Tag: Baseball

Red Sox outfield prospect Devlin Granberg leading off in debut for Triple-A Worcester

Devlin Granberg will bat leadoff and start in right field in his Triple-A debut for the Worcester Red Sox Friday night at Polar Park.

The Red Sox assigned Granberg to Worcester from Double-A Portland on Thursday. However, SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield noted that this might not necessarily be a promotion for the 26-year-old and instead a temporary move since the WooSox have a thin outfield with both Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder on Boston’s big-league roster.

Regardless of that, Granberg has had a fine season with the Sea Dogs to this point and one that is worthy of a promotion. In 40 games for Portland, the right-handed hitting outfielder slashed .304/.427/.467 with 11 doubles, four triples, one home run, 10 RBIs, 25 runs scored, four stolen bases, 20 walks, and 22 strikeouts over 164 plate appearances. He has not played since June 4 due to an unspecified injury that led to him being placed on the 7-day injured list.

Among qualified Eastern League hitters, Granberg ranks 23rd in walk rate (12.2%), first in strikeout rate (13.4%), fifth in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, 20th in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.893), 17th in speed score (7.1), and seventh in wRC+ (154), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Granberg has seen all his playing time this season come in the outfield. The 6-foot-2, 225 pounder has logged 35 innings in left field and 268 1/3 innings in center field. He also has prior experience at first base and unsurprisingly in right field.

The Red Sox originally selected Granberg in the sixth round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Dallas Baptist University. The Colorado native signed with the club for only $40,000 and is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the 56th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Granberg, who turns 27 in September, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this winter if he is not added to the Sox’ 40-man roster by the November deadline. An extended look at Triple-A could help with determining his future value moving forward.

(Picture of Devlin Granberg: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox go 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position, fail to finish off sweep of Athletics in 4-3 loss

The Red Sox were unable to complete their three-game sweep of the Athletics at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon. Boston instead fell to Oakland by a final score of 4-3 to put its three-game winning streak come to an end and drop to 34-30 on the season.

Rich Hill, making his 12th start of the year for the Sox, allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and zero walks to go along with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings of work.

All three runs the veteran left-hander gave up came in the top half of the third. The Athletics’ rally began when Cristian Pache reached base on a one-out popup to shallow center field that was not caught by a back-tracking Trevor Story. It was ruled a double and was immediately followed by an RBI single off the bat of Chad Pinder that got Oakland on the board first.

A hard-hit double from Ramon Laureano put runners at second and third for Christian Bethancourt, who drove in both on a two-run single to left field. Hill did not falter, though, as he proceeded to sit down 10 of the next 11 batters he faced before yielding a two-out single to Seth Brown in the sixth inning.

That would mark the end of Hill’s afternoon as he got the hook from Red Sox manager Alex Cora. The 42-year-old southpaw finished with a final pitch count of 82 (61 strikes) and induced eight swings-and-misses with his four-seam fastball, a pitch he threw 30 times.

In relief of Hill, Hirokazu Sawamura received the first call out of the Boston bullpen while inheriting one runner in Brown. A passed ball allowed that runner to advance to second and he proceeded to score from there on an Elvis Andrus line drive that went through the legs of Rafael Devers.

Sawamura got through the rest of the inning unscathed, but the Red Sox found themselves trailing 4-1 heading into their half of the sixth. To that point in the contest, the Boston lineup had been held in check by Oakland right-hander Paul Blackburn despite having a fair share of scoring opportunities.

Jarren Duran led off the first inning with a drag bunt single and advanced to third on a one-out single from J.D. Martinez. Neither runner scored. A pair of singles from Franchy Cordero and Jackie Bradley Jr. put runners on the corners with two outs in the third for Duran, who struck out swinging.

The Sox finally prevailed in the third, as Devers drew a leadoff walk and later scored from third on an RBI groundout off the bat of Xander Bogaerts. They could have gotten more in the frame, but both Alex Verdugo and Story were retired to extinguish the threat.

An inning later, the A’s elected to intentionally walk Devers with two outs, which loaded the bases for Martinez. Martinez, however, softly grounded out to Blackburn himself to end things in the fourth.

