Tag: portland sea dogs

Red Sox OF prospect Jhostynxon Garcia recognized by Baseball America for breakout season

Earlier this week, Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia was named a 2024 Second Team Minor-League All-Star by Baseball America.

Garcia came into the 2024 season with very little fanfare and was not ranked by Baseball America as one of the top 30 prospects in Boston’s farm system. The 21-year-old returned to Low-A Salem this spring and batted .258/.365/.517 with six doubles, one triple, five home runs, 19 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 15 walks, and 25 strikeouts in 24 games (104 plate appearances) before being promoted to High-A Greenville in late May.

Upon joining Greenville, Garcia turned things up a notch offensively and slashed a stout .311/.371/.627 to go along with 14 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 37 RBIs, 44 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 53 games (229 plate appearances) for the Drive. The right-handed hitter then received another promotion to Double-A Portland in mid-August and closed the year by posting a .263/.320/.386 line with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, 10 RBIs, 14 runs scored, two stolen bases, six walks, and 24 strikeouts in 30 games (126 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Altogether, Garcia hit .286/.356/.536 with 24 doubles, five triples, an organizational-leading 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 78 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 33 walks, and 99 strikeouts in 107 total games (459 plate appearances) across three different levels in 2024. That includes a .274/.347/.506 slash line in 405 plate appearances against right-handed pitching and a .380/.426/.760 slash line in 54 plate appearances against lefties.

Among the 386 minor-leaguers who made at least 450 trips to the plate this season, Garcia ranked fifth in wRC+ (151), ninth in isolated power (.250), 10th in slugging percentage, 15th in OPS (.892), 53rd in batting average, 80th in speed score (7.1), and 127th in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia saw playing time at all three outfield positions between his stops in Salem, Greenville, and Portland this year. With the Sea Dogs in particular, the 6-foot-215-pounder made 27 of his 30 starts in center field, where he recorded one outfield assist and committed two errors in 61 defensive chances.

Aptly nicknamed “The Password” because of his unique first name, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Fernando de Apure, Venezuela in July 2019. His younger brother, Johanfran, signed with Boston in January 2022 and is still viewed as one of the organization’s premier catching prospects even after tearing his right ACL in early May and undergoing season-ending surgery.

The elder Garcia, meanwhile, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s farm system. If not for Kristian Campbell, the argument could be made that he was the organization’s top breakout performer this year. That is noteworthy when considering Garcia can become Rule 5-eligible this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November.

Assuming he remains with the Red Sox in some capacity, though, Garcia — who turns 22 in December — is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland in 2025.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox sidearm prospect Isaac Coffey named Double-A Portland’s Pitcher of the Year

Red Sox pitching prospect Isaac Coffey has been named Double-A Portland’s Pitcher of the Year, the Sea Dogs announced prior to their season finale against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field on Sunday.

Coffey, 24, appeared in 24 games (made 21 starts) for the Sea Dogs this season. The sidearming right-hander posted a 3.17 ERA and 3.81 FIP with 148 strikeouts to 51 walks over a team-leading 113 2/3 innings of work. That includes a 1.42 ERA (2.59 FIP) with 56 strikeouts to eight walks in six outings (31 2/3 innings) after the calendar flipped from July to August.

Among 35 qualified pitchers at the Double-A level in 2024, Coffey ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.72) and strikeout rate (30 percent), fifth in batting average against (.215), seventh in ERA, 11th in WHIP (1.23), 12th in FIP, and 14th in xFIP (3.90), per FanGraphs. While the strikeout numbers are impressive, Coffey also ranked 28th in walk rate (10.3 percent) and 29th in walks per nine innings (4.04) while hitting more batters (25) than anyone else at his level.

Coffey just put the finishing touches on his second full professional season after originally being selected by the Red Sox in the 10th round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Oral Roberts. The California native received a modest $7,500 signing bonus at that time and is now regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 58 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 30th among pitchers in the organization.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Coffey threw from a three-quarters arm slot as a two-way player in college but has since settled in as a sidearmer. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the athletic righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of an 88-90 mph fastball that tops out at 92 mph, a 76-78 mph changeup that is considered his best secondary offering, an 82-84 mph sweeping slider, and a newly-implemented cutter.

