Tag: boston

Red Sox promote OF prospect Miguel Bleis to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect and former top international signing Miguel Bleis from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Bleis, 21, is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 20 prospect, while MLB Pipeline has him at No. 12 and SoxProspects.com has him at No. 13 in the system. The right-handed hitter got his season off to a somewhat late start due to a quad injury, but batted .226/.314/.422 with 15 doubles, one triple, a team-leading 13 home runs and 41 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 75 strikeouts in 77 games (325 plate appearances) for Greenville. That includes a .247/.327/.466 slash line against right-handed pitching and a .156/.270/.266 slash line against left-handed pitching.

Among 71 qualified South Atlantic League hitters entering play Friday, Bleis notably ranks first in pull rate (62.6 percent), second in fly ball rate (46.3 percent), ninth in isolated power (.195), 14th in slugging percentage, 23rd in OPS (.736), 24th in wOBA (.343), and 29th in strikeout rate (23.1 percent) and wRC+ (113), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Bleis saw playing time at all three outfield spots with Greenville this season. The athletic 6-foot-2, 205-pounder made 37 starts in right field, 30 starts in center field, and four starts in left field, recording five assists (all from center) and committing two errors in 137 total chances. He also made six starts at DH.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Bleis received the largest bonus ($1.5 million) of any international free agent the Red Sox signed in 2021. The San Pedro de Macorís native was once viewed as a consensus top-100 prospect after dominating the rookie-level Florida Complex League in 2022. Since undergoing season-ending left shoulder surgery in June 2023, however, he has struggled to produce consistent results, despite occasionally showing flashes of his five-tool potential.

In Portland, Bleis figures to provide the Sea Dogs with additional outfield help after the Red Sox traded James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard to the Dodgers for right-hander Dustin May on Thursday. This promotion is also noteworthy because Bleis can become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft, so how he fares in his first stint at the Double-A level could go a long way in determining if he is worthy of being added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November protection deadline.

(Picture of Miguel Bleis: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote IF prospect Mikey Romero to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect and former first-round pick Mikey Romero from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Romero, 21, is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 14 prospect, while MLB Pipeline has him at No. 7 and SoxProspects.com has him at No. 11. The left-handed hitter broke camp with Portland this spring and batted .254/.315/.440 with 18 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, a team-leading 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, four stolen bases, 23 walks, and 74 strikeouts in 66 games (297 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs to begin the 2025 season.

After being sidelined for most of June with arm fatigue, Romero had slashed .262/.292/.423 with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs, 22 RBIs, 14 runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and 31 strikeouts in his last 30 games (138 plate appearances) leading up to Friday’s promotion. Overall, he is batting .253/.305/.452 against right-handed pitching and .255/.356/.392 against left-handed pitching so far this year.

Among 62 qualified hitters in the Eastern League entering play Friday, Romero notably ranks eighth in isolated power (.187), 11th in slugging percentage, 16th in OPS (.755), 18th in batting average, 19th in wRC+ (116), 20th in wOBA (.342), 26th in line-drive rate (23.2 percent), and 31st in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Romero has seen playing time at every infield position besides first base this season. With Portland, the 6-foot, 205-pounder made 20 starts at third base, 20 starts at shortstop, and nine starts at second base, committing seven errors in 138 total chances. He also made 17 starts at DH.

A California native, Romero was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall selection in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with Boston for an under-slot $2.3 million and has dealt with several injuries since entering the professional ranks. Having said that, he had a healthy offseason after reaching Portland last August and then impressed manager Alex Cora in spring training despite not being part of big-league camp.

“Mikey Romero is a good player,” Cora said in March. ” 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 figures to provide the WooSox with additional infield help after Blaze Jordan was traded to the Cardinals for veteran left-hander Steven Matz on Wednesday night. To mark his Triple-A debut, he is batting sixth and starting at third base in Game 1 of Worcester’s doubleheader against Lehigh Valley at Polar Park on Friday afternoon. He will be tasked with facing Phillies righty Aaron Nola, who is beginning a rehab assignment with the IronPigs, out of the gate.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Which two prospects did Red Sox trade to Dodgers for Dustin May?

