Red Sox Minor League Weekend Recap: Tsung-Che Cheng's Cycle Makes WooSox History

[Ben Lofy]

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Overview (April 10 - April 12)

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series vs. Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians): 4-2

Season Record: 10-4

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays): 3-3

Season Record: 4-4

High-A Greenville Drive

Series at Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers): 3-3

Season Record: 3-6

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series vs. Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers): 5-1

Season Record: 7-2

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Season Record: 10-4

Series Opponent: Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians)

Series Standing: 4-2

April 10: Tsung-Che Cheng hit for the first cycle in WooSox history, leading them to a 8-5 victory.

Jake Bennett earned the win in his third start of the season, continuing his excellent start to his 2026 campaign. He went five and ⅓ innings and limited the Clippers to just one run while striking out four. The lone run is only the second he’s allowed through three starts and 13 innings, bringing his ERA to 0.68. Bennett, acquired in a deal that sent Luis Perales to the Washington Nationals, is the Red Sox 7th top prospect and could make his big league debut later this season. 

In relief, the WooSox bullpen was shaky to say the least. Kyle Keller went one and ⅔, allowing one run on one hit. Noah Song took the bump next, but allowed two more runs (one unearned). Song has had a rough start to his season, allowing six runs in 5 and ⅔ innings, a worrying sign for the 28-year-old. New veteran signee Tommy Kahnle converted his save opportunity, sealing the win for Worcester through one and ⅓ innings of work, allowing a run but preventing the comeback.  

The story of the game came from the plate, where Tsu-Che Cheng hit for the first cycle in Worcester history. In the bottom of the second, he crushed his second triple to deep center field, speeding around the bases as Petey Halpin failed to make the catch. Then, two innings later in the bottom of the fourth, Cheng hit another ball to center. This time it was a line drive double that drove in a run, making the score 4-0. In the sixth, Cheng worked a long at bat and on the seventh pitch, launched his third homer of the year to left field. In the eighth with one man aboard, Cheng laid down a bunt to complete the cycle. He advanced to third on a throwing error and drove in a run, his second RBI of the day. He accounted for half of the WooSox hits. 

Other than Cheng, the WooSox were solid. Kristian Campbell went 1-2 with three walks, smoking a double and driving in one run. Vinny Capra also recorded one RBI, driving in Cheng after his second inning triple. 

April 11: Worcester fell in shutout fashion 7-0 in Kutter Crawford’s first rehab start back from injury. 

Crawford made his first start since Sept. 2024 after missing the entirety of the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. He turned in three innings of shaky work on 60 pitches, 43 of which landed in the strike zone. He gave up five runs, six hits, and three homers and got the loss. On the bright side, he struck out five and allowed only one walk. The WooSox bullpen rebounded from a rough Friday. Wyatt Olds gave up one hit and struck out five in two innings and Jacob Webb gave up one run in two innings. Tayron Guerrero had a lockdown eighth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Catcher Nathan Hickey got the opportunity to close out the game, and gave up one run, one hit, and one walk across one inning. 

Worcester was stagnant at the plate, a sharp contrast from their success on Friday. They got blanked in the runs column, and only got on base six times. Anthony Seigler picked up a double in his second game of the season, while Nate Eaton and Braiden Ward picked up the only other hits for the WooSox. Matt Thaiss, Nick Sogard, and Mikey Romero each picked up a walk, but that was all she wrote for the WooSox, who simply couldn’t get any offense going.

April 12: The WooSox cruised to a 8-2 win behind a solid outing from Payton Tolle. 

Tolle continued to build his case for a call up on Sunday. He struck out six across five innings, and only allowed three hits and a walk. He got his second win of the season in his third start as he continues to rebound from a poor season debut. Seth Martinez made his fifth appearance, pitching two innings in relief, allowing one run on a solo home-run. Devin Sweet gave up one more run in his one-inning appearance, and Tommy Kahnle closed out the game allowing one hit in one inning. 

