Tag: salem ridgeyaks

Red Sox catching prospect Kleyver Salazar named 2026 Carolina League All-Star

Red Sox catching prospect Kleyver Salazar has been named a 2026 Carolina League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

Salazar, 20, enjoyed a breakout season with Low-A Salem, his second at the level. The right-handed hitter batted .293/.403/.479 with 25 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 69 RBIs, 60 runs scored, five stolen bases, 60 walks, and 68 strikeouts in 95 games (412 plate appearances) for the RidgeYaks. He posted a .282/.396/.447 line against righties and a .333/.430/.597 line against lefties.

Among 45 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Salazar finished first in OPS (.882), wOBA (.413), and wRC+ (132). He also ranked second in on-base percentage and slugging percentage, third in batting average, seventh in isolated power (.186) and strikeout rate (16.5%), 10th in line-drive rate (25.8%), and 13th in walk rate (14.6%), according to FanGraphs.

Defensively, Salazar saw 54 of his 94 starts for Salem this season come at catcher. In 459 innings behind the plate, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound backstop allowed 18 passed balls and threw out 31 of 108 would-be base stealers. He also made four error-free starts at first base and 36 starts at DH.

The younger brother of former Red Sox and Cardinals minor leaguer Johnfrank Salazar, Kleyver originally signed with Boston for $175,000 as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January 2023. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League before arriving stateside in 2024. After one season in the Florida Complex League, he struggled to a .603 OPS over 94 games in his first stint with Salem last year. The 2026 campaign, then, represents something of a breakthrough for a player FanGraphs previously described as “a good defensive prospect with no bat.”

Salazar, who does not turn 21 until next May, is not yet ranked among Boston’s top 30 prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. SoxProspects.com, meanwhile, has him at No. 50 on its top 60 list. Barring a trade or other move this winter, the publication projects that he will make the jump to High-A Greenville to begin the 2027 season.

(Picture of Kleyver Salazar: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox OF prospect Andrews Opata sets new stolen-base record for Low-A Salem

With two stolen bases for Low-A Salem on Sunday, Red Sox outfield prospect Andrews Opata set a new franchise modern-era (since 2004) record for steals in a single season.

Opata stole his 40th and 41st bases of the season in a 13-3 series-ending loss to Augusta. In doing so, the 22-year-old speedster surpassed the previous modern-era franchise record of 40, set by Matty Johnson in 2014.

Sunday marked Opata’s second straight three-hit game. Since July 2, the right-handed hitter is batting .318/.380/.476 with one double, three home runs, 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, eight stolen bases, six walks, and 16 strikeouts over his last 15 games (71 plate appearances). Overall, he is slashing .254/.361/.377 with 10 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 37 RBIs, 55 runs scored, 41 stolen bases (in 48 attempts), 45 walks, and 100 strikeouts in 76 games (335 plate appearances) for Salem this season. That includes a .211/.370/.509 line in 73 plate appearances against lefties and a .264/.359/.344 line in 262 plate appearances against righties.

Opata’s 41 stolen bases on the season are the second-most in the Red Sox system (behind only Braiden Ward’s 43 for Triple-A Worcester) and third-most in the Carolina League. He also ranks second among the league’s 58 qualified hitters in wSB (4.1), fifth in speed score (8.2), 22nd in on-base percentage, and 23rd in batting average and walk rate (13.4%), according to FanGraphs.

Defensively, Opata has spent most of his season in the outfield corners for Salem. In 50 starts in right field, the athletic 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has committed three errors and recorded three assists in 101 chances across 433 2/3 innings. In 25 starts in left field, he has committed one error and recorded one assist in 55 chances across 222 1/3 innings. He has also made one start at DH.

An undrafted free agent out of Division II North Georgia, Opata is in his first full professional campaign. Instead of transferring to Kennesaw State for what would have been his senior season, the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year signed with the Red Sox for $75,000 last July. After appearing in three Grapefruit League games this spring (and hitting a home run), he officially debuted with Salem in early April.

Opata, who turns 23 in December, is not ranked among Boston’s top prospects by SoxProspects.com. The outlet describes him as a “selective” hitter with “plus speed” and “excellent” baserunning skills. Given how he has fared with Salem as of late, it would not be surprising to see Opata earn a late-season promotion to High-A Greenville for the stretch run.

(Picture of Andrews Opata: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Enddy Azocar named Carolina League Player of the Week

Red Sox outfield prospect Enddy Azocar has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for the week of May 11-17, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Azocar had a productive week at the plate in Low-A Salem’s series on the road against Fredericksburg. Appearing in five games, the right-handed hitting 19-year-old went 9-for-21 (.429) with three doubles, one home run, four RBIs, three runs scored, one stolen base, two walks, and six strikeouts.

After going hitless in Tuesday’s series opener, Azocar singled twice and drove in a run on Wednesday before doubling, homering, driving in two runs, and drawing a walk on Thursday. He did not play on Friday, doubled and walked on Saturday, then capped the week off with a four-hit performance on Sunday that included another double, an RBI, and a stolen base.

On the heels of this offensive surge, Azocar now finds himself batting .297/.348/.531 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 22 RBIs, 30 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 11 walks, and 36 strikeouts through 34 games (158 plate appearances) for Salem this season. That includes a .405/.463/.838 line in 41 plate appearances against lefties and a .259/.308/.426 line in 117 plate appearances against righties.

Among 84 qualified hitters in the Carolina League entering play this week, Azocar ranks sixth in slugging percentage, ninth in isolated power (.234), 10th in line-drive rate (28.6%), 12th in batting average, 13th in OPS (.879), 15th in speed score (8.2), 18th in wOBA (.397), 22nd in wRC+ (127), and 32nd in strikeout rate (22.8%), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Azocar has been used almost exclusively in center field by Salem this season. The projectable 6-foot-2, 195-pounder has made 26 starts and logged 228 1/3 error-free innings in center for the RidgeYaks thus far, recording one assist. He has also made eight starts at DH and has prior experience at both corner outfield positions.

Azocar, who just turned 19 in February, originally signed with the Red Sox for $40,000 as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January 2024. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League before arriving stateside for the first time in 2025. Following an eye-opening spring training in Fort Myers, he came out of the gates firing in the Florida Complex League and arrived in Salem last May.

Even though he struggled in his first stint with Salem, Azocar’s stock has still steadily risen since making the jump to full-season ball a year ago. Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both currently rank him as Boston’s No. 10 prospect, citing his five-tool potential and encouraging underlying data. At the same time, there are questions about his approach at the plate and whether he can stick in center field long-term.

Nonetheless, Azocar is clearly pushing for a new challenge in the form of a promotion to High-A Greenville. At this point, that happening feels more like a matter of when, not if.

(Picture of Enddy Azocar: Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images)