Tag: portland sea dogs

Red Sox promote infield prospect Brainer Bonaci to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Brainer Bonaci from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Bonaci, 21, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Venezuela native originally signed with the Red Sox for $290,000 as an international free agent coming out of Catia La Mar on his 16th birthday in July 2018.

After being held up by visa issues this spring and reporting to camp late as a result, Bonaci did not report to Greenville until late April. The switch-hitter then proceeded to bat a stout .301/.353/.473 with 15 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 38 RBIs, 34 runs scored, six stolen bases, 21 walks, and 63 strikeouts in 63 games (278 plate appearances) with the Drive. That includes a .283/.343/.440 slash from the left side of the plate and a .424/.424/.697 slash line from the right side.

Among 80 South Atlantic League hitters who came into play Wednesday with at least 250 plate appearances under their belt, Bonaci ranks 24th in strikeout rate (22.7 percent), fifth in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, 10th in slugging percentage, 10th in OPS (.825), 27th in isolated power (.172), and 13th in wRC+ (124), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Bonaci saw playing time at four different positions to begin the year with the Drive. The 5-foot-10, 164-pounder logged 172 innings at second base, 28 innings at third base, and 278 2/3 innings at shortstop, committing a total of five errors in 198 chances. He also appeared in one game as a left fielder earlier this season, but has very limited experience in the outfield outside of that.

Bonaci, who does not turn 22 until next summer, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. How he fares against more advanced pitching in the upper minors with the Sea Dogs will surely factor into the club’s decision there.

In Portland, Bonaci is slated to join a talented, yet crowded infield mix that includes Chase Meidroth, Blaze Jordan, Matthew Lugo, Alex Binelas, and Nick Yorke. He will also help fill in for shortstop Marcelo Mayer, who was placed on the 7-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation this past Saturday.

Mayer, Boston’s top prospect, is eligible to come off the injured list on Thursday since his stint on the injured list was backdated to August 3. It remains to be seen if Bonaci will remain with Portland once Mayer is healthy enough to return to action.

Regardless, Bonaci is leading off and starting at shortstop for the Sea Dogs in their contest against the Hartford Yard Goats at Hadlock Field on Wednesday night.

(Picture of Brainer Bonaci: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote relief prospect Alex Hoppe to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted relief prospect Alex Hoppe from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Hoppe, 24, posted a 3.93 ERA and 3.39 FIP with 48 strikeouts to 14 walks over 31 appearances (34 1/3 innings) for Greenville this season. In eight July outings, the right-hander pitched to a 2.25 ERA and 1.99 FIP across eight innings out of the Drive bullpen. Altogether, he went 3-for-5 in save opportunities.

Among 139 South Atlantic League pitchers who have accrued at least 30 innings to this point in the season, Hoppe came into play Tuesday ranking 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.58), 21st in strikeout rate (31.2 percent), 19th in groundball rate (50 percent), 18th in swinging-strike rate (16.1 percent), 22nd in FIP, and sixth in xFIP (3.23), per FanGraphs. He has also yielded a .420 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that luck has not exactly been on his side.

Hoppe is in the midst of his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox in the sixth round of last year’s amateur draft out of UNC Greensboro. As a fifth-year senior, the Iowa native signed with the club for an under-slot $32,250. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 41 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 16th among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Hoppe throws from a three-quarters arm slot and primarily relies upon a 96-98 mph fastball that tops out at 99 mph. He also works with an 86-88 mph sweeping slider, but his command for that offering is still a work in progress, according to scouting reports from SoxProspects.com’s Ian Cundall and FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen.

Hoppe, who turns 25 in December, is the third member of Boston’s 2022 draft class to make the jump from Greenville to Portland this season. He joins the likes of fellow righty Isaac Coffey and infielder Chase Meidroth.

(Picture of Alex Hoppe: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Grant Gambrell earns Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors

For the second week in a row, a Red Sox pitching prospect was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

After Wikelman Gonzalez received the award last week, fellow right-hander Grant Gambrell earned Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of July 24-30 on Monday, Minor League Baseball announced.