Before Thursday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline struck, the Red Sox added to their rotation depth by swinging a last-minute deal with the reigning World Series champion Dodgers.

In exchange for right-hander Dustin May, who is eligible for free agency at season’s end, Boston sent minor league first baseman/outfielder James Tibbs III and minor league outfielder Zach Ehrhard to Los Angeles. Fellow righty Tanner Houck was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for May on the 40-man roster, the club announced.

Tibbs’ tenure in the Red Sox organization ended up being short-lived. The 22-year-old was acquired from the Giants alongside right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, and minor league righty Jose Bello in the blockbuster trade that sent star slugger Rafael Devers (and the remainder of his contract) to San Francisco on June 15. He was ranked by both Baseball America and SoxProspects.com as Boston’s No. 10 prospect, while MLB Pipeline had him at No. 5.

Originally selected by the Giants with the 13th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of Florida State, Tibbs (who received a $4,747,500 million signing bonus) was playing at the High-A level at the time of the trade but received a bump up to Double-A Portland upon switching organizations for the first time in his young career. The left-handed hitter then batted .207/.319/.267 with two doubles, one triple, one home run, seven RBIs, 16 runs scored, two stolen bases, 19 walks, and 39 strikeouts in 30 games (138 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Defensively, Tibbs saw playing time at three different positions in his brief stint with Portland. The 6-foot, 201-pound Georgia native made 17 starts in right field, five starts in left field, and five starts at first base, recording four assists and committing two errors in 69 total chances. He also made three starts at DH.

Ehrhard, on the other hand, was ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 29 prospect, while MLB Pipeline had him at No. 27 and SoxProspects.com had him at No. 30. Twice-drafted by the Red Sox, the 22-year-old signed with the club for $500,000 as a fourth-round selection coming out of Oklahoma State last summer. His older brother, Drew, had joined the organization as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Tampa in July 2023.

After struggling somewhat in his professional debut last season, Ehrhard hit the ground running out of camp this spring. The speedy right-handed hitter slashed a stout .342/.471/.459 with 10 doubles, one home run, 22 RBIs, 24 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 26 walks, and 27 strikeouts in 31 games (140 plate appearances) for High-A Greenville before receiving a promotion to Portland in late May. He then batted .227/.305/.412 with 13 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 23 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 58 games (237 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs, leading up to Thursday’s trade.

On the other side of the ball, Ehrhard saw playing time at all three outfield positions between his stops in Greenville and Portland this year. With the Sea Dogs in particular, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Florida native made 28 starts in right field, 20 starts in left field, and three starts in center, recording one assist without committing an error in 98 total defensive chances. He also made six starts at DH.

Tibbs, who does not turn 23 until October, and Ehrhard, who does not turn 23 until next January, have been assigned to the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate in Tulsa, Okla., and will presumably report to the Drillers in the coming days. They join corner infielder Blaze Jordan, who was dealt to the Cardinals for lefty Steven Matz late Wednesday night, as the three prospects the Red Sox parted ways with at this year’s trade deadline.

“We obviously didn’t get to know James Tibbs as well as Blaze and Zach, but feel like they are really good baseball players,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) earlier Thursday evening. “They are going to go on to have successful careers. Each does something that we like, whether it’s James’ contact. Zach has started to hit the ball pretty hard, really good defender in the outfield. Blaze obviously has been performing really, really well in Triple-A this year.

“But you have to be willing to give up good players in order to execute deals. We obviously have found that out, and we’re willing to do so,” he continued. “But it felt like the additions of Matz and May were worthwhile, just given the position of our major league team right now.”

(Picture of Zach Ehrhard: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Which prospect did Red Sox trade to Cardinals for Steven Matz?

The Red Sox swung a late-night trade with the Cardinals on Wednesday to bolster their bullpen depth.

