Nick John

Worcester, MA — Things moved quick for infielder Anthony Seigler on Tuesday night. Not long after being a part of a walk-off win, Seigler was celebrating for a different reason: being called back up to the major leagues “It was kind of quick,” acting manager Iggy Suarez explained before Thursday night’s game against the Buffalo Bisons. “We got the phone call from Abes [Brian Abraham], who let us know that was going to be the move. Good thing he hadn’t left the ballpark yet, so he was still here, he was pumped. He probably had an idea with being called into the office.” Seigler, who was acquired as part of the Caleb Durbin-Kyle Harrison trade, had a rough start to his Boston Red Sox career. The former first-round pick was injured early in spring training, miss the entirety of it with left knee patellar tendinopathy. The injury followed into the regular season, having the start of his year halted until April 9 when he began a rehab assignment. Without a proper ramp-up period, Seigler got off to a slow start, appearing in just 11 games while slashing .222/.364/.361 with three doubles, a triple and seven RBIs. The slow start didn’t go unnoticed by Suarez or the WooSox coaching staff. “He didn’t have a spring training, so now a month in, that’s spring training for him. Now, he’s getting into the swing of things and getting his rhythm back. I think having that month under his belt when he was a month behind helps a lot," Worcester's skipper said. To say Seigler turned a corner in May would be an understatement. Appearing in 18 games across the month, the infielder was a force on offense for a team that lost two of its best hitters in Nick Sogard and Mickey Gasper. During that time, Seigler became a consistent bat in the lineup for Suarez, hitting .344/.468/.531 with three doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs while playing both second base and third base. His production didn’t go unnoticed. With the major-league club in need of another infielder after placing Sogard on the injured list, his name was called. Seigler, who originally was a fringe 40-man roster player when he was acquired, had transformed his value within the organization over the span of a month. Now, he’s up in the majors for the second time in his career after appearing in 34 games last year with Milwaukee. The promotion was well deserved as Seigler will now look to provide as a left-handed bat off the bench while providing defensive versatility for the infield. “You kind of see his eyes light up and everything,” Suarez said of Seigler's reaction to the news. “The first time’s always good, but I think anytime you hear that, going back up to the big leagues, they’re gonna have a cool reaction so he was pumped about it. Well deserved man, he’s at a point where he’s swinging it. That’s opportunities that come up. You hate to see someone like Sogie go on the IL but again, it’s an opportunity he was ready for. I think it’s a good time for him to go up there.” The loss of Sogard won’t be easy for the Red Sox to manage, as he had appeared in 12 games since being promoted on May 16. The utility player managed to hit .257/.350/.371 with two doubles, one triple and two RBIs while appearing at all four infield positions at least once. His versatility was important for manager Chad Tracy along with his production from the left-handed side of the batter’s box. A sore side kept him from hitting as a left-handed batter and ultimately led to his placement on the injured list. After the infielder was told of the news Tuesday night, he returned to Polar Park Wednesday morning during the WooSox’s morning game to gather his belongings. With equipment now in tow, Seigler departed Polar Park and the Heart of the Commonwealth as he made the trip up the Masspike to Boston. Come Thursday afternoon, he got into his first action with the Boston Red Sox, coming off the bench to pinch hit in the seventh inning for Andruw Monasterio. His at-bat concluded with a lineout to left field before playing the final two innings at second base. Now, Seigler will look to step into the role Sogard previously filled. It’ll be a lot to ask of the former first-round pick immediately, but he proved in May that he's more than capable of living up to the task. View full article

The baseball season is now roughly one-third of the way finished, and many prospects have showcased their skills this year. For the Boston Red Sox, there have been a plethora of minor-league players who have broken out with the bat. Some players were so good in May that they even earned an early season promotion. Overall, it’s been a fun season to follow the Red Sox minor-league teams to watch their prospects develop. With that, we’ve narrowed this award down to the six best hitters in the Boston Red Sox’s minor-league system from last month. Ranking Red Sox's Best Minor-League Hitters in May Honorable Mention: Nick Sogard (Triple-A Worcester) Sogard would have been in contention for the actual award had he remained in Worcester for the entire month. Instead, he only played 11 games for Triple-A prior to being recalled to Boston. Sogard made a statement during those 11 games however, hitting .310/.404/.548 with four doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. Sogard as a hitter has been consistent during his time in Worcester since first making it to the highest level of minor league baseball back in 2022. A familiar face in the lineup, Sogard was a player that Iggy Suarez was able to rely on for the month of May, both at the plate and in the clubhouse. Sogard has since remained in Boston, appearing in 12 games and hitting .257/.350/.371 with two doubles, one triple and two RBIs. Honorable Mention: Yoeilin Cespedes (High-A Greenville) Last month. Cespedes was the second-best offensive prospect for TalkSox’s award. This month, he's an honorable mention not because he had worse month than April, but because of the production from the rest of the competition. In 20 games, Cespedes put up a stat line of .315/.333/.494 with four doubles, four home runs and 14 RBIs. Through his first two months with Greenville, he’s managed to shed a lot of the worry that he would be a bust after a down 2025 season with Salem. Though, there is a lot of strikeout concern for the infielder as he struck out 27 times in the month. Add to it just four walks, and the gap between the two was one reason he was left out of the top three. Should Cespedes continue to hit as he has, conversation about promoting him to Portland should start to heat up, especially once there is room for an infielder to join the Double-A team. Honorable Mention: Brooks Brannon (Double-A Portland) While Brannon started the season on the IL, he’s been an offensive force since returning from it. Now playing first base, he’s been able to stay on the field, and his bat has been very crucial to the Portland offense. In 20 games, Brannon has hit .308/.389/.603 with six doubles, a triple, five home runs and 19 RBIs. His power has been for real and while there is some strikeout concern in his game (27 strikeouts in May), he manages to get on base at a high enough clip that it shouldn’t be too big of a red flag. With Brannon, the importance with his bat is taking advantage of his power to drive runners in, which he did last month by leading the team with 19 RBIs. It’s starting to look like it’s just a matter of time until Brannon gets the promotion to Worcester, especially with their lack of first base depth. #3: Anthony Seigler (Triple-A Worcester/MLB) Seigler has increased his organizational value thanks to his outstanding month of May. Viewed as a depth piece that was acquired in the Kyle Harrison-Caleb Durbin trade, Seigler got injured in spring training and had to play catch up. That was shown in April when he struggled, but once the calendar flipped to May, he seemed to turn a corner. In 18 games, Seigler was Worcester’s most important hitter as he slashed .344/.468/.531 with three doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs. The infielder came up with several key hits over the month as the WooSox seemed to be desperate for offense some nights after the promotions of Mickey Gasper and Sogard. Now, Seigler has turned himself into an MLB bench piece in Boston. #2: Mason White (High-A Greenville) Making White the number two offensive prospect this month was tough. If anyone was deserving of the top spot, it would have been him, as the infielder continued to showcase the power he had in college. Last season, he did not have much time to