Should he remain with the Red Sox through the winter, Coffey — who does not turn 25 until next June — is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Triple-A Worcester in 2025. A lack of velocity limits his upside, but he still has intriguing potential moving forward.

(Picture of Isaac Coffey: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Blake Wehunt to Double-A Portland

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

Wehunt, 23, is on the move for the second time this year. The right-hander opened his first full professional season at Low-A Salem, forging a 2.16 ERA (2.76 FIP) with 44 strikeouts to 15 walks in eight starts (33 1/3 innings) for the Red Sox before receiving a promotion to Greenville in early June.

In 13 starts for the Drive, Wehunt posted a 4.42 ERA and 3.57 FIP with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks over 59 innings. That includes a 2.37 ERA (2.82 FIP) in his last four outings (19 innings) dating back to August 16. Opposing hitters batted just .143 against him in that stretch.

Among the 84 pitchers who came into play Sunday having thrown at least 55 innings in the South Atlantic League this season, Wehunt ranks 19th in WHIP (1.10), 23rd in batting average against (.213), 26th in walks per nine innings (2.90) and xFIP (3.66), 27th in FIP, 28th in walk rate (7.8 percent), 38th in strikeout rate (26.7 percent), 39th in groundball rate (41.8 percent), and 41st in strikeouts per nine innings (9.92), per FanGraphs.

Wehunt, who turns 24 in November, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of last year’s draft out of Kennesaw State. The Georgia native signed for $100,000 and marked his pro debut by making a scoreless relief appearance in the Florida Complex League. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 34 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization.

Standing at an imposing 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Wehunt throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, who saw Wehunt pitch in Greenville on August 22, the burly righty sits between 93-94 mph and reaches 96 mph with his fastball. He can also mix in an 87-89 mph cutter, an 81-86 mph sweeping slider, and an 84-86 mph splitter.

Wehunt is slated to join a rotation mix in Portland that includes the likes of Wikelman Gonzalez, Juan Encarnacion, Connelly Early, David Sandlin, and Isaac Coffey. While Greenville’s season ended on Sunday, the Sea Dogs have six games remaining on their schedule and currently hold a 1 1/2-game lead in their division.

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

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Mikey Romero to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Mikey Romero from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Romero is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 14 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The left-handed hitting 20-year-old batted .271/.319/.498 with 20 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 runs scored, one stolen base, 16 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 59 games (276 plate appearances) for Greenville this season.

Among the 85 South Atlantic League hitters who have made at least 275 trips to the plate this year, Romero ranks fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in isolated power (.227), ninth in OPS (.817), 12th in batting average, 16th in wRC+ (126), 21st in strikeout rate (21 percent), and 34th in line-drive rate (22.7 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Romero saw all of his playing time on the field with the Drive come at either shortstop or second base. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder logged 307 2/3 innings at short and 134 innings at second, committing eight errors in 179 total chances. He also started eight games at DH.

A native of Southern California, Romero was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Orange Lutheran High School. He forwent his commitment to LSU by signing with the club for $2.3 million that July but has struggled to stay on the field since entering the professional ranks.

After a strong pro debut between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2022, Romero was limited to just 34 games between three affiliates last year. He received a promotion from Salem to Greenville on August 15 but appeared in only three games for the Drive before being shut down for the rest of the season with “persistent lower-back issues.”

To that end, Romero did not make his 2024 debut until early May, as he opened the season on the injured list and completed a three-game rehab assignment in the FCL before rejoining the Greenville lineup on May 15. He initially got his second stint with the Drive off to a slow start but turned in a monster July (.354/.382/.781 with seven homers and 19 RBIs in 19 games) and was recognized as the South Atlantic League Player of the Month.

Leading up to Sunday’s promotion, Romero had slashed .260/.327/.360 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 12 August contests for Greenville. He suffered a concussion earlier this month after taking a bad hop to the face in the infield but returned to action on August 14 following a brief seven-day stint on the injured list.

