Tag: Baseball

Red Sox promote relief prospect A.J. Politi to Triple-A Worcester

In addition to Brayan Bello, the Red Sox are also promoting relief prospect A.J. Politi from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Politi, who turns 26 next month, began the 2022 season in Portland’s bullpen and posted a 2.03 ERA and 3.54 FIP to go along with 20 strikeouts to just three walks over 12 relief appearances spanning 13 1/3 innings of work for the Sea Dogs. The right-hander also went a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities.

Among Eastern League pitchers who have accrued at least 10 innings on the mound this year, Politi ranks 14th in strikeouts per nine innings (13.5), 23rd in walks per nine innings (2.03), 11th in strikeout rate (38.5%), 15th in swinging strike rate (17.9%), 25th in walk rate (5.8%), 19th in batting average against (.149), sixth in WHIP (0.75), 30th in ERA, and fifth in xFIP (2.29), per FanGraphs.

The Red Sox originally selected Politi in the 15th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Seton Hall University. The New Jersey native signed with Boston for a modest $25,000 and has been used as both a starter and reliever throughout his professional career.

Last season, for instance, Politi made 15 starts for Portland and yielded a 7.01 ERA before moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis in September. He impressed in four outings there, made 11 appearances for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League, and really has not looked back since then.

Listed at 6-feet and 195 pounds, the 25-year-old works with four different pitches in a mid-90s fastball (his best offering), a high-80s slider, a lower-80s curveball, and a changeup. He is currently regarded by FanGraphs as the No. 46 prospect in Boston’s farm system and can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this winter.

If the Red Sox would like to prevent that from happening, they would need to add Politi to their 40-man roster by the November deadline. Giving the righty an extended look at the Triple-A level will surely play a role in the club’s decision when that time comes.

With the WooSox, Politi will be joining a bullpen that includes the likes of Eduard Bazardo, Silvino Bracho, Michael Feliz, Durbin Feltman, Zack Kelly, Kaleb Ort, and Phillips Valdez, among others.

In order to call up both Bello and Politi to Worcester, the Red Sox will be sending left-hander Kyle Hart and right-hander Darin Gillies down to Portland.

(Picture of A.J. Politi: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote top pitching prospect Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted top pitching prospect Brayan Bello to Triple-A Worcester, as confirmed by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Per his Instagram story, Bello spent part of his Monday at Polar Park and will wear the No. 64 with the WooSox.

According to Boston Strong on Twitter, who first took note of Bello’s social media activity, Bello will make his Triple-A debut against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Wednesday night.

Bello, who turns 23 on Tuesday, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 1 pitching prospect (fourth overall) in Boston’s farm system and the 86th-ranked prospect in all of baseball.

In six starts for Double-A Portland this season, the hard-throwing right-hander has posted a 1.60 ERA and 3.20 FIP to go along with 42 strikeouts to 12 walks over 33 2/3 innings of work. He tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against the Reading Fightin Phils at Hadlock Field earlier this month.

Among qualified Eastern League pitchers, Bello ranks seventh in strikeout rate (32.6%), second in swinging strike rate (19.3%) first in batting average against (.137), second in WHIP (0.83), second in ERA, eighth in FIP, and fifth in xFIP (2.68), per FanGraphs.

The reigning Red Sox Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, Bello was originally signed by Boston for a modest $28,000 coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2017. It has been quite the ascent for the Samana native since then.

Listed at a lanky 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Bello operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a high-90s fastball that tops out at 99-100 mph, an 85-89 mph changeup, and an 84-88 mph slider.

Since he is already on the Boston’s 40-man roster, Bello could very well make his big-league debut later this season. For the time being, though, the 22-year-old will join a talented WooSox rotation that consists of other high-caliber prospects like Connor Seabold, Josh Winckowski, and Kutter Crawford.

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

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan named Carolina League Player of the Week

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Blaze Jordan has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for May 9-15, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Appearing in five games in Low-A Salem’s most-recent series against the Delmarva Shorebirds at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, Jordan went 9-for-22 (.409) with four doubles, two home runs, four RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts.

