Red Sox Minor League Report: Owen Hull Blasts First Professional Homer in Greenville Victory

[Ayden Mason]

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Season Record: 56-48

What looked like a close game turned into a blowout in the ninth as the WooSox lost their five-game winning streak with a 10-5 defeat at home to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies).

Franklin Arias continues to look comfortable against older competition in Triple-A. The shortstop and Allan Castro each racked up three hits in five at-bats, with Castro’s lone RBI being Worcester’s first run of the game in the fifth, an RBI single to bring in Nate Eaton.

Worcester’s runs did not stop in the fifth. Now in a 5-1 hole, Brett Harris lined an RBI single, then Kristian Campbell, who won SoFi Player of the Month, followed up with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-3. Lehigh Valley gained a three-run cushion after an RBI double in the sixth, then Andrew Knizner pulled through in the clutch, roping a massive two-run single with two outs, making it a one-run game, 6-5.

The game got out of hand in the ninth, with the IronPigs dropping a four-spot on the Sox. Sam McWilliams gave up four runs on two hits and three walks. The WooSox bats went down quietly in the bottom half to end it 10-5.

Blake Wehunt got hit hard and had a tough time drawing swings and misses in his three-inning start, giving up three runs on seven hits and just one strikeout. Out of the five pitchers sent out to the mound for Worcester, Angel Bastardo threw the only shutout appearance with a scoreless eighth.

Standout Performances:

• Franklin Arias: 3-for-5, R
• Allan Castro: 3-for-4, R, RBI, BB

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Season Record: 54-48

One rough inning put Portland in a hole as the bats could not recover from it, taking a 6-4 loss to the Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays). 

Jeremy Wu-Yelland was great in his start on the mound for the Sea Dogs, tossing two perfect innings with one strikeout. He set the tone for Portland’s pitching staff, but they fell apart afterward. Caleb Bolden got smacked for four runs, six hits, and a walk in the third inning, putting his team in a 4-0 hole.

Portland fought back with a two-run fourth; Johanfran Garcia’s solo blast and Miguel Bleis’ RBI single put the Sea Dogs within two. Yoeilin Cespedes made it a 4-3 game with an RBI groundout in the seventh. A two-run homer from the Fisher Cats in the bottom half put them up three runs once again, but a Bleis solo bomb of his own made it 6-4; unfortunately, that was not enough to come back.

The Sea Dogs bullpen struggled after Wu-Yelland, but Patrick Halligan was excellent in his outing, striking out all four batters he faced in 1 ⅓ innings.

High-A Greenville Drive

Season Record: 46-54

The Drive had no problem scoring runs, blowing out the Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees) 12-6 at home.

As strange as it may seem, Hudson Valley outhit the Drive, with nine hits to Greenville’s seven, but still lost by six runs. The lopsided score was due to Greenville's patience at the plate, taking eight walks as a team, and a bad fielding error from the Renegades that led to three runs scored.

Justin Gonzales’ hot stretch has not stopped since his excellent month of July, bringing in four runs with an RBI double, a two-run double, and a fielder’s choice error that included an RBI. The 67th pick of the 2026 draft, Owen Hull, clobbered his first professional home run (three-run homer) to the deepest part of the field, capping Greenville’s four-run fourth inning.

Antonio Anderson, who also had an amazing month of July, reached base in all four at-bats with two hits and two walks. The third baseman was one of two Drive players who drew an RBI walk. When it felt like the Renegades were gaining some momentum with a three-run seventh inning, Anderson shut it down with a solo shot in the bottom half.

Greenville’s pitching staff was a bit shaky, but Alex Bouchard shoved. The former 14th-round pick struck out seven batters in 3 ⅔ innings with just one run allowed on two hits and a walk. Steven Brooks earned his first win of the season with 1 ⅓ shutout innings. 

Standout Performances:

• Justin Gonzales: 2-for-4, 2B, R, 4 RBI
• Owen Hull: 2-for-5, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI
• Antonio Anderson: 2-for-2, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
• Alex Bouchard: 3 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Season Record: 44-58

The RidgeYaks put up a ten-hit, ten-run performance to defeat the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Houston Astros) 10-4. 

Like he has been all year, Kleyver Salazar continues to rake, knocking on the door to Greenville. The 20-year-old catcher from Venezuela turned in a 2-for-4 day with an RBI single in the first inning that tied the game 1-1, then tied the game once again 4-4 in the fifth with a two-run double, his 20th two-bagger of the season. Louis Andujar has found his rhythm with hitting balls over the fence, smacking his sixth bomb of the season in the first inning, a two-run homer that made it a 3-1 game. 

Andrews Opata and Avinson Pinto each contributed with multiple hits, including RBI singles. Starlyn Nunez drew a couple of walks and racked up an RBI single of his own in the fifth inning. All three teammates were pests on the basepaths, racking up four combined stolen bases. 

Stretching back to May, Henry Godbout’s hitting streak stayed alive in his third rehab start for Salem, extending to eight games. The University of Virginia product drew three walks, tallied a hit, and came around to score two times.

Cole Tolbert had a tough time in his start for the Yaks, giving up three runs in three innings. The bullpen had his back from there; Yermain Ruiz earned the win through three innings of work with one unearned run (Andujar error), then Harry Blum pitched the last 2 ⅔ innings without giving up a run to earn the save. 

Standout Performances:

• Kleyver Salazar: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
• Louis Andujar: 1-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
• Starlyn Nunez: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
• Andrews Opata: 2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB, SB

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