Tag: enmanuel valdez

Triston Casas and Enmanuel Valdez both homer, Corey Kluber tosses pair of scoreless innings in spring debut as Red Sox best Marlins, 7-2

Playing under the lights for the first time this spring in Jupiter, Fla., the Red Sox improved to 3-0-1 in Grapefruit League play on Tuesday night by taking care of business against the Marlins. Boston defeated Miami by a final score of 7-2 at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Corey Kluber, who signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox in January, made his first start of the spring in this one. The veteran right-hander scattered two hits and zero walks to go along with one strikeout over two scoreless innings of work. He retired six of the eight batters he faced.

After stranding one runner in the bottom of the first, Kluber gave up a leadoff double to Avisail Garcia to begin things in the second. Garcia then moved up to third base on a fly out, but Kluber kept him there by getting both Joey Wendle and Jerar Encarnacion to ground out to second baseman Nick Sogard.

Of the 26 pitches Kluber threw on Tuesday, 18 went for strikes. The 36-year-old hurler mixed in his cutter, curveball, four-seam fastball, changeup, and sinker while sitting between 77 and 83 mph, per Baseball Savant. He also induced one swing-and-miss.

Shortly after Kluber’s night came to an end, the Red Sox drew first blood in their half of the third. Greg Allen reached base via a one-out double off Marlins reliever JT Chargois. He then scored from second on a groundball RBI single off the bat of Triston Casas.

Boston extended its early lead an inning later. With no outs and runners at second and third following a Rob Refsnyder walk and Jorge Alfaro ground-rule double, Connor Wong plated Refsnyder from third with a run-scoring groundout to third base.

Following scoreless frames out of the bullpen from left-handers Ryan Sherriff and Oddanier Mosqueda. The Allen-Casas combination struck again in the fifth. After Allen led off with a double, Casas promptly crushed a 374-foot two-run home run to deep right field off lefty Dax Fulton. Casas’ first big fly of the spring had an exit velocity of over 103 mph. It also gave the Red Sox a 4-0 lead.

Norwith Gudino took over for Mosqueda and retired the side in order to end the fifth. The sixth inning was far more eventful. In the top half, Ryan Fitzgerald came through with a two-out, two-run double that scored both Enmanuel Valdez and Narciso Crook. In the bottom half, the Marlins got both of those runs back when non-roster invitee Jake Faria allowed Jake Magnum to score on a wild pitch before serving up a 362-foot solo shot to Garcia.

Brendan Nail was responsible for the seventh inning. The southpaw needed just 13 pitches (10 strikes) to punch out two of the three Miami hitters he faced. In the eighth, Valdez greeted new Marlins reliever Jefry Van by cranking a 379-foot leadoff home run to right field. The 24-year-old’s first long ball of the spring put Boston up by five runs going into the latter half of the frame.

Former Marlin Sterling Sharp then put up a zero in the eighth before Cody Scroggins worked his way around a leadoff walk in an otherwise clean ninth inning to secure a 7-2 victory for the Red Sox.

Tuesday’s contest, which took two hours and 21 minutes to complete, marked the first time the Red Sox had beaten the Marlins in a spring training game since March 24, 2012.

Other notable numbers:

Allen went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot on Tuesday. Bobby Dalbec also went 1-for-3 with a double out of the three-hole.

Fitzgerald, who pinch-hit for Dalbec, went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. His first double had an exit velocity of 103.5 mph while his second double left his bat at a blistering 105.2 mph.

Next up: Second leg of road trip

The Red Sox will head to West Palm Beach to take on the reigning World Series champion Astros on Wednesday afternoon. Lefty Richard Bleier will serve as an opener for Boston while rookie righty Hunter Brown will get the start for Houston.

First pitch from The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern tine. The game will not be televised.

(Picture of Corey Kluber: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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Masataka Yoshida records sacrifice fly in spring debut as Red Sox top Northeastern, 5-3

The Red Sox opened their spring schedule with a 5-3 win over Northeastern at JetBlue Park on Friday afternoon.

Meeting for the first time in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and the MLB lockout in 2022, Boston moved to 19-0 all-time against the Huskies in exhibition play.