fully showcase his power, hitting just five doubles in 26 games. Now in 2026, he’s had plenty of chances to show why the Red Sox drafted him. Appearing in 21 games in May, White would hit .342/.425/.618 with four doubles, one triple, five home runs and a team-leading 17 RBIs. The ball was flying off his bat while playing for Greenville, and now there is some discussion as to whether he should be given a shot in Portland. His scorching hot May helped bring his numbers on the season to an impressive .299/.386/.569 with eight doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 25 RBIs. #1: Jack Winnay (High-A Greenville) In a system that was filled with offensive talent for the month of May, it was the Belmont, MA native who was named the top offensive player. Winnay, who was a 13th-round pick in 2025, was known for his power as a college prospect, and after a slow April managed to showcase it. Appearing in 21 games, Winnay hit .290/.490/.623 good for an organization-leading OPS of 1.113. He hit two doubles and led the team with seven home runs, averaging one for every three games played. He also drove in 14 runs while walking 26 times. With a combination of power and patience, Winnay could develop into a middle-of-the-order bat for the Boston Red Sox. It’ll all come down to how his power grows once he leaves the hitter-friendly confines Fleur Field in Greenville. Though his ability to put the ball in play and walk will help mitigate any potential loss of power with a move to a different ballpark. View full article

Our loyal Talk Sox readers took part in a brand-new idea courtesy of @Brock Beauchamp of doing an AMA on the TalkSox forums. For those who may not know, an AMA ("ask me anything") is a collaborative effort in which users ask a question and a writer or someone of expertise will answer. In the first take at doing this, we covered the Worcester Red Sox, due to my media credentials with the team. Now is where we answer the questions our readers have left. @mvp 78 asked: What does Mikey Romero need to do differently at the plate to get back to the success he had last year? Mikey Romero has had an interesting season. He opened the year extremely hot with many predicting he would be in Boston before July with how he was playing. Since then, he’s cooled off considerably. In his last 17 games, he’s hitting just .181/.231/.333 but has two doubles, a triple, two home runs and nine RBIs. Honestly with Romero, what’s been tough for him has just been having balls land in for hits. He’s striking out in only 21.5% of his at-bats (though his walk rate is a low 7.3%) and is putting the ball in play. And with Romero, when he makes contact, he’s making loud contact as his exit velocity this year is 93.1 mph and his hard-hit rate is sitting at 46.9%. Both Chad Tracy and Iggy Suarez aren’t concerned about the lack of hits as they both feel that he’s making good contact and not pressing too much. For a 22-year-old, he’s showing maturity with how he’s handling this slump. Really he just needs to keep putting the ball in play and the hits will start to drop eventually. Though personally I’d also like to see him not chase as much (28.6% rate) and pull the ball more to take advantage of the Worcester Wall. Maybe also be a little more patient, but that seems to be a thing for the entire organization this year. @moonslav59 asked: Does Anthony Seigler have a legit chance to be a difference maker at the big league level? Anthony Seigler is someone who has convinced me he will have an impact if another injury happens. So far in Worcester, he’s mainly played third base and designated hitter, but he has experience at second base. He’s also played catcher, but from the sound of it, the organization has no plans of putting him behind the plate unless it’s an absolute emergency. Offensively, he has impressed me since the start of May; in 18 games last month, he turned himself from a fringe 40-man roster player to someone the team could utilize as a genuine depth option. Over that span, he hit .344/.468/.531 with three doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs. However, he has struggled against left-handed pitching this season, going just 2-for-17 against them, so I’d imagine he would be a platoon bat if Boston needed him. As for how much of a difference maker you’re looking for, he won’t strike out, he’ll get on base, and he could be a valuable bench piece against right-handed pitchers. A role that many teams need players to fill, but I wouldn’t expect him to be a starter that could ignite the offense every night. Editor's Note: Seigler is being called up on the date of publishing. @notin asked: Is Braiden Ward taking infield practice? During my time at Worcester, I have not seen Braiden Ward take infield practice. Fun guy who’s very approachable, but the only time I’ve seen him on the infield is during batting practice or baserunning drills. @urban cowboy asked: Is Kristian Campbell showing any signs of "recovery?" Kristian Campbell’s season has been a roller coaster. He opened the year on a cold streak, went on a tear for the rest of April, and then cooled off in May. The power that he displayed in 2024 hasn’t been there for him, as he’s slugging just .329 this season and only has 10 extra-base hits, but the exit velocities have been encouraging. It’s currently sitting at 90 mph (which is higher than his time in Worcester in 2024, at 88.2 mph). While the numbers are down, his metrics look much better as he’s walking nearly 16% of the time and has a hard-hit rate of 45.7%. The team is constantly stating that with Campbell right now, it’s about the process and not the results (though he got those in April, when he hit .294/.394/.365 in 23 games). It’ll be a continuous road for Campbell and right now, I think barring a major trade or injury we won’t see him in Boston until 2027. @Yaz Fan Since 67 asked: After seeing so many of our top prospects fail to deliver in the Bigs I am struggling to get excited at our players in the minors. It’s fair to not get excited with the recent track record of our top prospects. However, you need to put it into perspective that many of them were rushed to the majors. Campbell only had 19 games at Triple-A, Roman Anthony had 93 games, and Marcelo Mayer had 43 games. Even Payton Tolle and Connelly Early had little time in Worcester. However, right now, most of the top prospects aren’t in Worcester and besides Anthony Eyanson, they seem to be taking their time with moving them through the system. When it comes to prospects you can try to predict their future, but you never know what can alter the plans of a franchise. @Old Red asked: How’s Noah Song looking? I know he had 1 real bad game in April that bloated his stats. Noah Song has been a pleasant surprise. While his overall stat line may not be exciting (5.14 ERA, 18 walks and 27 strikeouts in 28 innings), he looked much better in the month of May. In his last seven appearances, Song has given the team 12 innings allowed just three earned runs while striking out 13 batters. He isn’t the pitcher that the team drafted and the projections from then are long gone. But he’s still striking out batters at a 21.6% rate and limiting them to a .214 batting average. Much like in spring training, his slider has been his go-to pitch over his fastball now, using it 45.8% of the time and batters are hitting just .233 against it. He's also clearly courted favor with Iggy Suarez, who speaks highly of Song whenever asked. Thank you to everyone who asked questions. If you want to take part next time, watch out for another announcement in the forums. View full article

