Nick John

Funny enough he ended up getting sent right back to Worcester after the game for Zack Kelly. He'll be back up at some point in June though.

The Boston Red Sox continue to make roster moves today, as the team designated left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb for assignment following game one of their doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles. Taking his place on the active roster is young right-hander Luis Guerrero, who has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester. Newcomb was a surprise addition to the roster at the start of the season, as he had originally signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training over the offseason. After an impressive spring training, Newcomb saw himself win the fifth spot in the rotation after starters Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito all ended up on the injured list during camp. Newcomb would make five starts for Boston during his time in the rotation, tossing 22 1/3 innings and allowing 11 earned runs on 32 hits and 11 walks. He also struck out 27 as part of the rotation. Upon the return of injured starters Giolito and Bello, Newcomb was pushed into the bullpen, where he often served as a long man to preserve the rest of the bullpen. He appeared in six games in this role, tossing 17 2/3 innings and appearing to have more success as a reliever. He allowed only six runs on 22 hits and five walks but struck out 14. With the Red Sox having three other left-handed relievers in their bullpen and need of a fresh arm, Newcomb was the casualty. It didn’t come as much of a surprise as the left-hander has thrown 139 pitches combined in his last three appearances while preserving the rest of the bullpen. Guerrero has spent the 2025 season bouncing between Boston and Worcester, where he has had two different seasons. While with Boston Guerrero has yet to give up a run, appearing in three games and tossing four scoreless innings while striking out three. However, with Worcester, he has allowed 10 runs across 13 appearances. In 18 1/3 innings for Worcester, Guerrero has allowed five home runs and 10 walks but has struck out 16. As demonstrated between Boston and Worcester, Guerrero relies on four pitches: a fastball, a changeup, a slider, and a splitter. Having some of the best raw stuff in the organization, Guerrero could see himself thrown into a high-leverage role within the bullpen should he manage to keep walks under control up in Boston. Though upon his latest return to the majors, he’ll likely be used as a middle reliever. The right-hander will provide much-needed assistance for the bullpen, which has been leaned upon due to short outings by the starting rotation over the last few series. A fresh arm is exactly what the team needs, and Guerrero will be a breath of fresh air for the team. View full article

The Boston Red Sox are calling up Marcelo Mayer. As first reported by Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive on X (formerly Twitter), Mayer was receiving congratulations from teammates and coaches and appears headed for Boston for the second game of today’s doubleheader with Baltimore. Mayer, drafted fourth overall in 2021 is one of Boston's top prospects and is currently ranked second on several lists. Since being drafted Mayer has hit .273/.360/.466 in 315 games. For Triple-A Worcester this season Mayer has hit .271/.347/.471 in 43 games. He’s also hit nine home runs and driven in 43 runs. Update 5/24/25 5:30pm Mayer has officially been announced as being called up by the Boston Red Sox and will wear number 39 with the team. To make room for Mayer on the 40-man roster, Boston moved Triston Casas to the 60-Day injured list. To create room on the 26-man roster Boston placed Alex Bregman on the 10-Day injured list with a right quad strain. More information will be added as it becomes available. View full article