All five of the Red Sox’ runs came in the first inning of this seven-inning contest. Jarren Duran got things started in the bottom of the first with a leadoff double off Northeastern starter James Quinlivan. Rafael Devers followed by plating Duran on an RBI single to right field to give his side an early one-run lead out of the gate.

A pair of wild pitches from Quinlivan allowed Devers to move up to third base. Following an Enrique Hernandez walk, Devers came into score on a sacrifice fly to left field off the bat of Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida. Quinlivan then walked three straight batters in Alex Verdugo, Jorge Alfaro, and Triston Casas, who brought in Hernandez from third by taking ball four.

Trailing by three runs now, the Huskies gave Quinlivan the hook in favor of Patrick Harrington out of the bullpen. Enmanuel Valdez promptly greeted the Northeastern reliever by ripping a two-run double to the gap in right-center field. That pushed across both Verdugo and Alfaro to give the Red Sox a commanding 5-0 lead.

On the other side of things, non-roster invitee Oddanier Mosqueda got the start for Boston on the mound. The left-hander worked his way around a leadoff single off the bat of Spenser Smith by picking off the shortstop at second base to end a scoreless first inning. The two relievers who followed Mosqueda, Durbin Feltman and Taylor Broadway, faced the minimum in the second and third as well thanks to a pair of inning-ending plays.

Chase Shugart, another non-roster invitee, got tagged for two runs in the fourth. The right-hander issued a leadoff walk to Smith and immediately gave up an RBI double to Mike Sirota to put the Huskies on the board. Sirota then stole third base and scored from third on an RBI groundout off the bat of Danny Crossen.

Wyatt Olds took over for Shugart in the fifth and walked two of the first three batters he faced. That first batter, Harrison Feinberg, successfully stole third base with one out and then scored on a throwing error by catcher Elih Marrero. Olds avoided any further damage by getting Sean McGee to ground into another inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play.

From there, a pair of lefties wrapped things up out of the Boston bullpen. Rio Gomez, who will soon be pitching for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic, struck out one in a scoreless sixth inning. Brendan Cellucci followed by stranding one runner in the seventh to notch the save and put the finishing touches on a 5-3 victory.

Next up: Grapefruit League play begins

The Red Sox will kick off the Grapefruit League portion of their spring schedule on Saturday afternoon as they travel to North Port, Fla. to take on the Braves at CoolToday Park.

Left-hander Matt Dermody will get the start for Boston opposite fellow southpaw Kolby Allard for Atlanta. Richard Bleier, Kaleb Ort, Wyatt Mills, Ryan Sherriff, Jake Faria, and Norwith Gudino are also scheduled to pitch for the Red Sox.

First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Masataka Yoshida: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Alex Cora likes what he has seen from prospects Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu in spring training

Enmanuel Valdez will bat eighth and get the start at second base when the Red Sox take on Northeastern in their first spring training game at JetBlue Park on Friday afternoon.

Boston acquired Valdez and outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu from the Astros in exchange for catcher Christian Vazquez last August. Both players were added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster back in November.

Valdez is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. Abreu, on the other hand, is ranked 22nd. The pair are both attending their first big-league camp and have had the chance to make an impression on Red Sox manager Alex Cora since arriving in Fort Myers, Fla. earlier this month.

“He can hit,” Cora said of Valdez when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) at the Fenway South complex on Thursday. “This kid, he can hit. He controls the strike zone. He can hit. So we’ll try to help him defensively. More comfortable at second than other places. Both of them, Abreu and Valdez, they control the strike zone. They do damage in the strike zone. I’m excited to see them.”

Cora added that Valdez and Abreu will both be in the starting lineup when the Red Sox travel to West Palm Beach and go up against the Astros in Grapefruit League play next Wednesday.

Valdez, 24, batted .296/.376/.542 with 35 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs, 107 RBIs, 92 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 64 walks, and 124 strikeouts in 126 games (573 plate appearances) between Double-A and Triple-A last year. After getting traded over the summer, the left-handed hitter slashed .237/.309/.422 with nine doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 30 RBIs, 26 runs scored, three stolen bases, 19 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 44 games (195 plate appearances) with Triple-A Worcester.

