Tag: prospects

Red Sox’ Kristian Campbell named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year

Top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell has been named Baseball America’s 2024 Minor League Player of the Year, the publication announced on Tuesday.

Campbell enjoyed a meteoric rise in his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Georgia Tech. The 22-year-old was not ranked among Boston’s top 30 prospects by Baseball America to open the 2024 campaign and did not draw too much attention as a result.

After adding strength and overhauling his swing to better impact the baseball over the winter, Campbell broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring. The right-handed hitter batted .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 was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for May and was promoted to Double-A Portland in early June.

In his next 56 games for the Sea Dogs, Campbell 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 255 plate appearances. He was named the Eastern League Player of the Week twice (June 10-16, August 5-11) and the Eastern League Player of the Month for June before receiving another promotion to Triple-A Worcester in late August.

With the WooSox, Campbell hit .286/.412/.486 to go along with two doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 17 runs scored, four stolen bases, 13 walks, and 18 strikeouts over 19 games (85 plate appearances). He suffered a left lat strain while running from home to first base on September 11 and was subsequently shut down for the remainder of Worcester’s season.

All told, Campbell finished 2024 with a .330/.439/.558 line in 115 total games (517 plate appearances) between Greenville, Portland, and Worcester. He doubled 32 times, tripled thrice, homered 20 times, drove in 77 runs, scored 94 runs, stole 24 bases, drew 74 walks, and struck out 103 times. His 180 wRC+ was the top mark in the minors this year, per Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes.

On the other side of the ball, Campbell saw playing time at four different positions at all three of his stops this season. The versatile 6-foot-3, 210-pounder logged 310 1/3 cumulative innings at second base, 298 2/3 innings at shortstop, 204 innings in center field, and 44 innings at third base. To that end, he was named the Sea Dogs’ Defensive Player of the Year.

“He’s the kind of guy who bought into the programming, bought into what he felt like he needed to improve and what we provided for him in terms of training and focus,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Campbell when speaking with Pontes. “He added about 15 to 20 pounds of muscle and strength. When we talk about impacting the baseball, that’s a big thing.”

Campbell, who was also named 2024 Eastern League MVP on Tuesday, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 24 prospect in the sport. The Georgia native is joined by fellow Red Sox prospects Roman Anthony (No. 1), Marcelo Mayer (No. 10), Kyle Teel (No. 25), Braden Montgomery (No. 59), and Frankin Arias (No. 92) on Baseball America’s top 100 list.

“It just kind of all clicked at one time and happened this season pretty fast,” Campbell told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I think it caught me off guard and caught some other people off guard, but it’s been cool. It’s been happening fast but in a good way. I had a pretty good season, but it’s just a start. I’ve got to try to do it all again next year and the year after that.”

Campbell, who does not turn 23 until next June, has turned the Red Sox’ Big Three of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel into a Big Four. Unlike Anthony, Mayer, and Teel, though, Campbell hits from the right side of the plate. That distinction could help set him apart once he is deemed ready to contribute at the big-league level, which could come as soon as early 2025.

“It’s going to be interesting how we make it fit,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam) in Toronto on Tuesday. “But (his bat) plays. And like I said before, right-handed hitters at Fenway are needed to create balance and change games. And he’s going to change games.”

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez named 2024 South Atlantic League All-Star

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez has been named a 2024 South Atlantic League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Gonzalez, who celebrated his 23rd birthday earlier this week, put up impressive power numbers in his second season with High-A Greenville. The right-handed hitting slugger batted .272/.337/.508 with 13 doubles, two triples, a career-high 20 home runs, 59 RBIs, 58 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 29 walks, and 115 strikeouts in 91 games (362 plate appearances) for the Drive.