Gambrell made his 12th start of the season for Double-A Portland this past Friday night. Going up against the Richmond Flying Squirrels on the road, the 25-year-old scattered three hits and a walk to go along with eight strikeouts over seven scoreless innings of work.

Gambrell encountered no more than four batters in all seven frames he was on the mound. He stranded three runners in scoring position, induced one inning-ending double play, and retired nine of the last 11 Flying Squirrel hitters he faced from the middle of the fifth through the end of the seventh.

Finishing with 84 pitches (52 strikes), Gambrell induced eight whiffs and ultimately earned the winning decision to improve to 4-2 in a Sea Dogs uniform. Through 12 outings with Portland now, the righty has posted a 3.12 ERA and 3.67 FIP with 72 strikeouts to 23 walks across 69 1/3 innings.

Among 46 Eastern League pitchers who have accrued 60 or more innings to this point in the season, Gambrell ranks 19th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.35), eighth in walks per nine innings (2.99), 17th in strikeout rate (25.3 percent), 10th in walk rate (8.1 percent), 11th in batting average against (.218), seventh in WHIP (1.15), third in line-drive rate (17.2 percent), eighth in groundball rate (47.3 percent), fourth in ERA, eighth in FIP, and eighth in xFIP (3.56), per FanGraphs.

A former third-round selection of the Royals coming out of Oregon State in 2019, Gambrell was acquired by the Red Sox in June 2021 as part of the three-team trade that had sent outfielder Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City four months earlier.

Gambrell made eight starts for High-A Greenville down the stretch in 2021 and struggled to a 7.16 ERA over 32 2/3 innings. The California native then missed the entirety of the 2022 campaign undergoing five surgeries to remove a benign tumor from his calcaneus, the heel bone.

“Iโ€™m just grateful to even be out here because a couple years ago, it was a pretty dark time,” Gambrell told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith last month. “I didnโ€™t know if I was going to be able to do it again. So itโ€™s just taking advantage of every opportunity that I get.”

After a lengthy recovery period, Gambrell returned to competitive action this spring and broke camp with Greenville. He initially got off to a tough start, but showed signs of improvement as the calendar flipped from April to May and leveraged that into a promotion to Portland on May 18. All told, Gambrell has forged a 3.67 ERA with 108 strikeouts to 32 walks in 18 starts (100 2/3 innings) between the two affiliates this year.

As he explained to Smith in early June, Gambrell eliminated his four-seam fastball and now uses only his 92-95 mph two-seam fastball. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound hurler added a cutter during spring training and also mixes in a slider and changeup.

“Not that I took baseball for granted when I was playing but definitely being away from the sport for a year and a half, two years, you look at it in a different way, a different perspective,” Gambrell said. “Iโ€™m honestly glad I did get to go through that because it allowed me to be more appreciative for the sport, more appreciative for everybody around me.”

Gambrell, who turns 26 in November, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline. If he continues to pitch the way he has as of late, the Red Sox could be faced with an interesting decision this fall.

(Picture of Grant Gambrell: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Wikelman Gonzalez named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 17-23, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Gonzalez fired six no-hit innings in Double-A Portland’s 6-2 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field on Sunday afternoon. The right-hander allowed one earned run on four walks, but he also struck out 10 to mark his fourth double-digit strikeout game of the season.

After issuing back-to-back walks to begin things in the first inning, Gonzalez settled into a groove and retired 15 consecutive batters at one point before running into some trouble with one out in the top of the sixth. There, he walked Steward Berroa — who stole second and third base — on six pitches and Riley Trotta — who stole second base — on five pitches.

With only one out and two runners in scoring position, Gonzalez yielded an RBI groundout to Alan Roden that actually got New Hampshire on the board first. The righty was able to limit the damage to one run, though, as he then got Damiano Palmegiani to fly out to left field to retire the side.