Defensively, Valdez saw playing time at five different positions last season. With the WooSox alone, the 5-foot-9, 191-pounder out of the Dominican Republic logged 330 innings at second base, 24 innings at third base, and 25 innings in left field.

“He can [play outfield],” said Cora. “But I think here, we’ll move him around in the infield.”

Valdez, meanwhile, spent the entirety of the 2022 campaign at Double-A, batting .247/.399/.459 with 29 doubles, 19 home runs, 73 RBIs, 106 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 114 walks, and 153 strikeouts over 129 total games (579 plate appearances). Upon switching organizations for the first time in his career, the left-handed hitting Venezuelan posted a .242/.399/.375 slash line with five doubles, four homers, 19 RBIs, 25 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 36 walks, and 45 strikeouts in 40 games (168 plate appearances) for Double-A Portland.

On the other side of the ball, Abreu made starts at all three outfield spots last year. With the Sea Dogs specifically, the 6-foot, 217-pounder logged 141 innings in left, 121 innings in center, and 73 innings in right while registering one outfield assist.

“I think we really got a guy who’s an incredible defender,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Abreu in a separate conversation with Smith. “Probably at times undersold in a lot of ways. He can play center field. He has a plus arm and moves really well. Not really fast but a really good first step and can move really quick in the outfield. All-around player that we’re really excited to have.”

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

Red Sox add Enmanuel Valdez to 40-man roster, activate 5 players from 60-day injured list

UPDATE: The Red Sox have officially selected Valdez to the major-league roster. They also activated left-handers James Paxton, Chris Sale, and Josh Taylor, right-hander Tanner Houck, and first baseman/outfielder Franchy Cordero from the 60-day injured list.

The 40-man roster is now at 37 players.

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The Red Sox will add versatile prospect Enmanuel Valdez to their 40-man roster on Thursday, according to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith. The move prevents Valdez from reaching minor-league free agency.

Valdez, who turns 24 next month, was acquired from the Astros along with outfield prospect Wilyer Abreu in the August trade that sent catcher Christian Vazquez to Houston.

The Astros originally signed Valdez for $450,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2015, so the San Juan de la Maguna native was eligible to become a minor-league free agent this winter after spending seven years in the minors.

At the time the trade was made, Valdez was batting .327/.410/.606 with 26 doubles, one triple, 21 home runs, 77 RBIs, 66 runs scored, five stolen bases, 45 walks, and 73 strikeouts in 82 games (378 plate appearances) between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the 2022 season. Upon switching organizations for the first time in his career, the left-handed hitter proceeded to slash .237/.309/.422 with nine doubles, one triple, seven homers, 30 runs driven in, 26 runs scored, three stolen bases, 19 walks, and 48 strikeouts over 44 games (195 plate appearances) for Triple-A Worcester.

Defensively, Valdez saw the majority of his playing time with the WooSox come in the infield. The 5-foot-9, 191-pounder logged 330 innings at second base and 24 innings at third base. He also made three starts in left field and has one career start as a right fielder under his belt.

As things stand now, Valdez is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Red Sox will not have to make a corresponding move to add Valdez to their 40-man roster since it currently sits at 31 players.

Valdez has spent his offseason playing for the Toros del Este of the Dominican Winter League. In 12 games with the club, he has gone just 6-for-32 (.188) at the plate with one extra-base hit, two RBIs, three runs scored, one walk, and nine strikeouts.

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Red Sox need to add Enmanuel Valdez to 40-man roster this month in order to prevent him from reaching free agency

Enmanuel Valdez is eligible to become a minor-league free agent this offseason. The Red Sox, therefore, have until five days following the conclusion of the World Series to add the versatile 23-year-old to their 40-man roster in order to prevent him from hitting the open market.

Boston acquired Valdez and fellow prospect Wilyer Abreu from the Astros in the August trade that sent veteran catcher Christian Vazquez to Houston. Both players can become eligible for December’s Rule 5 Draft if they are not added to the Sox’ 40-man roster in the coming weeks.

