Tag: pitching prospects

Who is CJ Weins? Red Sox traded righty with ‘intriguing’ fastball to Tigers on Saturday

The Red Sox dipped into their 2023 draft class in order to make a minor trade with the Tigers over the weekend.

In exchange for minor-league right-hander Trey Wingenter, Boston dealt fellow righty CJ Weins to Detroit on Saturday night. Wingenter, who has three seasons of major-league experience (2018-2019, 2023) between the Padres and Tigers, will likely be added to the Red Sox’ active roster on Tuesday. Weins, meanwhile, switches organizations for the first time less than a full year since entering the professional ranks.

Weins, who turns 24 next month, was selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of last summer’s draft out of Western Kentucky. As a graduate student who previously attended Wabash Valley College and South Carolina, the Illinois native signed with Boston for a modest $50,000 in late July.

Shortly after putting pen to paper, Weins made his pro debut in the Florida Complex League. He appeared in just one game for the FCL Red Sox, walking one and striking out another in a scoreless inning of relief against the FCL Twins in Fort Myers on August 18.

In October, Weins received some national attention from Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo, who recognized the 23-year-old for having the best fastball in Boston’s 2023 draft class. That fastball, per Collazo, had “been up to 98 mph and generated an extremely high, 39 percent whiff rate with Western Kentucky, thanks in part to unique release traits.”

To begin his first full season in pro ball, Weins broke camp with Low-A Salem this past spring but did not make his first appearance until April 21 after spending some time on the temporary inactive list. Still, in 19 relief outings for the Red Sox, the righty posted a 4.81 ERA and 4.28 FIP with 29 strikeouts to 16 walks over 24 1/3 innings of work. Opposing hitters batted just .211 against him.

Before allowing two runs in last Wednesday’s win over Lynchburg, Weins had pitched to a 1.46 ERA (4.75 FIP) in his last 10 appearances (12 1/3 innings) dating back to May 26. He also converted three of five possible save opportunities in his time with Salem and currently ranks second on the team in that category.

As highlighted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Weins throws from a three-quarters arm slot and puts “considerable” effort into his delivery. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound hurler operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a low-90s fastball that has reached 95 mph, an 86-89 mph cutter, and an 80-84 mph slider.

Ian Cundall, SoxProspects.com’s scouting director, wrote on Saturday that Weins’ fastball “has some intriguing traits and missed bats this year.” He also noted that Weins has plus extension and 18 inches of induced vertical break on his heater.

Weins, who was not ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, has been assigned to Detroit’s Low-A affiliate in Lakeland, Fla. Nick Green, who spent eight seasons (2015-2022) coaching in the Red Sox organization, currently serves as the Lakeland Flying Tigers’ pitching coach.

It remains to be seen how the Tigers plan on utilizing Weins, but his development as a pitcher moving forward will presumably hinge on his ability to throw strikes more consistently. With that, it will be interesting to see if Weins can make the jump to High-A West Michigan before the 2024 campaign draws to a close.

Weins joins left-hander Ryan Ammons as the second member of the Red Sox’ 2023 draft class to have already been traded by the club. Ammons, a 10th-rounder out of Clemson who also signed for $50,000, was dealt to the Mets in December for Rule 5 selection Justin Slaten. He was recently promoted to New York’s High-A affiliate in Brooklyn.

(Picture of CJ Weins: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Red Sox’ Elmer Rodriguez named Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for June

Red Sox pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for June, Minor League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Rodriguez, 20, went 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA (2.29 FIP) in four June starts for Salem. The right-hander allowed just two unearned runs on 11 hits and four walks with 19 strikeouts over 20 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .155 batting average. He struck out nine across a season-high six scoreless frames in his last time out against the Fredericksburg Nationals this past Sunday.

On the 2024 campaign as a whole, Rodriguez has posted a 2.44 FIP and 2.61 FIP with 68 strikeouts to two walks over 13 outings (12 starts) spanning 55 1/3 innings of work for the Red Sox. Opponents are slashing just .205/.282/.267 against him.

Among 45 Carolina League pitchers who had accrued at least 50 innings through Wednesday, Rodriguez ranked fourth in FIP, sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.06), seventh in ERA and xFIP (2.91), ninth in strikeout rate (29.1 percent), 11th in batting average against, 12th in groundball rate (47.0 percent), 16th in swinging-strike rate (13.7 percent), and 17th in WHIP (1.16), per FanGraphs.

