Tag: greenville drive

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Jeremy Wu-Yelland to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Jeremy Wu-Yelland from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

After pitching for China in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in March, Wu-Yelland opened the 2025 season in Greenville’s bullpen. The 25-year-old left-hander posted a 3.09 ERA (1.96 FIP) with 20 strikeouts to five walks over seven relief appearances (11 2/3 innings) for the Drive. He went 2-for-2 in save opportunities and held opposing hitters to a .222 batting average.

Among 133 South Atlantic League pitchers who came into play Thursday having thrown at least 11 innings, Wu-Yelland ranked fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (15.43), sixth in swinging-strike rate (18.3 percent), seventh in FIP, 10th in strikeout rate (39.2 percent), 13th in xFIP (2.60), 50th in ERA, 64th in groundball rate (43.5 percent), 65th in walk rate (9.8 percent) and batting average against, and 66th in walks per nine innings (3.86), per FanGraphs.

Wu-Yelland was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round (118th overall) of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of Hawaii. The Spokane, Wash. native signed for $200,000 and made his professional debut in May 2021 before undergoing Tommy John surgery the following April. He then missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign and was limited to just three outings in the Florida Complex League as a result of being shut down in 2023. He returned to the mound in May 2024 and finished with a 5.67 ERA (3.77 FIP) in 23 appearances (33 1/3 innings) for Greenville last year.

With 54 career innings at the High-A level to his name, the Red Sox likely figured it was time to present Wu-Yelland with a new challenge in the form of a promotion to Portland. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound southpaw has been up to 98 mph with his upper-90s fastball this season and has also featured a cutter and slider. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 57 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 31st among pitchers in the organization.

Wu-Yelland, who turns 26 next month, will join a right-handed heavy bullpen mix in Portland that includes the likes of Jack Anderson, Jonathan Brand, Zach Bryant, Yovanny Cruz, Alex Hoppe, Gabriel Jackson, Reidis Sena, and Christopher Troye. It should be interesting to see if he makes his Double-A debut at Hadlock Field before the end of the weekend.

(Picture of Jeremy Wu-Yelland: Patrick Mulligan/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote IF prospect Antonio Anderson to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Antonio Anderson from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Anderson, 19, is enjoying a bounce-back season after struggling mightily in his first full season of pro ball last year. To kick off the 2025 campaign, the switch-hitter batted a stout .345/.436/.488 with six doubles, two home runs, 17 RBIs, 18 runs scored, one stolen base, 15 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 22 games (101 plate appearances) for Salem. That includes a .276/.382/.397 slash line from the left side of the plate and a .500/.546/.692 slash line from the right side.

Among qualified Carolina League hitters coming into play on Tuesday, Anderson ranked fourth in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, OPS (.924), wOBA (.443), and line-drive rate (30.2 percent), seventh in wRC+ (154), 12th in slugging percentage, 28th in walk rate (14.9 percent), 30th in isolated power (.143) and swinging-strike rate (10.1 percent), and 31st in strikeout rate (21.8 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Anderson saw the majority of his playing time to begin the season come at third base. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder logged 145 1/3 innings at the hot corner for Salem, committing two errors in 42 chances. He also made one start at first base (a career first) and four starts at DH after splitting time between third base and shortstop last year.

A Georgia native, Anderson was originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2023 draft out of North Atlanta High School. He forwent his commitment to Georgia Tech by signing with Boston for an over-slot $1.5 million and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League shortly thereafter.

Anderson, who turns 20 next month, is not currently regarded by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. Still, as recently highlighted by Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes, he has improved in several areas across the board this season and appears to have turned a corner developmentally.

With that being said, it should be interesting to see how Anderson handles the jump from Low-A to High-A and the adjustment period that comes with it. In Greenville, he figures to join a corner infield mix that — at present — includes the likes of Albert Feliz, Andy Lugo, Brooks Brannon, Juan Montero, and Marvin Alcantara, among others.

