Tag: spring training

Red Sox bring back veteran reliever Adam Ottavino on minor-league deal

The Red Sox are bringing back veteran reliever Adam Ottavino on a minor-league contract, as was first reported by The New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

Ottavino, who has already arrived at the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, will earn a base salary of $2 million if he makes Boston’s major-league roster, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The 39-year-old will also have the ability to opt out of his contract and return to free agency if he is not added to the 40-man roster by the end of camp.

Ottavino previously pitched for the Red Sox in 2021 after being acquired from the Yankees in a rare trade between the division rivals that January. The right-hander posted a 4.21 ERA (3.96 FIP) with 71 strikeouts to 35 walks over 69 relief appearances (62 innings) in which opposing hitters batted .239 against him. He then signed with the Mets as a free agent and spent the last three seasons in Queens, most recently forging a 4.34 ERA (3.67 FIP) with 70 strikeouts to 23 walks across 60 outings (56 innings) in 2024. This offseason, he appeared in three games for the Toros del Este of the Dominican Winter League and allowed one earned run on four hits, zero walks, and two strikeouts over three innings.

A former 2006 first-round draft selection coming out of Northeastern, Ottavino broke in at the big-league level with the Cardinals in 2010 but did not truly establish himself until he was claimed off waivers by Colorado two years later. Dating back to the start of the 2012 season, the Brooklyn native owns a lifetime 3.33 ERA (3.53 FIP) with 847 strikeouts to 317 walks in 719 career relief appearances (720 2/3 innings) between the Rockies, Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets in the majors.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, Ottavino threw six different pitches with the Mets last season. The burly righty averaged 78.9 mph with his sweeper, 92.1 mph with his sinker, 87.9 mph with his cutter, 93.2 mph with his four-seamer (that topped out at 95.4 mph), 87.2 mph with his changeup, and 83.2 mph with his slider. He ranked in the 92nd percentile of all big leaguers in expected batting average (.198), the 88th percentile in average exit velocity (87.1 mph), the 86th percentile in strikeout rate (28.6 percent), the 84th percentile in expected ERA (3.19), and the 81st percentile in hard-hit rate (34.7 percent), according to Baseball Savant.

Ottavino, who does not turn 40 until November, becomes the 13th pitcher to receive a non-roster invite from the Red Sox this spring. For the time being, he will wear the No. 00 at camp after donning the No. 0 in his first stint with the club. That number has since been taken by Walker Buehler.

(Picture of Adam Ottavino: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign veteran OF Trayce Thompson to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent outfielder Trayce Thompson to a minor-league contract, the club announced on Monday. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

Thompson, who turns 34 next month, is the younger brother of five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson and the son of two-time NBA champion Mychal Thompson. He is a veteran of seven major league seasons who has appeared in 369 total games for the White Sox, Dodgers, Athletics, Cubs, and Padres.

Originally selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Calif.), Thompson broke in at the big league level in 2015. The right-handed hitter has since batted .212/.300/.411 with 41 doubles, five triples, 45 home runs, 126 RBIs, 128 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, 115 walks, and 346 strikeouts over 369 plate appearances in the majors.

After slashing .163/.285/.294 with two doubles, six home runs, 17 RBIs, 17 runs scored, two stolen bases, 24 walks, and 77 strikeouts in 72 games (179 plate appearances) between the Dodgers and White Sox in 2023, Thompson did not appear at the major league level in 2024. He instead split the year between the Mets’ and Cubs’ Triple-A affiliates, registering a .233/.315/.471 line with 19 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 58 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 46 walks, and 120 strikeouts across 107 games spanning 432 trips to the plate.

On the other side of the ball, Thompson has proven capable of playing all three outfield positions. Between his stops in Syracuse and Iowa last season, the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder made 55 starts in center field, 31 starts in right field, and 13 starts in left field. In total, he recorded seven outfield assists and committed two errors in 192 chances.

Thompson becomes the 21st player to receive a non-roster invite from the Red Sox this spring. He will wear the No. 37 at camp in Fort Myers and figures to provide the club with experienced outfield depth at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 campaign.

(Picture of Trayce Thompson: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

Red Sox spring training roster includes pair of righties who will be making first trip to major league camp

Earlier this week, the Red Sox added nine non-roster invitees to their spring training roster. Among those nine are two right-handers who are now slated to attend their first major league camp once pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers on February 12.

Their names? Brian Van Belle and Jacob Webb.