Going into their half of the sixth inning down a run, the Sea Dogs lineup responded by putting up a six-spot. Coming up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, Tyler McDonough and Matt Donlan came through with back-to-back two-run hits to put Portland up 4-1. Elih Marrero then doubled in Donlan before Chase Meidroth pushed across Marrero to extend the lead to five runs at 6-1 heading into the seventh.

Having thrown 91 pitches (52 strikes) to that point in the contest, Gonzalez’s day was over. The 21-year-old hurler induced 15 swings-and-misses while mixing in a 94-96 mph fastball, a 75-79 mph curveball, a changeup, and a slider, per SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall.

In relief of Gonzalez, Brendan Cellucci received the first call out of the Sea Dogs bullpen and sat down six of the seven hitters he faced across two scoreless frames. Luis Guerrero then came on for the ninth and allowed a run to score on two walks and a sacrifice fly before ultimately closing it out to preserve the combined no-hit bid.

Sunday marked Portland’s second no-hitter of the season and seventh in franchise history. Back in early May, right-hander CJ Liu hurled seven no-hit innings as part of a 5-0 road win in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Akron RubberDucks.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, earned the winning decision in Sunday’s series finale against the Fisher Cats to move to 1-0 in his first two starts for the Sea Dogs. Since being promoted from High-A Greenville earlier this month, Gonzalez has allowed just one earned run on four hits and five walks to go along with 19 strikeouts over 12 innings of work with Portland. Opposing hitters are batting just .105 against him in that span.

A native of Venezuela, Gonzalez originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2018. The 6-foot, 167-pounder is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fourth among pitchers in the organization.

Gonzalez, who does not turn 22 until next March, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft later this winter. Assuming he remains in the organization past the trade deadline, the Red Sox would need to add Gonzalez to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November if they intend on preventing him from becoming Rule 5 eligible.

(Picture of Wikelman Gonzalez: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted power-hitting prospect Niko Kavadas from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the club’s minor-league transactions log.

Kavadas, 24, had spent the entirety of the 2023 season with Portland up until this point. In 69 games for the Sea Dogs, the left-handed hitting first baseman batted .204/.386/.430 with eight doubles, a team-leading 14 home runs, 42 RBIs, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases, 63 walks, and 110 strikeouts over 293 plate appearances.

Among 64 qualified hitters in the Eastern League coming into play on Friday, Kavadas ranked first in walk rate (21.5%), last in strikeout rate (37.5%), ninth in on-base percentage, 29th in slugging percentage, 18th in OPS (.816), 11th in isolated power (.226), 26th in swinging-strike rate (11.2%), and 14th in wRC+ (128), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Kavadas has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this year come at first base. Outside of serving as Portland’s designated hitter on four separate occasions, the 5-foot-11, 235-pounder has logged 567 1/3 innings at first and has yet to commit an error in 477 defensive chances.

Kavadas was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Notre Dame. The Indiana native signed with the club for $250,000 and is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

After taking home Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year honors last year, Kavadas has come back to earth a bit in 2023. As his numbers with the Sea Dogs this season indicate, he has become somewhat of a three-true-outcomes player in that nearly 64% of his plate appearances have resulted in either a strikeout, walk, or home run.

While both his power and approach at the plate are held in high regard, there are some concerns when it comes to the swing-and-miss in Kavadas’ game as well as his ability to succeed against left-handed pitching. Adding on to that, Kavadas is limited in what he can do defensively, so most evaluators have pinned him as a potential platoon designated hitter/bench bat moving forward.

With this promotion, Kavadas — who does not turn 25 until October — will once again be tasked with adjusting to a more advanced level of pitching as he moves one step closer to the major-leagues. Kavadas is the second member of Boston’s 2021 draft class to make the jump from Portland to Worcester this season, joining utilityman Tyler McDonough.

Kavadas will start at first base and bat eighth for the WooSox in their series opener against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at 121 Financial Ballpark on Friday night.