(Picture of Antonio Anderson: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Matt McShane (acquired in offseason trade) to High-A Greenville

In addition to shortstop Franklin Arias and left-hander Brandon Clarke, the Red Sox promoted pitching prospect Matt McShane from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville on Tuesday.

McShane, 22, opened his first season as a member of the Red Sox organization in Salem’s bullpen. The right-hander posted a 0.63 ERA (1.89 FIP) with 20 strikeouts to four walks over seven relief appearances (14 1/3 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate. Opposing hitters batted just .185 against him.

Among the 59 pitchers in the Carolina League who have thrown at least 14 innings to this point in the year, McShane ranks second in ERA and FIP, third in xFIP (2.24) and swinging-strike rate (19.6 percent), fifth in strikeout rate (34.5 percent), seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (12.56), 11th in WHIP (0.98), 13th in walk rate (6.9 percent), 14th in walks per nine innings (2.51), 16th in batting average against, and 22nd in groundball rate (48.4 percent), per FanGraphs.

McShane was acquired by the Red Sox from the Pirates for fellow righty Chase Shugart (who had been designated for assignment) in January. The Pennsylvania native was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the 13th round of last summer’s draft out of St. Joseph’s. He received a $150,000 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until April 6 of this year.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, McShane operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 95 mph, an 82-86 mph slider, and a 79-81 mph changeup, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report. He is not currently ranked by the site as one of the organization’s top 60 prospects.

McShane, who does not turn 23 until November, figures to provide Greenville with additional right-handed bullpen depth behind the likes of Isaac Stebens, Cooper Adams, Adam Smith, and Darvin Garcia. He will likely make his High-A debut at some point during the Drive’s series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field this week.

(Picture of Matt McShane: St. Joseph’s University Athletics)

Red Sox to promote prospects Franklin Arias, Brandon Clarke to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Franklin Arias and pitching prospect Brandon Clarke from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Arias, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 72 prospect in the sport. The right-handed hitter batted a stout .346/.407/.397 with four doubles, nine RBIs, 15 runs scored, four stolen bases, six walks, and 12 strikeouts in 19 games (86 plate appearances) for Salem to open the season. He did not play in Sunday’s series finale against Hickory.

Among 93 qualified hitters in the Carolina League coming into play on Sunday, Arias ranked third in swinging-strike rate (6.1 percent), sixth in batting average, 11th in strikeout rate (14 percent), 13th in line-drive rate (29.2 percent), 21st in on-base percentage, 29th in wOBA (.401), 30th in OPS (.804), 34th in slugging percentage and wRC+ (128), and 46th in speed score, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Arias has seen the vast majority of his playing time to this point in the season come at shortstop. With Salem, the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder logged 135 1/3 innings at short, where he committed just one error in 70 defensive chances. He also made one start at second base and two starts at DH.

A native of Venezuela, Arias originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Caracas in January 2023. He put forth a strong professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that season, then caught fire in the Florida Complex League last year. To go along with being named the FCL’s 2024 MVP and top prospect, he was rewarded with a promotion to Salem in late July and was later recognized as Boston’s Minor League Baserunner of the Year.

“I definitely want to be the best player I can be. [But] I try to take it day to day and try not to look too far in the future,” Arias told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier (through a translator) earlier this month. “I feel that’s what helped me get that MVP last year, and I think if I can take that day-to-day approach this year, I can have some similar results.”

Arias, who does not turn 20 until November, also told Speier that he is aiming to make it to Double-A Portland or even Triple-A Worcester before his age-19 season draws to a close. If he were to receive a promotion to Portland at some point this winter or fall, he would join Roman Anthony (2023) and Xander Bogaerts (2012) as the two most recent Red Sox prospects to reach the Double-A level as teenagers.

In Greenville, Arias is slated to join a middle infield mix that already includes the likes of Marvin Alcantara, Nazzan Zanetello, Fraymi De Leon, and Justin Riemer (on the injured list). It would not be terribly surprising if he emerged as the Drive’s primary shortstop moving forward, though he could spend additional time at second base to get others reps at short.