Van Belle, 28, is the longest-tenured of the two, having originally signed with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami following the COVID-shortened 2020 draft. The Florida native’s signing bonus was capped at $20,000 and he had to wait until May 2021 to make his professional debut. He spent all of 2024 at Triple-A Worcester and most recently pitched for the Criollos de Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League.

In a career-high 30 appearances (nine starts) for the WooSox last year, Van Belle posted a 4.42 ERA (4.12 FIP) with 87 strikeouts to 30 walks over 93 2/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .289 against him. While some of those numbers may seem uninspiring, the righty did forge a 2.70 ERA (3.57 FIP) with 61 strikeouts to 17 walks in his final 23 outings (three starts) and 63 1/3 innings of the season after being activated from the development list on May 21.

Among the 49 International League pitchers who threw at least 90 innings in 2024, Van Belle ranked fifth in xFIP (4.15), ninth in FIP, 13th in swinging-strike rate (12 percent), 14th in groundball rate (46.2 percent), 15th in walk rate (7.3 percent), 17th in walks per nine innings (2.88), and 20th in ERA, per FanGraphs. He also yielded a .351 batting average on balls in play, which suggests that he may have gotten unlucky at times.

As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Van Belle made some mechanical adjustments early in the season and ended up lowering his arm slot. That change led to improved results out of the bullpen, though he was still used as a spot starter on occasion. By the end of the year, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound hurler was sitting between 90-93 mph and topping out at 94 mph with his fastball (four-seamer and sinker) while also mixing in an 85-88 mph cutter, an 83-86 mph changeup, and a 79-82 mph curveball.

In winter ball, Van Belle appeared in seven games (made four starts) for Caguas, allowing 10 earned runs on 23 hits, three walks, and 17 strikeouts over 21 innings. That translates to a 4.29 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Looking ahead, he is currently projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Worcester’s bullpen for the start of the 2025 campaign.

Webb, meanwhile, was originally selected by the Red Sox in the 14th round of the 2021 draft out of Miami University of Ohio. The Fairborn native signed with Boston for $122,500 and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League shortly thereafter. He most recently spent the majority of 2024 at Double-A Portland before receiving a late-season promotion to Worcester.

In 37 appearances (seven starts) for the Sea Dogs last season, Webb posted a 4.28 ERA (4.40 FIP) with 77 strikeouts to 27 walks over 80 innings in which opposing hitters batted .259 against him. The 25-year-old then joined the WooSox in September but surrendered eight earned runs across 3 2/3 innings in his first four outings at the Triple-A level.

Among the 47 Eastern League pitchers who threw at least 80 innings in 2024, Webb ranked eighth in swinging-strike rate (13.9 percent), 16th in walk rate (7.7 percent), 19th in walks per nine innings (3.04), and 22nd in strikeouts per nine innings (8.66), per FanGraphs. He yielded a .309 batting average on balls in play.

Listed at an imposing 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, Webb throws from a deceptive, low three-quarters arm slot. The burly righty featured a 92-94 mph fastball last season that has reached 96 mph in the past and complemented it with an 80-84 mph slider and an 88-90 mph changeup. Back in August, Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes described Webb’s fastball as elite, noting how the “combination of velocity, slot, and vertical break allows the pitch to generate whiffs and a heavy rate of chases.”

Webb, who turns 26 in March, is projected to return to Portland’s bullpen for the start of the 2025 season. With that being said, it would not be all that surprising if he made his way back up to Worcester before long.

(Picture of Jacob Webb: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox sign veteran infielder Abraham Toro to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free-agent infielder Abraham Toro to a minor-league contract, as was first reported by Daniel Alvarez Montes of El Extra Base. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

Toro was one of nine non-roster invitees added to Boston’s spring training roster on Tuesday. The 28-year-old will earn a base salary of $1 million if he is on the major league roster this season, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft out of Seminole State College (Seminole, Okla.), Toro was once viewed as an intriguing prospect and is a veteran of six big-league seasons. The native Canadian debuted in 2019 and has since appeared in 365 total games with the Astros, Mariners, Brewers, and Athletics.