Nick Burdi made his Boston debut Friday night as he threw seven pitches, five of them strikes, to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning. While his final stat line of just a third of an inning pitched isn’t that fascinating, the story behind him making it to the Red Sox is. Burdi, now 32 years old, began his journey over a decade ago. Drafted back in 2011 by the Minnesota Twins in the 24th round, Burdi decided to bet on himself and turned down their offer, instead attending the University of Louisville where he became one of the top prospects in the 2014 draft. Led by a fastball that could reach 100 miles per hour, Burdi was selected by the Minnesota Twins once more, but this time in the second round of the 2014 draft and signed for a $1.2 million bonus. Burdi was assigned to the Single-A Cedar Rapids Kernels to begin his career, but after throwing 13 innings where he had a 4.15 ERA and struck out 26, he was promoted to High-A Fort Myers and continued to dominate in seven appearances. In 7 1/3 innings that season for Fort Myers, he didn’t allow a run and struck out 12. After that, it was an up-and-down journey for Burdi, opening 2015 with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts only to struggle early with a 5.93 ERA that got him demoted back to Fort Myers in June. He wasn’t there for long, pitching in 13 games and throwing 20 innings with a 2.25 ERA and striking out 29. In his return to Double A, Burdi would close out the season throwing 20 1/3 innings with a 1.77 ERA for Chattanooga, bringing his stats at the level to 30 appearances, 43 2/3 innings and a 4.53 ERA on the season. Overall, he finished with 63 2/3 innings in 43 games and a 3.82 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 2015. After the season, Burdi was selected for the Arizona Fall League and got into eight games, pitching eight scoreless innings and striking out 11. 2016 would be a lost season for Burdi, throwing only three innings due to a bone bruise in his right elbow that would lead to him starting 2017 in Double-A once more. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a long 2017 for Burdi either, as the right-hander would need Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in May of that season, costing him the rest of that season and what was expected to be most if not all of 2018. In 14 games for Chattanooga in 2017, Burdi threw 17 innings and struck out 20 with a 0.53 ERA. The 2017 offseason saw the first of many changes of scenery for Burdi, as he was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Rule 5 draft. He wasn’t meant to stay with the Phillies for long, being dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates for $500,000 of international signing bonus money. Burdi would rehab for most of the 2018 season as he made his way back from surgery. He would go on to appear in 10 minor league games across three levels of the Pirates' farm system, throwing 11 combined innings and logging a 5.73 ERA. Despite that, Burdi would be activated from the injured list on September 1st, 2018, when rosters expanded and would go on to make his MLB debut on September 11th, throwing one-third of an inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Burdi wouldn’t appear much more after that, only getting into one more game and finishing 2018 in the majors with a 20.25 ERA in 1 1/3 innings pitched. 2019 seemed to be a chance for Burdi to get back to his old self, as he made the Opening Day roster. However, he would only appear in 11 games and struggled to the tune of a 9.35 ERA in 8 2/3 innings. though he did strike out 17. On June 25th he would undergo surgery once more, this time needing thoracic outlet surgery to relieve his symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome and would cost him the rest of 2019. The 2020 pandemic-shortened season would be more of the same for Burdi, as he appeared in only three games before going on the injured list once more with an injury to his right elbow. In August, he would receive a platelet-rich plasma injection to try and avoid surgery on the elbow, but it was futile as in October he underwent his second Tommy John surgery ruling him out for the 2021 season. In November of 2020, he would be designated for assignment by the Pirates and became a free agent on November 9th. He wouldn’t be a free agent for long, as Burdi would go on to sign with the San Diego Padres on a minor league deal on December 22nd, 2020. Burdi would not pitch a single game in 2021 as he recovered from his October surgery. In 2022, he would be assigned to the Padre’s Triple-A team, the El Paso Chihuahuas, but ended up being released on April 21st before making his first appearance. He would resign with San Diego on a minor league contract on May 4th but would not make a single appearance. After missing two years recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, Burdi would go on to be selected by the Chicago Cubs in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft on December 7th, 2022. He would finally return from surgery in 2023 as he pitched in 11 games for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. In that span, he tossed 10 2/3 innings where he earned five saves and struck out 19 with a 3.38 ERA. Seeing that he was pitching well, the Cubs selected Burdi’s contract and added it to their active roster on May 15th. After nearly two and a half seasons, Burdi was back in the majors. Unfortunately, his stint wasn't long, as he was placed on the injured list on May 24th after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, and on June 13th, he was moved to the 60-day injured list. He would only appear in three games with the Cubs, throwing three innings and striking out four with a 9.00 ERA. After the season, he was removed from the 40-man roster and outrighted to Iowa, though on November 6th, he elected to become a free agent. Burdi’s time as a free agent would last about two months. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on December 21st, 2023 with an invitation to spring training. He would have such a great spring that he broke camp with the major league team and carried that hot start into the season. Through his first 12 games of 2024, Burdi would throw 9 2/3 innings, striking out 12 and recording a 1.86 ERA. Unfortunately, injury issues would occur once more for Burdi, as he would go back onto the injured list on May 24th with right hip inflammation. The right-hander would receive a platelet-rich plasma injection for his hip but it didn’t help much, and he would be moved to the 60-day injured list on June 23rd. Burdi would go on to be activated on August 1st, though he wouldn’t pitch again for the major league team and was designated for assignment by the Yankees on September 7th. Burdi would clear waivers and be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he played for the RailRiders for the remainder of the season. Overall, with Scranton, he would appear in 18 games, tossing 17 innings and posting a 2.65 ERA with 24 strikeouts. Burdi would elect free agency after the season, though did not sign a new contract until after spring training had begun. On February 28th, 2025, Burdi agreed to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. He would go on to open the season with Worcester, becoming one of their top arms in the bullpen as we've covered previously. Burdi appeared in 13 games for Worcester, tossing 16 2/3 innings while earning three saves and striking out 25 with a 0.54 ERA. His impressive showing was enough for Boston to give him a chance with their bullpen in need of an arm after recent struggles in the rotation caused them to pitch quite often in Detroit. Burdi is now pitching for his sixth (technically seventh, but we won’t count the Phillies since he was immediately traded) organization, with the hopes that this time, he can finally show teams just what made him so good in college and his early minor league career before injuries derailed everything. Despite the two Tommy John surgeries, Burdi is still able to reach 97 on his fastball, showing an unbelievable amount of grit an tenacity for a 32-year-old. His journey to this point has been arduous, but no one can doubt Burdi's drive. He's an easy guy to root for, and he'd make for one heck of a success story if the Red Sox can keep him healthy in 2025. View full article

Signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela back in 2023, no one expected Franklin Arias to break out into a top prospect like he has. Signing for $525,000 on January 15th, 2023, Arias was viewed as one of the better defensive shortstops but failed to stand out offensively. That has all changed since his stateside debut in 2024, where he burst onto the scene in the Florida Complex League with a slash line of .355/.471/.584 in 51 games. Arias opened the 2025 season on a tear with Salem, and all he’s done since earning a promotion to Greenville is continue to put on a display at the plate. Watching him play, you would never have thought that Arias is one of the youngest players in High-A, three years younger than the average age, as he’s been one of Greenville's best hitters. Some would even argue that he’s been a better hitter with Greenville than he was with Salem due to the increase in extra-base hits. In 13 games with Greenville, Arias is slashing .309/.377/.491, and he’s also hit his first two home runs of the season. With his six extra-base hits, he already has more than he did in 19 games with Salem. Between the two levels Arias is hitting .331/.395/.436 with two home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 32 games played. Upon his promotion to Greenville Arias struggled out of the gate, going hitless in his first 11 at bats. Since then, he has continued his impressive display of hitting as he’s gone 17-for-44 since and recently had a six-game hitting streak. Arias was originally signed as a glove-first middle infielder, so to see this development as a hitter is a welcome surprise. The production from his bat transformed Arias into one of Boston’s top prospects as he ranks third on MLB Pipeline’s rankings, fifth on SoxProspects’ rankings, fourth on MassLive’s rankings, and 68th on Baseball America’s Top 100 list. As many of these lists state, Arias was not viewed as a major prospect until he surprised everyone with his improved batting. While it appears power will unlikely be a major part of his game, Arias makes up for it with his ability to barrel up the ball and hit it hard. Thanks to quick hands and a smooth swing that is line-drive oriented, Arias is able to keep the barrel in the zone for a long time and generate hard contact and high exit velocities. This could change as he grows, considering Arias won’t be 20 years old until November 19th. Another change that could lead to more power (but at the expense of his contact skills) is by altering his swing from its line-drive orientation and adding a bit more of an upward plane to it to hunt for more optimal launch angles. As is expected of someone of Arias’ age, he still struggles at time with not getting overly aggressive and could be compared to a less-aggressive Ceddanne Rafaela. Much like Rafaela, his defense is incredible thanks to his smooth actions and soft hands. While at shortstop, he has shown solid range and veteran-like poise that helps to make difficult plays look more routine than they should. However, there is debate if Arias will stick at shortstop, as he is viewed as potentially being even more above-average defensively at second base. Arias’ development at the plate will be the deciding factor for how he will be viewed as a prospect as he climbs the ranks of the minor leagues. So far, he’s been able to hold his own at each level he’s played at despite the age difference, but the competition will only grow tougher as he gets promoted. Should he continue to play well with Greenville, don’t be surprised if Boston gives him a small stint in Portland to end the year. Thanks in part to his hard work and desire to learn, Arias has set himself up to be Boston’s top prospect once Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell graduate from prospect status. View full article