The WooSox got their offense going early on a two-run blast from Allan Castro in the second inning, his second of the season. Then just an inning later, Castro hit another one, this time a grand slam. He teed off, hitting a bomb to right field and giving Worcester a 6-0 advantage with all of their runs coming via Castro’s homers. In the fourth, Nick Sogard added on with a sac-fly to drive in Vinny Capra. Then, Nathan Hickey added the WooSox final run of the evening with another sac-fly to drive in Tsung-Che Cheng. The WooSox rolled to a win as they continue to be one of the hottest teams in Triple-A

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs 

Season Record: 4-4

Series Opponent: New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays)

Series Standing: 3-3

April 10: The Sea Dogs fought back to .500 after a solid all-around win.

It was a combined effort on the bump for Portland. Dalton Rogers started the game, allowing two unearned runs on two hits over three and ⅔ innings. He was solid in his first start of the season, striking out two but surrendering three walks. Cade Feeney came in in relief, pitching two and ⅓ scoreless innings and earning the win. He allowed two hits and gave up two walks, but limited the damage. Erik Rivera started the seventh and finished the game strong. He allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out three. He earns his second save of the year and keeps his ERA at 0.00 through five innings over two games. 

The Sea Dogs offense was fueled by another outstanding performance from Franklin Arias. The shortstop went 3-4 with an RBI and a run. The 20-year-old has 10 hits through 17 at-bats, posting an astonishing .538 batting average and a 1.303 OPS. Arias is building on his case to be the Red Sox next budding superstar. Besides Arias, the Sea Dogs offense has struggled through the early stages of the season. Five players have a batting average below .200, and only two players aside from Arias have an OPS over .800. Despite the lackluster start, Portland had a decent day on Friday. Eight players recorded a hit, and three recorded an RBI. It’s the first step towards success as the Sea Dogs settle into the season. 

April 11: The Sea Dogs won their second straight behind solid pitching. 

John Holobetz took the mound to start the afternoon for Portland. He built on a strong start to the season, striking out nine of the 17 batters he faced over three innings. He surrendered three hits and two walks, allowing a lone run in another solid start. Jorge Juan came in next, allowing only one hit in one and ⅔ innings pitched and earning himself the win. He bounced back strong from his April 7 outing, where he got shelled for five runs without recording an out. Caleb Bolden earned the hold for two and ⅓ innings of work in which he gave up only two hits and struck out two. Patrick Halligan came in to close out the victory and he succeeded. He pitched a solid inning, allowing one baserunner via a walk, and securing the save, and win for the Sea Dogs. 

It was a quiet day at the plate for Portland, who only scored twice. Franklin Arias accounted for half of the team's hits, adding another strong game to his outstanding season so far. He went three for four with a run scored, increasing his batting average to a stunning mark of .588, the only Sea Dog with an average above .250. Marvin Alcantara drove in Portland’s first run on a ground-rule double that scored Caden Rose, and Nate Baez followed that up with a sac-fly to drive in Arias. That was the only offense for the Sea Dogs as they prevailed by a thin 2-run margin. 

April 12: Portland gave up 13 unanswered runs, losing 15-9 in a beatdown.

Hayden Mullins got the start for Portland and turned in four innings of decent work. He struck out seven, but allowed two runs (one unearned) on four hits and two walks. It was a marked improvement from his first start of the season, but nothing to write home about. Joe Vogatsky got the ball in relief, and was downright shelled. In just an inning and ⅓, he allowed eight earned runs on one walk and six hits. He gave up two home-runs and got the loss in a second consecutive appearance that just didn’t go his way. Max Carlson gave up another three runs in two and ⅔ innings as the Sea Dogs struggled. Second baseman Drew Ehrhard got the chance to end the beatdown, but allowed the Fisher Cats to tack on another two runs. It was a rough day all around for the Sea Dogs pitching staff, who never gave the offense a real chance to win. 