After spending parts of three seasons with Houston, Toro was dealt to Seattle in July 2021 as part of the four-player Kendall Graveman trade. He remained with the Mariners through the end of the 2022 campaign but was then traded to the Brewers with Jesse Winker for Kolten Wong and cash considerations that December. He was limited to just 21 games with Milwaukee in 2023 before being dealt to Oakland for Chad Patrick that November

In 94 games for the A’s last season, the switch-hitting Toro batted .240/.293/.350 with 17 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 26 RBIs, 34 runs scored, four stolen bases, 20 walks, and 62 strikeouts over 364 plate appearances. That includes a .227/.287/.331 slash line against right-handed pitching and a .286/.313/416 slash line against left-handed pitching. His 17.4 percent whiff rate ranked in the 88th percentile of all big leaguers, per Baseball Savant.

On the other side of the ball, Toro saw playing time at four different positions for Oakland in 2024. The versatile 6-foot, 223-pounder made 49 starts at third base, 17 starts at second base, four starts at first base, and one start in left field. Defensively, he graded out as average regarding his range and arm strength.

Toro was designated for assignment and outrighted off the Athletics’ 40-man roster late last August, which allowed him to elect free agency in October. Altogether, he is a lifetime .220/.285/.353 hitter with 47 doubles, four triples, 34 home runs, 134 RBIs, 145 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 87 walks, and 228 strikeouts in 1,298 career plate appearances at the big league level.

Toro, who does not turn 29 until December, figures to provide the Red Sox with some versatile infield depth behind the likes of Rafael Devers, Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 season.

(Picture of Abraham Toro: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Red Sox sign former Cubs, Padres farmhand Yovanny Cruz to minor-league deal

In addition to Sean Newcomb, the Red Sox also signed free-agent right-hander Yovanny Cruz to a minor-league contract earlier this week and invited him to major-league spring training on Friday, per a club announcement.

Unlike Newcomb, Cruz has yet to pitch in the majors. The 25-year-old was originally signed by the Cubs as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in August 2016. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, and reached free agency at the end of the 2023 season.

Cruz then signed a minors pact with the Padres that November and spent all of 2024 with San Diego’s Double-A affiliate in San Antonio. The righty posted a 4.55 ERA (4.25 FIP) with 35 strikeouts to 16 walks in 23 relief appearances (29 2/3 innings) for the Missions before suffering a season-ending injury in July. Opposing hitters batted .308 against him.

Listed at 6-foot and 180 pounds, Cruz has flashed plus stuff in the past. Last season, for instance, the San Francisco de Macoris topped out at 101.3 mph with his four-seam fastball that typically sits between 96-99 mph. He has also shown the ability to throw a whiff-inducing slider and a changeup with intriguing qualities.

Cruz, who does not turn 26 until late August, figures to provide the Red Sox with high-upside bullpen depth at Double-A Portland to open the 2025 season. If that is indeed the case, it should be worthwhile to see if he can make it to Triple-A Worcester before the end of the year.

(Picture of Yovanny Cruz: Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Young Red Sox prospect Starlyn Nunez ‘has stood out’ at minor-league spring training

The Red Sox have a number of intriguing prospects who are slated to make their stateside debuts this season, including infielder Starlyn Nunez.

Nunez, 18, made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year after signing with Boston for $52,500 as an international free agent coming out of San Pedro de Macoris in January. In 49 games for DSL Red Sox Blue, the switch-hitter batted .325/.391/.479 with 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 34 RBIs, 32 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 17 walks, and 29 strikeouts over 215 plate appearances.

Though he was sharing an infield with rising Red Sox prospect and fellow international signee Yoeilin Cespedes, Nunez was recognized by Minor League Baseball as a Dominican Summer League Season-End All-Star. Among the 41 players in the DSL who made at least 210 trips to the plate in 2023, Nunez ranked 11th in strikeout rate (13.5 percent), seventh in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.870), 14th in isolated power (.155), 13th in line-drive rate (21.4 percent), and 10th in wRC+ (129), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Nunez split his playing time in the dirt between second and third base. The projectable and athletic 6-foot, 155-pounder logged 210 1/3 innings at the hot corner and 161 innings at the keystone, committing a total of 11 errors (nine of which came at third) in 146 chances. He also served as his side’s designated hitter on four separate occasions.

Nunez, who does not turn 19 until October, is expected to play in the rookie-level Florida Complex League this season. As such, he has been taking part at minor-league camp on the backfields of the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers. Those who have seen him in-person this spring have come away impressed.