Romero, who does not turn 21 until January, should help fill the void in the Portland lineup that was created when top prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, and Kristian Campbell were promoted to Triple-A Worcester within one week of each other. In doing so, he will be getting the opportunity to face more advanced pitching in the upper minors for the first time in his young career.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox promote pitching prospects Bryce Bonnin, Reidis Sena to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox promoted pitching prospects Bryce Bonnin and Reidis Sena from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland on Tuesday. Neither pitcher appeared in the Sea Dogs’ series-opening 1-0 loss to the Somerset Patriots at Hadlock Field.

Bonnin, 25, posted a 4.04 ERA and 3.93 FIP with 40 strikeouts to 16 walks in 19 relief appearances (35 2/3 innings) for Greenville this season. That translates to a 28 percent strikeout rate and an 11.2 percent walk rate for the right-hander, who held opposing hitters to a .164 batting average.

Sena, 23, forged a 3.56 ERA and 4.29 FIP with 67 strikeouts to 24 walks in 28 relief appearances (48 innings) for the Drive this season. That translates to a 32.4 percent strikeout rate and an 11.6 percent walk rate for the righty, who limited opposing hitters to a .201 batting average.

Bonnin, who turns 26 in October, joined the Red Sox organization as a minor-league free agent back in March after being released by the Reds. The Texas Tech product was originally selected by Cincinnati in the third round of the 2020 draft but has dealt with injuries throughout his professional career. He most notably missed the final three months of the 2022 campaign and all of 2023 with a rotator cuff issue that cost him some time to begin 2024 as well.

When healthy, though, Bonnin has proven to be quite effective. In 2022, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound hurler was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 10 prospect in Cincinnati’s farm system. He was also recognized by the outlet as having the best fastball in the Reds organization.

This season, Bonnin has reached 98 mph with his mid-90s heater while also mixing in an 84-85 mph slider and a changeup. He is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, which describes him as a “low-risk, high-reward signing” who “had two plus pitches prior to rotator cuff injury, but command and control were always a concern.”

Sena, meanwhile, originally signed with the Red Sox for $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in December 2018. The Neiba native began his professional career as a starter but has been used strictly out of the bullpen since last year. Like Bonnin, Sena is not ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com, though he did get some attention from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen last month.

Longenhagen tabbed Sena as his 41st-ranked Red Sox prospect. He wrote that the 6-foot-1, 175-pound righty “generates huge over-the-top arm speed, resulting in mid-90s heat that plays down a bit due to downhill plane. Sena’s cutter, which tends to live around 90 mph but has peaked at 95, helps mitigate some of his fastball’s vulnerability in this way. He doesn’t locate it well enough to be a bat-misser, instead relying on his power mid-80s curveball to get whiffs.”

Bonnin and Sena can both become Rule 5-eligible this winter if they are not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. In the meantime, they join a bullpen mix in Portland that includes the likes of Alex Hoppe, Christopher Troye, Jonathan Brand, Jacob Webb, Brendan Cellucci, and Zach Bryant.

(Picture of Bryce Bonnin: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote rising prospect Kristian Campbell to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting fast-rising prospect Kristian Campbell from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Campbell is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 98 prospect in the sport. The 22-year-old will reunite with fellow recently-promoted top-100 prospects Marcelo Mayer (No. 10), Roman Anthony (No. 18), and Kyle Teel (No. 31) after spending the last two-plus months with “The Big Three” in Portland.

Originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, Campbell opened his first full professional season at High-A Greenville after turning heads at spring training. The right-handed hitter proceeded to bat .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts in 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive. He then earned a promotion to Portland in early June.

With the Sea Dogs, Campbell turned things up a notch and slashed a stout .362/.463/.582 with 17 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 56 games (255 plate appearances). He was named Eastern League Player of the Week twice (June 10-16, August 5-11) and the Eastern League Player of the Month for June.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at four different positions so far this season. With Portland specifically, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder made 21 starts at shortstop, 15 at second base, 11 in center field, and one at third base. He is considered a fringe-average fielder despite possessing plus speed.