As noted by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, the Red Sox could elect to re-sign Valdez to a minor-league contract. But that would still leave him (and Abreu) exposed to the Rule 5 Draft if they were not added to the 40-man prior to the November deadline.

In 2016, the Red Sox saw Josh Rutledge leave for the Rockies via minor-league free agency. They then re-acquired Rutledge by selecting him from Colorado in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. The following year, they added Bryce Brentz to the 40-man roster after the 2017 World Series in order to block him from reaching minor-league free agency. These are just a few past examples provided by Smith.

Valdez, who turns 24 next month, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The native Dominican originally signed with Houston for $450,000 as an international free agent coming out San Juan de la Maguna in July 2015.

At the time the three-player trade between the Red Sox and Astros was made this summer, Valdez was batting .327/.410/.606 with 26 doubles, one triple, 21 home runs, 77 RBIs, 66 runs scored, five stolen bases, 45 walks, and 73 strikeouts in 82 games (378 plate appearances) between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land.

Upon switching organizations for the first time in his career, the left-handed hitter proceeded to slash .237/.309/.422 with nine doubles, one triple, seven homers, 30 runs driven in, 26 runs scored, three stolen bases, 19 walks, and 48 strikeouts over 44 games (195 plate appearances) for Triple-A Worcester.

Though his production dropped off with the WooSox, Valdez still posted a 131 wRC+ on the 2022 season as a whole and was named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Year as a result.

Defensively, Valdez saw the majority of his playing time in Worcester come in left field. The 5-foot-9, 191-pounder logged 330 innings at the keystone and 24 innings at third. He also made three starts in left field and has limited experience in right field as well.

Given that he is only one promotion away from the big-leagues, it seems unlikely that the Red Sox would risk losing Valdez this winter and will instead add him to their 40-man roster sooner rather than later. It is also worth mentioning that, after outrighting Tyler Danish on Monday, Boston currently has 39 players on its 40-man roster. Perhaps that spot will go to Valdez.

In the meantime, Valdez has been playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic. Coming into play on Tuesday, he has gone 6-for-28 (.214) with one double, two RBIs, three runs scored, one walk, and six strikeouts in nine games with the Toros del Este.

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Enmanuel Valdez makes MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Year

MLB Pipeline revealed their Prospect Team of the Year for 2022 on Thursday. The Red Sox had one representative in infielder Enmanuel Valdez.

Valdez was named the first team’s starting second baseman after batting .296/.376/.542 with 35 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs, 107 RBIs, 92 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 64 walks, and 124 strikeouts in 126 games (573 plate appearances) between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

Among qualified minor-league second basemen, Valdez posted the highest slugging percentage, the second-highest OPS (.918), the third-highest isolated power (.246), the third-most homers, and the second-most RBIs, per FanGraphs.

The 23-year-old out of the Dominican Republic began the 2022 campaign with the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Astros. He then earned a promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land in early June. Less than two months later, he and fellow prospect Wilyer Abreu were traded to the Red Sox for catcher Christian Vazquez.

While Abreu was assigned to Double-A Portland, Valdez joined Triple-A Worcester. The left-handed hitter made his organizational debut on August 3 and slashed .237/.309/.422 with nine doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 30 RBIs, 26 runs scored, three stolen bases, 19 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 44 games (195 plate appearances with the WooSox.

Valdez’s second-half homers came in bunches. He hit two in his first three games at Polar Park from Aug. 3-5 and enjoyed a two-homer game on Aug. 9. His next big fly did not come until the 28th and his final two came on September 3-4. Over the last three weeks of the minor-league season, Valdez hit just .238 with a .565 OPS across 16 games to close out his year.

Defensively, Valdez saw playing time at three different positions in Worcester. The 5-foot-9, 191-pounder logged 330 innings at second base, 24 innings at third base, and 25 innings in left field.

Originally signed by the Astros for $450,000 as an international free-agent in July 2015, Valdez can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft and minor-league free agency this winter. The Red Sox will have until late November to decide if they want to protect Valdez from the Rule 5 by adding him to their 40-man roster.

With that being said, it seems unlikely that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. would part ways with an established veteran such as Vazquez just to risk losing part of the return for him the following winter. For what it is worth, Abreu can also become Rule 5-eligible in the coming months, though he is under club control through 2024.