Blackburn compiled his first 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, but ran into more trouble in the sixth when he gave up a one-out single to Christian Vazquez. That prompted a pitching change as A.J. Puk was dispatched from the Athletics bullpen. Puk got Bradley Jr. to ground into a force out at second to snuff out the lead runner, then fanned the pinch-hitting Bobby Dalbec on three straight heaters.

After Ryan Brasier made quick work of Oakland in the top of the seventh, Boston had another prime opportunity in the latter half of the frame. Devers was plunked by a pitch and Bogaerts roped a one-out single to put runner at first and second. Matched up against new A’s reliever Zach Jackson, Verdugo flew out to center field and Story punched out on a 3-2, 87 mph slider to end the inning.

Hansel Robles worked his way around a ground-rule double in an otherwise clean eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, the pinch-hitting Rob Refsnyder led off with a line-drive single off Sam Moll. Vazquez followed by drawing a walk. Bradley Jr. and Dalbec each recorded outs, but Devers kept the inning alive by reaching on a fielding error committed by A’s third baseman Jonah Bride.

Refsnyder scored on the play. Martinez then greeted new reliever Dany Jimenez by lacing an RBI single back up the middle. It scored Vazquez and very well could have scored the tying run in Devers were it not for the efforts of second baseman Tony Kemp.

Kemp prevented the ball from rolling into center field, which forced Devers — representing the tying run — to hold up at third base. Following a mound visit, Bogaerts grounded into a force out to put an end to the inning with the Red Sox still trailing 4-3.

The score would remain that way after Tyler Danish sat down the side in order in the top half of the ninth. Down to their final three outs in the bottom half, Verdugo, Story, and Refsnyder went down quietly as 4-3 would go on to be Thursday’s final score.

All told, the Red Sox lineup went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runers on base as a team. It was a particularly tough day for Story, who went 0-for-5 with three punchouts and three runners left on base. The second baseman is hitting just .143 (4-for-28) over his last seven games.

Next up: Wainwright vs. Wacha

The Red Sox will look to win another series as they welcome the Cardinals into town for the first time since 2017 on Friday night. In the first of a three-game weekend set, it will be right-hander Michael Wacha getting the start for Boston and fellow righty Adam Wainwright doing the same for St. Louis.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Trevor Story: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Rafael Devers homers in fourth straight game, Josh Winckowski tosses 5 scoreless innings in second career start as Red Sox roll to 10-1 win over Athletics

The Red Sox once again had their way with the Athletics at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. Boston defeated Oakland, 10-1, to take the three-game series and improve to 34-29 on the season.

Early scoring was yet again key for the Sox. Matched up against A’s starter James Kaprielian out of the gate, Alex Verdugo got his productive night at the plate started and got his side on the board first with a bases-loaded RBI groundout in the first inning.

An inning later, Jackie Bradley Jr. reached base via a one-out single and Rafael Devers followed by crushing a 387-foot two-run home run into Oakland’s bullpen. Devers’ 16th home run of the season — and fourth in his last four games — gave the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.

Xander Bogaerts led off the third inning with a hard-hit double to left field and immediately scored from second on an RBI single off the bat of Verdugo. Jarren Duran, just called up from Triple-A Worcester, led off the fourth by drawing a four-pitch walk before Devers did the same. Duran, after tagging up to third, scored on a Bogaerts sacrifice fly. Devers scored from third on a throwing error committed by Kaprielian.

On the other side of things, Josh Winckowski was in the midst of putting together a solid outing in his second career major-league start. Over five scoreless innings of work, the right-hander yielded just four hits and one walk to go along with three strikeouts on the night.

Like Duran, Winckowski was recalled from Worcester on Wednesday afternoon. Despite walking the very first batter of the contest, the 23-year-old was able to work his way around some traffic on the base paths. He faced the minimum in just one of his five frames, but ultimately pitched well enough to earn his first big-league win.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 79 (52 strikes), Winckowski induced seven total swings-and-misses and topped out at 96 mph with his sinker, a pitch he threw 35 times.

In relief of Winckowski, Jake Diekman received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora for the sixth inning and served up a two-out solo shot to the pinch-hitting Matt Davidson. But the Red Sox got that run back and one more when Verdugo cranked a two-run homer of his own in the bottom half of the inning.