After batting just .162 in the month of April, Jordan has turned things around for the better in May and is currently riding a 12-game hitting streak. Over the course of this torrid stretch, the right-handed hitting corner infielder has batted .367/.407/.592 (174 wRC+) to go along with five doubles, two homers, eight runs driven in, nine runs scored, four walks, and seven strikeouts across 54 trips to the plate.

Defensively, Jordan has seen time at both first base and third base with Salem this year. The 6-foot-2, 220 pounder has logged 68 2/3 innings at first and 161 innings at the hot corner thus far while recording a total of four errors and five double plays.

Jordan, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top power hitter and No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox originally selected the Mississippi native in the third round of the 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School and swayed him away from his commitment to Mississippi State University by signing him for $1.75 million.

Given the fact that he does not turn 20 until December, it seems likely that the Red Sox will take a deliberate approach with Jordan’s development. Put another way, he could spend most — if not the entirety — of the 2022 campaign in Salem before moving up to High-A Greenville.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

On a day Red Sox could have used him, pitching prospect Connor Seabold dominates in latest start for Triple-A Worcester

While the Red Sox dropped Sunday’s series finale to the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, pitching prospect Connor Seabold put together another impressive performance on the mound about 1,700 miles away in Worcester, Mass.

Making his seventh start of the season — and second straight against the Rochester Red Wings — for Triple-A Worcester, Seabold allowed just one hit and one walk to go along with a season-high 11 strikeouts over six scoreless innings of work at Polar Park.

It was a bounce back effort for Seabold, who got rocked for six runs (five earned) across just three innings in his last time out against Rochester on May 4.

Of the 92 pitches Seabold threw on Sunday, 66 went for strikes. The right-hander now owns an ERA of 2.45 and WHIP of 0.93 with 37 strikeouts to 10 walks through his first seven starts (36 2/3 innings) of the 2022 campaign for the WooSox. He is also holding opposing hitters to a .179/.252/.246 slash line against.

Seabold, 26, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 10th among pitchers in the organization. He made his major-league debut for the Red Sox against the White Sox last September.

Given the fact that he has been dominating in Worcester and has already gotten a taste of the big-leagues, it was somewhat surprising to see the Red Sox not call up Seabold to start against the Rangers at Globe Life Field on Sunday.

Instead, after pushing Garrett Whitlock back one day so he could start against the Astros in Boston on Monday, Alex Cora and Co. elected to go in the direction of a bullpen game, which did not go well since it ultimately resulted in a loss.

When speaking with reporters following Sunday’s 7-1 defeat, Cora explained why the Sox decided against calling up Seabold and kept things in-house with Austin Davis, Tanner Houck, Ryan Brasier, and Tyler Danish.

“I think roster-wise it was going to get complicated,” Cora said. “We got the guys that we have here and then we actually, we got what we wanted, you know? Five innings and we had it set up for the rest of the day. We didn’t make pitches in that sixth inning and we weren’t able to get to the next level, to the last part of the game.”

It’s an interesting statement from Cora. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield on Twitter, the Red Sox could have optioned Brasier, Danish, or Hirokazau Sawamura to Worcester in order to call up Seabold, who is already on the 40-man roster. They also could have had Seabold start on short rest on Saturday and then activated Rich Hill from the COVID-19 related injured list so he could start on Sunday.

These sorts of things usually receive more attention in losses than they do wins. The Red Sox may not have used Seabold on Sunday for roster-related purposes, but they soon might have no other choice but to promote the righty in some capacity (as a starter or reliever) if he continues to shine for the WooSox.

(Picture of Connor Seabold: Katie Morrison/MassLive)

Red Sox’ Michael Wacha will throw simulated game on Monday, is likely to return from injured list later this week

Injured Red Sox starter Michael Wacha threw a bullpen session at Globe Life Field on Saturday. The right-hander is now slated to throw a simulated game back at Fenway Park on Monday.

Wacha was slated to make his sixth start of the season for Boston against the White Sox last Sunday, but was scratched shortly before first pitch and was later placed on the 15-day injured list due to left intercostal irritation.

Since his stint on the injured list was backdated to May 5, the Red Sox are hopeful they can get Wacha back after the minimum 15 days are over. That would line up the 30-year-old to take the mound against the Mariners this coming Friday, May 20.

When speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) earlier Sunday morning, Sox manager Alex Cora said Wacha “feels good” and added that “everything looks like he’ll be OK” in regards to his anticipated return date.

Through his first five outings of the year, Wacha has impressed in the back-end of Boston’s starting rotation. The veteran righty has posted a 1.38 ERA and 3.93 FIP to go along with 19 strikeouts to 11 walks over 26 innings of work.

Wacha, who turns 31 in July, signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Red Sox last November, so the 6-foot-6, 215-pound hurler can become a free-agent again this winter.

(Picture of Michael Wacha: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)

Red Sox fail to complete sweep of Rangers, end road trip with 7-1 loss in Texas

The Red Sox were unable to finish off a three-game sweep of the Rangers to close out the weekend. Boston instead saw their winning streak snapped at two games following a 7-1 loss to Texas at Globe Life Field on Sunday afternoon. Their record is now 13-21.

In what was a bullpen game for the Sox’ pitching staff, Austin Davis served as the opener while also making the first start of his major-league career. The left-hander pitched well, allowing just one walk to go along with two strikeouts over two-plus scoreless and hitless innings of work. 19 of the 35 pitches he threw went for strikes.

Davis’ day came to an end after issuing a leadoff walk to Nathaniel Lowe in the bottom of the third. He was replaced by Tanner Houck, who took a combined no-hit bid into the fifth inning.

Shortly before Houck took the mound for the bottom half of the fifth, the Boston lineup finally got something going against old friend Martin Perez in their half of the fifth. With two outs in the inning, Enrique Hernandez singled and immediately came into score on a 110.6 mph RBI double off the bat of Rafael Devers.

That gave the Red Sox their first lead of the day at 1-0. Houck, however, gave that run right back when he served up a leadoff homer to Kole Calhoun a half-inning later, which knotted things back up at 1-1.

After Houck got through the rest of the fifth, manager Alex Cora next turned to fellow righty Ryan Brasier out of the Boston bullpen. Brasier, in turn, got hit hard. He gave up a one-out double to Marcus Semien that was followed by a five-pitch walk of Corey Seager. Jonah Heim fanned for the second out, but Adolis Garcia demolished a three-run home run 413 feet to right-center field.

Calhoun followed in Garcia’s footsteps by going deep again moments later. His second big fly of the afternoon put the Rangers up 5-1. Tyler Danish took over for Brasier in the seventh and surrendered another homer to Adolis Garcia. This one was good for two runs and gave Texas a commanding 7-1 lead.

Besides what they did in the fifth inning, the Red Sox bats were held in check by Perez and three relievers out of the Rangers’ bullpen. After exploding for 10 runs on Saturday, Boston went a measly 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Sunday while leaving nine runners on base as a team.

If there are any positives to take away from Sunday’s performance, it’s that Devers extended his hitting streak to eight consecutive games with a 3-for-4 showing at the plate. J.D. Martinez, on the other hand, went 1-for-4 with a single to extend his hitting streak to 16 straight games.

Next up: Back to Boston

The Red Sox will head back to Boston and kick off a seven-game homestand by first welcoming the Astros into town for the first of three on Monday night. Boston will give right-hander Garrett Whitlock the ball in the series opener while Houston will roll with fellow righty Jake Odorizzi.

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

(Picture of Kole Calhoun: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Austin Davis to make first career start for Red Sox on Sunday

When the Red Sox go for a three-game sweep over the Rangers on Sunday afternoon, they will be sending Austin Davis to the mound to make his first career major-league start.

It was already known that Boston would be having a bullpen game on Sunday after they pushed Garrett Whitlock back to start against the Astros at Fenway Park on Monday.

Following the Sox’ 11-3 win over the Rangers earlier Saturday night, manager Alex Cora confirmed it would be Davis getting the ball first in Sunday’s series finale at Globe Life Field.

While Davis will likely only go a few innings and be more of an “opener,” it will still mark the left-hander’s first-ever start in the big-leagues. Upon being drafted by the Phillies in 2014, Davis made a total of 13 starts over his first three professional seasons. He has not started a game at any level since August 30, 2016.