Worcester, MA — “When you’re a big lefty, the physical presence on its own it’s kind of big. And then be able to have that low demeanor on the mound, those pitchers are dangerous because you have no idea if you’ve gotten to them or not,” acting Worcester Red Sox manager Iggy Suarez stated back on May 20 about pitcher Jake Bennett. Back in mid-December when Craig Breslow pulled the trigger on a trade with the Washington Nationals for Bennett, there were mixed reactions. On the surface, Bennett looked exactly like the kind of pitcher Breslow coveted: Tall, great extension, and left-handed. Despite that, the fact that the Red Sox relinquished Luis Perales, who (despite being frequently injured) was one of their top prospects and armed with a fastball that could hit triple digits, was a difficult reality to swallow. The thought was that the Red Sox were moving Perales, a pitcher with an injury history and who had signs of being a bullpen arm in the big leagues, for Bennett, a pitcher with a higher floor as a guaranteed starting pitcher. And yet, no one expected Bennett to pitch as great as he has this season. The left-hander entered 2026 with only 10 career games at the Double-A level. but that didn’t stop Breslow and the Red Sox from sending him to Triple-A to open the season. Despite that lack of experience facing batters in the upper minors, he looked like he belonged in Triple-A from his first outing. Starting the season opener against the Syracuse Mets, Bennett pitched on a limited pitch count, wherein he tossed three innings and allowed just two hits and one unearned run while striking out five and generating seven whiffs. He was in command and that has only continued throughout the season. As of the end of May, Bennett has made seven starts for Worcester, tossing 29 1/3 innings while allowing just eight runs, six earned, walking five while striking out 30. In his last two outings, he's struck out 18 combined batters. When Bennett was promoted to the major leagues on May 1, there was some concern that he was being rushed. At that time, he had made just five starts in Triple-A, but the Red Sox were in need of pitching. The 25-year-old managed to provide just that, winning his debut by pitching five innings, allowing just one run despite constant traffic on the bases. His second outing saw him battle into the sixth inning, only to leave with a runner on base. That runner would come around to score, bringing his final stat line to 5 1/3 innings with six hits and four runs allowed. Following the outing, he was optioned back to Worcester as the team needed a fresh arm to assist the bullpen. With Bennett being optioned for the first time, Suarez knew how to handle any disappointment the pitcher may have been feeling. “You let him know that he’s got the talent to get there and to stay there. It’s just more of a spot that they need and it’s not anything of him being demoted from the way he pitched. It’s not because you didn’t do well that outing [against the Rays] and you need to work on stuff. There’s a reason why we got you in the trade and got you up there. It shows you can hang with those guys,” Suarez explained to the media following Bennett being sent back to Worcester. “He’s a strike thrower. First [start] was better than the second one, but it’s the big leagues man, that’s gonna happen. How you deal with it is how you stay up there and how you last in this game.” Bennett’s first game back was a little rough, lasting just 3 1/3 innings against a hot Buffalo Bisons team. He pitched around seven hits, allowing just four runs to score despite the constant traffic on the bases, something that Suarez pointed out. “He’s good at controlling his emotions, being able to get in the zone consistently when he’ll get some soft contact because that’s what happened in Buffalo. He fell victim to that [soft contact], swinging bunts and it’s like, you look at the line score and it’s like he had a bad outing. Not really, maybe one [instance of] hard contact, that was about it.” Bennett would follow up that outing with what may have been his two best outings as a professional. Pitching on May 20 against his former organization, the Rochester Red Wings, Bennett threw a masterclass as he made just one mistake, that being a solo home run in the second inning. Facing players that he had come up with and played with since being drafted, the hulking southpaw tossed five innings where he worked around seven hits on his way to striking out 11 batters and generating 15 whiffs. Whether it was the warm temperature on the night or the adrenaline of facing his old teammates, Bennett also saw an uptick in his velocity as every pitch sat at least 1.5 mph faster than his season average, including a fastball that topped out at 95.6 mph. In his final inning of the evening, Bennett appeared to be in a dangerous situation as the Red Wings loaded the bases against him to start the inning. Instead, he managed to stop their offense by striking out the next three batters, a detail that stood out to Suarez. “What impressed me was getting out of that bases-loaded jam and how he walked off the mound like it was ‘okay’. I’m pretty sure inside he was amped up. Doesn’t get rattled. To be able to look up after that outing and look at the numbers and go holy crap he punched out 11. And it wasn’t like he was blowing doors, he was pitching. I think he’s starting to realize that’s what big league pitchers do. In moments like that [bases loaded jam] there’s no panic, there’s a way for him to slow the game down and get out of stuff like that. He’s showing why he’s a big-league pitcher,” Suarez explained. Entering the game, Rochester was one of the hottest teams in the International League, filled with a lineup of players who all seemed to be on hot streaks upon their arrival to Worcester. That didn’t intimidate Bennett. Bennett didn’t lose the momentum of that game either. Making his next start against Scranton on May 27, he continued his dominance as he allowed just one run across five innings again. This time it was on a solo home run to Yankee’s top prospect George Lombard Jr. to lead off the game. After that, he allowed just three more hits for the entire game while striking out seven batters and getting 16 whiffs, leading Worcester to an 8-1 win. With each outing Bennett seems to continue his growth as a pitcher, showcasing the potential that the front office saw in him when they targeted him this past offseason. While growth in baseball is never linear, each successive start is making Bennett look better. At his current level of production, there should be no arguments over him being called up to start in place of an injured starter. If anything, Bennett is helping to rebuild trust in the starting pitching depth that has been torn to shreds due to multiple early season injuries in Boston. View full article

Worcester, MA – “It’s cool having his kids in here and then walking out you can hear his kid, one of his kids, saying ‘you going to the big leagues’ in Spanish. So, that was like, right out of a movie. And I was like, this is cool,” Iggy Suarez explained to media when asked about the team’s latest promotion to Boston. For Tyron Guerrero (formally Tayron due to a clerical error), making it back to the major leagues has been an arduous journey that’s seen him toil away in the minor leagues, various winter leagues, the Mexican League and in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines. It was never a question of how much he wanted it, as he gave it his all at every stop. All for the opportunity to pitch in the majors. And when that opportunity came, he didn’t believe it. Sitting in Suarez’s room with his two sons by his side, he finally realized his dream. “You could see it, like a ‘really?’ and in my head I was like, well have you seen the numbers you’ve put up? But really you could see, it was almost like a finally or this is awesome. It seemed like it was the first time he’s heard that [being promoted],” Suarez said. Guerrero, who didn’t begin playing baseball until he was 16 years old after falling in love with the sport thanks to the 2007 Red Sox team, last played in the majors in 2019. He was still a 28-year-old coming off 60 appearances with the Miami Marlins that year. Then, 2019 saw him appear in 52 games, but it was a struggle. Tossing 46 innings, he ended the season with an ERA of 6.26 and allowed 36 walks while striking out 43 batters. After the season, he would be designated for assignment on December 2 and was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox four days later. The right-hander would bounce around, being released by the White Sox and spending 2022 in Japan. He would return stateside on a minor-league contract with the Cincinnati Reds for 2023 but would struggle and was released by mid-June. He would be forced to finish the season pitching in Mexico. This saga continued for Guerrero, spending 2024 in the Los Angeles Angels organization before heading overseas to Japan once more. Then, he got a chance with the Boston Red Sox. “He’s been great, really great,” current Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said back when he managed Guerrero in Worcester. It’s been no secret that Tracy liked Guerrero as a pitcher, constantly talking highly about him during their time together in Triple-A. “He’s been pretty lock down for us. Throwing hard, 100 miles an hour and all spring and here [Worcester] he’s in the zone. He’s