This past weekend, for instance, Nunez received plenty of praise from SoxProspects.com. On Saturday, the website’s main Twitter account noted that Nunez “has stood out in camp” and has “fluid movements in the field.” On Sunday, both director of scouting Ian Cundall and executive editor Chris Hatfield tweeted that Nunez will likely enter the site’s top 60 prospect rankings in its next update.

In addition to Nunez and Cespedes, shortstop Franklin Arias and right-hander Gilberto Batista are among the other standouts from last year’s Red Sox Dominican Summer League contingent who are projected to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2024.

(Picture of Starlyn Nunez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox pitching prospect Richard Fitts impresses in final outing of spring

Red Sox pitching prospect Richard Fitts looked sharp in his final outing of the spring on Tuesday afternoon.

Fitts got the start in the Sox’ exhibition finale against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. The right-hander was tasked with facing plenty of big-league regulars but held his own, scattering just two hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 3 1/3 scoreless innings of work in a winning effort.

Though he kept Texas off the scoreboard, Fitts did deal with his fair share of traffic on the base paths. The 24-year-old gave up a leadoff single to Marcus Semien in the first inning, but stranded him at first. He then worked his way around a one-out double from top Rangers prospect Wyatt Langford in the second and a leadoff walk drawn by Leody Taveras in the third.

Both Langford and Taveras made it as far as third base but failed to advance past there. After the Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, Fitts retired the lone batter he faced in the latter half of the fourth by fanning reigning ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia on six pitches. He was then relieved by Isaiah Campbell, the first of seven bullpen arms used by manager Alex Cora as Boston went on to defeat Texas by a final score of 4-1.

Finishing with 54 pitches (33 strikes), Fitts induced a game-high seven whiffs and was credited with the winning decision. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound righty threw 25 sliders, 20 four-seam fastballs, and nine changeups while averaging 93.9 mph and topping out at 95.8 mph with his heater, according to Baseball Savant.

One of three pitchers acquired from the Yankees in the December trade that sent Alex Verdugo to New York, Fitts is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks third among arms in the organization behind only Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales. The Alabama native was originally selected by the Yankees in the sixth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn and is coming off a 2023 season in which he posted a 3.48 ERA (3.92 FIP) with 163 strikeouts to 43 walks over 27 starts (152 2/3 innings) for New York’s Double-A affiliate.

On the heels of earning Eastern League Pitcher of the Year honors, Fitts was dealt to the Red Sox alongside Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice. Identified by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. as someone who could strengthen an area of need in the minor-league pipeline, Fitts took part in the club’s rookie development program back in January and pitched three innings of relief for Boston in its inaugural Spring Breakout matchup against the Braves at JetBlue Park earlier this month.

With his first-ever big-league spring training start in the books, Fitts will now report to Triple-A Worcester and open the 2024 campaign in the WooSox’ starting rotation. His first start of the season could come as soon as this Sunday, when Worcester wraps up a three-game weekend series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa.

At this point in time, it remains to be seen if Fitts — who does not turn 25 until December — will be able to stick as a starter or ultimately move to the bullpen in the long run. He can nevertheless become Rule 5-eligible for the first time later this year, meaning the Red Sox would need to add him to their 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November in order to prevent that from happening.

Based on the early returns, though, Fitts could very well make his major-league debut this season depending on how things shake out for the Red Sox. How he fares with the WooSox out of the gate will certainly be worth monitoring.

(Picture of Richard Fitts: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox OF prospect Eduardo Lopez homers on first pitch he sees this spring

Over the weekend, Red Sox outfield prospect Eduardo Lope left a strong impression by homering in his first at-bat of the spring.

Called up from minor-league camp for Sunday’s split-squad Grapefruit League contest against the Yankees at JetBlue Park, Lopez came into the game in the top half of the sixth inning as a defensive replacement for starting left fielder Jarren Duran.

An inning and a half later, Lopez stepped up to the plate for the first time to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Hitting from the left side, the switch-hitting 21-year-old wasted little time introducing himself to Yankees pitching prospect Clayton Beeter, as he promptly drilled the first pitch he saw from the righty over the visitor’s bullpen in deep right field for his first-ever home run in a major-league spring training game.

By going deep in his first and only plate appearance of the afternoon, Lopez gave the Red Sox a commanding nine-run lead as they went on to defeat the Yankees by a final score of 12-6.

Unlike other minor-leaguers who have made cameos for the Sox in Grapefruit League action this spring, Lopez is not currently viewed as one of the premier prospects in the organization. The Dominican Republic native was Boston’s top international signing in 2018, as he received a $1.15 million bonus to go pro that July. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following June and showed signs of promise there but has not yet lived up to his potential.