In exchange for left-hander Steven Matz, who is in the final year of a four-year, $44 million contract, Boston dealt minor league infielder Blaze Jordan to St. Louis, per an official announcement.

Jordan was ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 25 prospect, while MLB Pipeline had him at No. 17 and SoxProspects.com had him at No. 19. The 22-year-old was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (89th overall) of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, Miss. He forwent his commitment to Mississippi State by signing with the club for an over-slot $1.75 million.

At that time, Chaim Bloom ran the Red Sox’ baseball operations department. Fast forward a little more than five years, and Bloom is now preparing to succeed John Mozeliak as the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations after the 2025 season, so he and Jordan should already be somewhat familiar with one another.

Having seen his prospect stock drop in recent years entering 2025, Jordan has been enjoying a resurgent season thus far. The right-handed hitter returned to Double-A Portland out of camp this spring and batted a stout .320/.415/.513 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 37 RBIs, 30 runs scored, three stolen bases, 22 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 44 games (176 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs. He was recognized as the Eastern League Player of the Month for May and was rewarded with a promotion to Triple-A Worcester in early June.

In 44 games for the WooSox, Jordan slashed .298/.341/.480 with 11 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts over 182 plate appearances. He is riding a four-game hitting streak after going 3-for-5 with one RBI in Wednesday’s extra-innings loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park.

Defensively, Jordan unsurprisingly saw playing time at both corner infield positions between his stops in Portland and Worcester this season. With the WooSox in particular, the 6-foot, 220-pounder made 13 starts at first base and 27 starts at third base, committing just two errors in 160 total chances. He also made four starts at DH.

Jordan, who does not turn 23 until December, will presumably report to the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, Tenn., in the coming days. Looking further ahead, he can once again become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to St. Louis’ 40-man roster by the November protection deadline.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospects Connelly Early, David Sandlin to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospects Connelly Early and David Sandlin from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Early, 23, and Sandlin, 24, are currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s Nos. 11 and 12 prospects, which rank sixth and seventh among pitchers in the organization, respectively. Both hurlers are moving up a level after first arriving in Portland a little over a year ago and putting together encouraging starts to their 2025 seasons.

Early, a left-hander, posted a 2.51 ERA (2.59 FIP) with a staff-leading 96 strikeouts to 29 walks over 15 appearances (12 starts) spanning 71 2/3 innings in which he held opponents to a .202 batting average. Sandlin, a right-hander, forged a 3.61 ERA (3.29 FIP) with 86 strikeouts to 27 walks across 17 outings (13 starts) spanning a staff-leading 82 1/3 innings in which opponents batted .227 against him.

Among 24 pitchers who have thrown at least 70 innings in the Eastern League this year, Early ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (12.06), strikeout rate (32.3 percent), swinging-strike rate (14.9 percent), FIP, and xFIP (2.90), third in batting average against, groundball rate (49.7 percent), and ERA, and sixth in WHIP (1.13). Sandlin, meanwhile, ranks fifth in FIP, sixth in xFIP (3.50), seventh in strikeout rate (25.4 percent), eighth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.40), ninth in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent) and WHIP (1.18), 10th in batting average against and ERA, 11th in walks per nine innings (2.95), and 12th in walk rate (8 percent), per FanGraphs.

Early was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2023 draft out of Virginia (by way of Army) and received a $408,500 signing bonus. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound southpaw features a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 82-85 mph changeup, an 80-83 mph sweeper, an 84-87 mph slider, and a 77-80 mph curveball, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Sandlin was acquired from the Royals for reliever John Schreiber last February after originally being selected by Kansas City in the 11th round (325th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Oklahoma (by way of Eastern Oklahoma State). As highlighted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty operates with a 94-97 mph fastball that can reach 99-100 mph, a 90-93 mph slider, an 85-88 mph sweeper, an 88-91 mph splitter, and a 77-81 mph curveball.

Unlike Early, Sandlin can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. That could make him an intriguing trade candidate in the coming days if the Red Sox elect to deal from their pool of Rule 5-eligible prospects in an effort to improve the big-league club like they did last summer.