thrown nothing but strikes since I placed eyes on him. He’s been awfully good.” Good was an understatement for Guerrero during his time in Worcester, as he appeared in 15 games and tossed 19 2/3 innings while allowing just two earned runs. That's good for a 0.92 ERA. Known for having a walk issue in his career, he managed to limit those to just six while striking out 22 batters. Opponents hit just .191 against him and slugged just .235. He was a leader in the bullpen and now he’s getting his chance to pitch for the team that got him into baseball to begin with. As a pitcher, Guerrero is known for his fastball-slider combination that combines a 100+ mph fastball with sink and arm-side run with a mid-80s slider that can be unhittable when thrown for strikes. When he’s on, the right-hander is capable of being a shutdown reliever who can easily rack up strikeouts. Unfortunately, the one major issue for Guerrero throughout his career has been his poor command and control. Entering the season, the reliever has walked 5.7 walks per nine innings for his career. Until he can show that the adjustments he made with Worcester are permanent, he will likely serve as a middle-innings reliever. Guerrero made his Boston Red Sox debut Friday, May 22, pitching one inning as he entered with the bases loaded and nobody out. The right-hander walked one run in but managed to not allow another runner to cross home plate. Since his promotion, the right-hander has appeared in three games, tossing 3 2/3 innings while allowing four runs and striking out seven compared to just one free pass. Guerrero worked extremely hard to get back to the major leagues, and his former manager Suarez agreed that no one deserves this opportunity more than him. “Those journeymen guys, 35 [years old] and on the older side. Playing overseas and coming here and putting up the numbers that he has and to be selected to the roster, like that’s still awesome. When he said the ‘really’ part I was like, yeah man, you’ve earned it.” View full article

Worcester, MA — They say baseball can be like a whirlwind. It's a hectic sport than can change on a dime A prime example is how the WooSox had a player go from not being on the active roster to being the pitcher of record in the same day. In the span of a few hours, acting manager Iggy Suarez had to quickly alter his game plan; starting the day, the Worcester Red Sox had activated Matt Lloyd off of the injured list and in response moved Nathan Hickey to the development list. That was quickly changed as Roman Anthony was placed on the injured list by Boston. Needing a bat, the organization recalled Mickey Gasper to the big-league club and opened a roster spot once more for Hickey. “It happened quick. I mean, that move was made earlier and then we go out for B.P [batting practice] and the Mickey move happened. We had the [roster] spot so Hickey comes back,” Suarez explained. The acting manager admitted that right away he deals with the admin part of the roster when this happens, as the farm director had to get league approval to activate Hickey off the developmental list. It’s been a long season for Boston Red Sox prospect Nathan Hickey. The former catcher turned first baseman has not played often on the team due to a crowded infield that has forced Nick Sogard and Mickey Gasper over to the cold corner (prior to their promotions). And with Matt Lloyd off the injured list playing time is still hard to come by. The former fifth-round pick out of the University of Florida has made it into 18 games, hitting just .200/.327/.422 with a double, three home runs and six RBIs. In 2025, Hickey was a big piece in the lineup for Worcester, as his 17 home runs were second on the team while leading the offense with 75 RBIs. But with the prior need to keep 40-man roster guys such as Sogard and Gasper in the lineup, he has often been the odd-man out. Despite that, he’s found a way to stay ready while unlocking a new and unexpected part of his game: emergency pitcher. With the WooSox always in need of pitching help, the team has turned to position player pitching when the game has either gotten out of control or the team has run out of available pitchers for the game. In both situations, it’s been Hickey who has stepped up and pitched. So far in 2026, he’s pitched in four games, giving the team 3 1/3 innings while allowing just one run on three hits and two walks. He also struck out one batter. In Hickey’s latest outing, he pitched the 12th inning of the May 7 game against Scranton, earning the win. Hickey has found enjoyment out of pitching, having offered to go in and pitch when the team needed help. But despite being a position player, Hickey doesn’t pitch like one. So far on the season, he’s topped out at 87 mph and hasn’t thrown the usual eephus pitch like others in his situation; he genuinely tries to sequence his way through opposing lineups. “I was just flicking it. In high school I’m pretty sure I was up to 95 [mph] so I can get it up there. But I’m not, it’s been cold, so I’m out there shivering. I’m trying to throw the ball,” Hickey admitted with a laugh. “I’m not trying to throw it by anybody. Just get it in the zone and if I throw it too soft, I feel like I won’t have any idea where it’s going.” It isn’t often that teams turn to a position player to pitch. It’s even rarer when both teams are forced to use a position player. In his lone inning Hickey out-dueled Edinson Duran to claim the win. Hickey, however, didn’t even realize it, as the thought of winning was more important than earning the win. “[Not] until the game was over and then like four guys came out and were like ‘Hey bro, you got the win’ and I was like, oh, that’s fine. I mean it was cool,” Hickey admitted with a smile. To say it hasn’t been the season Hickey predicted it would is fair. However, his importance to the team is well known, whether on the mound or at-bat. Especially for Suarez as he handles the current roster crunch. “He’s like, ‘Hey, so what’s the plan today?’ I was like you. Are you ready? How’s the arm feel? Good, he’s throwing. Always an option, he knows that,” Suarez joked when asked before the May 22 game if Hickey would be available for innings if needed. Despite the consistent presence as an emergency pitcher, Suarez still makes it a priority to give him a heads up before the game. “Seriously, like, just be ready in case. If things get sideways and we mess around with a tied game late and we got no more, you know, you’re gonna be the guy. Again, we don’t want to ambush those guys all of a sudden by going ‘Hey, Hickey, warm up’. So, he’s following along to the game, and we realize we’re running out of pitching. He’ll start loosening.” But despite that, there’s always one consistent with Hickey’s pitching and the team. “He’s always available,” Suarez admitted with a large smile. View full article

Justin Gonzales has been something special since signing with the Boston Red Sox. In his first year with the organization, he was named the 2024 Red Sox Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the year after hitting .320/.391/.517 in the Dominican Summer League. Impressed, the front office decided to bring him stateside, having him start in the Florida Complex League. That wasn’t for long, as after just one game, Gonzales was on his way to Salem. Standing at 6-foot-7, the then-18-year-old would go on to hit .