Verdugo’s fourth big fly of the year — and first since April 16 — left his bat at a blistering 104.5 mph and traveled 393 feet into the Sox’ bullpen. It also put Boston up by seven runs at 8-1.

After Hirokazu Sawamura and Ryan Brasier combined for two scoreless innings out of the ‘pen, the Red Sox tacked on two more runs in their half of the eighth. Back-to-back one-out doubles from J.D. Martinez and Bogaerts pushed across the first of those two runs. Trevor Story then drove Bogaerts in from second on an RBI single to right field.

Story’s 42nd RBI of the season gave the Sox a commanding 10-1 lead. Tyler Danish closed things out in the ninth to slam the door on the A’s and preserve the victory.

Next up: Hill vs. Blackburn

The Red Sox will go for the three-game and season series sweep of the Athletics on Thursday afternoon. Former A’s left-hander Rich Hill will get the start for Boston and right-hander Paul Blackburn will do the same for Oakland.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Christian Arroyo tests positive for COVID-19

Red Sox utility man Christian Arroyo has tested positive for COVID-19 and has therefore been placed on the COVID-19 related injured list, manager Alex Cora announced prior to Wednesday’s game against the Athletics.

Arroyo, who is vaccinated against the virus, was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup shortly before first pitch due to illness. He was replaced by Franchy Cordero and was subsequently entered into COVID protocols.

Since Arroyo has indeed tested positive for COVID-19 and is not just exhibiting symptoms, it is unlikely that he will be able to return to the Red Sox within the next few days.

Instead, the 27-year-old could be sidelined for the next 10 days, though there is a chance he comes back before then if he registers two consecutive COVID-19 tests (taken at least 24 hours apart) and does not exhibit any virus-like symptoms.

In 34 games with Boston this season, the right-handed hitting Arroyo has slashed .187/.227/.319 with three doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, and 17 strikeouts over 98 plate appearances. He has seen playing time at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and right field.

With Arroyo on the COVID injured list, the Red Sox have recalled outfielder Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester. The speedy Duran will bat leadoff and start in center field on Wednesday. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox recall Josh Winckowski from Triple-A Worcester, option Phillips Valdez in series of roster moves

In addition to calling up outfielder Jarren Duran and placing utility man Christian Arroyo on the COVID-19 related injured list, the Red Sox also recalled right-hander Josh Winckowski from Triple-A Worcester.

To make room for Winckowski on the major-league roster, fellow righty Phillips Valdez was optioned to Triple-A Worcester, the club announced prior to Wednesday’s game against the Athletics.

Winckowski will make the second start of his big-league career at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. The 23-year-old allowed four earned runs on six hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over three innings of work against the Orioles in the second game of a day-night doubleheader on May 28.

Of the 62 pitches Winckowski threw in that outing, 36 went for strikes. He induced a total of seven swings-and-misses and topped out at 96.5 mph with his sinker, a pitch he threw 29 times en route to getting hit with the losing decision.

Since returning to Worcester the following day, Winckowski has made two starts for the WooSox. The righty struggled some against the Syracuse Mets on June 3 but was brilliant in his last time out against the Buffalo Bisons last Wednesday.

In the second installment of a seven-inning twin bill at Sahlen Field, Winckowski yielded just three hits on one walk and six strikeouts over seven dominant frames. He lowered his ERA to 3.38 through his first nine starts (42 2/3 innings) of the year with the WooSox.

Winckowski, who turns 24 later this month, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in Boston’s farm system, ranking sixth among pitchers in the organization. The Red Sox originally acquired the 6-foot-4, 202 pound hurler in the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals last February.

Valdez, meanwhile, has been up with the Sox on three separate occasions this season, with his latest stint lasting all of five days. On the 2022 campaign as a whole, the 30-year-old reliever owns a 5.40 ERA and 3.89 FIP with 13 strikeouts to six walks over 11 appearances spanning 13 1/3 innings of work.

While with the WooSox this season, Valdez has allowed one earned run on three hits, seven walks, and nine strikeouts in six outings (7 2/3 innings). That is good for an ERA of 1.17.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

Red Sox lose infielder Jonathan Araúz on waivers to Orioles

Former Red Sox infielder Jonathan Arauz has been claimed off waivers by the Orioles, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon. Boston had designated Arauz for assignment last Friday in order to create a spot on both the 26- and 40-man roster for outfielder Rob Refsnyder.