At the beginning of the season, there were question marks surrounding left-hander Shane Drohan and how he would bounce back after an injury-plagued 2024. We previously wrote about Drohan’s hot start to the 2025 season and whether he may be back to the pitcher that had made him one of the Red Sox’s top pitching prospects. While there were some issues, he looked to be closer to the pitcher he was in the first half of 2023, and he's continued that hot start into May. So far on the season, Drohan has appeared in seven games, making six starts in his third stint with Worcester. Through those seven games, he’s thrown 26 2/3 innings, allowing only six earned runs on 17 hits and 11 walks. He’s also managed to strike out 38 batters in that span, helping to keep teams from starting large rallies against him. Drohan this season has a 3.11 FIP, higher than his 2.03 ERA but still mighty impressive. In fact, FanGraphs has it listed that a 3.20 FIP is excellent, putting Drohan in what would be considered the upper-echelon of Triple-A pitchers. To compare it to Boston’s ace, Garrett Crochet currently has a 2.82 FIP across his first eight starts. And while the level of competition is different, it still shows the dominant season Drohan is having. If Drohan qualified for the International League statistics, his FIP would have him ninth out of all Triple-A pitchers. His WHIP on the other hand is just as good, sitting at 1.050 on the season. To put it plainly, he’s allowing about one runner per inning pitched on average. This has shown his dominance in limiting the opposing hitters from getting into a groove, Drohan keeping them off base and working quick innings to allow his own team to get right back onto offense. Pitch-wise, Drohan has been leading with his fastball, having thrown it 32.2% of the time. While it isn’t the fastest pitch, Drohan has seen it’s average speed increase, as it was averaging around 92.6 mph back in early April but is now sitting around 93.2 mph on the season and has even hit 96 mph in a few starts. What may be helping it is how it plays off of his secondary pitches. Drohan has thrown a slider, cutter, curveball and changeup during the season, and each pitch has been important for his revival. The slider has been his second-most used pitch at 24.3% and has small but sharp break — 4.5-inch horizontal break towards Drohan’s glove side, away from left-handed batters. His cutter is currently being used just under 20% of the time. His second-fastest pitch at 88.9 mph on average, his cutter may also be his worst pitch this season. While it has a vertical rise of 12.6 inches, it only breaks 0.3 inches horizontally. It hits the zone the most at 55.4%, but everything else is problematic. Batters are chasing it at only 21.6% of the time and it’s being whiffed on at only a 20.6% rate. Meanwhile, the xwOBA allowed on the pitch is .466, showing that when batters are swinging, it’s being hit. One key example is from a recent start from Drohan where he left a cutter out over the middle of the plate and saw it get crushed for a three-run home run. Used mostly to keep batters off-balance by mixing it with his fastball and slider, his cutter needs to be placed near perfectly else it’ll be hit hard. Surprisingly, it may be his curveball that could be one of his most dangerous pitches. Being thrown only 12.5% of the time, Drohan mixes it in as a means to change eye levels and speeds. Averaging 77.7 mph, it’s his slowest pitch, and it also drops 12 inches while also breaking towards his glove side another 12 inches. Its purpose isn’t to hit the zone often, landing in it just 40.7% of the time, but rather to try and generate whiffs when it is swung at. Despite only being chased 25% of the time, he’s still generating an extremely high whiff rate of 63.2%. Finally, his changeup has been just as good, as he’s used it 11.8% of the time. The pitch currently averages at 84.4 mph, breaking 14.3 inches away from right-handed batters. Much like the curve, it doesn’t hit the strike zone often, landing in it only 31.4% of the time and being chased just 22.9%. However, when swung at, batters are missing quite often, as he's generated a 40.9% whiff rate with the changeup. Looking into his metrics also showcases Drohan’s ability to induce soft contact. Through 26 2/3 innings, the average exit velocity off of him sits at 86.6 mph, while batters are only getting hard hits 31% of the time. That’s not to mention that batters are whiffing on 38.9% of his pitches, which is in the 100th percentile in Triple-A. Drohan still has a few issues to work out. He walks guys at a high percent (10.2%), and his cutter needs work to limit hard contact, but for the most part, Drohan is making amazing strides this season. However, it isn’t the first time he’s put up an amazing start to the season. In 2023, he started the season with Portland on a tear, starting six games and dominating Double-A. He pitched 34 innings and only allowed five runs on 19 hits and nine walks. However, he fell off due to fatigue as the season progressed after his promotion to Worcester. Drohan needs to show that this pitching won’t fall off as the season progresses. Tying into that, one other issue is that the southpaw has not pitched deep into games. Of his six starts on the season, he’s only gone five innings twice, and he’s never gone past the fifth inning once this season. In his latest start, he only lasted three innings. Because of his stamina issues, Drohan may be best out of the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever, similar to what Garrett Whitlock is often used as. Pitching only a couple innings also allows him to go all out from the beginning and will limit opponents from getting a read on his secondary offerings multiple times through the order. Regardless, the Red Sox need all the pitching depth they can develop right now, and whether it’s in the rotation or bullpen, Drohan should be someone to keep an eye on as a potential addition to the Boston roster before the end of the season. View full article

You're not going to see Arias for another 2 years at least. With how he's playing this year I wouldn't be surprised if he ends the season in Portland and then splits 2026 between Portland and Worcester. He's only 19 so there's no need to rush him but my prediction has him called up at some point in 2027.