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 27 RBIs before earning a late season promotion to Greenville. It's important to remember that Salem plays in the pitcher-friendly Carolina League. In fact, out of all batters with 300 or more plate appearances, Gonzales’ 131 wRC+ ranked sixth and only one player his age had a better one. Gonzales’ stock continued to rise in 2026 as he entered the season as TalkSox’s seventh ranked prospect (and is now the fifth ranked) while also making it into Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list (he’s currently 96th) after a May update to the list. The level of play has helped cement Gonzales’ placement on many top prospect lists as he’s slashed .315/.405/.521 with eight doubles, two triples, six home runs and 25 RBIs in just 34 games with High-A Greenville. His rise was not a surprise, as he had already garnered discussion about being the next Red Sox star prospect at the start of spring training. Defensively he has been just as impressive, mostly playing the outfield, though he has seen limited time at first base. This season, Gonzales has appeared in 29 games in right field, and many teams are starting to learn not to run on one of the strongest arms in High-A. Through 260 innings in the field, Gonzales has thrown out five runners while committing just one error. His range has been average and hasn’t hurt the cause, but his arm is a legitimate run prevention tool from the outfield. His time in Salem showed he had quite impressive raw power to go along with plate discipline skills and consistent production, and his start to the 2026 season has only enforced it. As he’s shown he can handle the pitching in Greenville, fans have clamored for a promotion to Portland to see how he handles a tougher level of competition. However, there are still aspects of his game he needs to work on to fully ensure his promotion to Portland and his overall growth as a player. The first would be on the defensive side of his game. While his arm is above average and has opposing teams fearing it, he needs to improve his overall glove work. As mentioned above, his range is average, but his routes need work, especially seeing as he isn’t the most fluid outfielder. Should the outfield not work out, the team could look to move him to first base where he has limited experience. Since 2025, he’s played just one game there (coming in 2026) after playing first base 32 times in 2024. With the lack of depth at first base in the Red Sox organization, that could be a possible direction they take especially as they have a lot of outfielders, especially in the upper minors. Yet, his biggest issue stems actually from how he hits the ball. Despite having amazing exit velocities that show he crushes pitching when he makes contact, how he attacks the baseball needs to change. Coming into 2026, there was discussion surrounding how Gonzales may hit the ball too often into the ground. For the 2025 season, he had a 57.4% ground ball rate, an increase from his 2024 number of 46.9%. Though 2026 has seen his ground ball rate get closer to his 2024 number as it’s currently at 49.1%, that number is still too high for someone with his power. Realistically, you would like to see Gonzales lifting the ball in the air in well over 50% of his batted ball events. Should he learn to lift the ball consistently, it would only elevate his game by allowing him to be a true power threat in the middle of a lineup. The final thing the 19-year-old needs to work on is his discipline, especially where it pertains to pitches out of the strike zone. While he has a good understanding of the strike zone, he can be very aggressive at times leading to him chasing a pitch that would have been a ball. Thanks to an advanced approach, he’s been able to hit well despite his tendencies to be overly aggressive. So far on the season he’s struck out just 26 times in 168 plate appearances, good for a 15.5% strikeout rate. Gonzales isn’t far from a promotion to Portland, that much is certain. The organization may just be waiting until these minor issues are worked on a bit more against lower-level competition. The last thing the organization would want is to rush Gonzales and have his issues taken advantage of by more advanced pitching. It makes sense to allow Gonzales enough time to prove he’s ready, instead of rushing him and dealing with the fallout of any potential struggles. View full article

Following the 2024 Rule 5 Draft, there was little hope for Angel Bastardo to return to the Boston Red Sox organization. Despite having Tommy John surgery in June of 2024 and expected to miss all of 2025, the Blue Jays still took a flier on the right-hander. It was a surprise to some, as Bastardo had struggled since being promoted to Portland near the end of the 2023 season, having gone 0-6 with a 5.28 ERA in 13 starts between 2023 and 2024. The Blue Jays planned to have him potentially be in the bullpen for 2026, but after a spring training where he flashed potential but couldn’t quite put it all together for the defending American League champions, the team decided to return him to the Red Sox on April 1 after designating him for assignment. On April 21, he finally made his return to the mound as a member of the Red Sox. The right-hander tossed one inning out of the bullpen, walking two while striking out three batters. There were some moments of wildness from the pitcher, and by the end of the outing he had thrown 27 pitches. “The ball just jumps out of his hand, so I was pretty excited,” former Worcester manager Chad Tracy explained when asked if anything really stood out during Bastardo’s Triple-A debut. “The first hitter I was seeing a bunch of 97 [miles per hour]. I’m like, this is a great looking arm.” It wasn’t all positives for Bastardo, however, as rust was prevalent for the pitcher as noted by Tracy. Of the 27 pitches he threw, 12 of them were balls and he did end up throwing some non-competitive pitches. “He did lose some balls, like up arm side for some non-competitive fastballs. I mostly attribute that to it being his first outing, so we got to keep an eye on that as we go forward,” Tracy continued to explain about the young pitcher. In the outing, there were multiple opportunities to get out of the inning sooner than he did, but the young pitcher still managed to escape the frame without allowing a run to score. The Worcester manager was overall impressed with the outing, especially from a stuff standpoint along with the way the ball. If Bastardo can consistently throw strikes and have his stuff look as it did in his debut on a regular basis, there is a real shot he could make it to the major leagues one day. Despite it being over a year since he had his surgery, the team will be cautious with Bastardo. “He threw one inning [on Tuesday], Saturday we got him scheduled for a couple innings. I don’t think it’s gonna be 45 pitches or anything, but he will. We’re looking for multiple ups. I don’t have the full thing but I know initially a lot of his outings will be picked and scripted out, rather than like most of my bullpen where if they’re up we can use them whenever. We’ll lay out his [Bastardo’s] days right now,” Tracy detailed on April 24 when asked what the plan might be for Bastardo as he builds up his pitch count and gets stretched out. Don't expect him to immediately go back to starting, as Tracy turned down the idea. At least for right now. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to our front office about that like, I think that could be possible, but I don’t think it’s in the immediate plans right now. It’s mostly just stretching out outings as a reliever and getting built up appropriately before we say now you can just be used as a normal reliever." Overall on the season, the young right-hander has appeared in five games, tossing 8 2/3 innings while allowing four earned runs. Over that span, he's struck out 13 batters while walking six. As a pitcher, Bastardo relies on a four-pitch mix with his four-seam fastball making up over half of his pitch usage at 52.3%. His changeup is used 32.6% of the time while the slider is used 12.8% and his curveball makes up the remaining 2.3%. Of the four pitches, his changeup may be his best pitch; through his first few outings this year, batters had a .187 xwOBA and a .150 xSLG against it. Despite making just a few appearances thus far while working back to full strength, Bastardo could be a valuable piece for the Worcester bullpen as they deal with a fluctuating roster. Should Bastardo continue to thrive in Triple-A while rediscovering the form that made him a Rule 5 pick in the first place, he could quickly be on the radar of Tracy in Boston. View full article