Rodriguez, who turns 21 next month, has spent parts of three seasons with Salem dating back to August 2022. Compared to last year, in which he forged a 2.61 ERA in 14 starts, the righty has lowered his walk rate by nearly three percent and raised his strikeout rate by almost seven percent. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fifth among pitchers in the organization.

A former 2021 fourth-round draft selection out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez now stands at 6-foot-3 and 160 pounds. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Rodriguez 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 mid-90s fastball that has touched 98 mph this year, a 77-79 mph curveball, an 87-90 mph changeup, and an 85-87 mph slider.

Given the amount of success he has enjoyed at Low-A as of late, it stands to reason that Rodriguez will soon be the recipient of a promotion to High-A Greenville. He is not the only Salem hurler in that boat, but a new challenge featuring more advanced competition could be in store on the other side of the All-Star break later this month.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo likely requires Tommy John surgery

Red Sox pitching prospect Angel Bastardo is likely to require Tommy John surgery, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Like fellow right-hander Luis Perales, Bastardo has damage in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of his throwing elbow. Surgery is viewed as the likely outcome, though the 22-year-old will meet with a doctor before making a final decision.

Bastardo, who just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday, has been on Double-A Portland’s injured list since June 6. The night prior, he left his start at Hadlock Field in the fourth after crumpling to the ground in pain following the delivery of a pitch. He was initially diagnosed with a sprained UCL, but it appears further imaging and testing revealed a more serious prognosis.

In 10 starts for Portland this season, Bastardo posted a 5.36 ERA and 4.32 FIP with 53 strikeouts to 21 walks over 45 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .225 against him. His 26.6 percent punchout rate ranks 16th among 50 Eastern League pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings coming into play on Tuesday, per FanGraphs.

Originally signed out of Venezuela for $35,000 in July 2018, Bastardo is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. As noted by Speier, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound righty has shown an intriguing fastball that has reached 97-98 mph this year. He also features a swing-and-miss changeup, a curveball, and a slider.

If he does indeed undergo Tommy John surgery, Bastardo would be looking at a lengthy rehab process that would keep him sidelined for the rest of 2024 and most — if not all — of 2025. An internal bracing procedure to repair the damaged UCL would have a faster recovery timeline but would still necessitate a lengthy absence.

Unlike Perales, who is slated to visit Dr. Jeffrey Dugas in Birmingham, Ala. next week, Bastardo is not on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster. He can, however, become a minor-league free agent at the end of the 2025 season, so the timing of all this is far from ideal.

(Picture of Angel Bastardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox pitching prospect Luis Perales to undergo Tommy John surgery

Top Red Sox pitching prospect Luis Perales will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, as was first reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedics Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

Perales has been on Double-A Portland’s 7-day injured list since June 9 after leaving his start with elbow inflammation the night prior. As noted by Cotillo, the Red Sox were initially optimistic that the right-hander — who was in Boston for imaging late last week — was not dealing with a serious injury but an MRI revealed “significant damage” in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of his pitching elbow.

Perales, 21, was in the midst of a breakout season after being added to Boston’s 40-man roster over the winter and taking part in his first big-league camp this spring. He opened the 2024 campaign at High-A Greenville, where he posted a 3.42 ERA and 2.04 FIP with 46 strikeouts to 10 walks in seven starts (26 1/3 innings) for the Drive.

After receiving a promotion to Portland in late May, Perales made his Double-A debut on June 2 and allowed just one unearned run while striking out seven over five innings. He took the mound for the Sea Dogs again at Hadlock Field six days later and yielded two runs (one earned) before departing with one out in the top of the third inning.

Altogether, Perales forged a 2.94 ERA (2.01 FIP) with 56 strikeouts to 12 walks in nine starts (33 2/3 innings) between Greenville and Portland this season. His 38.9 percent strikeout rate ranks eighth among 894 minor-leaguers who have pitched at least 30 innings to this point in the year, per FanGraphs.

A native of Venezuela, Perales originally signed with the Red Sox for $75,000 as an international free agent coming out of Guacara in July 2019. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound hurler is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks first among pitchers in the organization. Before getting hurt, Perales was making strides toward possibly being in the Sox’ major-league plans by next season. He was recently tabbed by Baseball America as the No. 57 prospect in the sport, marking the first time he has been included in the outlet’s top-100 rankings.