Clarke, meanwhile, is not yet ranked by Baseball America as one of Boston’s top pitching prospects, though that will likely be changing soon. The 22-year-old left-hander was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (148th overall) of last summer’s draft out of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. He forewent his commitment to transfer to South Carolina by signing for $400,000, but did not pitch for an affiliate after putting pen to paper.

Clarke, instead, waited until April 10 of this year (his 22nd birthday) to make his professional debut. The Virginia native then posted a 0.93 ERA (1.20 FIP) with 17 strikeouts to just two walks in his first three starts (9 2/3 innings) for Salem. He only gave up two hits in that stretch as two of his three outings to kick off the 2025 campaign were both scoreless and hitless.

Among the 118 Caroline League pitchers who entered Sunday with at least nine innings under their belts early on, Clark ranked first in FIP and xFIP (1.55), second in strikeout rate (47.2 percent) and groundball rate (68.8 percent), batting average against (.061), and WHIP (0.41), third in line-drive rate (6.3 percent) and swinging-strike rate (21.3 percent), 13th in ERA, and 17th in walk rate (5.6 percent), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Clarke stood out in spring training not just because of his large stature, but because of his arsenal as well. As highlighted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the athletic lefty throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. He operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 96-99 mph fastball that tops out at 100 mph, an 87-90 mph slider, an 81-85 mph sweeper, and an 87-89 mph changeup that is still considered a work in progress.

Much like Arias, Clarke is in line to face more advanced competition at the High-A level with this promotion. Presumably taking the place of fellow southpaw Hayden Mullins (promoted to Portland) in Greenville’s starting rotation, Clarke will join a talented pitching staff headed by 2024 second-round draft pick Payton Tolle, Juan Valera, and Jedixson Paez. He will likely make his Drive debut in the team’s upcoming series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field.

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Hayden Mullins to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Hayden Mullins from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Mullins, 24, has certainly gotten his season off to an encouraging start. In four outings (three starts) to open the 2025 campaign for Greenville, the left-hander posted a 1.06 ERA (2.22 FIP) with 27 strikeouts to three walks over 17 innings in which opposing hitters batted just .186 against him. He fanned six across four scoreless frames in his last time out against Hub City this past Thursday.

Entering play on Sunday, Mullins was one of 31 qualified pitchers in the South Atlantic League. Among those 31, he ranked first in strikeout rate (42.9 percent) and xFIP (2.10), second in strikeouts per nine innings (14.29), third in FIP and swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), fifth in ERA, eighth in walks per nine innings (1.59) and walk rate (4.8 percent), 10th in WHIP (0.82), 13th in batting average against and line-drive rate (20 percent), and 15th in groundball rate (44 percent), per FanGraphs.

A former 12th-round draft selection of the Red Sox coming out of Auburn in 2022, Mullins received a $97,500 signing bonus but did not make his professional debut until August 2023 due to Tommy John surgery recovery and rehab. The Tennessee native spent all of 2024 with Greenville and has since compiled a 3.48 ERA (3.81 FIP) with 145 strikeouts to 45 walks over 106 total innings at the High-A level.

Listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, Mullins throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the under-the-radar lefty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that reaches 95 mph, an 81-85 mph slider, a 78-80 mph curveball, and an 81-83 mph changeup. He has flashed bat-missing ability with most, if not all, of his offerings.

Mullins, who turns 25 in September, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 14th among pitchers in the organization. He is not included in Baseball America’s or MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Red Sox prospects list at the moment, but that could soon change if he shows that he can adjust and hold his own against more advanced competition in the upper-minors.

As he prepares to make the leap from High-A to Double-A for the first time, it is worth noting that Mullins can become eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November protection deadline. The Red Sox will presumably use this promotion to help determine if Mullins is worthy of such a spot, though he could emerge as a possible trade candidate well before that decision needs to be made.

Regardless, Mullins is slated to join a talented pitching staff in Portland that– as of this writing– includes the likes of David Sandlin, Yordanny Monegro, Blake Wehunt, and fellow southpaw Connelly Early, among others. He will likely make his Double-A debut at some point during the Sea Dogs’ upcoming series on the road against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this coming week.