“Just be ready.” Those were the words former Worcester manager Chad Tracy kept telling Payton Tolle as he waited to step on the mound again. The last time the young left-hander had pitched was April 12 when he tossed five shutout innings against the Columbus Clippers. In that game Tolle was dominant, tossing five shutout innings while striking out six. The left-hander being a force in Triple-A was nothing new, but how he’s handled his secondary pitches showed he was a different pitcher from 2025. “He landed his off-speed for strikes and when he lands his off-speed for strikes and then runs it up to 98 with that big extension, he’s very difficult to deal with. That was the biggest focus with Dan and Noah [pitching and bullpen coaches]. Let’s not get too fine about it, let’s land it, it’s like we need the breaking ball over the plate for a strike. We need the changeup in the zone for a strike. And then it plays even more and they can’t just sit on a fastball,” Tracy explained when asked on April 21 about when asked by the media what Tolle had shown to begin the season for a call-up to make sense. Tolle would indeed be recalled on April 23 to pitch against the New York Yankees and showed he was ready. While the Red Sox would ultimately lose the game 4-2, Tolle gave the team everything he had by pitching six innings and allowing just one earned run on three hits and a walk. He also struck out 11 batters including five straight to begin his outing. His fastball topped out at 99.5 mph during the outing, and he managed to generate 18 whiffs. The Yankees as a team have handled fastballs extremely well in 2026 with Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells all having a run value of three or greater. Run Value is a metric that helps measure the impact a hitter has on run scoring with a positive value indicating runs created. Rice, who leads the team against fastballs with a Run Value of nine, has a .400 batting average and a 1.240 slugging percentage against fastballs in 2026. Against Tolle he went 1-for-3, his lone hit coming off of the sinker while being struck out on a fastball. And just as Tracy had stated about what made Tolle ready for the major leagues, the left-hander went out and did just that. Leading with his fastball for 49% of his pitches, his best weapon was supplemented by mainly his sinker and curveball as the latter generated seven whiffs and was a strike 80% of the time it was thrown. Thanks to that, Tolle was able to get eight whiffs with his fastball, the pitch being put in play just five times while only one ended up as a hit. The sinker was just as useful despite not generating any whiffs. Instead, Tolle was able to land it for a strike 61% of the time including for five first pitch strikes. His cutter was just as effective, using it 12% of the time and getting two whiffs on it while landing it for a strike 73% of the time. The pitch was used against both right-handed and left-handed batters. Overall, he tossed 93 pitches on the evening with 68% of them going for strikes. But unlike in 2025 where his first start was his best performance, Tolle continued to pitch well and in his third start against the Detroit Tigers, the left-hander dominated even when mother nature looked to create chaos. Tossing seven innings, Tolle cruised against the Tigers’ lineup as he allowed just one hit and one walk to the Tigers offense while striking out eight. He also allowed two unearned runs to score during a very wet sixth inning. Tolle’s night began by retiring the first 12 batters he faced until Riley Greene led off the fifth inning with a double. Then the sixth inning came. As the weather worsened and fans were told to take shelter, Tolle remained on the mound throughout the downpour. The weather situation played a role in a rough sixth inning as Tolle hit the first batter and with one out allowed his lone walk of the evening. With two on and one out, Carlos Narváez attempted to pick off the runner on first base only to throw the baseball into right field and allow both runners to advance. Then Matt Vierling stepped to the plate and hit a ground ball at Andruw Monasterio at third base who attempted to throw home. It was offline and got past Narváez, allowing both runners to score. Despite that, Tolle remained poised on the mound, striking out the next two batters and getting the team out of the inning without any more damage being done. When looking at the pitch usage, it was very similar to the Yankees outing where he led with his four-seam fastball with a 36% usage rate while the sinker and curveball both supplemented it as they were used 23% and 18%, respectively. His cutter and changeup saw a tick in increased usage at 16% and 7%. Overall Tolle managed to generate nine whiffs, with eight of them coming between the fastball and curveball. Just like with the Yankees, Tolle was often in the strike zone, getting a strike with his fastball 77% of the time including six first-pitch strikes. And just like the Yankees, the Tigers are also a good fastball hitting team with seven players having a Run Value of at least one, with three of them having a value of three. Of those seven players, only Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, and Dillon Dingler were in the lineup. The three of them went a combined 1-for-9 against Tolle and the only hit was off a sinker. Since returning to the majors, Tolle has been throwing strikes and utilizing the strike zone with all of his pitches. His fastball has mostly been in the upper-two-thirds of the strike zone or in the bottom left of the strike zone from the catcher’s perspective. Compared to 2025 where it was mainly located on the upper half of the strike zone and towards the left-handed batter’s box, the pitch has been located better. The curveball has also seen an improvement, not just in pitch usage but where he’s landing it. During his time in the majors last season, Tolle used it just 18 times with it mostly landing on the upper inside portion of the plate if you were a left-handed batter. Now, the pitch has a more varied location. Most of the time Tolle seems to be landing it in the upper third of the strike zone or at the bottom of the zone with it occasionally hitting the inside corner of the left-handed batter’s box. It has seen a vast improvement in missing bats, being whiffed on 52.4% of the time. His sinker on the other hand has the most varied locations when you look at his pitch contour. The pitch has had a few locations he frequents with it, being mostly the inside portion of the plate to left-handed hitters. The pitch has mostly been up and in or down and in with the occasional down and away from the left-handed batter’s box (though if you’re to look at it from the right-handed box it would be the opposite). With his sinker and curveball able to change the vertical eye level of a hitter, Tolle has been able to make hitters guess with his cutter. When thrown up in the zone, the pitch has been in a similar location to the curveball only a bit more inside if you’re a right-handed hitter. The pitch has also been thrown down and away from left-handed hitters (or down and inside to a right-handed hitter), helping him to generate a chase rate of 29.7% All of this has allowed his fastball to be even better. So far in 2026, the pitch has been thrown 113 times and batters are hitting .063 against it and slugging just .156 and whiffing on it 30.5% of the time. Batters are just 2-for-32 against the pitch this season, having struck out 15 times against it. Prior to his most recent start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Tolle had yet to give up a hit with his cutter, curveball and changeup as batters are a combined 0-for-16 against them. In 2025 batters, went 4-for-11 against those same three pitches. The Red Sox will now be faced with a difficult decision once the rotation returns to full strength: Do they option Tolle back to Triple-A to gain an extra year of control, or do they keep him in the rotation? Should the team want to win every night and get back into playoff contention, the answer should be obvious after Tolle’s display of dominance during his time in the majors. Since being recalled, he’s looked like the ace many envisioned, having allowed just seven earned runs across his 22 2/3 innings. View full article