Now, Perales will miss the rest of 2024 and most — if not all — of 2025 while recovering and rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, which can be a grueling process. Since he is on the club’s 40-man roster, the Red Sox could recall Perales and place him on the 60-day injured list to free up a roster spot for someone else. That would, however, start his big-league service time clock.

Regardless of that though, it is worth noting — as SoxProspects.com Chris Hatfield did — that Perales will likely have burned through two of his three minor-league option years by the time he is ready to fully contribute in 2026. He could become eligible for a fourth option down the line, but that is not a given.

(Picture of Luis Perales: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox pitching prospect Juan Daniel Encarnacion earns promotion to Double-A Portland, struggles in Sea Dogs debut

The Red Sox promoted pitching prospect Juan Daniel Encarnacion from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland on Thursday, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Encarnacion got the start for Portland against the Reading Fightin Phils at FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday night. The 23-year-old right-hander did not fare well in his Double-A debut, as he surrendered seven earned runs on five hits, four walks, and one strikeout over just 2 1/3 innings of work. Only 29 of the 58 pitches he threw went for strikes.

The decision to elevate Encarnacion from Greenville comes at a time when Portland finds itself short on starting pitching depth. Within recent days, the Sea Dogs have placed fellow righties Angel Bastardo, Luis Perales, and CJ Liu on the 7-day injured list for varying reasons.

Encarnacion spent parts of three seasons (2022-2024) with Greenville and was evidently ready for a new challenge at a more advanced level. In nine starts for the Drive this year, the righty posted a 4.50 ERA and 3.54 FIP with 52 strikeouts to 13 walks over 40 innings pitched. Opposing hitters batted .250 against him.

Though some of those numbers may not necessarily jump off the page, Encarnacion did show signs of improvements in other areas — such as his command and control — while with Greenville this season compared to last. To expand further on that, he cut his walk rate from 9.2 percent to 7.5 percent and raised his strikeout rate from 22.1 percent to 29.9 percent.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Encarnacion originally signed with the Red Sox for $40,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Pedro de Macoris in September 2018. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 59 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 31st among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 173 pounds, Encarnacion throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the lanky hurler primarily operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96 mph, an 85-87 mph slider, and an 89-91 mph changeup.

Encarnacion, who just turned 23 in March, is the 13th different pitcher to start a game for the Sea Dogs this season. Friday’s outing aside, it should be interesting to see how he fares in the upper minors moving forward.

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

Red Sox’ Noah Dean earns Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors

Red Sox pitching prospect Noah Dean has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 3-9, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Dean, 23, shined in his start for Low-A Salem against the Down East Wood Ducks on Sunday afternoon. Appearing in a game for the first time in nearly two weeks, the left-hander struck out eight and walked only one over five scoreless, no-hit innings of work.

After retiring the first nine batters he faced at Carilion Clinic Field, Dean saw his bid for a perfect game end when Erick Alvarez reached on a throwing error to lead off the fourth inning. He then issued a one-out walk to Beycker Barroso but escaped the jam by recording back-to-back strikeouts before ending his outing with a 1-2-3 top of the fifth.

Finishing with 70 pitches (45 strikes), Dean induced a game-high 13 swings-and-misses. He was relieved by right-hander Trennor O’Donnell, who took the combined no-hitter into the seventh and allowed two runs over four innings as the Red Sox defeated the Wood Ducks by a final score of 5-2.

Following Sunday’s sterling performance, Dean now owns a 4.28 ERA and 4.79 FIP with 45 strikeouts to 19 walks in nine appearances (seven starts) spanning 33 2/3 innings for Salem this season. He has yielded just four earned runs over his last five outings (19 innings) dating back to May 10 while holding opposing hitters to a minuscule .095 batting average.

Among the 81 pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings in the Carolina League to this point in the year, Dean ranks 12th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.03), 11th in strikeout rate (33.1 percent), first in batting average against (.145), 19th in WHIP (1.04), and 23rd in swinging-strike rate (14.4 percent), per FanGraphs. On the flip side, he is also averaging more than five walks per nine innings while sporting a .194 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that luck has been on his side.