I feel that Romero hasn't proven enough to me yet to be a major league guy right now. I think he will be in that discussion next season (unless he's moved at the deadline). As for Arias, I have him ranked above Romero as a prospect.

Since being drafted in 2022, Mikey Romero has been seen as injury-prone after dealing with back injuries across his first two seasons. In 2024, while not injured, he was also limited to just 78 games due to his recovery from the injury that cost him all but 34 games in 2023. Now finally healthy in 2025, Romero is putting together a season that has shown why the Red Sox made him a first-round pick back in 2022. Off to a hot start, Romero is making a case for a promotion to Triple-A Worcester once an opening for playing time is available. Through 26 games, Romero is slashing .280/.368/.530, a stat line that is better than any season he’s had previously. Add to it five home runs and 14 RBIs, and Romero is showing that last season’s power surge of 16 home runs was not a fluke. What may be most impressive, however, has been Romero’s newfound patience at the plate. The left-handed batter has shown an increased ability to work the count and hunt for pitches he can hit with authority. Through his first 26 games, Romero has walked 13 times on the season, a huge improvement when compared to 2024. Last season he played in 78 games but walked only 18 times. While Romero began the season on a decent stretch, it’s been his play in May that has really brought his improved approach to the limelight. Despite only walking one time through his first eight games, Romero has managed to cut back on his strikeouts considerably. Romero has also improved how he’s hitting the ball, lowering the amount of time he’s pulling it compared to his first stint in Portland late last season. In 2024, he was pulling the ball 55.3% of the time, but in 2025, he’s lowered it slightly to 47.1% while increasing the percentage of balls hit to the opposite field from 17% to 24.3%. Also, he's hitting more line drives this season, hitting them at a 27.9% clip in 2025 (up from 21.7% last year). When compared to his competition in the Eastern League, Romero is proving to be among the top in several offensive categories. His five home runs are tied for fifth, he’s 29th in RBIs, tied for fourth in runs with 21, 29th in walks, 21st in batting average and has the fifth best ISO (measures a batter’s power by showing how many extra bases they average per at-bat and calculated by subtracting the player’s batting average from their slugging percentage) at .250. Finally, he is tied for third in the Eastern League in wRC+. Defensively, Romero has split time between shortstop, third base and designated hitter, while also playing one game at second base. Drafted as a shortstop, that has been his primary position during his time in the organization, and he's played 15 games there already in 2025. Admittedly, he’s been playing below his usual mean, as he's already made five errors this year. In 2024. he made 10 errors across the entire campaign. When drafted, he was viewed as being unlikely to be a standout defender, but his soft hands and strong instincts along with showcasing average range made it seem that he could possibly stick at the position. However, it’s much more likely he will be switched to second or third base with Marcelo Mayer blocking his way at shortstop long-term. If Romero is to continue advancing up the minor leagues, he'll have to continue evolving at the plate, since he'll never be a defensive wiz. Thanks to his first healthy offseason since being drafted, Romero has opened the year looking the best physically he has since signing with the organization. A call to Triple-A Worcester should come soon for the shortstop, especially if Mayer is called up to Boston at some point. Though, should he continue to play as he has this season, there’s a chance he could be promoted to play alongside Mayer. Either way, Romero is finally healthy and he’s showcasing himself in a way fans, the organization and himself have been waiting for. View full article

Montgomery is going to be the player in that deal that hurts to have traded. But to get Crochet for him I'm alright with trading him