(Picture of Niko Kavadas: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Luis Perales to High-A Greenville

With Wikelman Gonzalez making the jump to Double-A Portland, the Red Sox are promoting fellow pitching prospect Luis Perales from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Perales, 20, posted a 3.21 ERA and 3.12 FIP with 71 strikeouts to 28 walks in 13 starts spanning 53 1/3 innings of work for Salem this season. The right-hander ended the first half on a strong note, firing five scoreless frames for the second outing in a row as part of an 11-0 win over the Lynchburg Hillcats on Saturday.

Among 47 Carolina League pitchers who came into play Sunday with at least 50 innings under their belt to this point in the season, Perales ranked 10th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.98), 11th in strikeout rate (31.4 percent), ninth in batting average against (.193), first in swinging-strike rate (17.1 percent), 15th in ERA, seventh in FIP, and 15th in xFIP (3.57), per FanGraphs.

Like Gonzalez, Perales also hails from Venezuela. The Guacara native originally signed with the Red Sox for $75,000 as an international free agent in July 2019. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among pitchers in the organization behind only left-handers Shane Drohan and Brandon Walter and directly ahead of Gonzalez.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, Perales throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. According to his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the righty utilizes a three-pitch mix that is headlined by a 94-97 mph fastball that tops out at 99 mph and complemented by a power slider that sits in the mid-80s as well as a developing changeup that hovers in the upper-80s.

Coming out of the All-Star break later this week, Perales figures to join a starting rotation in Greenville that includes fellow righties Angel Bastardo, Juan Daniel Encarnacion, and Bradley Blalock as well as left-hander Dalton Rogers.

As is the case with Gonzalez, Perales — who does not turn 21 next April — 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 protection deadline in November.

(Picture of Luis Perales: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote prospects Blaze Jordan, Wikelman Gonzalez to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting power-hitting infield prospect Blaze Jordan and pitching prospect Wikelman Gonzalez from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Jordan, 20, batted a stout .324/.385/.533 with 22 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 55 RBIs, 48 runs scored, two stolen bases, 28 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 73 games (322 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. The right-handed hitting slugger clubbed a three-run homer in the Drive’s 7-3 win over the Rome Braves at Fluor Field on Sunday afternoon.

Among qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Jordan ranks first in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, fourth in OPS (.918), eighth in isolated power (.209), third in strikeout rate (14.6 percent), first in extra-base hits (35), and first in total bases (153), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, Jordan saw playing time at both first and third base for Greenville this season. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder logged 300 innings at first and 301 2/3 innings at the hot corner, committing five errors (all at third) in 319 total defensive chances.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft out of DeSoto Central High School (Southaven, Miss.), Jordan is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

In making the jump from Greenville to Portland, Jordan will join a crowded crowded corner infield mix that already includes Niko Kavadas, Alex Binelas, Chase Meidroth, and Matthew Lugo. How Jordan adjusts to more advanced pitching at the Double-A level will be something worth monitoring during the second half of the season.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 12 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks fourth among pitchers in the organization. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2018.

In 15 starts for Greenville this season, Gonzalez posted a 5.14 ERA and 3.56 FIP with a league-leading 105 strikeouts to 42 walks over 63 innings of work. Prior to getting lit up for seven runs in his last start against Rome this past Wednesday, the 21-year-old right-hander had forged a 2.55 ERA in 10 starts (49 1/3 innings) between May 2 and June 30.

Much like Jordan, Gonzalez will be tested as he goes up against stiffer competition moving forward. The 6-foot, 167-pound hurler possesses an intriguing pitch mix that consists of an upper-90s fastball, an upper-80s changeup, an upper-70s curveball, and an upper-80s slider. He has had issues with his command of the strike zone in the past, though he appears to be improving on that.

Unlike Jordan, Gonzalez can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter. Assuming he is still with the organization, the Red Sox would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November in order to prevent that from happening.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

How did Red Sox prospects Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke, and Luis Guerrero fare in All-Star Futures Game?