Dean, who turned 23 in March, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Old Dominion. The New Jersey native signed with the club for $322,500 that July but did not make his professional debut until last April. He has since pitched to a 5.59 ERA (5.26 FIP) in 30 appearances (24 starts) and 96 2/3 innings for Salem.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dean throws from a three-quarters arm slot and operates with three different pitches: a mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup, and a slider. As recently noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, though, the lefty has increased the usage of his slider and relied less on his fastball this season, which has generated softer contact.

Command and control are still a work in progress for Dean, who joins righty Blake Wehunt (April 29-May 5) as the second Salem hurler to earn Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors this year. In similar fashion to Wehunt, who made the jump to High-A Greenville earlier this month, Dean could be nearing a promotion as well.

(Picture of Noah Dean: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect from Alex Verdugo trade to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox have added pitching prospect Nicholas Judice to Low-A Salem’s roster from the Florida Complex League, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Judice, 23, was acquired from the Yankees as part of last December’s Alex Verdugo trade. The right-hander was originally selected by New York in the eighth round of the 2023 amateur draft out of Louisiana-Monroe but did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate after signing with the club for $185,500.

Judice instead made his professional debut with the FCL Red Sox late last month. The Lousiana native allowed two earned runs on three hits, two walks and four strikeouts over two outings (one start) spanning four innings of work for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate before receiving a promotion to Salem on Thursday.

Listed at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, Judice throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As highlighted by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, the projectable righty operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph two-seam fastball that can reach 96 mph, a sweeping mid-80s slider, and an occasional low-80s changeup.

Judice’s slider was tabbed by Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo as the best secondary pitch in the Yankees’ 2023 draft class. His changeup is one that shows fade and plays like “more of a gyro change” or fastball, as he explained to Smith in Fort Myers back in March.

Judice, who just turned 23 in April, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 55 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 28th among pitchers in the organization. He becomes the second young hurler to make the jump from the FCL to Salem this week, joining fellow righty Ovis Portes.

(Picture of Nicholas Judice: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Ovis Portes to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox have promoted 19-year-old pitching prospect Ovis Portes from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Portes will get the start on the mound for Salem in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers affiliate). First pitch from Carilion Clinic Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. eastern time.

Portes has gotten his first season stateside off to a terrific start as evidenced by the fact that he did not allow a run in four relief appearances for the FCL Red Sox. Instead, the young right-hander allowed just five hits and four walks to go along with 16 strikeouts over 13 scoreless innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .119 batting average.

To that end, it comes as no surprise that Portes was named Boston’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for May. The Antigua and Barbuda native originally signed with the Red Sox for $25,000 as an international free agent coming out of the city of St. John’s in March 2022. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that June and repeated the level last year, though he appeared in only four games.

Listed at a projectable 6-foot-4 and 167 pounds, Portes operates with a 95-96 mph fastball that has reached 98 mph, a “disappearing” 77-81 mph slider that “really seems to baffle hitters,” and a sparingly-used 83-85 mph changeup, according to recent reports from Baseball America’s Dylan White, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, and SoxProspects.com’s Ian Cundall.

Portes, who does not turn 20 until December, still has plenty of room to grow from both a physical and developmental point of view. He is not currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system but that will change when the site updates its rankings later this week.

In other roster-related news out of Salem, righty Blake Wehunt was officially promoted to High-A Greenville while catcher Brooks Brannon was activated from the 60-day injured list after completing a rehab assignment in the FCL.

Brannon, Boston’s 46th-ranked prospect according to SoxProspects.com, is batting cleanup and starting behind the plate for Salem on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Ovis Portes: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote ‘imposing’ pitching prospect Blake Wehunt to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Blake Wehunt from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to SoxProspects.com’s executive editor Chris Hatfield.

Much like fellow 2023 draftee Kristian Campbell, who is slated to make the jump to Double-A Portland from Greenville, Wehunt is also enjoying a strong start to his first full season in professional baseball. In eight starts for Salem, the 23-year-old right-hander posted a 2.16 ERA and 2.88 FIP with 44 strikeouts to 15 walks over 33 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted just .167 against him.