Baseball America unveiled their updated Top 100 prospects list for May, and the Boston Red Sox are well represented on it with six prospects making the cut. Adding to the impressive display of prospects was the fact the Red Sox had three prospects rank within the top 10. This is the second time since the end of the 2024 season where the Red Sox have had six prospects in the top 100. Making the list were Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, Franklin Arias, Payton Tolle and Brandon Clarke. Tolle and Clarke are newcomers to the list after making their professional debuts this season. Leading the way is Anthony, as the top prospect reclaimed the number one spot from Roki Sasaki after an outstanding April. Fans and other executives are wondering why Anthony hasn’t been called up to the majors yet after showing that he is more than ready, but for the time being, the outfielder continues to perform at a high level in Triple-A. Currently third on the list is Campbell, as the second baseman continues a rookie campaign with Boston that saw him win the American League Rookie of the Month award for April. Campbell won’t be eligible for the list for much longer, as he’ll graduate from prospect status in the coming weeks. For now, he joins Anthony as one of the three Red Sox prospects in the top 10. Joining the dynamic duo is the last member of the Big Three (and the longest tenured one) in Mayer. After dealing with injuries across multiple years, Mayer seems to be fully healthy, as he’s played excellently on both sides of the ball in Triple-A. Offensively, he leads Worcester in RBIs, and in the field he’s played phenomenal defense whether it’s at shortstop, second base or third base. Mayer ranked ninth in the latest BA list and could see himself move even higher should his play remain consistent. The last member who was previously on the top 100 list is Franklin Arias, the sure-handed shortstop that was recently promoted to Greenville after a hot start to the season in Salem. The shortstop previously ranked 72nd and is now up to 68th on Baseball America's list. Originally signed for his glove, Arias has shown impressive improvement with his bat since signing and has quickly vaulted himself up several prospect ranking lists. The first new comer for the Red Sox is Tolle, who ranked 94th on his first industry top 100 list. Tolle was drafted in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Texas Christian University and has made four starts for High-A Greenville. Tolle's most impressive skill may be his ability to rack up strikeouts. Through 14 2/3 innings, he’s earned 29 strikeouts thanks in part to his elite extension and velocity. Currently, his fastball tops out at 96 mph, but due to an extension of 7.4 feet on average, it allows his fastball to play above it’s velocity and appear faster. He also throws a sweeper, slider and changeup, and he's flashed advanced feel for each one as he hones his arsenal. The final member of the Red Sox prospects on the Top 100 list is Brandon Clarke. The left-hander debuted in a big way, as he threw four perfect innings in his professional debut with Salem. The 22-year-old was promoted to Greenville after three starts that saw him strike out 17 batters in 9 2/3 innings. His impressive start continued in his Greenville debut, where he allowed only one unearned run in 4 2/3 innings while striking out seven. Clarke throws four pitches; a fastball that tops out at 100 mph, a slider, sweeper and changeup, which all lead to many swings and misses by opposing batters. The Red Sox farm system has continued to show it’s elite ability to develop players, even after trading away Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery and dealing with injuries to top pitching prospect Luis Perales. Even with a number of prospect graduations on the horizon, fans should be pleased at the health of the organization's player development pipeline. View full article

I've watched him quite a few times in Worcester this season. That fastball/slider combination works very well and I think it's worth a shot. If it doesn't work out then just cut him. If it works out, you have another arm

After struggling in Worcester during the 2024 season, this outfielder is hitting better than before since his promotion back to Triple A. Corey Rosier is no stranger to the Worcester Red Sox or Polar Park. Acquired at the trade deadline in 2022 alongside Max Ferguson and Eric Hosmer from the San Diego Padres for pitcher Jay Groome, Rosier has gradually made his way through the Red Sox minor league system. In 2023, he finally made it to Worcester, where in 12 games he put together a stat line of .282/.364/.359, hitting three doubles and driving in two runs. During his short time in Worcester, he also walked four times while striking out 10 times. That offseason, he was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League, putting up similar numbers as he hit .258/.355/.344 in 23 games. Going into 2024, there was some interest in him throughout the organization, as he earned a non-roster invite to spring training and eventually opened the season in Triple-A. Unfortunately, 2024 did not go as well for Rosier, the outfielder bouncing back and forth between Worcester and Portland along with spending nearly a month on the Development List. Overall, Rosier would play in 88 games between Portland and Worcester, struggling at both levels as he finished the season hitting .196/.281/.278 while striking out 68 times. He was not invited back to major league camp this spring, effectively dousing any hype that surrounded him a year ago. Now, however, Rosier seems to have found his hitting stroke in his latest stint in Worcester. After struggling to begin the year with Portland, Rosier found himself promoted a level, as the WooSox needed a body who could play the outfield, as Roman Anthony was dealing with a sore shoulder. Rosier took advantage of the opportunity, and now he's become a fixture in the lineup even with Anthony back in the fray. Since his return to Worcester on April 20th, Rosier has appeared in 12 games, hitting .359/.419/.564 in 39 at-bats. Most importantly, he's drastically cut down on his strikeouts. In 2024, Rosier played 54 games for Worcester, striking out 45 times. This year, he's only struck out seven times in those 12 appearances. Looking at Rosier’s numbers, the outfielder does not miss when he swings at pitches in the zone. Currently, his zone-contact rate is sitting at 87.8%, showing that if he’s swinging at something in the zone, there’s a good chance he’s either fouling it off or putting it in play. Considering his 21.3% whiff rate, Rosier is not missing many pitches. He does have a habit of pulling the ball however, currently pulling 48.1% of the balls he puts in play to the right side of the field. His hits are not exactly rockets either, as currently he’s only barreling the ball at a 3.8% rate and has a hard-hit rate of only 42.3%, a rate that puts him close to average in Triple-A. Rosier has been a paradigmatic example of a slap hitter who’s been putting the ball in play often and getting it to land where the defender isn’t. His swing is short and compact, somewhat reminiscent of Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres. Though one thing with Rosier’s hot streak you shouldn’t expect to continue is his power. During a recent two-week homestand, the outfielder hit two home runs at Polar Park. He only managed two home runs in his first 66 games in Triple-A before this season. With his low rates when it comes to barreling up the ball or hitting it hard, I would not expect many more to come soon. Rosier is an interesting player for the Red Sox as player who could be a solid fourth outfielder or even a potential utility player. It will all come down to his ability to continue to put the ball in play and utilize his plus-speed. Rosier will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, and with their young outfield depth, it wouldn’t make sense for the organization to add him to the 40-man roster over someone like Roman Anthony. Though, should Rosier continue to play well in Worcester, he might just bring his value up for a potential deadline deal. View full article

