Red Sox Minor League Recap: Marcelo Mayer Keeps Raking, Freili Encarnacion Crushes

[Billy Mock]

It was another promising week for Boston's farm as they saw some big wins across each level and prospect promotions, while all four teams combined to go 13-10 on the week.

Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 4-3 (14-12 overall)

Following an impressive week for the Woo Sox last week in which they went 5-1 on the road, they picked up where they left off with four straight wins over the Syracuse Mets back home at Polar Park. That included a 5-0 shutout, two one-run wins in a doubleheader on Wednesday, and a dominant 14-1 onslaught on Thursday. That was all before they would go on to lose the next three. It was an 8-3 loss on Friday night, and then rain on Saturday forced a doubleheader on Sunday in which Worcester would lose both games. Despite minor league doubleheader games being only seven innings, the Mets and Woo Sox combined for 32 runs in the final game as the Mets put up 12 runs in the first inning on their way to a 20-12 victory.  

While the pitching staff gave up their fair share of runs throughout the week, the offense was the best in Triple-A this week. Their .327 batting average, .413 on-base percentage, and .507 slugging percentage all led the International League, while their .920 OPS led all Triple-A teams. To no one's surprise, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer once again led the charge.

Featured Prospect: Marcelo Mayer

I want to avoid highlighting the same player in back-to-back weeks, but Mayer's performance this week left me no choice. Mayer mashed three home runs while driving in 12, putting him at 34 runs batted in on the season, leading all minor league hitters by a wide margin. Mayer only hit eight home runs in his 335 plate appearances at Double-A Portland last year and is already up to seven this year, highlighting the big league power Mayer is growing into. 

Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 4-0 (11-6 overall)

It was a shortened week for the Sea Dogs due to inclement weather, but an undefeated week nonetheless. They were back home in Portland, taking on the Reading Fightin Phils, kicking off the week with an impressive 9-8 win, including a five-run comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning. In the following three games, the pitching staff allowed just five runs combined on their way to their undefeated week. They would come away with another late comeback win on Thursday, winning 4-3. It was another one-run win on Friday as the Sea Dogs won in walk-off fashion in the ninth on a home run off the bat of Tyler Miller.

Featured Prospect: Jhostynxon Garcia

Again, this week, Garcia finds himself as the featured prospect at Double-A upon another impressive offensive showing. He didn't leave the yard this week but still managed to hit .357/.471/.429 with five hits and three walks in his 17 plate appearances. The Red Sox's sixth-ranked prospect is up to a .892 OPS on the season, which leads the Sea Dogs and ranks ninth among all qualified Eastern League hitters. 

Greenville Drive (High-A): 2-4 (9-11 overall)

It was a step back in the right direction for the Drive last week as they went 4-2 against Winston-Salem at home, but trended back in the wrong direction this week, dropping four of six on the road to the Hub City Spartanburgers. The series kicked off with back-to-back one-run losses, including a walk-off loss on Wednesday. They won the following game by a score of 6-3 before dropping the next two while allowing 22 runs in the process. Fortunately for the Drive, they came away with a solid win on Sunday to close out the series.

Miguel Bleis, Red Sox's 13th-ranked prospect, and Andy Lugo led the way for the offense. Bleis hit two home runs on his way to a 1.015 OPS while Lugo logged three multi-hit games on his way to leading the team with a .412 batting average and a .524 OBP. Zach Erhard, the Red Sox's fourth-round pick just a year ago, was also a big part of the offense, but in a little more unconventional way, as he somehow managed to draw nine walks on the week and also stole three bases in the meantime. 

Featured Prospect: Payton Tolle

Payton Tolle was the Red Sox's second-round pick (50th overall) out of Texas Christian University last year. Tolle made his professional debut earlier this month, and while the results in his debut were less than desirable, Tolle now has impressive performances in his two most recent appearances. He started in Greenville's 6-1 win on Sunday, delivering four shutout innings while allowing just two baserunners on nine strikeouts. The 22-year-old lefty is currently ranked as Boston's 17th-best prospect. Given the pedigree he entered the system with as a second-round pick, Tolle can certainly earn a promotion to Portland upon a string of solid outings. 

Salem Red Sox (Low-A): 3-3 (8-13 overall)

Following a couple of disappointing weeks of baseball for Salem, the Low-A Red Sox managed a 3-3 week with some big numbers for the offense. They scored in the double digits twice, including a 19-1 win to close out the series, and 44 total runs on the week, which led all Carolina League teams. The pitching owned one of the wins, as well, as they came away with a shutout in Wednesday's game. 

The shutout on Wednesday was opened by Brandon Clarke, one of the top-performing pitchers across all Red Sox minor leagues thus far. He delivered three and a third shutout innings while striking out six and allowing just two baserunners. That would be Clarke's final appearance with Salem for at least the foreseeable future, as he earned a promotion to High-A along with Boston's fourth-ranked prospect, Franklin Arias. Those are certainly two players on both sides of the ball that Salem will miss moving forward. However, there's still a lot to like on the current roster. Antonio Anderson came through with another solid showing at the plate, hitting .320/.414/.520 with a home run. 

Featured Prospect: Freili Encarnacion

The 20-year-old shortstop out of the Dominican Republic has been off to a hot start thus far in 2025, which continued this week. He finished the week with three multi-hit games, a home run, and a team-leading seven runs batted in. His home run on Saturday night was clocked at 114.7 mph off the bat, which is harder than any ball hit by a Red Sox major league hitter so far in 2025. His .500 SLG on the season leads the team to this point, and he could be knocking on the door of prospect rankings pretty soon if the offense continues to progress. 

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