Red Sox Minor League Report: Red Sox 2026 Draftees Impress in Professional Debuts

[Ben Lofy]

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Series @ Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles): 4-1
Season Record: 55-47

With Franklin Arias starting at second for the second straight night, Worcester won its fourth straight in an extra-innings thriller.

Alec Gamboa took the mound to start Saturday’s matchup with Norfolk, turning in a solid effort across four and ⅔ innings. He allowed one run on four hits, issuing one walk and striking out four. Gamboa turned the ball over to Devin Sweet with two outs in the fifth. Sweet contributed two innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and walking one. Tyler Samaniego finished the seventh inning and pitched through the eighth following Sweet’s exit. Samaniego allowed one hit and walked one across his appearance, striking out one before Hobie Harris entered the game. Harris closed the game strongly in extras, allowing one run and striking out two as he helped Worcester to its fourth straight win.

Worcester saw limited offensive production and a lowly 1-for-9 line with runners in scoring position but was able to capitalize late. Early in the first inning, Andrew Knizner put the WooSox in front as he reached on a fielder’s choice, sending Nate Eaton home. After a four-RBI showcase on Friday, Arias showed no signs of slowing down. In the second, Arias doubled to left field, scoring Kristian Campbell. After Norfolk tied the game in the seventh, Eaton stepped to the plate with one out in the tenth. With Braiden Ward standing at second, Eaton launched a ball to left field, clearing the wall. His late blast put the WooSox ahead as they won on his heroics. 

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Series vs. Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals): 2-3
Season Record: 53-47

Portland won behind a four-run sixth inning and a clutch bullpen performance from Michael Sansone. 

Jedixson Paez started the contest for the Sea Dogs, who were playing as the Maine Whoopie Pies. Paez ran into trouble early, allowing four runs in the first three innings of the contest. He steadied himself later, however, exiting the game after five frames. He allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out four. Down one run in the top of the sixth, Portland needed Michael Sansone to lock the game down. Sansone delivered, allowing three hits across a four-inning shutout relief appearance. Sansone issued two walks and struck out two as he closed the game. 

Every batter reached base at least once for Portland amidst a solid day at the dish. Johanfran Garcia led the way with two hits and an RBI. Down by four in the third inning, Brooks Brannon got the Sea Dogs on the board with a sac fly scoring Tyler McDonough. Later in the inning, Miguel Bleis drove in Jack Winnay on a single as Portland slashed the deficit in half. Two innings later Garcia inched the Sea Dogs closer with a sac fly that scored Winnay. After Will Turner drew a leadoff walk to begin the sixth inning, Max Ferguson drove him home with a bang. Ferguson tripled into the corner of left field as Turner crossed home, tying the game. One batter later, Ahbram Liendo drove Ferguson home on a double as Portland took the lead. Once it gained the lead, Portland didn’t look back. Mason White tacked on one more as he drove Liendo in on a single to right field. Winnay completed the offensive surge as he drove in McDonough on a double play. The burst was enough to lift Portland to a hard-fought win. 

High-A Greenville Drive

Series @ Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 5-0
Season Record: 44-54

Greenville cruised to its sixth straight win in the professional debuts of top draft picks Owen Hull and Jake Schaffner. 

Dylan Brown, a 2025 draft pick, turned in one of his best starts of the year on Saturday evening. Brown went the distance, pitching into the seventh inning. He allowed two runs (one unearned) on three hits and issued a walk. Brown struck out nine batters, the most in over a month, before being replaced by Shea Sprague with one out in the seventh. Sprague closed the game without much trouble. He allowed one run on three hits and issued three walks as he struck out three. His effort sealed the win for Greenville as they sit ten games under .500. 

An offensive outpouring that included a hit from every Greenville batter was more than enough for a win on Saturday night. In his third game with the Drive since returning from injury, Nazzan Zanetello went 4-for-6 with an RBI. The Red Sox’s most recent draftees showed up as well. Hull went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a walk as Schaffner went 2-for-3 with an RBI, scoring three times. Schaffner made his impact felt early, scoring Enddy Azocar in his first professional at-bat on a groundout to second. In the second, Zanetello scored Yophery Rodriguez on a double to left field. Zanetello scored on an RBI single from Stanley Tucker later in the inning. With the bases loaded, Hull came up big. He swung on a ball low in the zone that snuck through the infield, driving in Justin Gonzales and Jake Schaffner. One inning later, Hull reached again on a throwing error as Schaffner scored once more. Gerardo Rodriguez crossed home later in the inning on a Luke Heyman double to right field. In the sixth, Hull made his mark again, scoring Schaffner on a ground ball single to center. With a six-run advantage in the seventh, Azocar added to the lead with a solo homer, his 11th of the season, to right field. Just an inning later, Azocar stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He delivered a single to center, scoring Heyman. Gonzales completed the 11-run evening later in the eighth with a sac fly, scoring Y. Rodriguez. The Drive tallied 19 runs and drew four walks in one of the most successful offensive days of the season. 

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Series @ Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): 2-3
Season Record: 43-57

Despite reaching base 16 times, Salem never led on Saturday and fell behind a rocky start from Jose Bello.

Bello, who has been successful throughout the season, limped through a three and ⅓ inning start on Saturday evening. He allowed five runs (one unearned) on seven hits, and he registered just one strikeout. Harry Blum entered and pitched one and ⅔ innings of hitless relief following the quick exit. Blum issued three walks and struck out three before Wuilliams Rodriguez took over. Rodriguez allowed two runs on three hits over two innings as the game slipped further out of reach. He walked two before Nicolas De La Cruz took the final frame of the night. Across the inning, De La Cruz walked three and allowed a run on one hit, striking out two.

D’Angelo Ortiz and Franklin Primera had three hits apiece, and Kleyver Salazar drove in two as the Yaks came up short at the dish. Salazar got the Yaks on the board in the fifth. Facing a five-run deficit, Salazar scored Primera and Starlyn Nunez on a line drive to left field. Three innings later, Skylar King scored Primera on a sac fly before Ortiz scored Adonys Guzman on a double to left field. Guzman reached on an error in the ninth as Ilan Fernandez scored, capping off a disappointing day for Salem as they fell by three.

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