The Worcester Red Sox have a few interesting pitchers on their roster that could provide help to Boston at some point in the season. The one who may be the most interesting pick might be someone who was viewed as nothing more than Triple-A depth. Nick Burdi is no stranger to bouncing around teams. Since being drafted in 2014, he has spent time in the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees organizations before signing a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox on February 28th of this year. At the time, he wasn’t expected to compete for a roster spot, having signed after spring training began. Instead, it was expected he would open the year at Triple-A and be used as emergency depth. After an impressive opening to the season, that plan may have to change. Through his first 14 2/3 innings pitched, Burdi has been nearly unhittable. With an ERA of 0.61 that is backed up by a WHIP of 0.82 and a FIP of 0.97, Burdi has been one of the most dominant arms not just in the Worcester bullpen but throughout Triple A. The 32-year-old has used a mix of three pitches: a slider, four-seam fastball and a changeup. His most used pitch has been the slider, with a usage rate near 40%. The pitch has averaged 86.6 mph, breaking around 10.6 inches horizontally towards his glove side, a great pitch to try and get right-handed batters to chase. Unfortunately, while it’s managing a 42.4% whiff rate, it’s only being chased out of the zone at a 27.3% rate. Despite that, the expected weighted on-base average it allows is sitting at an amazing 0.189, providing hope it's still major-league caliber. The fastball has been just as useful, being thrown at 30.6% of the time and averaging around 96 mph, though it has reached 97-98 mph. Overall, it has been less effective than the slider, though thanks to the speed difference between the two pitches, it helps to make his slider even more dangerous to opposing batters. Hitting the zone around 47% of the time with his fastball, Burdi has been able to get batters to chase it 25% of the time and whiff at just under 42% of his fastballs thrown. His final pitch is his changeup, thrown at the same amount of the time as his fastball at 30.6%. Unlike most changeups, this one is hard and firm, being thrown at 93.8 mph. At times, he’s been able to throw it for a slower speed, but for the most part, it is only a few miles slower than his fastball. It’s an interesting pitch for its movement, averaging around 1.5 inches of vertical break and 16.1 inches of horizontal break. The pitch so far has been his most accurate, landing in the strike zone 54.4% of the time, though it’s also been the hardest hit of the three pitches. Only able to generate a 13.8% whiff rate, the pitch has an expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) of 0.386. The overall numbers don’t do enough justice for Burdi either, as his fastball velocity ranks in the 98th percentile in all of Triple-A, as does his expected weighted on-base average (.213). Add to it that batters are whiffing on 33.3% of his pitches, and Burdi is dominating his competition this year. Most importantly, Burdi is controlling the strike zone and tempo of at-bats, striking out opposing hitters at a 38.6% rate while only walking them at a 5.3% rate. He’s keeping batters off the bases and he’s providing shutdown innings for the bullpen while providing length. In six of his appearances, he’s gone at least 1 1/3 innings, and in all but two of his 11 games, he’s had multiple strikeouts. Burdi’s main issue, however, is his ability to limit hard contact. While most end up as outs, batters have been barreling up 6.5% of batted balls and are hitting them hard at an even higher percentage. Burdi’s hard-hit rate is currently 45.2%, which just won't be sustainable against big league hitters. Burdi does have some experience in the majors, appearing in 31 games across five injury-filled seasons. In that span, he’s tossed 25 innings and struck out 39 batters with a 6.48 ERA. Last season, he pitched much better for the Yankees, appearing in 12 games and throwing 9 2/3 innings. In that span, he struck out 12 batters and only allowed two runs on five hits and nine walks. Burdi is an interesting name to think about should the Red Sox need an extra arm. He may not be the first choice, as someone like Luis Guerrero would likely be recalled before him, but Burdi has put himself firmly back on the radar. He’s had experience in the major leagues, and he’s shown what he’s capable of so far through 11 games in Worcester this season. Eventually, Boston will have to decide on what they want to do with the veteran reliever. View full article

He definitely put in a lot of work during spring training. Defensively he was out on the backfields early in the mornings. We'd be allowed in around 9ish and he would already be taking grounders.