(Picture of Hayden Mullins: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Valera opening 2025 season with High-A Greenville

Rising Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Valera will open the 2025 minor-league season with High-A Greenville, as was revealed when the Drive released their Opening Day roster earlier Wednesday.

It is an aggressive assignment for Valera, who turns 19 in May and is easily the youngest player on Greenville’s roster. Still, despite having limited experience above rookie ball, the Red Sox believe the right-hander is deserving of such a challenge after putting together an impressive spring in Fort Myers.

“He had a productive offseason coming into camp strong, physically and mentally,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said of Valera. “We saw a jump in velocity and an improvement in his secondaries with a willingness to challenge in the zone. He earned an opportunity to be challenged in Greenville.”

Valera, who originally signed with Boston for a modest $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023, was not on many people’s radars at this time last year. The Sabana Grande de Palenque native was coming off a debut season in which he put up a 5.93 ERA (4.67 FIP) with 31 strikeouts to 20 walks over 15 appearances (27 1/3 innings) in the Dominican Summer League.

To open the 2024 campaign, though, Valera began to draw attention to himself thanks to what he was doing in the Florida Complex League. In 11 outings (nine starts) for the FCL Red Sox, the righty posted a 1.79 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks over 40 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .128 against him. He was then rewarded with a promotion to Low-A Salem on July 23 and closed out the season by pitching to a 2.35 ERA (3.54 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in seven starts (23 innings) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate while holding opponents to a .120 batting average.

Altogether, Valera forged a 1.99 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to 28 walks in 18 appearances (16 starts) spanning 63 1/3 innings between the FCL and Salem. He led all Red Sox minor-leaguers who logged at least 60 innings last season in ERA, batting average against (.125), WHIP (0.85), line-drive rate (10.3 percent), and groundball rate (56.6 percent), per FanGraphs. To that end, he was recognized as a 2024 Florida Complex League All-Star and SoxProspects.com’s Pitcher of the Year.

Looking to build off the momentum he gained in his first season stateside, Valera came into camp this spring and wasted little time turning heads on the backfields. He was named to the Red Sox’ Spring Breakout roster last month and pitched against prospects from the Twins organizations in the first-ever “Futures at Fenway South” game at JetBlue Park on March 14. As part of that showcase, in which he struck out four and allowed two runs in three innings, Valera showed flashes of his potential.

Valera, as noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, featured a 97-99 mph fastball that reached 100 mph “multiple times.” The 6-foot-3, 205-pound hurler also mixed in an 89-92 mph slider, an 86-88 mph sweeper, and a 91-94 mph changeup. If there were any drawbacks from the performance, it’s that Valera lost the strike zone a bit after his typical three-quarters arm slot got “out of sync.” Josh Norris echoed the same sentiment in a recent piece for Baseball America.

Lauded by club officials for his work ethic and openness to instruction, Valera is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks sixth among pitchers in the organization. MLB Pipeline has him ranked 18th among its top 30 Red Sox prospects, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 19 ahead of its next rankings update.

In Greenville, Valera is slated to join a talented pitching staff that includes the likes of Payton Tolle, Jedixson Paez, Hayden Mullins, and Jojo Ingrassia, among others. The 2025 season begins for the Drive on Friday night when they open a three-game weekend series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospects Matt Duffy, Cole Tolbert slated to undergo Tommy John surgery

It appears as though the 2025 season is already over for a pair of intriguing Red Sox pitching prospects.

As was first reported by Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster, right-handers Matt Duffy and Cole Tolbert have been diagnosed with UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) tears in their pitching elbows. While Duffy’s was described as a full tear, both hurlers are scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery in Arlington, Texas on March 5.

Duffy, 23, was Boston’s fourth-round selection in the 2023 draft out of Canisius University in Buffalo, N.Y. The Ontario native forwent his commitment to transfer to South Carolina for his senior year by signing with the club for an under-slot $350,000 that July. He then spent the entirety of his first full professional season at Low-A Salem in 2024, compiling a 2.83 ERA (3.58 FIP) with exactly 100 strikeouts to 27 walks over 22 appearances (21 starts) and a staff-leading 98 2/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .223 against him. That includes a sparkling 1.05 ERA (2.25 ERA) in his final nine outings (43 innings) after the calendar flipped from June to July.

