Tag: promotions

Red Sox promote versatile prospect Andy Lugo to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted versatile prospect Andy Lugo from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Lugo, a right-handed hitting 20-year-old, batted .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 77 games (300 plate appearances) for Salem this season. That includes a .306/.306/.431 slash line in the month of July.

Among 67 qualified Carolina League hitters coming into play on Thursday, Lugo is tied for first in doubles. He also ranks seventh in line-drive rate (27.8 percent), 12th in batting average, 21st in slugging percentage and OPS (.725), 22nd in strikeout rate (21.3 percent) and swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), 23rd in wRC+ (115), 28th in on-base percentage, and 31st in isolated power (.117), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Lugo made at least one start at every position besides pitcher, catcher, shortstop, and center field while with Salem. The 6-foot, 160-pounder logged 108 innings at first base, 59 innings at second base, 78 innings at third base, 244 1/3 innings in left field, and 163 innings in right field. He recorded six outfield assists in that span.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Lugo originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Cristobal in July 2021. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and was named the organization’s 2022 Latin Program Position Player of the Year after batting .318/.368/.414 in 56 games. He then missed the entire 2023 season with a quad strain.

Lugo, who does not turn 21 until next March, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. He figures to provide Greenville with more depth in the infield and outfield after infielder Ahbram Liendo was promoted to Double-A Portland on Thursday.

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

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)

Red Sox promote pitching prospects Yeferson Vargas, Gilberto Batista to Low-A Salem

In addition to Franklin Arias and Juan Valera, Red Sox pitching prospects Yeferson Vargas and Gilberto Batista have also been promoted from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, as was first reported by Beyond the Monster’s Hunter Noll.

Vargas, who turns 20 next month, posted a 3.13 ERA and 4.58 FIP with 29 strikeouts to 13 walks in 10 appearances (three starts) spanning 31 2/3 innings for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox. That translates to a 22 percent strikeout rate and a 9.8 percent walk rate. Opposing hitters batted .256 against him.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Vargas originally signed with the Red Sox for just $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Pedro de Macoris in December 2022. The hard-throwing righty made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June and is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 54 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 29th among pitchers in the organization.

Listed at 6-foot and 177 pounds, Vargas was recently described by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen as a “stout” hurler who “has cut his walks substantially compared to 2023 while also enjoying a two- or three-tick velocity spike.” According to Longenhagen, Vargas has averaged 95-96 mph and reached 98 with his fastball this season while featuring a “snappy” curveball in the 81-84 mph range.

Batista, who does not turn 20 until January, forged a 3.92 ERA and 3.51 FIP with 23 strikeouts to 13 walks in eight appearances (five starts) spanning 20 2/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .220 batting average. That translates to a 24.2 percent strikeout rate and a 13.7 percent walk rate.

Like Vargas, Batista hails from the Dominican Republic and signed with the Red Sox in late 2022. He, too, received a modest $10,000 signing bonus but impressed in his professional debut (3.54 ERA in 40 2/3 innings) in the DSL last season and was recognized as the organization’s Latin Program Pitcher of the Year.

Standing at 6-foot and 165 pounds, Batista is not currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as one of the top 60 prospects in Boston’s farm system. The 19-year-old reportedly sits between 93-95 mph with his fastball and has featured a slider.

Olds promoted, Olivarez released

In other minor-league news, reliever Wyatt Olds was promoted from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester as a corresponding move for Isiah Campbell landing on the WooSox’ 7-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

Olds, 24, posted a 5.03 ERA (4.15 FIP) with 74 strikeouts to 30 walks in 26 appearances (one start) spanning 53 2/3 innings for Portland this season. The right-hander was originally selected by the Red Sox in the seventh round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Oklahoma.

The Red Sox also released Helcris Olivarez, who they signed to a minor-league contract in November, from Portland’s roster. A former top prospect of the Rockies, the 23-year-old lefty pitched to a 3.50 ERA (but much more concerning 6.07 FIP) with 47 strikeouts to 50 walks in 14 appearances (five starts) spanning 36 innings for the Sea Dogs in 2024.

(Picture of Gilberto Batista: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote prospects Franklin Arias, Juan Valera to Low-A Salem

The Red Sox are promoting infield prospect Franklin Arias and pitching prospect Juan Valera from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Salem, according to reports from The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier and SoxProspects.com.

Arias, 18, is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitter batted .355/.471/.584 with 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 51 games (206 plate appearances) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox this season.