That, in part, is due to how often Lopez has been injured. The 2020 minor-league season being wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic certainly did not help things, but Lopez has been hindered by different issues since making his stateside debut three years ago. He was limited to just 11 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021 “due to an unspecified injury that may have been to his left hand/wrist,” according to SoxProspects.com. He returned to Salem in 2022 but made three separate trips to the injured list altogether there.

Last season actually represented a breakthrough of sorts for Lopez as he played in a career-high 79 games at High-A Greenville. In those 79 games, he held his own by batting .261/.356/.384 with 16 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 45 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 42 walks, and 81 strikeouts over 315 plate appearances for the Drive before being shut down in early September.

Though his offensive production tapered off to some degree in the second half, it was nonetheless a solid 2023 season for Lopez. Among those in the South Atlantic League who made at least 300 trips to the plate last year, Lopez ranked 15th in walk rate (13.3 percent), 19th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, 35th in OPS (.740), 28th in line-drive rate (20.8 percent), 36th in swinging-strike rate (12.6 percent), and 33rd in wRC+ (107), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, as he has throughout his career, Lopez saw playing time at all three outfield positions while with Greenville. The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder logged 147 innings in left, 218 2/3 innings in center, and 229 innings in right while committing a total of three errors in 130 chances. He also made one start at first base last July, which is something he had never done before then.

Lopez, who turns 22 in May, is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to Double-A Portland for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. With that being said, it may be tough for Lopez to find at-bats if he is behind the likes of Roman Anthony, Corey Rosier, Phillip Sikes, and others on the Sea Dogs’ outfield depth chart to open the year.

(Picture of Eduardo Lopez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Nick Yorke likely to see playing time in outfield this season

The Red Sox optioned two players and reassigned eight non-roster invitees to minor-league camp on Monday. Chief among them was infield prospect Nick Yorke.

Taking part in his second big-league camp, Yorke appeared in 15 Grapefruit League games for Boston this spring. The right-handed hitting 21-year-old went just 2-for-22 (.091) with a pair of singles, three walks, and seven strikeouts. He did, however, go 2-for-2 with a double and RBI in this past Saturday’s Spring Breakout showcase against the Braves at JetBlue Park.

“He didn’t do much offensively,” manager Alex Cora said of Yorke when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) on Monday. “It felt like he was in between the whole camp. He didn’t get too many opportunities because of lack of versatility. He played great at second base. The times he was on the bases, good instincts.

“But the offensive side of it, that was his ticket when he got drafted — he’s going to be an offensive middle infielder,” Cora added. “And we’ve got to get back to that. I think now, slow things down, go do your work wherever he starts. PD (player development), they’ll determine that. Get his at-bats and get back to the hitter the organization envisioned when they drafted him in ‘20.”

Yorke was, of course, originally selected by the Red Sox in the first round (17th overall pick) of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. The California native came into the spring ranked by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect in Boston’s farm system after bouncing back from an injury-riddled 2022 at High-A Greenville and batting .268/.350/.435 with 25 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs, 61 RBIs, 74 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 51 walks, and 122 strikeouts in 110 games (506 plate appearances) with Double-A Portland last year.

Though his production dipped to some degree in the second half, Yorke represented the Red Sox at last July’s All-Star Futures Game in Seattle and was later named the Sea Dogs’ 2023 Most Valuable Player. He is now considered by Baseball America to be the best hitter for average in Boston’s farm system, though he struggled to put those bat-to-ball skills on display this spring.

As noted by the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Red Sox will use the rest of spring training to determine if Yorke — who turns 22 next month — will return to Portland or make the jump to Triple-A Worcester for the start of the 2024 minor-league campaign. They will also dispatch the 5-foot-11, 200-pounder at other positions besides second base throughout the season in an effort to add to his defensive versatility.

“I was just talking to Abes (director of player development Brian Abraham). I think they are going to introduce him to left field,” Cora said. “He’s a good athlete. Big, strong and he moves well. He moves really well. So they are probably going to try to do that.”

Yorke, who has been used exclusively as a second baseman since entering the professional ranks, began taking reps in the outfield earlier in camp but saw all of his playing time in games this spring come at either second or DH. He told The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham last month that he hasn’t played outfield since eighth grade but was “happy to give it a shot.”