Among 62 Carolina League pitchers who had thrown at least 30 innings coming into play on Sunday, Wehunt ranked ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (11.88) and ERA, sixth in strikeout rate (32.4 percent), fourth in batting average against and groundball rate (56.6 percent), 14th in WHIP (1.05), 10th in FIP, and 11th in xFIP (3.10), per FanGraphs.

After spending the first three years of his collegiate career (2020-2022) at Southern Mississippi, Wehunt was selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of last summer’s draft out of Kennesaw State. The Georgia native signed for $100,000 and made one scoreless relief appearance in the Florida Complex League to mark his professional debut.

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Wehunt throws from a three-quarters arm slot and has an imposing presence on the mound. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the burly righty operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of a 93-94 mph fastball that can reach 96 mph, an 82-85 mph sweeping slider, and an 84-85 mph splitter.

Wehunt, who does not turn 24 until November, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 38 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 18th among pitchers in the organization. That positioning, as noted by Hatfield, is likely to improve when the site updates its rankings later this week.

In the interim, Wehunt is slated to join a crowded rotation mix in Greenville that includes Yordanny Monegro, Jedixson Paez, Dalton Rogers, Juan Daniel Encarnacion, Cooper Adams, Connelly Early, and Hayden Mullins. It also seems that David Sandlin, who has been on the injured list with right forearm tightness since May 14 but recently threw a bullpen, and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (3.82 ERA in Salem) are not far behind from being included in that group.

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

Red Sox pitching prospect Richard Fitts flirts with perfection in latest start for Triple-A Worcester

Red Sox pitching prospect Richard Fitts flirted with perfection in his latest start for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday night.

Going up against the Charlotte Knights on the road at Truist Field, Fitts retired the first 21 batters he faced through seven perfect innings before surrendering a leadoff single to Oscar Colas in the bottom of the eighth. The right-hander was then relieved by lefty Lucas Luetge, who allowed Colas and an additional runner to score as a result of a two-out throwing error committed by shortstop Nick Sogard.

As such, neither Fitts nor Luetge were charged with earned runs. Instead, Fitts ended the night having only allowed one unearned run on one hit and zero walks to go along with seven strikeouts over seven-plus dominant innings. The 24-year-old threw 82 pitches (65 strikes) and elicited 15 swings-and-misses. He averaged 94.4 mph and topped out at 96.3 mph with his four-seam fastball while also mixing in a mid-80s slider and changeup, per Baseball Savant.

Fitts ultimately notched the winning decision on Wednesday as the WooSox defeated the Knights by a final score of 5-2 to snap a six-game losing streak. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound hurler is now 4-1 with a 3.72 ERA and 41 strikeouts to 15 walks in 10 outings (nine starts) spanning 48 1/3 innings for Worcester this season. Opposing hitters are batting .246 against him.

Among 33 qualified International League pitchers coming into play on Thursday, Fitts ranks ninth in walks per nine innings (2.79), 10th in walk rate (7.4 percent), seventh in batting average against, eighth in WHIP (1.22), 13th in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent), seventh in ERA, and third in FIP (3.65), according to FanGraphs.

One of three pitchers acquired from the Yankees in last December’s Alex Verdugo trade, Fitts is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system. That ranks second among pitchers in the organization behind only fellow righty Wikelman Gonzalez.

Fitts was originally selected by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn. The Alabama native signed with New York for $346,800 the following March and made his professional debut in the Florida State League. He earned 2023 Eastern League Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts (152 2/3 innings) for Double-A Somerset last season.

When he was dealt from New York to Boston alongside Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice over the winter, Fitts was attending a facility Christmas party at Tinsley Performance in Pelham, Ala. Garrett Whitlock and Cooper Criswell, who later signed with the Red Sox as a free agent, were on hand as well. The three righties spent the rest of the offseason throwing together before reporting to spring training.

Unlike Whitlock and Criswell, though, Fitts was not at big-league camp in Fort Myers and is not currently on Boston’s 40-man roster. With that being said, Fitts can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time later this year, meaning he would need to be added to the 40-man by the November protection deadline if the Red Sox do not want to risk losing him.

Fitts, who does not turn 25 until December, could be added to the 40-man roster before then if he makes his major league debut at some point later this season. That is a legitimate possibility if the need for a starter arises, as he represents one of the top rotation depth options the Red Sox have available to them in Worcester.

(Picture of Richard Fitts: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)