Despite the lopsided box score, the offense was solid. Ronald Rosario went three for five with one RBI and two runs, and Erhard went two for five with five RBIs. After his pitching stint, Ehrhard went to the plate in the bottom of the ninth and clobbered his second homer of the season, adding three runs for Portland. In the fifth inning, Nelly Taylor stole home as Ehrhard and Will Turner advanced to second and third. It gave the Sea Dogs a 5-2 lead, but not for long. The offense went quite from the fifth inning to the ninth, as Portland gave up a jaw-dropping 13 unanswered runs. Clear inconsistencies continue to plague the Sea Dogs as they will look to get back above .500 against Altoona on Tuesday. 

High-A Greenville Drive

Season Record: 3-6

Series Opponent: Hub City Spartanburgers (Texas Rangers)

Series Standing: 3-3

April 10: The Drive fell narrowly 3-2 in a game that didn’t feature much offense. 

Kyson Witherspoon made his second professional start on Friday and showed flashes of brilliance. Over four innings he struck out six and didn’t relinquish a walk, but gave up three hits and two runs (one unearned). It was a marked improvement from his start a week ago, but a far cry from his ceiling. In relief, Ben Hansen pitched an outstanding three innings, allowing just one baserunner via a walk, and striking out four. It was a stark contrast from his season debut just a week prior in which he gave up six runs in just one and ⅓ innings. P.J. Labriola got the ball to close out the game, but struggled. Over one and ⅔ innings he walked three and gave up a walk-off single, giving himself the loss. 

The Drive struggled to produce at the plate. In a combined 31 plate appearances, Greenville got on base just four times by way of a walk and three hits. The seventh inning was the most productive for the Drive, they scored two runs on a hit by pitch and a bases loaded ground out. 

The offensive struggles continue to pile up for the Drive in the early season. Only two batters are hitting over .200 as they fall to 2-5.

April 11: The Drive won their third game of the season behind dominant pitching. 

Anthony Eyanson started the second game of his professional career on Saturday, and didn’t disappoint. He followed up a solid start last week with an even better one this week. He threw four and ⅓ perfect innings, not allowing a single baserunner. Of the 13 batters he faced, he struck out over half of them, amassing seven K’s on the day. He lowered his ERA to 1.23 as he continues to be outstanding in his first professional season. Behind him was Jay Allmer, who walked two and gave up one run on a line drive to left field through two innings. Finally, Calvin Bickerstaff earned the win and closed out the game with two and ⅔ innings of no-hit ball while striking out three.

The Drive were also better at the plate. The scoring didn’t start until the seventh inning, when Antonio Anderson hit a sac-fly that drove in Nazzan Zanetello. Then, in the eighth inning, two runs scored on an Adonys Guzman single. Zanetello followed that up with a hit of his own, hitting his first double of the season to tack on two more runs. Finally, Zanetello scored again on a wild pitch to give Greenville their sixth run of the day. 

April 12: Greenville returned to the loss column, falling 6-5 in a battle. 

Marcus Philips started the game for the Drive, but was shaky at best. He threw three innings, giving up three runs (one unearned) on three hits and a walk. It’s been a difficult start to the season for Philips, who’s given up five total runs in three and ⅔ innings across two games. Austin Ehrlicher wasn’t much better. He went two innings, giving up another three runs (two unearned) on two hits. He was given the loss for his performance. Joey Gartrell was solid for the Drive. He went two innings, and only allowed two baserunners via walks, and struck out two. Despite his strong showing, he was given the blown save as he was unable to contain the Spartanburgers. Steven Brooks closed out the game for Greenville, giving up two hits in one inning, allowing a walk and striking out two. It was a rough outing overall for the Drive. 

Justin Gonzales played his first game since April 9, going one for three with an RBI single in the third. Yophery Rodriguez and Adonys Guzman had two hits apiece, and Guzman totaled three RBIs. He hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth to give the Drive the lead, however it was quickly relinquished. The Drive’s only other run came on a Henry Godbout groundout with the bases loaded that drove in Rodriguez. As a team, they recorded just four strikeouts, but failed to capitalize with bases loaded on multiple occasions. 