“I was always an outfielder until I got to high school,” said Yorke. “I never touched the infield until then. I was one of the more athletic kids and they put me there and the rest is history.”

Regardless of where he plays or what level he starts out at, though, Yorke is entering a pivotal season for his development in that he can become Rule 5 eligible for the first time later this year. As such, the Red Sox are surely planning on using these next few months to determine if Yorke, who needs to be added to the 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November, is in their future plans or not.

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

After injury-shortened 2023 season, Red Sox catching prospect Brooks Brannon set to take part in inaugural Spring Breakout

When looking at the Red Sox’ roster for next weekend’s inaugural Spring Breakout game against the Braves, one of the names that sticks out is Brooks Brannon.

Brannon was one of four catching prospects to make the Red Sox’ 28-man roster, joining Kyle Teel, Nathan Hickey, and fellow 19-year-old Johanfran Garcia. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

Brannon, who turns 20 in May, is coming off an injury-shortened 2023 campaign in which he was limited to just 17 total games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem. The right-handed hitter flashed intriguing power in that brief sample, however, as he slashed .264/.303/.583 with three doubles, one triple, six home runs, 23 RBIs, 12 runs scored, four walks, and 20 strikeouts over 77 plate appearances.

After returning to the FCL for the start of his first full professional season, Brannon slashed .250/.294/.542 with three doubles, one triple, three homers, 14 runs driven in, eight runs scored, three walks, and 12 strikeouts in 11 games (52 plate appearances) for Boston’s rookie-level affiliate. He then received a promotion to Salem in late June and went 7-for-24 (.292) with three more home runs, nine RBIs, four runs scored, one walk, and eight strikeouts across six games.

Following the major-league All-Star break, Brannon started at designated hitter for Salem in its matchup against the Delmarva Shorebirds on July 14 and went 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts. Due to a lingering back strain, though, that would ultimately prove to be his final game of the season.

Brannon was placed on Salem’s 7-day injured list on July 29 and then transferred to the 60-day injured list on August 8. He took part in the Red Sox’ fall performance program in September. There, at the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, Brannon told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith that his top priority in 2024 is to stay healthy.

“The No. 1 goal is just to be healthy the whole year,” Brannon said. “I just want to play the whole year. That’s the No. 1 goal. Outside of that, I’ll be looking to improve everything about my game until I’m done playing.”

Brannon was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2022 amateur draft out of Randleman High School in North Carolina. On the heels of leading all high schoolers with 20 home runs as a senior, Brannon forwent his commitment to the University of North Carolina by signing with Boston for an above-slot for $712,500, which is more in line with what a third-round pick typically receives.

As noted in his Baseball America scouting report, Brannon “has plenty of pull power when he connects,” but his career 6.5 percent walk rate thus far “points to the need to control his aggressiveness and refine his swing decisions.”

Brannon, for his part, acknowledged that he is working to improve on his approach and swing decisions when speaking with Smith last fall.

“Getting into pro ball, I definitely matured as a hitter,” he said. “Guys just don’t throw 85 down the middle with an average breaking ball anymore. Guys throw gas and they can put it wherever they want. It sinks and it runs and it rises. Part of maturing was picking certain zones to hit depending on the pitcher and playing to my strengths. I’d say another part of maturing was I’m naturally a high energy, aggressive person and having to tone that back a bit because it worked against me. So having to calm down a bit.”

On the other side of the ball, Brannon unsurprisingly saw all of his playing time on the field last year come at catcher. Between the FCL and Salem, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound backstop logged 75 innings behind the plate and committed just one error while throwing out seven of 28 possible base stealers.

Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, which ranks Brannon as the Red Sox’ No. 23 prospect, laude the Tar Heel State native for his “plus arm strength and quick feet behind the plate.” They also praise him for having strong hands and relentless work ethic, but acknowledge that he is “overly active as a catcher and his framing and blocking skills will have to improve” if he intends on sticking behind the plate moving forward.

To that end, Brannon told Smith in September that improving defensively was “going to be a focus in every aspect of catching this offseason” after he struggled “a lot” in that area last year.

Barring a surprise and assuming he remains healthy, Brannon is expected to return to Salem for the start of the 2024 minor-league season. In the more immediate future, Brannon should get the chance to showcase his skills when he and his fellow Red Sox prospects host the Braves’ top prospects at JetBlue Park next Saturday afternoon.

(Picture of Brooks Brannon: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)