Valdez, who turns 24 in December, is currently regarded by MLB Pipeline as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system. If he remains in the organization through the off-season, Valdez could very well make his major-league debut at some point in 2023. He possesses intriguing power and can play multiple positions, so there is potential for him to undertake a utility role in the not-so-distant future.

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Enmanuel Valdez takes home International League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox infield prospect Enmanuel Valdez was named the International League Player of the Week for the week of August 29-September 4, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In Triple-A Worcester’s last series against the Buffalo Bisons at Polar Park, Valdez appeared in all six games and went 10-for-24 (.417) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, 10 RBIs, eight runs scored, one stolen base, three walks, and four strikeouts. He finished a single shy of the cycle on Sunday.

Since making his WooSox debut on Aug. 3, Valdez has batted .236/.325/.500 (114 wRC+) to go along with six doubles, one triple, seven homers, 27 runs driven in, 22 runs scored, two stolen bases, 15 walks, and 31 strikeouts over 28 games (127 plate appearances). Among those in the International League who have made at least 120 trips to the plate this season, the left-handed hitter ranks 51st in slugging percentage and 16th in isolated power (.264), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Valdez has seen playing time at three different positions in his time with the WooSox. After starting at second base on Sunday, the 5-foot-9, 191-pounder has logged 213 innings at second, 15 innings at third, and 17 innings in left field.

Valdez, 23, was originally signed by the Astros for $450,000 as an international free-agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2015. The Red Sox acquired the San Juan de la Maguana native and fellow prospect Wilyer Abreu from Houston in exchange for catcher Christian Vazquez ahead of last month’s trade deadline.

Now, Valdez is regarded by Baseball America as the 16th-ranked prospect in Boston’s farm system. The publication describes him as “a bat-first infielder with a good combination of power and contact.” While there are some defensive concerns, he is “a tough out that grinds out at-bats, can hit for contact and punish mistakes.”

Valdez, who turns 24 in December, can become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the November deadline. Unlike Eddinson Paulino, who has yet to play above Low-A, Valdez seems like more of a lock to be added given his experience and level of production at Triple-A.

“If he were going to get called up tomorrow, I think his ability to play [multiple] positions would be very valuable for a major-league clubhouse and a major-league bench,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Valdez in a recent conversation with The Athletic’s Chad Jennings. “He can play infield. He can play a corner (outfield) spot. And he can run into baseballs with power. So, I think the skillset lends itself really well to being an impactful major-league player. We’ve seen athleticism, and we’ve seen some areas that can be improved upon. I know our Triple-A staff already feel they’ve made some strides ins some of the smaller motor learning skills that he can improve upon while being in the infield, whether that be first-step quickness or the way he moves from left to right. And same thing in the outfield, some of the first step and quickness, I think he’s shown improvement on.”

“But, I think we’ve got a twitchy guy who has power, who drives the baseball, and the better he’s able to have an understanding of the strike zone and what he needs to do to consistently drive the baseball to all fields will allow him to be more impactful,” added Abraham. “But I think in a lot of ways he’s someone who’s incredibly unique, who can do all of those things (that profile well as a utility man) and still be someone who can play one position and play there for a consistent amount of time. I think that’s incredibly valuable these days. As we know, our Major League team has a bunch of those guys, our Triple-A team has a bunch of those guys. Getting yourself in the lineup to make an impact is really important.”

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Wilyer Abreu homers for first time since being acquired from Astros

Wilyer Abreu hit his first home run as a member of the Red Sox organization on Sunday afternoon. It came in the third inning of Double-A Portland’s 4-1 win over the Hartford Yard Goats at Hadlock Field.

Following Sunday’s 1-for-3 performance in which he also drew a walk, Abreu is now batting .205/.341/.288 with three doubles, the one homer, seven RBIs, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases, 16 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 23 games (91 plate appearances) with the Sea Dogs.

While those numbers do not stand out by any means, Abreu appears to be showing some signs of life at the plate lately. In his last five games, for the instance, the left-handed hitting outfielder has gone 4-for-15 (.267) with an on-base percentage of .400 and wRC+ of 136.