In the month of July alone, Arias has slashed a ridiculous .482/.574/.768 with five doubles, one triple, three homers, nine RBIs, 18 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 12 walks, and 14 strikeouts over 18 games (68 plate appearances). Among 70 qualified FCL hitters coming into play on Monday, Arias led the pack in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS (1.055), and wRC+ (180). He also ranked second in slugging percentage, fifth in isolated power (.229), 17th in walk rate (16.5 percent), and 23rd in strikeout rate (17.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Arias has split his playing time on the field this season between shortstop and second base. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder committed nine errors in 33 starts at short for the FCL Red Sox but did not commit an error in 10 starts at second. He also made four starts at DH.

Arias, who turns 19 in November, originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2023. The Caracas native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year and has since added to his glove-first profile by showing signs of immense improvement at the plate.

“He’s one of these guys that you can close your eyes and you know he’s going to field a ground ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Arias when speaking with Speier earlier this month. “He’s a very easy plus defender, which is, I think, what’s really exciting about him. The bat has always been behind, and now the bat is starting to creep up and all of a sudden, you’re looking at a player who does a little bit of everything.”

Valera, meanwhile, is not yet ranked by Baseball America but is rated by SoxProspects.com as the No. 42 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The 18-year-old right-hander posted a 1.79 ERA and 3.29 FIP with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 appearances (nine starts) spanning 40 1/3 innings for the FCL Red Sox this season. Opposing hitters batted just .128 against him.

Dating back to the beginning of June, Valera has pitched to a 0.98 ERA (2.20 FIP) with 29 strikeouts to four walks over his last seven starts (27 2/3 innings). That includes punching out a season-high seven batters in five perfect frames against the FCL Braves last Thursday.

Among the 20 FCL pitchers who entered Monday with at least 40 innings under their belt to this point in the year, Valera ranked first in batting average against and WHIP (0.77), second in FIP, third in groundball rate (56 percent), fourth in ERA fifth in strikeout rate (26 percent), sixth in walk rate (9.1 percent) and xFIP (3.98), and eighth in swinging-strike rate (16 percent), per FanGraphs.

Valera, who turned 18 in May, originally signed with the Red Sox for $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023. The Sabana Grande de Palenque native appeared in 15 games (one start) as part of his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last season but has really burst onto the scene this year.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Valera primarily operates with a 93-97 mph fastball and an 83-85 mph slider, according to his initial SoxProspects.com scouting report. The projectable righty does not yet feature a third pitch and is inconsistent when it comes to throwing strikes. Still, “he checks a lot of boxes that you look for in a pitching prospect his age.”

While Arias and Valera are getting somewhat of a head start in making the jump to Salem, others in Fort Myers will likely join them at some point in August since the 2024 FCL season will conclude on July 30 at the latest.

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez, Noah Dean to High-A Greenville

With Connelly Early and David Sandlin making the jump to Double-A Portland, the Red Sox are promoting pitching prospects Elmer Rodriguez and Noah Dean from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to reports from SoxProspects.com and MiLB Central’s Chase Ford.

Rodriguez, 20, and Dean, 23, are currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the Nos. 16 and 46 prospects in Boston’s farm system. That ranks fourth and 23rd among pitchers in the organization, respectively.

Rodriguez, who turns 21 next month, has spent parts of the last three seasons with Salem after originally being selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. To begin the 2024 campaign, the right-hander posted a 2.51 ERA and 2.73 FIP with 73 strikeouts to 25 walks in 14 appearances (13 starts) spanning 61 innings of work for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate. Opposing hitters batted just .206 against him.

Listed at a lean 6-foot-3 and 160 pounds, Rodriguez throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As recently noted by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, the lanky righty has seen an uptick in his fastball velocity this season to the point where he is now averaging 95 mph and touching 98 mph with the pitch. He also features an upper-70s curveball, a mid-80s slider, and an upper-80s changeup.

Dean, who turned 23 in March, had been with Salem since making his professional debut last April. The New Jersey native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Old Dominion. After struggling to a 6.29 ERA in 2023, Dean kicked off the 2024 season by forging a 3.96 ERA (3.89 FIP) with 86 strikeouts to 31 walks over 15 appearances (13 starts) spanning 61 1/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a minuscule .139 batting average.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Dean has overhauled his delivery and now throws from cross-bodied, three-quarters arm slot. The lefty sits between 92-94 mph with his fastball while also mixing in a mid-80s changeup and a slider. SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall noted last month that Dean has relied on his slider more and used his heater less this season, which has resulted in softer contact.

Command and control remain areas of improvement for both Rodriguez and Dean, who are now slated to join a starting rotation mix in Greenville that includes the likes of Hayden Mullins, Dalton Rogers, Yordanny Monegro, Blake Wehunt, and Jedixson Paez.

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

Red Sox to promote pitching prospect Connelly Early to Double-A Portland

In addition to promoting David Sandlin, the Red Sox are also elevating pitching prospect Connelly Early from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster.