The Boston Red Sox promoted a pair of talented prospects Tuesday afternoon, as first baseman and outfielder Justin Gonzales was promoted to Salem after just one game played in the Florida Coast League this season. Joining Gonzales in the upwards mobility elevator is infielder Antonio Anderson, from Salem to Greenville, as reported by Beyond the Monster's Hunter Noll . Gonzales, who is 18 years old and measures 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, was signed as an international free agent in January of 2024 and has only impressed since joining the organization. Playing for the Dominican Summer League in 2024, Gonzales hit .320/.391/.517 in 47 games. During that time, he also hit five home runs and drove in 29 RBI en route to being named the 2024 Latin Program Position Player for the Red Sox. During his time in the DSL, he was named an All-Star and later became the playoff MVP after hitting .444/.471/.519 in seven playoff games to help the DSL Red Sox take home the organization’s first DSL title since 2016. Per FanGraphs, out of 91 qualified DSL hitters, Gonzales ranked within the top 20 for multiple offensive categories. He ranked ninth for batting average, eighth for slugging percentage, 10th in strikeout rate with a 10.4% rate, 14th in OPS at .908 and was 20th in wRC+ with 140. In the field ,Gonzales has spent time at first base and the corner outfield spots, though he mostly spent last year at first where he played 236 innings. During spring training, he spent some time working on center field and has shown the range needed to handle the position long-term. Gonzales opened the season in extended spring training before playing his first game stateside with the FCL Red Sox. In his debut, he went hitless, striking out twice and driving in a run on a groundout. Despite the very short stint, the Red Sox felt he was ready for the next level of competition and promoted him to Salem. Gonzales has a short swing and shows solid barrel control for someone of his size. Despite the young age, he also has an advanced approach as he has a good understanding of the strike zone. What will determine how he eventually progresses as a prospect will be how his in-game power develops. Currently, he’s projected to have plus in-game power, as the ball jumps off his bat and he’s shown an ability to drive the ball out to all parts of the field. Anderson, on the other hand, was drafted by the Red Sox in the third round of the 2023 draft as a shortstop, though he’s mostly played third base since being drafted. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 205 pounds, he began to play exclusively third base in spring training of 2025, though he's since started to play some first base for Salem this season. In 2023, Anderson played only 12 games between the FCL Red Sox and Salem Red Sox, hitting a combined .167/.239/.214 in 42 at-bats. The young infielder drove in four runs while striking out 15 times in his debut season. 2024 was much of the same offensively, though Anderson showed an ability to get on base more. In 108 games with Salem, he wound up hitting .186/.311/.270 in 404 at-bats. He also had five home runs and 34 RBIs while walking 69 times and striking out 122 times. He mostly played third base, though he still appeared at shortstop 23 times that season. It seems that Anderson’s bat has finally woken up to begin the season in 2025, as through 22, games he was hitting .345/.436/.488 prior to his promotion to Greenville. The switch-hitter has also hit a pair of home runs and driven in 17 RBIs in 84 at-bats. Anderson has a tall, well-built frame that has added strength at the cost of his athleticism since he originally signed. Offensively, he starts differently based on the side he’s hitting from. As a left-handed hitter, he will start wide and use a leg kick to help time the pitcher, while batting right-handed, he will start narrow and instead use a toe tap. When it comes to his power, he seems to showcase more of it from the right side of the plate, though his ability to hit for power in-game will depend on his ability to make consistent contact. Now in Greenville, Anderson will have a chance to split time between first and third base as he continues to work on the foundation he’s built to begin the season in Salem. Should he continue to develop, Anderson could become a power-hitting corner infielder that either comes off the bench or is sent up-and-down between the minors and majors as the Red Sox need him. With the two move, the Red Sox continue to stay busy with promoting prospects early in the season. Their aggressive nature is a promising sign for the health of the farm system, as young talent continues to rise closer to the big leagues. View full article