With 31 home runs in 201 games for Greenville dating back to the start of the 2023 campaign, Gonzalez now sits atop the leaderboard for most career homers in Drive franchise history. The record was previously held by Chris Turner, who connected on 29 total big flies over 187 games for Boston’s South Atlantic League affiliate from 2005-2006.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, was among the top power threats at his level this season. Of the 132 qualified hitters in High-A, Gonzalez finished with the second-most home runs, the second-highest slugging percentage, the fourth-highest isolated power mark (.235), the sixth-highest OPS (.845), and the eighth-highest wRC+ (136). He also ranked 20th in batting average, 59th in on-base percentage, and 66th in speed score (5.9), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Gonzalez saw the majority of his playing time with Greenville this year come at first base. The burly 6-foot-1, 220-pounder made a team-leading 74 starts at first for the Drive and committed 14 errors in 537 chances. He also logged seven innings at third base, 22 innings in left field (where he recorded two outfield assists), and 88 innings in right field.

After Greenville’s season ended on September 8, Gonzalez and several of his teammates were promoted to Double-A Portland for the final week of the Eastern League regular season. He appeared in just two of the Sea Dogs’ six games against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout as a pinch-hitter in both contests.

Gonzalez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, originally signed with the Red Sox for $500,000 as an international free agent coming out of Villa Mella in July 2018. Given the amount of swing-and-miss in his game, he is not currently regarded by publications such as SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

If Gonzalez, who is Rule 5-eligible this offseason, remains with the Red Sox through the winter, he is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland in 2025.

(Picture of Bryan Gonzalez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell likely done for season after being placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list

The 2024 season is likely over for top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell, who was placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list on Tuesday.

Campbell suffered a left lat strain while running from home to first in the third inning of Worcester’s 7-0 win over the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park last Wednesday. The 22-year-old has not been ruled out entirely in the event that the WooSox advance to the International League playoffs, but the Red Sox will err on the side of caution, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

“I think the most important thing for him right now is to go into the offseason fully healthy so he can train this winter,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham told Speier. “I think we need to be smart here. We’re going to make sure we’re thinking about the longer term and bigger picture versus the shorter term.

“We’re going to obviously trust our group and our staff and Kristian to see how he feels and go from there,” added Abraham, “but I would not be surprised if we end up taking the decision out of his hands and making sure that he’s healthy going into the offseason.”

Campbell, the 132nd overall pick in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, was not ranked as one of the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline to begin his first full professional season. After working to add strength and bat speed to better impact the baseball over the winter, the right-handed hitter broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring and batted .306/.418/.558 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 40 games (177 plate appearances) before receiving a promotion to Double-A Portland in early June.

Playing alongside The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel in Portland, Campbell slashed .362/.463/.582 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 56 games (255 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs. He was then promoted again to Worcester on August 20 and posted a .286/.412/.486 line with four homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games (85 plate appearances) before being shut down this week.

So, between his three stops at Greenville, Portland, and Worcester, Campbell — nicknamed ‘Barry Bonds’ by his teammates — batted a stout .330/.439/.558 with 32 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 94 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 74 walks, and 103 strikeouts in 115 games (517 plate appearances) this season. On the other side of the ball, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder started at least one game at four different positions. To that end, he was named the Sea Dogs Defensive Player of the Year. With the WooSox, he logged 100 innings at shortstop, 26 innings at third base, 19 innings in center field, and 14 innings at second base.

Campbell, who does not turn 23 until next June, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 24 prospect in the sport. MLB Pipeline has the Georgia native ranked as the Red Sox’ No. 5 prospect and the No. 74 prospect in baseball. Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Keith Law recently tabbed Campbell as his Prospect of the Year.

With the Red Sox already looking ahead to 2025, Campbell has positioned himself as a potential building block for the future alongside the left-handed hitting trio of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel. While that distinction alone may not exclude him from being involved in trade talks in the offseason, it seems as though he could be ready to contribute at the big-league level as early as next summer.

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

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 power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez sets new franchise record for High-A Greenville

Red Sox power-hitting prospect Bryan Gonzalez made some history in High-A Greenville’s 4-3 loss to the Winston-Salem Dash at Fluor Field on Thursday night.