Tolbert, meanwhile, was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of last summer’s draft out of Ole Miss. In a similar fashion to Duffy, the 22-year-old had been committed to transfer to Troy University for his senior season but instead signed with Boston for an under-slot $50,000 in July. He made his professional debut shortly thereafter and closed the 2024 campaign by posting a 5.56 ERA (3.23 FIP) with 14 strikeouts to six walks in five appearances (three starts) spanning 11 1/3 innings for Salem. Opponents batted .268 against him.

Neither Duffy (who turns 24 in October) nor Tolbert (who turns 23 in December) are currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. The former was projected by the site to make the jump to High-A Greenville for the start of the upcoming season while the latter was slated to return to Salem. They will now miss all of 2025 and likely part of 2026 depending on the nature of their respective procedures.

(Picture of Matt Duffy: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Wehunt fare in 2024?

Blake Wehunt was the fifth of 11 college pitchers selected by the Red Sox in the 2023 draft. How did the former ninth-rounder out of Kennesaw State fare in his first full professional season this year?

Signed for an under-slot $100,000 after being drafted with the 268th overall pick, Wehunt marked his pro debut by making one scoreless relief appearance in the Florida Complex League last August. The right-hander then opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem and posted a 2.16 ERA (2.77 FIP) with 44 strikeouts to 15 walks in eight starts (33 1/3 innings) before receiving a promotion to High-A Greenville in early June.

Upon making the jump from Salem, Wehunt went through an adjustment period of sorts but still held his own in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League by producing a 4.42 ERA (3.58 FIP) with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks in 13 starts (59 innings) for Greenville. The righty was promoted for a second time to Double-A Portland on September 11 to make one more start before the minor-league season. He allowed five earned runs over five innings as part of an 8-4 loss to Binghamton at Hadlock Field.

Altogether, Wehunt forged a 3.88 ERA and 3.40 FIP with 110 strikeouts to 34 walks in 22 starts spanning 97 1/3 total innings of work between Salem, Greenville, and Portland this past season. Opposing hitters across the three levels he pitched at batted just .207 against him.

Among the 374 minor-leaguers who threw at least 95 innings in 2024, Wehunt ranked 38th in batting average against, 45th in WHIP (1.11), 52nd in xFIP (3.43), 62nd in strikeout rate (27.5 percent) and FIP, 65th in line-drive rate (20.1 percent), 66th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.17), 68th in groundball rate (47.8 percent), 172nd in walks per nine innings (3.14), 179th in ERA, and 180th in walk rate (8.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Wehunt, who turned 24 in November, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 15th among pitchers. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Georgia native throws from a three-quarters arm slot and can make for an uncomfortable at-bat given his imposing stature. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Wehunt operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-96 mph fastball, an 87-89 mph cutter, an 81-86 mph sweeper, and an 84-86 mph splitter.

Though the possibility remains that he could be moved by the Red Sox as part of a larger trade this winter, Wehunt is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season in April. If that does end up happening, it should be worthwhile to see how he handles the upper minors after getting a brief taste in September.

(Picture of Blake Wehunt: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox lose former top international signing to Phillies in minor-league phase of Rule 5 Draft

The Red Sox lost four players to other clubs in the minor-league phase of Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft, including their top international signing six years ago.

Eduardo Lopez, a first baseman/outfielder from the Dominican Republic, was selected by the Phillies in the first round (27th overall) of the Triple-A phase on Wednesday. The 22-year-old has been assigned to Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate but will more than likely open the 2025 season at the High-A or Double-A level.

Lopez received the largest bonus ($1.15 million) of any international free agent the Red Sox brought in during the 2018-2019 international signing period. At that time, Dave Dombrowski — who now serves as the Phillies’ president of baseball operations — held that same title with Boston.