Given the fashion in which Campbell has broken out to the point where he is now only one call away from the major leagues, the case can be made that the Red Sox have a Big Four in Worcester as opposed to just a Big Three. Regardless of that, the WooSox are off on Monday and are slated to open a six-game road series against the Norfolk Tides on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Eastern League Player of the Week for second time this season

Rising Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of August 5-11, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Campbell takes home the honor for the second time this season after first doing so for Double-A Portland in mid-June. In the Sea Dogs’ most recent series against the Altoona Curve last week, the right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 8-for-18 (.444) with three home runs, five RBIs, six runs scored, five stolen bases, six walks, and three strikeouts over 25 plate appearances.

After reaching base six times through the first two games of the six-game set at Hadlock Field, Campbell got Thursday off. He then homered in three straight games over the weekend and is now riding a nine-game hitting streak as well as a 26-game hitting streak.

Since being promoted from High-A Greenville on June 4, Campbell has batted a stout .380/.484/.592 with 16 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 32 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 32 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 49 games (223 plate appearances) for Portland. Among the 98 hitters who have made at least 220 trips to the plate in the Eastern League this season, Campbell leads the pack in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.077), line-drive rate (31.5 percent), and wRC+ (203). He also ranks fifth in swinging-strike rate (7.1 percent) and seventh in walk rate (14.3 percent), strikeout rate (14.8 percent), and isolated power (.212), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Campbell has seen playing time at four different positions for the Sea Dogs so far this year. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder has logged 160 2/3 innings at shortstop, 131 innings at second base, 83 innings in center field, and nine innings at third base. He has also made five starts at DH.

Campbell, who turned 22 in June, was selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick of last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech. That is the same pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

A native of Georgia himself, Campbell signed with the Red Sox for $492,700, made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League, and then helped Greenville win its second South Atlantic League title before the 2023 campaign drew to a close. Just over a year since entering the pro ranks, Campbell is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 98 prospect in the sport.

With the recent promotions of Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel, Campbell is now the highest-ranked Red Sox prospect on Portland’s roster. With that, it should be worthwhile to see if he can keep this level of production up and possibly reunite with The Big Three in Worcester before the end of the season.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox to promote OF prospects Jhostynxon Garcia, Allan Castro to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting outfield prospects Jhostynxon Garcia and Allan Castro from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Josh Ball.

Garcia and Castro, both 21, are currently regarded by Baseball America as the Nos. 18 and 23 prospects in Boston’s farm system, respectively. They originally joined the Red Sox organization as international free agents coming out of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic in July 2019.

Affectionately nicknamed “The Password” because of all the consonants in his first name, Garcia is on the move for the second time this season. The right-handed hitter opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem and connected on five home runs while producing a .882 OPS in his first 24 games before receiving a promotion to Greenville in late May. He then batted a stout .311/.371/.627 with 14 doubles, two triples, 16 homers, 37 RBIs, 44 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 53 games (229 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Defensively, Garcia saw playing time at all three outfield positions in his time with Greenville. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder logged 17 innings in left field, 165 innings in right field, and 191 innings in center field, committing two errors and recording two outfield assists in 80 total chances. He also started 10 games at DH.

Castro, meanwhile, is on the move for the first time in 2024 after breaking camp with Greenville this past spring. The switch-hitter got off to somewhat of a slow start offensively before turning a corner in July. All told, he slashed .243/.363/.449 with 21 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 61 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 95 games (413 plate appearances) for the Drive this season.

On the other side of the ball, Castro — like Garcia — made starts at all three outfield spots for Greenville. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder logged 19 innings in left field, 251 innings in right field, and 413 2/3 innings in center field, committing just one error and recording five outfield assists in 151 total chances. He also started 17 games at DH.

As SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall alluded to recently, it will be interesting to see how Garcia and Castro adjust to facing more advanced pitching at the Double-A level. They are both Rule 5-eligible at year’s end, so encouraging stints with Portland could strengthen their case to be added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster this winter.

(Picture of Jhostynxon Garcia: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox to promote top prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox are promoting their top three prospects — shortstop Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony, and catcher Kyle Teel — from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Mayer, Anthony, and Teel are currently regarded by Baseball America as the Nos. 10, 18, and 31 prospects in the sport, respectively. Dubbed “The Big Three” within Boston’s farm system, the talented trio represented the organization at last month’s All-Star Futures Game in Arlington, Texas. They are expected to join the WooSox and make their Triple-A debuts on Tuesday, when the club opens a six-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park.