Barring a move involving either before Thursday’s trade deadline, though, Early and Sandlin are slated to join a starting rotation mix in Worcester that currently includes the likes of Cooper Criswell and Kyle Harrison (who are both on the 40-man roster) as well as Isaac Coffey, Robert Stock, and Tyler Uberstine. The WooSox open a six-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park on Tuesday.

(Picture of Connelly Early: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote D’Angelo Ortiz, David Ortiz’s son, to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox have promoted minor-league corner infielder D’Angelo Ortiz from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Ortiz, the son of franchise legend and Hall of Famer David Ortiz, was selected by the Red Sox in the 19th round (567th overall) of the 2024 draft out of Miami Dade College. The 21-year-old previously played with the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. He signed for an at-slot $150,000 last July but did not make his professional debut until May.

A right-handed hitter unlike his father, the younger Ortiz is still in search of his first pro home run after batting .273/.384/.305 with two doubles, one triple, 18 RBIs, 22 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 27 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 51 games (185 plate appearances) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox to begin his 2025 season.

Among 66 qualified Florida Complex League hitters, Ortiz notably ranks 12th in batting average and on-base percentage, 17th in strikeout rate (18.4 percent), and 22nd in walk rate (14.6 percent), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

On the other side of the ball, Ortiz split his playing time with the FCL Red Sox between the two infield corners. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder logged 302 1/3 innings at first base and 85 innings at third base, committing seven errors in 250 total defensive chances.

Ortiz, who just turned 21 earlier this month, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top prospects by publications such as Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or SoxProspects.com. He will likely need to tap into his power potential if he intends on sticking at either first or third base moving forward.

With that being said, Ortiz is slated to join a corner infield mix in Salem that consists of Frederik Jimenez, Karim Ayubi, Yohander Linarez, Fraymi De Leon, and Starlyn Nunez at present. He will presumably make his full-season debut against the Charleston RiverDogs at some point this week.

(Picture of D’Angelo and David Ortiz: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Austin Ehrlicher to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Austin Ehrlicher from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Ehrlicher enjoyed a strong start to his 2025 season in Salem. The 22-year-old right-hander posted a 3.22 ERA (2.96 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 25 walks over 15 outings (eight starts) spanning 44 2/3 innings in which he held opponents to a .195 batting average. He struck out seven across four scoreless, two-hit frames against Augusta in his last appearance before the All-Star break on July 11.

Among the 87 pitchers who came into play Tuesday having thrown at least 40 innings in the Carolina League this year, Ehrlicher ranked seventh in strikeout rate (28.8 percent), ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.68) and FIP, 15th in batting average against (.195), 19th in swinging-strike rate (13.6 percent), 24th in ERA, 27th in WHIP (1.23), and 29th in xFIP (3.56), per FanGraphs.

Ehrlicher was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round (549th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Santa Rosa Junior College. As a draft-and-follow pick, the California native remained in school for another year and then forwent his commitment to transfer to Arizona State by signing with Boston for $200,000 in June 2023. At that time, he was working his way back from an elbow injury, which delayed his professional debut until last April. He appeared in two games out of the bullpen for Salem before ultimately being shut down for the remainder of the 2024 campaign due to shoulder inflammation.

Now healthy, Ehrlicher has been rewarded with a new challenge in the form of a promotion to Greenville. A former two-sport athlete who also played basketball at Santa Rosa, the 6-foot-5, 185-pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball, an 83-86 mph sweeper, and an 89-90 mph changeup, as noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report.

Ehrlicher, who just turned 22 last month, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top prospects by publications such as SoxProspects.com, which describes him as a “high variance arm with several key traits including standout athleticism, projectability, and feel for spin.” He is slated to join a Greenville pitching staff that already includes fellow righties Blake Aita, Jonathan Brand, Darvin Garcia, John Holobetz, Danny Kirwin, Matt McShane, Adam Smith, and Isaac Stebens.

