Red Sox Minor League Update: Freili Encarnacion, Franklin Arias Continue To Mash

Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A): 2-4 (18-20 overall)

It was a strong start to the week for the WooSox, as they beat Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (Phillies) by a score of 6-4 in back-to-back games, which included an extra-inning victory in the opener on Tuesday. Unfortunately for Worcester, they would go on to lose the next four. Thursday's match-up was cut short due to weather, and then the Woo Sox lost via a walk-off bunt as a result of a throwing error from pitcher Wyatt Mills on Friday night. They only managed to score two over the final two games as they lost 5-2 on Saturday and then were shut out for the first time all year on Sunday in a 6-0 loss. 

There weren't too many notable contributions offensively, but catcher Blake Sabol did lead the team with two home runs and a 1.081 OPS in 21 plate appearances. Following a poor week offensively for both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, the two top prospects did trend back in the right direction this week, both getting their OPS back over .700.

Featured Prospect: Luis Guerrero

The 24-year-old right hander threw four scoreless innings this week across two appearances and struck out four. Guerrero was a 17th-round pick out of Chipola Junior College back in 2021 and made his big league debut with the Red Sox in 2024. He threw ten scoreless innings with the big league club last year and has also logged four scoreless innings with Boston this year as well. He's a fringe big leaguer at the moment, but is putting together a recent run of success over the past two seasons that may earn him more innings in the majors very soon. 

Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A): 2-3 (18-12 overall)

The Sea Dogs were at home this week to take on the Chesapeake BaySox (Orioles) and had the series opener postponed due to rain. They dropped both games of the double-header on Wednesday and then lost Thursday before going on to win the final two games of the series. Friday's game was postponed due to weather, was rescheduled as a double-header on Saturday, and then was canceled once again due to weather. Despite the losing record, the Sea Dogs were competitive all week. They lost by one run in both games on Wednesday, and then fell in extra-innings on Thursday. Both of their wins came via the walk-off, and from the same hitter in fact. "The Password" Jhostynxon Garcia, TalkSox's fifth ranked prospect, hit a walk-off home run on Saturday afternoon and then delivered a walk-off single in extra-innings on Sunday. 

Featured Prospect: Blaze Jordan

In 20 plate appearances this past week, Blaze Jordan continued to stay hot for the month of May, hitting .286/.500/.429 and led Portland hitters with a .929 OPS. While he didn't leave the yard at all, he managed to hit two doubles and drew six walks to just one strikeout. He's up to 16 walks on the season compared to just 18 last year in 353 plate appearances. The adjustments he has made to his approach at the plate are paying off as the 2020 third-rounder is finally turning a corner at Double-A after struggling in 2024, and is catching some steam as a prospect. 

Greenville Drive (High-A): 2-4 (14-19 overall)

The Drive were on the road against the Rome Emperors (Braves) this week looking to bounce-back following another losing week, but they were unable to deliver. They opened the series with a 4-2 loss, but went on to shut out the Emperors 6-0 on Wednesday. The shutout was started by Juan Valera, TalkSox's 13th ranked prospect, who fired off five and two-thirds innings with eight strikeouts and just one walk. They split the next two match-ups, dropping Thursday night's game by a score of 7-2, and then taking Friday night's game by a score of 9-5. It was a disappointing final two games for the Drive, as they were shut out in both games by a combined score of 8-0.

It was a promising week for the pitching staf,f as they ranked second in the South Atlantic League in earned runs with 17 and led the league in strikeouts with 71. Brandon Clarke, one of Boston's top prospect risers to this point in the season, made his second High-A start on Sunday afternoon and struck out six hitters over just two and one-third innings of work. 

Featured Prospect: Franklin Arias

Since making his High-A debut on April 29th, TalkSox's fourth ranked prospect has not skipped a beat. Following a strong week at the plate for the Drive, Franklin Arias is up to a .926 OPS in Greenville and an .850 OPS between Greenville and Salem in 2025. He hit .455/.455/.545 on the week and led all Red Sox Minor League hitters with ten hits. He put the ball in play in all 22 of hit at-bats this week, and also hit two doubles. Arias is a prime candidate to be the next premier prospect in the Red Sox farm system after Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer graduate. 

Salem Red Sox (Low-A): 3-3 (15-17 overall)

Following their best series of the season last week in which they went 4-1, Salem looked to build upon their recent success on the road against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros). They lost a close one in the opener on Tuesday by a score of 5-4 before coming back to win a one-run game of their own on Wednesday. It was an extra-inning slug fest on Thursday as the Sox took home an 11-9 ten-inning victory. They won again on Friday to take the series to 3-1 before dropping the final two by scores of 9-2 and 4-3. 

Freili Encarnacion led the charge on offense all week, but the Sox also got big performances from Starlyn Nunez and Yoeilin Cespedes as they each hit two home runs of their own. As a team, Salem hit ten home runs on the week, which led the Carolina League by a wide margin, with the next team only hitting five. The pitching staff looked good as well, as they logged a 2.94 ERA on the week, getting strong outings from Blake Aita, Shea Sprague, and Luis Cohen. 

Featured Prospect: Freili Encarnacion

We're talking about the 20-year-old shortstop for the second time in three weeks after Freili Encarnacion put on a hitting clinic for Salem this week. He hit three home runs, which led all Red Sox minor league hitters as well as all Carolina League hitters. His .318/.375/.818 slash line was good for a 1.193 OPS and brought his season line up to .284/.323/.560 with seven home runs. Marcelo Mayer is the only Red Sox minor leaguer that has hit as many long balls. Encarnacion only hit two home runs in 331 plate appearances last year with Salem, so the increase in power is certainly encouraging. Perhaps the most impressive stat to come from Encarnacion's week is the 120.6 mph single that came off his bat in Salem's game on Thursday. He's looking like he will be one of Boston's top prospect risers in 2025.

Interested in learning more about the Boston Red Sox's top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!