It’s that time of the year again, when TalkSox updates our Top 20 prospect rankings for the Boston Red Sx. Both staff and readers voted and after tabulating the votes, the reveal of the list is now ready. The Top 20 saw some notable changes from the preseason, including the addition of two new prospects which we will break down. Let’s jump into it below. Boston Red Sox Top 20 Prospect List Payton Tolle LHP MLB (40-man) (previously #1) Franklin Arias SS AA (previously #3) Kyson Witherspoon RHP A+ (previously #4) Anthony Eyanson RHP AA (previously #10) Justin Gonzales OF/1B A+ (previously #7) Juan Valera RHP A+ (previously #5) Jake Bennett LHP AAA (40-man) (previously #12) Mikey Romero INF AAA (previously #6) Marcus Phillips RHP A+ (previously #9) Dorian Soto INF FCL (previously #8) Henry Godbout 2B/SS A+ (previously #14) Tyler Uberstine RHP AAA (40-man) (previously #17) Yoeilin Cespedes 2B/SS A+ (previously #15) John Holobetz RHP AA (previously #20) Enddy Azocar OF A (previously unranked) Miguel Bleis OF AA (previously #11) Yophery Rodriguez OF A+ (previously #16) Johanfran Garcia C AA (previously #13) Hayden Mullins LHP AA (previously unranked) Conrad Cason TWP FCL (previously #19) The list retains many players from the previous Top 20, with Connelly Early and Nelly Taylor Jr. being the only players removed — Early due to his graduation from prospect status, while Taylor has struggled mightily in Double-A with Portland to the tune of a stat line of .098/.202/.195. The biggest rank improvements belong to Anthony Eyanson who went from 10th to 4th, Jake Bennett climbing from 12th to 7th, Tyler Uberstine rising from 17th to 12th, and John Holobetz who went from 20th to 14th. Their rise is a sign of the improvements that Craig Breslow made on the pitching development side of things. Though, it wasn’t just pitching that improved, as both Justin Gonzales and Henry Godbout saw their rankings improve, as well as the addition of Enddy Azocar to the Top 20. The biggest rank decreases belonged to catcher Johanfran Garcia falling from 13th to 18th and Miguel Bleis who went from being just outside of the top 10 at 11th down to 16th. Both players have shown flashes of their talent that has generated buzz and hope that they can reach their potential, but a combination of injuries and inconsistency has stifled the duo. The ranking is dominated in two specific areas. The first being that pitching very much makes up most of the Top 10 on the list. Of the 10 players, six are pitchers, including number one prospect Payton Tolle and the big three pitching prospects of Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, and Marcus Phillips all whom were drafted in 2025. Eyanson specifically has generated comparisons to a Tolle-esque season thanks to his hot start in Greenville (20 1/3 innings, seven hits, one earned run, three walks, 34 strikeouts) that led to a promotion to Portland after just five starts. The second area that dominates this list is that Greenville makes up the most players on the list with seven prospects. Portland finished second with six prospects, while Salem had the least with just a single prospect. Greenville at the start of the season was viewed as an exciting, young, team that could be showcasing the future of the franchise thanks to its pitching staff containing the likes of Eyanson, Witherspoon, Phillips, and Juan Valera along with their offense containing players like Rodriguez, Gonzales and Godbout. Yoeilin Cespedes’ great start to the season was a welcomed surprise too, as he’s beginning to showcase the offensive production that once made him a top prospect within the organization. Let's review the two new additions to our list to round things out. Enddy Azocar, OF (Single-A Salem): No. 15 Azocar is an interesting prospect, as he’s just 19 years old and breaking out in Salem. When signed as an amateur, Azocar was viewed as having good contact skills along with projections viewing him as eventually being a good hitter. However, he struggled in 2024 with just three extra-base hits while moving from the infield to the outfield full time. Entering 2025, the outfielder put on 25 pounds of muscle and increased his quality of contact which led to a quick promotion to Single-A where he was one of the youngest players in the league. If you looked at just his stats, you would think that there wasn’t much to like with Azocar, as he hit just .202/.273/.314 in 71 games. In that same span he had nine doubles, a triple, six home runs and 26 RBIs. Despite those numbers, there was a lot to like in the underlying data, including 90th percentile exit velocity. In the majors, a 90th exit velocity of 107 mph or higher is considered elite. Azocar’s 105.4 mph was the highest for all players of his age across the minors. To add to his power, he also showcased solid contact ability thanks to an in-zone whiff rate of just 18%. Azocar starts with a leg lift timing device while hitting and has showcased average bat speed so far in his young career. He can be aggressive at times but will make contact with pitches in the zone and does not chase often. He still needs to work on developing his pitch recognition for secondary pitches, but should that happen, he should take off as a prospect. He currently has average raw power, but as he fills out as he ages that should increase, as shown in 2026 (six home runs through 28 games vs. six home runs in 71 games in 2025). Azocar has been viewed as having slightly above average speed which helps in the outfield when paired with his plus range in center field. Often, he shows solid instincts on balls hit to the outfield while taking good routes to the ball. While he is likely capable of playing all three outfield positions at an above-average level, he is likely to stick in center field long term. His arm is also viewed as being above-average, which will only help his development. Overall, he should be viewed as an athletic, defensive outfielder with power potential. At the moment, his hit tool is what will determine if he truly breaks out into a great prospect or not, but the improvements have been seen so far in 2026. His outcome is anywhere from a starting outfielder to a minor-league bench role, a huge range laden with tantalizing upside. Hayden Mullins, LHP (Double-A Portland): No. 19 For some, it’s a surprise that Mullins remained in the organization after his 2025 season that saw him go 8-2 with a 2.21 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) between Greenville and Portland. He tossed 101 2/3 innings while striking out 123 batters. For his dominance, (7-2 record, 2.44 ERA, 84 2/3 innings, 96 strikeouts), he was named the 2025 Portland Sea Dogs Pitcher of the Year. Entering the Rule 5 Draft, there was a lot of concern that Mullins could be selected after his 2025 season, especially as many felt that his stuff could play well out of the bullpen a role. Instead, he was not selected and returned to the Boston organization for the 2026 season where he’s looked rather good so far including being part of a no-hitter on April 26. Mullins throws from a three-quarters slot and starts on the third base side of the rubber. His motion tends to involve a high leg kick and rotates his hips. He’s also viewed as having good extension, which we all know Craig Breslow loves. He has a five-pitch arsenal that is made up of a four-seam fastball, slider, sweeper, changeup and cutter. His fastball tends to average around 92 to 95 mph and can show life up in the zone. It’s been shown to have bat-missing ability so far through his minor-league career despite the command and control still being a work in progress. If he were in the bullpen, the velocity could potentially increase for shorter outings, which would place it in plus territory. The slider tends to be between 81 and 85 mph with a high spin rate. He has an advanced feel for it and when at a lower velocity, it sometimes takes on a shape similar to a sweeper. He can land it in the zone or throw it down and outside of the zone if he is hoping to get the batter to chase. The sweeper averages between 77 and 80 mph and has been a work in progress for Mullins. In 2025, he managed to make it more into its own pitch and has shown bat missing ability. The changeup and cutter are his weakest pitches, as the changeup sits between 81 and 83 mph. When the changeup is on, it flashes a late drop and thrown with an arm speed that makes it deceptive. When it isn’t on, the pitch doesn’t work as well and because of that it’s viewed as very inconsistent. The cutter is a pitch that he hasn’t used as much since 2024 but is viewed as having average traits. Mullins has battled injuries in his career, and even before his career started as he was drafted shortly after having Tommy John surgery. As such, being drafted in 2022, he would not make his organizational debut until August of 2023 and that would take place in the Florida Complex League. Last year, he also deal with a bout of shoulder fatigue that had him miss most of May. Due to the injury concerns and his command issues, there is belief he could work best out of the bullpen in a one- or two-inning role, especially if he focuses on a fastball/slider combination. However, due to a deep arsenal that can work against both left-handed and right-handed hitters, the organization will look to develop him as a starter until he struggles in that role. View full article

Payton TolleFranklin AriasAnthony EyansonKyson WitherspoonJuan ValeraJustin GonzalesJake BennettDorian SotoMikey RomeroMarcus PhillipsHenry GodboutEnddy AzocarJohn HolobetzTyler UberstineYophery RodriguezHayden MullinsYoeilin CespedesAllan CastroBlake WehuntAngel Bastardo