(Picture of Austin Ehrlicher: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox catching prospect Franklin Primera shines in 2025 Dominican Summer League All-Star Game

Red Sox minor league catcher Franklin Primera was a late addition to the American League’s roster for the 2025 Dominican Summer League All-Star Game on Sunday.

He ended up being named one of the contest’s co-MVPs.

Primera took the spot of injured teammate Dorian Soto, who has been sidelined by wrist soreness for the last week-plus, on the American League’s updated roster ahead of Sunday’s showcase at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ DR complex in Boca Chica. The 18-year-old came off the bench to lead off the eighth inning and immediately made his impact felt by clubbing a pinch-hit home run to left field off National League All-Star reliever Frankelly Desis.

With his leadoff homer (technically the first of his professional career), Primera brought the American League back to within one run of the opposition at 8-7. They rallied for three additional runs off Desis in the eighth and ultimately defeated the National League by a final score of 10-8.

Primera, who grounded out in his final at-bat to finish the day 1-for-2, was recognized as the game’s most valuable hitter. On the flip side, Orioles minor leaguer Laurens Sosa was recognized as the game’s most valuable pitcher after converting the save (also technically the first of his professional career) with a scoreless ninth inning.

Hector Ramos, the only other Red Sox minor leaguer to appear in Sunday’s exhibition, went 0-for-2 with one strikeout after pinch-hitting and taking over at first base (a position he hadn’t played before professionally) for the American League in the seventh. Williams Montero, who pitched four innings in his most recent start last Thursday, did not see any action.

Primera, meanwhile, originally signed with Boston for a nondescript $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela last September. The right-handed hitter had to wait until June to officially make his pro debut and is batting .313/.456/.388 (135 wRC+) with six doubles, 13 RBIs, 22 runs scored, two stolen bases, 16 walks, and seven strikeouts in 27 games (103 plate appearances) for DSL Red Sox Red this season.

Among 25 Dominican Summer League catchers who have made at least 100 trips to the plate in 2025, Primera ranks second in strikeout rate (6.8 percent), third in batting average, on-base percentage, wOBA (.441), wRC+, and swinging-strike rate (6.4 percent), seventh in walk rate (15.5 percent), and 10th in OPS (.844), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Primera has made a team-leading 24 starts at catcher for DSL Red Sox Red this year. In the process of logging 178 innings behind the plate, the 6-foot, 179-pound backstop has thrown out 19 of 70 possible base stealers and has committed six errors (not including two passed balls) in 189 chances. He has also started three games at DH.

Primera, who just turned 18 on June 16, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top catching prospects at this early stage in his career. With that being said, he is on track to make his stateside debut in the Florida Complex League next year.

(Picture of Franklin Primera via his Instagram)

Trio of young Red Sox prospects named Dominican Summer League All-Stars

Red Sox minor-league infielders Dorian Soto and Hector Ramos, and right-hander Williams Montero have been named 2025 Dominican Summer League All-Stars, Minor League Baseball announced through Baseball America on Thursday.

The trio of youngsters — all of whom entered the professional ranks as international signees this past January — will represent the Red Sox by suiting up for the American League in the annual DSL All-Star Game at the Diamondbacks’ complex in Boca Chica on Sunday.

Soto, 17, received the highest bonus ($1.5 million) in Boston’s 2025 international free agent class and is currently ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s No. 13 prospect. The Dominican-born switch-hitter is batting .343/.375/.500 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs, 14 RBIs, 18 runs scored, one stolen base, seven walks, and 14 strikeouts in 27 games (113 plate appearances for DSL Red Sox Red. That includes a .350/.364/.500 line against left-handed pitching and a .341/.378/.500 line against right-handed pitching.

Defensively, Soto has seen most of his playing time this year come at shortstop, where he has committed six errors in 65 chances over 129 1/3 innings. The athletic 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has also made five starts at DH, four starts at third base, and one start at second base. It is worth noting that he has not played since July 12.