Early, 22, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 26 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The left-hander was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (151st overall pick) of last year’s draft out of Virginia. He received a $408,500 signing bonus and debuted for Low-A Salem in September.

To begin his first full professional season, Early emerged as a key member of Greenville’s rotation by posting a 3.72 ERA and 3.64 FIP with 90 strikeouts to 24 walks in 15 starts (67 2/3 innings) for the Drive. That translates to a 30.9 percent strikeout rate and an 8.2 percent walk rate. Opposing hitters batted just .208 against him.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Early throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted by SoxProspects.com, the lefty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-93 mph that has touched 95 mph this year, a frequently-used 80-82 mph changeup that is considered to be his best secondary offering, a 79-81 mph curveball, and an 87-88 mph cutter.

In making the jump to Portland, Early will be reunited — for the time being, at least — with his old battery mate at Virginia in top catching prospect Kyle Teel, who could soon be on the receiving end of a promotion to Triple-A Worcester alongside the likes of shortstop Marcelo Mayer and outfielder Roman Anthony.

Early and Sandlin, meanwhile, figure to provide support to a Sea Dogs starting rotation that has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks. From a developmental perspective, they will also be challenged with facing more advanced hitting in the upper minors for the first time in their respective careers.

(Picture of Connelly Early: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote top prospect Nick Yorke to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted second baseman/left fielder Nick Yorke from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, per the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Yorke, 22, is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitter had been with Portland since the start of the 2023 season, batting .263/.343/.415 with 33 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs, 88 RBIs, 95 runs scored, 26 stolen bases, 69 walks, and 158 strikeouts over 155 total games (703 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

After representing the Red Sox in last summer’s All-Star Futures Game and being named the Sea Dogs’ 2023 Most Valuable Player, Yorke somewhat surprisingly returned to Portland for the start of the 2024 campaign. He batted .251/.325/.366 with eight doubles, four homers, 27 RBIs, 21 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 18 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 45 games (197 plate appearances) leading up to Wednesday’s promotion.

While a .691 OPS does not necessarily jump off the page, Yorke has cut down his strikeout rate from 24.1 percent last year to 18.3 percent this year. He has also been swinging a hotter bat as of late and has gone 8-for-27 (.296) with one double, one home run, and four RBIs over his last six games dating back to May 29. He went 2-for-4 with one run scored, one walk, and two strikeouts in Portland’s series-opening win over Akron at Hadlock Field on Tuesday night.

On the other side of the ball, Yorke has added some versatility to his profile this season after coming up strictly as an infielder. In addition to making 33 starts at second base for Portland, the 6-foot, 200-pounder started 11 games and logged 98 1/3 innings in left field, where he recorded one outfield assist without committing an error.

Yorke was originally selected by the Red Sox with the 17th overall pick in the COVID-shortened 2020 amateur draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School. The California native signed for $2.7 million and burst onto the scene in 2021 en route to being recognized as the Red Sox’ Minor League Offensive Player of the Year. He entered Baseball America’s top 100 prospects rankings and peaked at No. 31 in 2022 but has since fallen out of the national spotlight to some degree.

With that being said, Yorke now finds himself just one call away from the major leagues. He will make his Triple-A debut on Wednesday night, as he is slated to start at second base and bat sixth for the WooSox in the second game of their six-game series against the Rochester Red Wings at Polar Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. eastern time.

Yorke, who does not turn 23 until next April, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster this winter. He could, of course, emerge as an intriguing trade candidate later this summer if he draws interest from other clubs.

(Picture of Nick Yorke: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote Rule 5 pickup Mickey Gasper to Triple-A Worcester

The Red Sox have promoted minor-league catcher Mickey Gasper from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Gasper, 28, joined the Red Sox via the minor-league phase of last December’s Rule 5 Draft. Before that, the New Hampshire native had spent the first six seasons of his professional career in the Yankees organization after being selected by New York in the 27th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Bryant.

In 44 games for Portland to begin the 2024 campaign, the switch-hitting Gasper batted .282/.403/.458 with 13 doubles, four home runs, 22 RBIs, 28 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 22 strikeouts over 176 plate appearances. That includes a .205/.279/.256 slash line against left-handed pitching and a far more encouraging .311/.444/.534 slash line against righties.

Among 88 qualified hitters in the Eastern League coming into play on Tuesday, Gasper ranks eighth in walk rate (14.8 percent) and OPS (.861), second in strikeout rate (12.5 percent), 17th in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, 13th in slugging percentage, 19th in isolated power (.176), first in swinging-strike rate (4.4 percent), and ninth in wRC+ (146), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gasper has seen all his playing time on the field to this point in the season come at either catcher or first base. In deference to top catching prospect Kyle Teel in Portland, the 5-foot-10, 205-pounder has made 16 of his 43 starts behind the plate while throwing out six of 29 possible base stealers.