By crushing his 30th home run as a member of the Drive in the second inning of Thursday’s defeat, Gonzalez moved past Chris Turner for most homers in franchise history. Turner had held the record for the last 18 years after going deep 29 times for Greenville from 2005-2006.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, homered 11 times in 110 games for the Drive last season and connected on his team-leading 19th big fly of the 2024 campaign on Thursday. Batting cleanup, the 22-year-old slugger led off the bottom of the second by depositing a 434-foot solo shot off Dash starter Jake Bockenstedt into the apartments beyond the left-center field wall. He finished the night having gone 2-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.

Following Thursday’s performance, the right-handed hitting Gonzalez is now batting .264/.331/.497 with 13 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, 56 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 29 walks, and 114 strikeouts in 89 games (353 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. That includes a .370/.439/.534 slash line over his last 21 games (82 plate appearances) dating back to August 6.

Among 48 qualified South Atlantic League hitters coming into play on Friday, Gonzalez ranks second in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.828) and isolated power (.233), fourth in wRC+ (132), ninth in batting average, and 23rd in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gonzalez made his 72nd start of the season at first base for the Drive on Thursday night. There, the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has committed 14 errors in 526 defensive chances. He has also started 10 games in right field, two games in left field (where he has recorded two outfield assists), and one game at third base.

Gonzalez, who turns 23 in less than two weeks, originally signed with the Red Sox for $500,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in July 2018. The Villa Mella native earned mid-season Dominican Summer League All-Star honors as part of his professional debut in 2019 but is not currently regarded by publications such as SoxProspects.com as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system.

Assuming he ends the season in Greenville and remains in the organization through the winter, Gonzalez is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Double-A Portland in 2025.

(Picture of Bryan Gonzalez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox’ Franklin Arias named 2024 Florida Complex League MVP

Red Sox middle infield prospect Franklin Arias has been named the 2024 Florida Complex League MVP, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday. He was also recognized as an FCL All-Star and the FCL’s top MLB prospect.

Arias is currently regarded by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old 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.

Among 71 qualified FCL hitters, Arias led in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.055), and wRC+ (181). He also ranked fifth in isolated power (.229), sixth in speed score (8.7), 16th in walk rate (16.5 percent), 17th in swinging-strike rate (10.2 percent), and 23rd in strikeout rate (17.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Arias was promoted from the FCL to Low-A Salem on July 23. He has since slashed .231/.308/.350 with five doubles, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 13 runs scored, five stolen bases, 12 walks, and 24 strikeouts in his first 29 games (130 plate appearances) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Between the two stops, Arias has seen the majority of his playing time this season come at either shortstop or second base. With Salem in particular, the projectable 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has made 16 starts at short and eight at second, committing five errors in 109 total defensive chances. He has also started five games at DH.

Arias, who turns 19 in November, originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2023. The Caracas native was viewed as a glove-first infielder when he made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June, but he has added to his profile by making significant strides 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 The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier last 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.”

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

Red Sox promote OF prospect Nelly Taylor to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Nelly Taylor from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Taylor is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 50 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The athletic 21-year-old is in his first full professional season after being selected in the 11th round of the 2023 draft out of Polk State College (Winter Haven, Fla). He had committed to transfer to Florida State before signing with the Red Sox for $300,000 last July.

In 101 games for Salem this season, Taylor batted .228/.336/.358 with 24 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 46 RBIs, 69 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 60 walks, and 106 strikeouts over 434 plate appearances. While a .694 OPS is far from eye-popping, the left-handed hitter is slashing .302/.408/.476 in August.

Among 52 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Taylor ranks fourth in line-drive rate (27.2 percent), 11th in speed score (7.6), 12th in walk rate (13.8 percent), 20th in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent), 21st in on-base percentage, 22nd in isolated power (.130), and 26th in slugging percentage and wRC+ (109), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Taylor has drawn encouraging reviews for his defensive prowess in the outfield this season. The 6-foot, 180-pounder saw playing time at all three spots for Salem, though 54 of his 93 non-DH starts came in center. There, he recorded one outfield assist and committed one error in 131 chances. He notched two more outfield assists in right as well.

