18 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 28 RBIs, 36 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 28 walks, and 55 strikeouts over 195 plate appearances.

He was sidelined for approximately 10 days (June 16-25) due to an undisclosed injury, but made his impact felt upon his return to Salem’s lineup by slashing a stout .385/.462/.846 in his last six games leading up to Monday’s promotion.

Among Carolina League hitters who have made at least 190 trips to the plate this season, Sikes ranks 17th in walk rate (14.4%), eighth in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.905), third in isolated power (.258), second in speed score (9.1), and fourth in wRC+ (150), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Sikes started in right field while making his debut for Greenville on Monday. With Salem, the 6-foot-2, 190 pounder logged 102 2/3 innings in left field, 226 innings in center, and 72 innings in right. He also made two scoreless appearances as a pitcher.

Sikes, who does not turn 24 until next April, is not yet regarded by any major publication as one of the top outfield prospects in the Red Sox’ farm system. That being said, the native Texan has gotten his professional career off to a solid start and should figure to spend the rest of the 2022 campaign in Greenville.

On that note, Sikes becomes the latest member of Boston’s 2021 draft class to suit up for the Drive so far this season, as he joins the likes of Tyler McDonough, Nathan Hickey, Wyatt Olds, Niko Kavadas, and Jacob Webb.

(Picture of Phillip Sikes via the Salem Red Sox)