Worcester, MA — After missing nearly, a month due to a right oblique strain, right-handed pitcher Justin Slaten is on the path to returning to the Boston Red Sox. His rehab assignment began in Portlandm wgere tossed one inning while allowing one hit and striking out a pair of batters. His next stop was Worcester, where he made his second appearance as he works his way back to Boston. The Red Sox, who are in need of high-leverage pitching, are awaiting the return of Slaten to provide that help. Prior to going down with injury, the relief pitcher had appeared in four games, tossing 3 1/3 innings for the team. During that span, he allowed one unearned run while surrendering two hits and two walks. He also struck out five batters. In his rehab appearance in Worcester, Slaten started the game and tossed one inning, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. After the game, Slaten was asked about his the progress in his rehab assignment: “I feel really good. I mean, obviously it’s up to them you know. I’m gonna do whatever they tell me to do, they have my best interest in mind and want me to be healthy and compete up there. But yeah, I feel really good about where I’m at.” For the outing, Slaten tossed 18 pitches with 11 strikes. Leading with the four-seam fastball, he mixed in a cutter, sweeper and curveball multiples times each as he worked through his entire arsenal. With his fastball and cutter, he was able to generate three whiffs. The lone hit of the game was an infield dribbler that came off of his sweeper. His fastball managed to top out at 97.1 mph, a fact that surprised even Slaten, who said “I was shocked. Early morning [game], so it’s hard to get up and get going. I was pretty pumped, saw the velos out there and obviously feeling good about how the body feels, how the arm feels and how the oblique feels. I think we’re in a very good spot." Despite the talent Slaten has shown since making the major-league roster back in 2024, injuries have seemingly slowed him down each season. That fact hasn’t been lost on the right-hander, who told the media “Obviously you don’t want to be seen as someone who’s injury prone. But you know, it is what it is, you can’t feel bad for yourself. You just have to attack it, keep the positive mindset of like it is what it is, I gotta get back healthy as soon as possible." It's no wonder that Slaten has been eager to get back to Boston and help his teammates as they deal with a coaching overhaul and an attempt to claw their way back into playoff conversation. The 28-year-old doesn’t care that it’s only the beginning of May, admitting that it’s starting to get too late into the season to keep saying it’s early. “At the end of the day, I know we’re running out of time to say it’s early, but you know you look at the standings. It’s not like we’ve dug ourselves in so deep of a hole, and so for me, it’s just like how can I get back and how can I help us win games as fast as possible.” View full article

While the major-league club struggled offensively throughout the month of April, the organization saw great performances across their minor league levels. While the young players may still be a year or two away from contributing at the big-league level, their performances were still invigorating and showed what fans have to look forward to in the years to come. The hope is that these players can now build off of a great April and have a strong May before finishing the season in a positive manner. With that, we’ve narrowed this award down to the five best hitters in the Boston Red Sox’s minor-league system. Honorable Mention: Enddy Azocar (Single-A Salem) Azocar is an interesting player as he made his Single-A debut last season and played 71 games, but if you looked at just the stats, it would have appeared that he struggled. However, looking at the fact he was one of the youngest players in the league combined with an impressive 90th percentile exit velocity that rivaled some of the best in the majors, there was a lot to like about Azocar. Now 19 years old and getting his second chance against Single-A pitching, Azocar is showing just how great of a hitter he can potentially become. In 22 games across the month of April, the outfielder slashed .293/.347/.522 with a team-leading seven doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs. He’s also showcased some speed as he’s stolen three bases in the month. The young outfielder is making a case for a promotion to Greenville once an opening becomes available thanks to his strong play. Honorable Mention: Justin Gonzales (High-A Greenville) Gonzales is well known by fans for his tremendous power. While he didn’t tap into it much in 2025 (just four home runs in 93 games), he’s looked different this season as he’s lifting the ball slightly more, up to 23.1% compared to the 21.6% fly-ball rate he had last year. While small, the improvement along with playing in a more hitter’s friendly ballpark has allowed Gonzales to showcase his potential power more. In 20 April games, the outfielder hit .318/.394/.511 with five doubles, four home runs and 18 RBIs. So far, Gonzales has shown an ability to put the ball in play quite often, causing problems for the defense and providing scoring chances for the Drive. #3: Yophery Rodriguez (High-A Greenville) One of the main pieces in the Quinn Priester trade in 2025, it seemed like Rodriguez was going to need a lot of time to develop and adjust to High-A pitching. In 101 games with Greenville last year, the outfielder hit .214/.312/.331 with 81 strikeouts, though he showcased a great eye with 52 walks. That eye remains dominant for Rodriguez in 2026, and now he’s looking like the player that Craig Breslow and the Red Sox traded for just over a year ago. In 19 April games, the outfielder was as hot as a player could be, hitting .310/.380/.662 with seven doubles and being tied for the team lead in home runs with six. He also drove in 12 runs in that span and swiped a base. Rodriguez has showcased good bat to ball skills along with great power that is being taken advantage of with a 43.9% fly-ball rate, along with pulling the ball at a 47.4% rate. He’s also managed to put the ball in play quite often thanks to whiffing on just under 12% of pitches he swings at. Should this play continue throughout 2026, the Priester trade may turn into a steal for Breslow and the Red Sox. #2: Yoeilin Cespedes (High-A Greenville) After spending a year with the then Salem Red Sox and facing affiliate-level baseball for the first time, Cespedes saw his value as a prospect tank. In 110 games last season he hit just .227/.292/.376, which isn’t what you want from a top prospect. There were legitimate concerns with Cespedes and how he might develop, while others thought that the ballpark factors played a role in his struggles. Now in 2026, Cespedes has begun to put any worries about being a bust aside and hitting like the prospect many thought he could be. Through 22 April games with Greenville, Cespedes led the team in multiple categories such as batting average, on-base percentage, doubles, home runs and RBIs and was second in walks. Overall, he hit .319/.394/.637 with 11 doubles, six home runs and 20 RBIs. At just 20 years old, Cespedes has started to put his name back in the conversation regarding top prospects in the system. Now in a more hitter-friendly park, he’s been able to showcase his above-average power by producing many hard-hit baseballs. #1: Franklin Arias (Double-A Portland) There should be no surprise with who the top hitter in the organization was, unless you’ve been under a rock. Arias, who exploded onto the scene last season by going from Salem all the way to Portland despite being one of the youngest players in each league he appeared in, has only gotten better. Appearing in 20 games across April, Arias hit .375/.432/.764 with four doubles and a team-leading eight home runs and 20 RBIs. He also put the ball into play quite often, striking out in just nine at-bats. When he was signed, Arias was always viewed as a defense-first shortstop who could put the ball in play. That much was true during his first few seasons in the organization, but in 2026, he’s managed to tap into newfound power and change his game. Still, Arias hasn’t sold out at the plate and has continued to showcase excellent bat-to-ball skills, offering hope for a true five-tool profile. Where Arias finishes 2026 is yet to be known, but should the young infielder continue hitting as he did in April, he could very well be knocking at the door of the major leagues by the end of the season. View full article