Originally acquired from the Pirates in exchange for Michael Chavis at last year’s trade deadline, Davis has proven to be an effective left-handed option out of the Red Sox bullpen.

This season alone, the 29-year-old southpaw has posted a 2.70 ERA and 4.26 FIP with 16 strikeouts to six walks over 14 relief appearances spanning 13 1/3 innings of work.

Davis will be opposed by a former teammate and fellow lefty in Rangers starter Martin Perez. Perez, back with Texas after a two-year stint in Boston, has produced a 2.10 ERA through his first six starts (34 1/3 innings) of the year.

With all that being said, first pitch Sunday is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Austin Davis: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez both homer to extend hitting streaks as Red Sox score season-high 11 runs for second straight win over Rangers

For the second time this season, the Red Sox have won two consecutive games. For the second time this season, the Red Sox have won a series. Their first series victory came against the Twins nearly a month ago. Their second series victory came against the Rangers on Saturday.

Boston defeated Texas by a final score of 11-3 at Globe Life Field to improve to 13-20 on the season.

As was the case on Friday, the Sox lineup got off to a quick start while opposed by Rangers starter Glenn Otto. Beginning right away in the first inning, J.D. Martinez clubbed a solo home run 404 feet to left-center field to extend his hitting streak to 15 games and give his side an early 1-0 lead.

In the top half of the second, Franchy Cordero ignited a four-run rally by drawing a leadoff walk off Otto. Christian Vazquez moved Cordero up to second base and Bobby Dalbec drove him in on an RBI single. After Jackie Bradley Jr. dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt, Enrique Hernandez plated Vazquez on a sacrifice fly.

With two outs and one runner on, Rafael Devers crushed a 1-2, 89 mph changeup from Otto off the left field foul pole for a two-run blast. Devers’ sixth homer of the year had an exit velocity of 101.7 mph and put the Red Sox up 5-1.

Fast forward to the fourth, Dalbec led things off with a line-drive double, moved up to third on a single from Bradley Jr., and scored from third when Hernandez beat out a double play.

An inning later, Cordero finally knocked Otto out of the game by knocking in Trevor Story on an RBI single. Vazquez then greeted new Rangers reliever Josh Sborz by absolutely drilling a 100.2 mph run-scoring double off the wall in right-center field. Vazquez once again came into score on another RBI double off the bat of Hernandez, which gave the Red Sox a commanding 9-1 lead.

On the other side of things, Boston received their second strong starting pitching performance in as many days. After Nick Pivetta dominated on Friday, Rich Hill impressed in his sixth start of the season and first since returning from the COVID-19 related injured list earlier Saturday afternoon.

Over a season-high six-plus innings of work, the veteran left-hander allowed three runs — two of which were earned — on seven hits and no walks to go along with four strikeouts on the night.

After a Story fielding error and two stolen bases cost him one unearned run in the bottom of the first, Hill settled in by retiring 15 of the next 18 batters he faced from the middle of the second inning through the end of the sixth. He came back out for the seventh but was unable to record an out and instead surrendered three straight hits — including a two-run double from Kole Calhoun — before getting the hook from Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

Finishing with a final pitch count of 94 (64 strikes), which is also a season high, Hill induced a total of 11 swings-and-misses while throwing 38 curveballs, 31 four-seam fastballs, 16 sliders, and nine changeups. The 42-year-old southpaw actually saw his ERA on the year rise to 2.89.

In relief of Hill, Hirokazu Sawamura got the first call out of the Boston bullpen from Cora and proceeded to strand the only runner he inherited by getting through the rest of the seventh unscathed.

On the heels of that sequence, the Sox got one of those runs back in their half of the eighth when Bogaerts drove in Devers from third on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Matt Barnes then took over for Sawamura in the bottom of the eighth and retired the side in order. In the ninth, after Bradley Jr. brought in Cordero with an infield single, Jake Diekman slammed the door on the Rangers to preserve the 11-3 victory.