After officially putting pen to paper in July 2018, Lopez did not make his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League until the following June. The Tamboril native’s 2020 season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was limited to just 11 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021 due to an unspecified injury. Injuries were again an issue in 2022 and 2023 to a certain extent.

Lopez returned to and spent the entirety of the 2024 season at High-A Greenville. Serving as bench depth, the switch-hitter batted .232/.343/.425 with 11 doubles, three triples, a career-high six home runs, 23 RBIs, 29 runs scored, four stolen bases, 30 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 56 games (213 plate appearances) for the Drive. That includes a .188/.325/.406 slash line from the right side of the plate and a .242/.347/.430 slash line from the left side.

Among the 131 hitters who made at least 210 trips to the plate in the South Atlantic League this year, Lopez ranked 21st in line-drive rate (25.6 percent), 22nd in walk rate (14.1 percent), 23rd in isolated power (.193), 34th in slugging percentage, 36th in wOBA (.355) and wRC+ (120), 38th in OPS (.768), 39th in speed score (6.9), 47th in on-base percentage, 52nd in strikeout rate (23 percent), and 59th in swinging-strike rate (12.3 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Lopez saw the majority of his playing time with Greenville come at first base after only making one career start there prior to this past season. The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder logged 332 1/3 innings at first, committing two errors in 279 chances. He also started three games in left field (where he recorded three assists), five starts in right field (where he recorded one assist), and seven games at DH.

Despite the large signing bonus and flashes of potential he showed, Lopez never emerged as a premier prospect in his six-plus years with the Red Sox organization. He was left off the club’s 38-player Triple-A reserve list for the second straight year last month, which allowed the Phillies to purchase his contract and add him to their system on Wednesday.

Lopez, who turns 23 in May, is on track to become eligible for minor-league free agency for the first time at the end of the 2025 season.

(Picture of Eduardo Lopez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

After missing all of 2023, how did versatile Red Sox prospect Andy Lugo fare this past season?

Alongside top prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, Andy Lugo was the only other Red Sox minor-leaguer to hit 30 or more doubles this past season.

Lugo split the 2024 campaign between Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville. In 108 games, the right-handed hitting 21-year-old batted .263/.337/.371 with 30 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 45 RBIs, 47 runs scored, 28 stolen bases (in 32 attempts), 31 walks, and 88 strikeouts over 420 plate appearances.

After missing the entire 2023 season with a quad strain, Lugo broke camp with Salem in April to mark his first competitive action in nearly two years. He slashed .271/.337/.388 with 24 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 32 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 23 stolen bases, 20 walks, and 64 strikeouts in his first 77 games (300 plate appearances) for the Red Sox before being promoted to Greenville in early August.

Lugo spent nearly four weeks with the Drive, hitting .225/.295/.282 with four doubles, six RBIs, four runs scored, three stolen bases, five walks, and 20 strikeouts in 21 games (79 plate appearances). He was sent back down to Salem on August 27 and closed out his season by going 9-for-33 (.273) with two doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, six walks, and four strikeouts in his final 10 games.

Among the 21 Red Sox minor-leaguers who made at least 400 trips to the plate in 2024, Lugo ranked first in wSB (2.3), third in line-drive rate (27.9 percent), sixth in strikeout rate (21 percent), seventh in swinging-strike rate (10.8 percent), eighth in batting average, and 10th in speed score (6.2) and wRC+ (111), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Lugo saw playing time at five different positions this year. Between his stops in Salem and Greenville, the versatile six-footer logged 261 innings in left field, 194 innings at third base, 174 innings in right field, 153 innings at first base, and 116 innings at second base. He recorded six outfield assists and committed 12 errors in 316 total defensive chances. He also struck out the lone batter he faced in the first relief appearance of his career on September 6.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Lugo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent in July 2021. The San Cristobal native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and was later recognized as the organization’s 2022 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Lugo — who turns 21 in March — is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, which projects that he will return to Greenville for the start of the 2025 season if he remains with the organization through the winter and into the spring.

(Picture of Andy Lugo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)