Article: Red Sox Minor League Recap: Weather Delays Everywhere

[Billy Mock]

With Low-A Salem, High-A Greenville, and Double-A Portland opening their seasons last weekend, full-season minor league ball is underway. Unfortunately, it was a tough week, as all four levels faced postponements due to inclement weather and combined for a 7-13 record.   

Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 2-3 (5-8 overall)
Worcester took on the Columbus Clippers, the Cleveland Guardians Triple-A affiliate, winning two of the five match-ups. The series opened with a doubleheader on Wednesday due to inclement weather postponing Tuesday's game. They split the two games with the Clippers on Wednesday before dropping the next two on Thursday and Friday. It was a snow day on Saturday as they were postponed again before salvaging the series with a win on Sunday. While they lost the series, there were some bright spots, namely Bryan Bello making his third rehab start following a shoulder strain. He fired off four innings on Friday, allowing two earned runs on no walks and four hits while striking out five. The Red Sox hit the road to take on the Rochester Red Wings, Washington Nationals Triple-A affiliate, for a six-game set that kicks off on Tuesday evening.

Featured Prospect: Roman Anthony
Roman Anthony, the organization's number one prospect and number two ranked prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, had yet another impressive week that fell right in line with his performed throughout his professional career to date. He went 7-for-19 on the week, posting a .903 OPS and a .368/.429/.474 slash line. On Sunday, Anthony hit a single up the middle that came off the bat at 113.1 mph. That mark leads all Red Sox hitters across all levels, including the majors. After an impressive performance in spring training, Anthony continues to see the ball well, consistently making hard contact to all fields. It's only a matter of time before Boston calls on him to beef up the big league lineup.

Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 2-2 (5-2 overall)
The Sea Dogs also faced some undesirable conditions, only getting four of their six scheduled games in as they were postponed due to snow on Saturday and rain on Sunday. However, Portland managed to split the four-game set with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Toronto Blue Jays Double-A affiliate. Headlined by a 14-3 beat down on Thursday, the Sea Dogs outscored New Hampshire by a score of 20-12 on the week. The offense was led by Ahbram Liendo, the 21-year-old switch-hitting prospect, who went 4-10 over three games, posting a .955 OPS. While the bats were solid, it was really the pitching that came through for the Sea Dogs. Despite only having played four games, they led all Eastern League teams in strikeouts this past week with 63, while also posting a league-best 2.13 ERA. While there were multiple impressive performances on the mound, it was arguably Jack Anderson's 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief while striking out 10 and allowing just four baserunners that shined brightest. The Sea Dogs currently sit in second place in the Eastern League, while they lead the northeast division with their 5-2 record. They will be on the road this week to face the Hartford Yard Goats, Colorado Rockies Double-A affiliate.

Featured Prospect: Connelly Early
The team's 10th-ranked prospect, Connelly Early, was one of the top pitchers at Portland this week. He made his first start of the 2025 season on Wednesday, firing off 3 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing just two walks, no hits, and one unearned run. Early was the team's fifth-round pick (151st overall) out of the University of Virginia in 2023. In his first full professional season last year, the lefty tossed 103 1/2 innings across 23 games at High-A Greenville and Portland, posting a 3.99 ERA and a 30.8% strikeout rate. Early is certainly a pitcher to keep tabs on moving forward, as he has a great ability to miss bats and induce plenty of ground balls and soft contact.

Greenville Drive (High-A): 2-3 (3-5 overall)
The Drive were in Asheville last week to take on the Tourists, Triple-A affiliate of the Astros. Although they were clear of the snow the teams further north had to deal with, they still dealt with postponement and a half due to weather. Their game on Thursday was suspended midway through the game and finished on Saturday, while their game on Friday was canceled due to rain. Greenville took down the Tourists in the second and third games of the series, dropping the opener and final two match-ups. There were some encouraging signs on both sides of the ball, as the offense mounted a late three-run comeback in Wednesday's 5-4 win, while the pitching staff threw a three-hit shutout in the third game of the series. There's a lot of depth on the pitching side as the staff features multiple top 30 organizational prospects including Payton Tolle (#17), Juan Valera (#19), Jedixson Paez (#21), and Jojo Ingrassia (#29). However, it was Hayden Mullins, the 24-year-old, left-handed 12th-round pick, who had the best performance, throwing four scoreless innings while striking out seven on Thursday. That brought his total line on the season thus far to 8 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 13 K. The Drive will be home in Greenville this week as they take on the Winston-Salem Dash, the High-A affiliate of the White Sox.

Featured Prospect: Yophery Rodriguez
The team's 11th-ranked prospect Yophery Rodriguez was the top hitter for Greenville this week, posting a .944 OPS and a .286/.444/.500 slash line over 18 plate appearances. Rodriguez was a recent addition, acquired in a trade from the Brewers on April 7, which included a competitive balance draft pick and a PTBNL for RHP Quinn Priester. Rodriguez was Milwaukee's seventh-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. At just 19, Rodgriguez is a well-rounded outfielder who has bounced around all three outfield positions. He spent the entirety of 2024 at Low-A Carolina where he posted a 117 wRC+ over 484 plate appearances.

Salem Red Sox (Single-A): 1-5 (4-5 overall)
After opening the season with an undefeated weekend, Salem struggled this past week, dropping five of six to the Fredricksburg Nationals, the Washington Nationals' Triple-A affiliate. The series opened with a walk-off 9-8 win for the Nationals before the Red Sox won their only game of the series on Wednesday. Thursday was another tough loss as the Red Sox gave up a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning, surrendering five runs and dropping the game 7-4. They would go on to lose the next three games as well. Despite the losing record, some good came from the series. Starlyn Nunez, the 19-year-old shortstop out of the Dominican Republic, had one of the top performances across all of Low-A. He went 4-for-15 on the week with three  extra-base hits and two home runs. Freili Encarnacion, another young Dominican shortstop, included a home run of his own while going 6-for-18 on the week and posting a .961 OPS and a .333/.350/.611 slash line. The Red Sox will be at home this week as they take on the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Cleveland Guardians' Low-A affiliate.

Featured Prospect: Brandon Clarke
Brandon Clarke's professional debut was the main story of the pitching staff this week. Clarke was the team's fifth-round pick in the draft just a year ago out of State College of Florida. The 22-year-old lefty got the start on Thursday and proceeded to fire off four perfect innings while striking out five. He threw 40 pitches, 30 of which he landed for strikes, and ran his fastball up to 99 mph. The physical tools and fastball velocity offer a lot to like about Clarke. He's certainly an interesting pitcher to follow as he has a high ceiling, but the current expectation is that he will end up in the bullpen long-term.

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