Mayer, the longest-tenured of the three, was originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.). The left-handed hitting 21-year-old batted .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts in 77 games (335 plate appearances) for Portland this season. As noted by Speier, he was recently sidelined by minor hip soreness but was activated from the injured list over the weekend and should be ready to play.

Defensively, Mayer saw the vast majority of his playing time with Portland this season come at shortstop. The 6-foot-3, 188-pounder logged 543 innings at short for the Sea Dogs, committing 10 errors in 212 chances. He also started one game at third base and nine at DH.

Anthony, meanwhile, was taken by the Red Sox with the 79th overall selection in the 2022 draft out of Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla). The left-handed hitting 20-year-old slashed .269/.367/.489 with 20 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 48 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 84 games (376 plate appearances) for Portland this season. He is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak.

On the other side of the ball, Anthony had been serving as the Sea Dogs’ primary center fielder leading up to Sunday’s promotion. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder logged 489 1/3 innings in center for Portland, committing three errors in 132 chances. He also made two starts in left field (where he recorded two outfield assists), one start in right field, and 15 starts at DH.

Unlike Mayer and Anthony, Teel is in just his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of the University of Virginia. The left-handed hitting 22-year-old batted .298/.390/.462 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, 65 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 48 walks, and 87 strikeouts in 84 games (382 plate appearances) for Portland this season.

From behind the plate, Teel started 57 games at catcher for the Sea Dogs and threw out 18 of 91 would-be base stealers. The 6-foot, 190-pound backstop has shown “major improvement in his receiving, game-calling, and throwing since the beginning of July,” according to Speier.

After spending the better part of the last four months at Double-A, Mayer, Anthony, and Teel will make the highly-anticipated jump to Triple-A this week. Put another way, they are all just one call away from reaching the major leagues.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote infield prospect Luis Ravelo to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox have promoted infield prospect Luis Ravelo from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, as was first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Hunter Noll.

Ravelo enjoyed a strong month of July for Greenville. The switch-hitting 20-year-old batted .357/.433/.446 with two doubles, one home run, 11 RBIs, nine runs scored, nine walks, and 13 strikeouts in 17 games (67 plate appearances). He is slashing .232/.314/.327 with 12 doubles, one triple, four homers, 30 runs driven in, 28 runs scored, one stolen base, 29 walks, and 72 strikeouts over 75 games (309 plate appearances) on the season as a whole.

Defensively, Ravelo has seen all of his playing time on the field this year come at either second base or shortstop. The 6-foot-1, 187-pounder logged 261 1/3 innings at second and 350 1/3 innings at short with the Drive, committing 13 errors in 231 total chances. He also started five games at DH and has past experience at third base.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Ravelo originally signed with Boston for $545,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in January 2021. The Red Sox, according to Baseball America, “were drawn to Ravelo as “a defensive magician whose lightning hands created a number of did-you-see-that double takes at shortstop.”

After making his professional debut in the 2021 Dominican Summer League, Ravelo split the 2022 campaign between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem. He entered 2023 ranked by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system and spent the entire year with Salem, batting .217/.311/.303 with 15 doubles, six home runs, and 47 RBIs in 108 games.

Ravelo, who turns 21 in November, is not currently ranked among the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects by Baseball America. He profiles as a glove-first infielder who still has plenty of room to grow offensively, particularly when hitting from the right side of the plate. With that said, he is slated to bat ninth and start at second base for Portland against Erie at Hadlock Field on Wednesday night.

In addition to elevating Ravelo, the Red Sox promoted four other infielders on Wednesday. Nick Sogard was called up from Triple-A Worcester to Boston for his first major-league stint, Tyler McDonough was called up from Portland to Worcester to take Sogard’s place, Fraymi De Leon was called up from Salem to Greenville to take Ravelo’s place, and Kelvin Diaz was called up from the Florida Complex League to Salem to take De Leon’s place.

(Picture of Luis Ravelo: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)