Though the American League fell to the National League by a final score of 5-0 at T-Mobile Park, the Red Sox were well represented at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game in Seattle on Saturday afternoon.

Top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke made up the American League’s starting middle infield while relief prospect Luis Guerrero made an appearance out of the bullpen in the seventh and final inning of the annual showcase.

Mayer, batting second and starting at shortstop for the AL, played only one inning but made the most of his opportunity. After throwing out the speedy Jackson Chourio to retire the side in the top of the first, the left-handed hitting 20-year-old ripped a one-out groundball single in the bottom half of the frame for the game’s first hit.

According to Baseball Savant, the ball left Mayer’s bat at 100.3 mph as it raced through the right side of the infield. Moments after reaching, Mayer took off and successfully stole second base with a feet-first slide. He was, however, stranded at second and was then replaced at shortstop by Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday in the second inning.

Yorke, batting ninth and starting at second base, played all seven innings. At the plate, the right-handed hitting 21-year-old went 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout. After grounding out to end the second inning, he led off the bottom of the fifth by by squaring up a 1-1, 89.6 mph cutter from Braves prospect Spencer Schwellenbach and ripping a 102.6 mph double off the base of the left-center field fence.

With a distance of 388 feet, Yorke’s double was the furthest-hit ball of the day for either side. Like Mayer, however, Yorke was stranded at second base in the fifth. He had a chance to come through with two outs and the bases loaded in the following inning, but instead struck out on a foul tip to extinguish the threat.

Defensively, Yorke had just one ball hit his way at second. With two outs in the top of the third, he made a nifty shovel pass with his glove to rob Nationals prospect James Wood of an inning-extending infield single. He also recorded a force out.

Guerrero, who replaced left-hander Shane Drohan (calf cramp) on the American League roster last week, faced one batter in the top of the seventh. The hard-throwing righty took over for Yankees prospect Clayton Beeter and was matched up against Rockies prospect Yanquiel Fernandez.

After falling behind in a 2-1 count, Guerrero got Fernandez to swing-and-miss at a 91.4 mph cutter on the outer half of the plate. The 22-year-old hurler then dialed it back and got Fernandez to whiff at a 99.7 mph four-seam fastball that was well outside.

In total, Guerrero needed just five pitches (three strikes) to retire the lone hitter he faced. He induced three swings-and-misses while mixing in two four-seamers, two cutters, and a changeup.

All three of Mayer, Yorke, and Guerrero are currently with Double-A Portland. Mayer is ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 5 prospect in the game. Yorke comes in at No. 3 organizationally and No. 83 on the publication’s top 100. Guerrero, on the other hand, is rated as Boston’s No. 30 prospect, which ranks 10th among pitchers in the organization.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote pitching prospect Brian Van Belle to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting pitching prospect Brian Van Belle from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per his agent Gavin Kahn of EnterSports Management.

Van Belle, 26, posted a 3.00 ERA and 4.14 FIP with 69 strikeouts to 25 walks in 14 appearances (13 starts) spanning 81 innings of work for the Sea Dogs this season. The right-hander was used as a bulk reliever in his last time out against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats this past Sunday and allowed five runs over five innings after taking over for the rehabbing Richard Bleier.

So, as a starter to this point in the season, Van Belle has pitched to a 2.61 ERA and 3.98 FIP with 65 strikeouts to 22 walks across 76 innings in which he has held opposing hitters to a .233 batting average against. Coming into play on Thursday, Van Belle ranked fifth among qualified Eastern League pitchers in walks per nine innings (2.78), per FanGraphs. He also ranked fifth in walk rate (7.6 percent), ninth in batting average against (.240), sixth in WHIP (1.20), eighth in line-drive rate (20.1 percent), third in swinging-strike rate (14.7 percent), third in ERA, and 10th in FIP.