Gasper is not in Worcester’s starting lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against Rochester but does have past experience at the Triple-A level. He appeared in 22 games across two separate stints for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders last year and hit .191/.295/.265 with one homer and four RBIs.

With Gasper making the jump to Worcester, Elih Marrero has been sent down to Portland. This shakeup comes after fellow catcher Tyler Heineman was recalled by the Red Sox as a corresponding move for rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreu going on the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain.

(Picture of Mickey Gasper: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Tyler Miller to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting corner infield prospect Tyler Miller from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Miller, 24, had been with Greenville since the start of the 2023 season. In his first 36 games this year, the left-handed hitter batted .275/.321/.450 with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, nine walks, and 28 strikeouts over 140 plate appearances for the Drive. He slashed .313/.365/.552 against right-handed pitching and just .171/.194/.171 against lefties.

Among 78 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League this season, Miller ranks 23rd in strikeout rate (20 percent) and OPS (.771), 17th in batting average and slugging percentage, 21st in isolated power (.176), 20th in line-drive rate (26 percent), 28th in swinging-strike rate (10.7 percent), and 30th in wRC+ (119), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Miller has primarily split his playing time between first and third base in 2024. With Greenville, the 6-foot-1, 193-pounder made 18 starts at first and 16 at the hot corner while committing six errors in 211 total defensive chances. He also has limited experience at all three outfield spots.

Miller was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn. The Alabama native signed for $157,800 that July and has since posted a slash line of .252/.313/.400 with 29 homers and 61 RBIs in 268 career games (1,106 plate appearances) across three different minor-league levels. He is not currently viewed by SoxProspects.com as one of the top 60 prospects in Boston’s farm system.

By making the jump to Portland, Miller should provide the Sea Dogs with additional depth at first and third base in the absence of Blaze Jordan, who has been sidelined since May 12 after fracturing his left ring finger on a play at the plate. Besides Jordan, Alex Binelas has been the only Sea Dogs player to log innings at both corner infield positions this year.

Miller, who does not turn 25 until December, is the first position player from Greenville’s 2024 Opening Day roster to receive a promotion to Portland. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, it appears as though the Red Sox opened a spot for Miller on the Sea Dogs’ roster by releasing reliever Cody Scroggins.

(Picture of Tyler Miller: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote top pitching prospect Luis Perales to Double-A Portland

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

Perales, 21, is coming off one of the best starts of his young career in his last time out against the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Tuesday. The right-hander allowed only one hit and two walks to go along with a season-high 12 strikeouts over five scoreless innings. He threw 81 pitches (49 strikes) and induced 26 swings-and-misses.

On the 2024 campaign as a whole, Perales has posted a 3.42 ERA and 1.98 FIP with 46 strikeouts to 10 walks across seven starts (26 1/3 innings) for Greenville. He missed some time last month due to side soreness but has impressed since returning to the mound, pitching to a 2.11 ERA (1.97 FIP) with 39 punchouts to eight walks over his last five outings (21 1/3 innings) dating back to April 27.

Among 60 pitchers in the South Atlantic League who came into play Wednesday with at least 25 innings under their belts this season, Perales ranked first in strikeouts per nine innings (15.72), strikeout rate (39.7 percent), and swinging-strike rate (20.7 percent), per FanGraphs. He also led the pack in batting average on balls put in play (.474), which suggests that the defense behind him has been lacking at times.

In addition to the gaudy strikeout numbers, Perales has also given up fewer walks and has induced softer contact. As The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier recently noted, Perales has cut down his walk rate from 12.7 percent last year to 8.6 percent this year while elevating his groundball rate from around 30 percent to 47.3 percent.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, Perales throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-to-high leg kick into his delivery. The righty primarily operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a high-90s fastball that tops out at 98-99 mph, a low-90s cutter, a low-80s changeup, and a mid-80s slider.

Perales, who does not turn 22 until next April, originally signed with the Red Sox for $75,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in July 2019. Alongside fellow countryman Wikelman Gonzalez, Perales was added to the club’s 40-man roster over the winter to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 9 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among pitchers in the organization behind fellow righties Gonzalez and Richard Fitts.

In Portland, Perales is slated to join a starting rotation that — for the time being — includes the likes of Gonzalez, Angel Bastardo, Isaac Coffey, Zach Penrod, Helcris Olivarez, and Hunter Dobbins. If any of these arms were to make the jump to Triple-A Worcester to accommodate the addition of Perales, Penrod would seemingly be a prime candidate.

(Picture of Luis Perales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)