UPDATE: Soto has been ruled out for Sunday’s All-Star Game due to wrist soreness. He is still working out and engaging in baseball activity, according to SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield.

Ramos, Boston’s No. 19 prospect according to Baseball America, is another switch-hitting 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic who received a $500,000 signing bonus. In 32 games for DSL Red Sox Blue thus far, the Dajabon native is slashing .248/.373/.422 with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 28 runs scored, one stolen base, 20 walks, and 29 strikeouts over 134 plate appearances. He has taken most of his swings from the left side of the plate and is batting .264/.400/.440 against righties, though he homered off a lefty for the first time in Thursday’s 7-5 loss to DSL Rays.

On the other side of the ball, Ramos, like Soto, has seen the lion’s share of his time on the field this year come at shortstop. The reliable 6-foot-1, 168-pounder has logged 189 innings at the position, committing six errors in 98 defensive chances there. He has also made six starts at DH and one start at second base.

Montero, meanwhile, is the lone pitcher in this group and is not ranked among Boston’s top prospects by Baseball America. The 6-foot, 160-pound righty out of Venezuela signed for $100,000 on his 17th birthday and has since made seven starts for DSL Red Sox Red, posting a 4.39 ERA (3.08 FIP) with 26 strikeouts to seven walks over 26 2/3 innings in which opponents have batted .305 against him.

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

Who is Jorge Rodriguez? Red Sox C prospect ‘the FCL’s premier catch-and-throw artist’

In a ranking of the top 25 prospects in the Florida Complex League so far this season by Baseball America’s Josh Norris, Red Sox minor league catcher Jorge Rodriguez claimed the No. 7 spot.

Rodriguez, 19, has opened eyes on both sides of the ball in his first season stateside. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in January 2024. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June but did little to stand out on paper, as he slashed .258/.333/.280 (76 wRC+) with no home runs and seven RBIs in 31 games.

This year has been a different story for Rodriguez. Even when taking a slightly delayed start and a chilly July to this point into consideration, the right-handed hitter is still slashing .296/.367/.420 (114 wRC+) with one double, three home runs, 17 RBIs, 10 runs scored, eight stolen bases, eight walks, and 16 strikeouts through 27 games (90 plate appearances) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox.

Among the 142 FCL hitters who had made at least 90 trips to the plate coming into play on Wednesday, Rodriguez ranked 10th in batting average, 17th in slugging percentage, 26th in OPS (.787), 32nd in wOBA (.385), 35th in strikeout rate (17.8 percent), and 46th in wRC+, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Rodriguez has primarily been splitting time behind the plate with fellow countryman Gerardo Rodriguez for Boston’s FCL affiliate. The 5-foot-10, 147-pound backstop has logged 93 innings there thus far, throwing out 16 of 41 possible base stealers, allowing two passed balls, and committing three errors in 103 chances. He has also made 11 starts at DH.

Rodriguez, Norris wrote on Wednesday, “is the FCL’s premier catch-and-throw artist, with an arm capable of regularly producing pop times well under 1.90 seconds. His pure arm strength is at least double-plus, with the only knock being how well the operation will hold up against the rigors of a full season.

“Despite a smaller stature, Rodriguez does an excellent job of finding the barrel and producing solid or better exit velocities,” added Norris. “In the end, he could be an average hitter with fringe-average power and the kind of arm that puts the brakes on attempted base burglars.”

Rodriguez, who just turned 19 in February, is not currently regarded among Boston’s top prospects by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or FanGraphs. He did, however, recently debut on SoxProspects.com’s top 60 list at No. 44, which ranks third among catchers behind only Johanfran Garcia (No. 36) and Brooks Brannon (No. 41).

In addition to Rodriguez, outfielder Enddy Azocar (No. 13) and right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo (No. 20) made Norris’ top 25 Florida Complex League prospect rankings as well. Both have received promotions to Low-A Salem in recent weeks, and with the FCL season winding down, Rodriguez is likely not too far behind them.

(Picture of Jorge Rodriguez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)