Taylor, who does not turn 22 until January, has a unique story in that he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer, when he was just five years old. As he explained to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith in a wide-ranging profile last September, Taylor had the tumor removed but was unable to play contact sports — such as football — in his youth as a result.

According to his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Taylor is “a player fans will want to root for” since he has “the work ethic to reach his potential.” He is slated to bat fifth and start at DH for Greenville in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

(Picture of Nelly Taylor: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer ‘likely done’ for season due to lumbar strain

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer is likely done for the remainder of the season, as was first reported by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Mayer, who has not played in a game since July 30 for Double-A Portland, is dealing with a lumbar strain in his lower back. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted to Triple-A Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel on August 12 but was placed on the injured list last Tuesday.

As noted by Speier, Mayer is no longer with the WooSox and is instead rehabbing at the Red Sox’ Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, Fla. According to Brian Abraham, Boston’s director of player development, Mayer is expected to make a full recovery and can look forward to a normal offseason.

“We just got to a point where he really was plateauing with the improvement, and needed to get a little bit more deeper into what was going on,” Abraham told Speier. “Certainly unfortunate for Marcelo, but I think the good news is we know what the issue is.”

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. The Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.) product has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted a stout .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He made 65 starts at shortstop and one at third base, committing 11 errors in 216 total defensive chances.

Mayer was placed on the Sea Dogs’ injured list on August 1, two days after exiting Portland’s game with what was initially described as lower back and upper glute muscle soreness. The issue was deemed minor and the Red Sox proceeded to elevate Mayer to Worcester “with the expectation that he’d quickly find his way into the lineup,” according to Speier.

Mayer, however, hit a snag of sorts as the soreness in his lower back persisted. He was subsequently sent for an MRI, which led to the diagnosis of a lumbar strain. Rather than act aggressively, the Red Sox elected to send Mayer to extended spring training so that he could focus on his rehab.

“A really strong year from Marcelo. We’re going to take the positives out of it,” said Abraham. “Promoted to Triple-A, an opportunity to make some noise going into next year. We’re expecting a full recovery, so it will be all in the rear-view mirror by the time this offseason rolls around and he prepares for next year.”

If Mayer does not play again in 2024, this will mark the second straight year he has not been able to finish a season, which raises concerns about his durability. He was shut down last August with a left shoulder impingement he suffered while running the bases three months prior.

“I mean, obviously not ideal,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Mayer when speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Monday. “He had a good season, did a good job. But honestly, I didn’t know. I’ll talk to [player development] and see what happens. But getting him right is the most important thing. There’s a lot of potential there. There’s things that we have to work on. [The] injuries, obviously, from my end, [are] concerning, to be honest with you. Just have to make sure we can keep him healthy.”

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

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)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer placed on Triple-A Worcester’s injured list

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer has been placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list with low back inflammation, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Mayer is dealing with a lower back and upper glute muscle issue that has kept him sidelined for the last three weeks. The 21-year-old shortstop was promoted from Double-A Portland to Worcester alongside fellow top prospects Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel last Monday but has not yet appeared in a game for the WooSox.

Originally selected by the Red Sox with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), Mayer is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 10 prospect in the sport. He has represented the organization by suiting up for the American League in each of the last two All-Star Futures Games.

In 77 games for Portland this season, the left-handed hitting Mayer batted .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts over 335 plate appearances. He spent nine days (August 1-10) on the Sea Dogs’ injured list before being activated and joining the WooSox at Polar Park last Tuesday.

“I’m feeling much better,” Mayer told reporters (including Speier) that same afternoon. “My lower back and my upper glute was just bothering me a little bit. I missed a week in Somerset due to pec soreness and then my back kind of flared up on me. So we’ve just kind of been being cautious with it.  Don’t want to play when my back is hurt and then I end up getting more hurt than I need to, so we’ve just been taking it pretty slow, but I feel good.”

As noted by Speier, the decision to place Mayer on the injured list was made in part to create an opening on Worcester’s roster. Still, the fact of the matter is that Mayer is facing yet another lengthy late-season absence due to injury. He missed the final six weeks of the 2023 campaign with a left shoulder impingement.

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