On the other side of the ball, Abreu made his fifth start in center field for Portland on Sunday. All together, the 6-foot, 217-pounder has logged 61 innings in center, 71 innings in left, and 56 innings in right since joining the Sea Dogs earlier this month.

The Red Sox acquired Abreu and fellow prospect Enmanuel Valdez from the Astros in exchange for catcher and free-agent-to-be Christian Vazquez on August 1. While Valdez was assigned to Triple-A Worcester out of the gate, Abreu has spent the entirety of his organizational tenure to this point in Portland.

Abreu, 23, originally signed with the Astros for $300,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 27. At the time of the trade, the Maracaibo native was regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Houston’s farm system. He is now ranked by the publication as the No. 22 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Interestingly enough, Abreu was supposed to sign with the Red Sox as a 17-year-old in 2016. He had already established a relationship with assistant general manager Eddie Romero, but Boston was banned from signing international prospects during the 2016-17 period after breaking signing bonus rules the year before.

“I was supposed to sign here with the Red Sox in 2016,” said Abreu, who added that Romero was one of the first people to call him after the trade was made in a recent conversation with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith.

“I love it,” Abreu said of joining the Red Sox organization. “It’s a new team. A lot of guys who have a good makeup. And I like this city (Portland) because of the weather. I love the weather.”

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Abreu is “an extremely patient hitter with a discerning eye at the plate, leading to high walk totals and some strikeouts due to passivity. Overall it’s high level swing decisions with above-average game power. He has enough bat-to-ball skills to avoid the three-true-outcome label, but his average will fluctuate due to his flyball heavy approach.

“Defensively he can handle centerfield and tests highly on the Astros internal athleticism measurements. He has an unusual build as he’s a bigger bodied player for centerfield, but he has the ability to hit and provide versatility in the outfield.”

Abreu, who does not turn 24 until next June, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if the Red Sox do not add him to their 40-man roster by the November deadline. It remains to be seen if that will happen. In the meantime, a late-season promotion so that Abreu can join Valdez in Worcester certainly cannot be ruled out.

(Picture of Wilyer Abreu: Christopher Smith/MassLive)

Red Sox infield prospect Enmanuel Valdez off to encouraging start with new organization

Recently-acquired prospect Enmanuel Valdez has gotten his tenure in the Red Sox organization off to a strong start.

In Triple-A Worcester’s 6-5 loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in Moosic, Pa. on Sunday, Valdez went 1 for 4 with a two-run single while batting third and starting at second base.

Since joining the WooSox earlier this month, the left-handed hitter has batted a stout .297/.372/.649 with one double, four home runs, 15 RBIs, nine runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and nine strikeouts over 10 games (44 plate appearances). Two of those homers came in the same game this past Friday.

Valdez, 23, was one of two prospects (the other being Wilyer Abreu) the Red Sox acquired from the Astros in the trade that sent veteran catcher Christian Vazquez to Houston on August 1.

Now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system, Valdez originally signed with the Astros as an international free-agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2015. The San Juan de la Maguana native began the 2022 season with Houston’s Double-A affiliate before earning a promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land in early June.

Between the Space Cowboys and WooSox, Valdez has slashed .296/.352/.577 to go along with 26 extra-base hits (14 homers), 47 runs driven in, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases, 16 walks, and 38 strikeouts across 48 games (217 plate appearances) at the Triple-A level.

Defensively, Valdez was initially signed as a shortstop seven years ago but has since proven capable of moving all across the field. Already with the WooSox, the 5-foot-9, 191-pounder has logged 70 innings at second base, nine innings at third base, and eight innings in left field. He also has experience at first base, shortstop, and in right field.

Per his Baseball America scouting report, Valdez is “a bat-first infielder with a good combination of power and contact but major defensive questions.” He “has a bat-first second base profile with a lot of offensive skills to believe in.”

Valdez, who turns 24 in December, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter. The Red Sox would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the November deadline if they wish to prevent that from happening.

(Picture of Enmanuel Valdez: Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette /USA TODAY NETWORK)