Some notes from this win:

The Red Sox scored a season-high 11 runs on Saturday while going 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Franchy Cordero, starting in place of Alex Verdugo in left field, went 2-for-4 with one walk, one RBI and two runs scored. He put the ball into play four times with exit velocities of 107.6 mph, 111.4 mph, 100.4 mph, and 101.6 mph.

The bottom-third of the Red Sox lineup (Vazquez, Dalbec, Bradley Jr.) went a combined 6-for-14 with one double, three RBIs, and four runs scored.

Next up: Bullpen game on tap

The Red Sox will go for the three-game sweep of the Rangers on Sunday afternoon. Austin Davis will serve as the opener and make his first career start for Boston. Texas will roll with an old friend in fellow left-hander Martin Perez.

First pitch from Globe Life Field is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Kutter Crawford will eventually join Triple-A Worcester’s starting rotation after getting sent down on Saturday

In a series of roster moves made on Saturday, the Red Sox optioned right-hander Kutter Crawford to Triple-A Worcester.

Crawford, 26, was a surprising addition to Boston’s Opening Day roster after striking out 10 of the 20 batters he faced during spring training. Traditionally a starter since being selected by the Sox in the 16th round of the 2017 amateur draft, the Florida Gulf Coast University product earned a spot on the big-league club as a reliever.

In eight appearances out of the Red Sox bullpen, Crawford posted an 8.44 ERA and 5.20 FIP to go along with 14 strikeouts to eight walks over 10 2/3 total innings of work. The righty had pitched just three times this month, so he was an obvious candidate to get sent down on Saturday with Rich Hill getting activated from the COVID-19 related injured list.

By sending him down to Worcester, the Sox are not only allowing Crawford to pitch on a more frequent basis; they also want him to get back into the swing of things as a starting pitcher.

“This is a kid we really like and he needs to pitch,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) earlier Saturday afternoon. “Obviously where we’re at right now roster-wise, we are where we’re at. I’m not sure if he’s going to start this week but we’ll make sure he goes multiple innings. At one point he’s going to start and we’re going to let him start and keep developing him.”

Before the 2022 season began, all but one of Crawford’s 67 appearances in the minor-leagues went for starts. He also made his major-league debut as a starter against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park last September.

Upon earning a promotion from Double-A Portland to Worcester last July, Crawford made 10 appearances (nine starts) for the WooSox while fanning 32.1% and walking 7.2% of the opposing hitters he faced at the Triple-A level.

So far this year at the big-league level, Crawford has seen his strikeout rate dip to 25.5% and his walk rate rise to 14.5%. This is something the Red Sox would like to see the 6-foot-1, 209 pound hurler work on in his second stint with the WooSox.

“Out of character are the walks,” said Cora. “This kid, he’s been a strike thrower his whole career. And that’s what everybody was talking about in spring training. It wasn’t easy to get him innings. Obviously you see the games we have played the whole season. They’re close games. I know he can do the job but we wanted him to go multiple innings and it wasn’t easy to get him the innings. So I do believe for now and obviously the future, it’s the best move.”

(Picture of Kutter Crawford: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Alex Verdugo out of Red Sox’ lineup one night after suffering right foot contusion

Alex Verdugo is not in the Red Sox lineup on Saturday after taking a foul ball of his right foot in Friday’s 7-1 win over the Rangers at Globe Field.

It happened in the sixth inning against Rangers starter Dane Dunning. Verdugo was able to remain in the game and even laced an RBI double in the same at-bat. He was, however, seen limping after getting to second base and was pinch-hit for by Bobby Dalbec an inning later.

Ultimately diagnosed with a right foot contusion, Verdugo’s X-Rays came back negative. The left-handed hitting 25-year-old was hopeful he would be able to play on Saturday, but that is obviously no longer the case.

“He was trying to move around but obviously he doesn’t feel great,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) earlier Saturday afternoon. “So we have to be smart about it.”

Verdugo, who actually turns 26 on Sunday, is currently batting .219/.262/.342 with five doubles, three home runs, 15 RBIs, nine runs scored, eight walks, and 15 strikeouts over 31 games spanning 126 plate appearances this season.

With Verdugo out of Boston’s lineup, Franchy Cordero will get the start in left field while batting out of the eight-hole on Saturday.

(Picture of Alex Verdugo: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)