A native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., Van Belle originally joined the Red Sox organization as an undrafted free agent in June 2020. Despite being viewed as one of the top college seniors in that summer’s class, the Miami product was passed over in the draft, which was reduced to five rounds on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As he recently explained to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, though, Van Belle received plenty of interest on the open market in the days following the draft’s completion. The Red Sox separated themselves — in part — by offering future tuition money in addition to a league-mandated $20,000 signing bonus.

So along with the opportunity to play with the Red Sox, I have two years of grad school in my back pocket if I ever want to use it,” Van Belle told Smith last month. “Obviously your baseball career only lasts so long. Just having that backup plan there that they provided was awesome.”

In total, Boston signed 16 undrafted free agents in the wake of the pandemic-shortened 2020 amateur draft. Of the nine who are still in the organization, Van Belle is the first to make it as far as Triple-A and is now just one call-up away from the major-leagues.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Van Belle throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and operates with a low-90s fastball that tops out at 94 mph, a mid-80s circle changeup, a high-70s curveball that features 12-to-6 break, and a newly-implemented cutter.

Van Belle, who turns 27 in September, becomes the latest prospect to make the jump from Portland to Worcester this season, joining the likes of other pitchers such as Shane Drohan, Theo Denlinger, Ryan Fernandez, Brendan Nail, and Rio Gomez.

It is also worth mentioning that Van Belle can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster ahead of the protection deadline in November.

(Picture of Brian Van Belle: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Alex Binelas homers in third straight game for Double-A Portland

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Alex Binelas homered for the third straight game in Double-A Portland’s 7-3 win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field on Tuesday night.

Batting seventh and starting at third base for the Sea Dogs, Binelas put together his first three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run, and two runs scored.

The homer came off Rumble Ponies starter Christian Scott in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs and a runner on first base following a Matthew Lugo single, Binelas took Scott way deep to right field for his third big fly of July and his 10th of the season overall.

With three more hits on Tuesday, Binelas has now recorded multiple hits in his last three games for the first-place Sea Dogs. Dating back to June 22, the left-handed hitting slugger has batted a respectable .300/.317/.825 with three doubles, six home runs, 12 RBIs, nine runs scored, and three stolen bases in his last 10 games.

On the 2023 campaign as a whole, Binelas has slashed .229/.277/.480 with 12 doubles, one triple, 10 homers, 32 RBIs, 24 runs scored, five stolen bases, 12 walks, and 74 strikeouts across 46 games (188 plate appearances) with Portland. Among Eastern League hitters who have made at least 180 trips to the plate to this point in the season, the 23-year-old currently ranks 13th in isolated power (.251) and 17th in slugging percentage, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Binelas made his 17th start of the season at third base on Tuesday night. The burly 6-foot-1, 225-pound infielder has logged 153 innings at the hot corner as well as 125 1/3 innings at first base. Between the two positions, he has committed just two errors in 157 total chances.

This marks Binelas’ second full season as a member of the Red Sox organization. The Oak Creek, Wis. native was originally selected by his hometown Brewers in the third round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Louisville and was then dealt to Boston alongside speedy infielder David Hamilton that December as part of the Hunter Renfroe/Jackie Bradley Jr. trade.

Known primarily for his power and propensity to hit the ball hard, Binelas has not had the easiest of times transitioning to competition at the Double-A level. Since making the jump from High-A Greenville last June, Binelas has hit just .194/.264/.425 with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs in 101 games with Portland. In that time, he has struck out in more than 35 percent of his plate appearances while only taking ball four at an 8.6 percent clip.

Taking those peripherals into consideration, Binelas is no longer considered by publications such as Baseball America, FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline, or SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

Time, however, is still on Binelas’ side. He does not turn 24 until next May and will not become Rule 5 eligible until after the 2024 season. In the more immediate future, Binelas will likely be gunning for a promotion to Triple-A Worcester before the 2023 campaign comes to a close.

(Picture of Alex Binelas: Kelly Oโ€™Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)