Arauz, who turns 24 in August, joined the Red Sox organization when he was acquired from the Astros in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. The switch-hitting Panamanian batted .250/.325/.319 with one home run and nine RBIs as a rookie during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

Over the last two seasons, Arauz was shuttled between Boston and Triple-A Worcester on a consistent basis while undertaking a utility role with the big-league club. He appeared in games at second base, third base, and shortstop while providing adequate defense at each position.

After making Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training this year, Arauz struggled to find his footing at the plate both in the major- and minor-leagues. In two separate stints and six games with the Red Sox, he went 0-for-10 with one RBI, one run scored, and three strikeouts. With the WooSox, the 23-year-old batted just .185/.242/.239 across 24 games spanning 99 plate appearances.

Originally signed by the Phillies as an international free agent in 2014, Arauz does have a connection to the Orioles’ front office. When the Phillies dealt Arauz and reliever Ken Giles to the Astros in December 2015, current Baltimore general manager Mike Elias was serving as Houston’s amateur scouting director and had worked his way up to assistant general manager before leaving for the O’s in November 2018.

So, in a sense, Elias is now reunited with Arauz, whose versatility and two minor-league options likely appealed to the Orioles. He has since been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

(Picture of Jonathan Arauz: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Red Sox call up Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester, place Christian Arroyo on COVID-19 related injured list

The Red Sox are going to call up outfielder Jarren Duran from Triple-A Worcester before Wednesday’s game against the Athletics at Fenway Park, according to The Boston Globe’s Speier. The move has since been made official, the team announced.

Duran will take the roster spot of utility man Christian Arroyo, who was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup because of illness and is expected to be placed on the COVID-19 related injured list. Arroyo, who is vaccinated, tested positive for the virus, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed during his weekly hit on WEEI.

This will mark Duran’s third stint with the Red Sox this season. The speedy 25-year-old previously filled in for Enrique Hernandez, who spent one day on the COVID-19 related injured list back in May, and Jackie Bradley Jr., who missed Boston’s series in Oakland earlier this month while on paternity leave.

In three games with the big-league club, Duran has gone 4-for-13 (.308) at the plate with one triple, two runs scored, and five strikeouts while seeing time in both center and right field. With the WooSox this season, the left-handed hitter is batting .305/.379/.531 (140 wRC+) with 12 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 34 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 48 strikeouts over 43 games spanning 198 plate appearances. He hit his sixth homer of the year at Polar Park on Tuesday.

By swapping Arroyo for Duran, the Red Sox now have five outfielders available to them in Duran, Bradley Jr., Franchy Cordero, Rob Refsnyder, and Alex Verdugo. Hernandez, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain on June 8, remains sidelined for the time being.

In addition to Duran, Boston is also promoting right-hander Josh Winckowski from Worcester to make his second career major-league start against Oakland on Wednesday night. The club will presumably make room for Winckowski by optioning another pitcher to Triple-A.

(Picture of Jarren Duran: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Josh Winckowski will make second career start for Red Sox on Wednesday

Josh Winckowski will start for the Red Sox against the Athletics on Wednesday, the club announced on Tuesday.

With Nathan Eovaldi (low back inflammation) and Garrett Whitlock (right hip inflammation) both on the 15-day injured list, the Sox found themselves down two starters heading into their nine-game homestand at Fenway Park.

Nick Pivetta pitched admirably in Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Oakland, allowing just one run on three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts across eight strong innings of work.

Winckowski, meanwhile, will be making his second career big-league start on Wednesday. The right-hander made his major-league debut while serving as the Sox’ 27th man in a day-night doubleheader against the Orioles in Boston on May 28.

Over just three innings, Winckowski surrendered four runs on six hits and three walks to go along with four strikeouts on 62 pitches (36 pitches). He threw 29 sinkers, 16 sliders, 16 four-seam fastballs, and one changeup, per Baseball Savant. His fastball averaged 93.9 mph and topped out at 96 mph.