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Season Record: 7-2

Series Opponent: Wilson Warbirds (Milwaukee Brewers)

Series Standing: 5-1

April 10: The RidgeYaks eked out a victory 5-4 amid a strong start to the season. 

Madinson Frias got the nod on Friday, his second start of the season. Frias rebounded hard after a disastrous outing last week in which he gave up a staggering six runs in just one and ⅓ innings pitched. In three and ⅓ innings on Friday he struck out four and gave up two runs. However, he allowed five walks as he struggled with his command. Luckily for the RidgeYaks, Ethan Walker was the epitome of dominant. In four and ⅓ innings in relief he gave up just one hit and two walks, and struck out an eye-popping nine batters, earning the win. He lowered his ERA to 1.29 as he continued his strong start. Adam Bates came in with a save opportunity, and did just that. Despite giving up two runs on two hits over one and ⅓ innings, he finished the game strong and got the win for Salem.

The RidgeYaks were steady at the plate. They drew six walks and amassed eight hits, driving in five runs en route to the win. Kleyver Salazar continues to stand out, bumping his batting average to .353 over the first part of the season and driving in a run on his third double of the year. Additionally, D’Angelo Ortiz is living up to his name. The 21-year-old crossed the plate once and picked up a single. Skylar King hit Salem’s lone home run of the night, mashing a solo shot in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead. 

April 11: Salem fell 6-3 as they had a hard time generating offense in their second loss of the season. 

Jose Bello, the last remaining piece of the Rafael Devers trade, made his first start of the season on Saturday. The 20-year-old allowed one runner via a walk in two innings, but was otherwise solid. Christian Fouch came in relief to start the third inning, and it was all downhill from there. Foutch walked five batters, allowing three runs but not a single hit. He only lasted two and ⅓ innings before getting the loss and being replaced by Harry Blum. Blum’s outing was similarly disastrous, he only lasted two innings and gave up three runs on three hits and one home-run. Gilbel Galvan lasted the longest for the RidgeYaks, turning in two and ⅔ innings of solid work. He struck out five, walked three, and allowed just one hit in the best outing of the day for Salem. 

The bats were just okay for the RidgeYaks, as they scored just three times on seven hits. The offense didn’t wake up until the seventh inning, and by then it was almost too late. Kleyver Salazar hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. One inning later, Avinson Pinto scored on an Ilan Fernandez sac-fly. In the ninth, Pinot grounded out to shortstop, and Ty Hodge scored. That was all she wrote for the RidgeYaks as they struggled to wake up their bats, striking out twelve times en route to a 6-3 loss.  

April 12: The RidgeYaks were absolutely dominant on Sunday, pouring on 16 runs and cruising to victory.

Devin Futrell was lights out in his season debut last week, and nothing changed on Sunday. The Vanderbilt alum was nearly perfect through five innings, allowing one baserunner on a walk. His ERA stays at 0.00 as he continues to impress, earning the win on Sunday. Nicolas De La Cruz tacked on one hitless inning in his second appearance of the season. Griffin Kilander took the bump next, but faltered, going an inning and ⅔ and allowing three runs, three hits, and walking three. Wuilliams Rodriquez steadied the ship, going a perfect one and ⅓ innings and sealing the win for the RidgeYaks.

The real story of the day came from the plate for Salem. All nine hitters reached base safely, and all but one crossed the plate at least once. Andrews Opata continued his strong start, going three for five with two runs and two RBIs. Enddy Azocar also recorded three hits, as well as two walks, reaching base safely in all five plate appearances. He crossed home four times, and drove in one RBI. Luke Heyman also recorded three runs, and drove in three RBIs, hitting his first homer of the season, and driving in two on a single. It was a team effort from the RidgeYaks, who only struck out a combined three times and recorded 14 total hits.

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