Since returning to Triple-A Worcester on May 29, Winckowski has made two starts for the WooSox. The 23-year-old struggled against the Syracuse Mets on May 3, but was superb in his last time out against the Buffalo Bisons (6 strikeouts over 7 scoreless innings) en route to being named International League Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

Because that start came on June 8, Winckowski will be working on six days rest when he takes the mound on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4, 202 pound hurler was slated to start for the WooSox at Polar Park on Thursday, but that will no longer be the case.

Originally acquired from the Mets in the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals last February, Winckowski is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 pitching prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization.

The Red Sox will need to create a spot on their 26-man roster for Winckowski, who turns 24 later this month and is already on the 40-man roster.

(Picture of Josh Winckowski: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez both homer as Red Sox cruise to 6-1 win over Athletics

The Red Sox returned home to Fenway Park for the first time in nearly two weeks on Tuesday and continued their winning ways with a series-opening win over the Athletics.

Boston defeated Oakland by a final score of 6-1 in a tidy two hours and 43 minutes to take the season series from the A’s and improve to 33-29 on the year.

Matched up against rookie left-hander Jared Koenig to begin things on Tuesday, Xander Bogaerts kicked off the scoring with a first-inning broken-bat RBI single to right field.

An inning later, Rob Refsnyder delivered with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly that scored Christian Vazquez from third base. In the bottom of the third, J.D. Martinez clubbed his eighth home run of the season and his third in his last four games.

Rafael Devers’ doubled Boston’s advantage in the fourth. With runners on first and second and no outs in the inning, Devers took an 0-1, 88 mph sinker on the inner half of the plate from Koenig and crushed it 439 feet into the right field bleachers.

Devers’ team-leading 15th big fly of the year — a three-run blast that left his bat at a blistering 107.3 mph — gave the Sox a commanding 6-0 lead at the end of the four.

To that point in the contest, Nick Pivetta had been cruising right along in his 13th start of the season for Boston. The right-hander took a no-hit bid into the fourth inning before giving up a leadoff single to Tony Kemp. He then took a shutout bid into the eighth inning before yielding a leadoff home run to Stephen Vogt.

Pivetta did not let that rattle him, though, as he proceeded to retire the next (and final) three batters he faced to end his night on a solid note. Finishing with a final pitch count of 100 (67 strikes), the 29-year-old hurler wound up allowing just the one run on three hits, two walks, and three strikeouts over eight strong innings of work.

Of the 100 pitches Pivetta threw, 55 were four-seam fastballs. He induced a game-high seven swings-and-misses with the pitch while topping out at 96.2 mph with it. He also lowered his ERA on the season down to 3.50.

In relief of Pivetta, Phillips Valdez received the first and only call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora. The righty allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base, but closed it out from there to secure the 6-1 victory.

Next up: Kaprielian vs. Winckowski

The Red Sox will call up rookie right-hander Josh Winckowski to start the second game of this three-game set on Wednesday. The Athletics, on the other hand, will turn to fellow righty James Kaprielian.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz tosses 4 scoreless innings in professional debut

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League on Tuesday afternoon.

Matched up against the FCL Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, the right-hander allowed just two hits and no walks to go along with two strikeouts over four scoreless innings to lead the FCL Red Sox to an 11-0 win.

While pitch counts from these games are not available to the public, Rodriguez-Cruz took a no-hitter into the third inning and wound up retiring 12 of the 14 batters he faced.

The Red Sox originally selected Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. They swayed the 18-year-old away from his commitment to the University of Oregon by signing him for $497,500.

After not pitching competitively last season, Rodriguez-Cruz took part in the Sox’ fall performance program and came into the year ranked by FanGraphs as the No. 43 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Back in March, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin described Rodriguez-Cruz as “a very projectable righty” who “showed a loose, whippy, inconsistent delivery on the showcase circuit and was sitting mostly 91-92 mph while topping out at 94. His curveball has good-looking shape but lacks power, and he has pretty crude feel for creating action on his changeup, but ERC is a premium arm talent developmental prospect.”

Per his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot-3, 160 pound righty works at 90-93 mph and tops out at 95 mph with his fastball, 75-78 mph with his curveball, and 80-83 mph with his changeup.

Given that he does not turn 19 until August, it seems likely that the Red Sox will exhibit patience when it comes to Rodriguez’s development. The upside is certainly there, but on the flip side of that, there is no need to rush things.

(Picture of Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)