PawSox activate Jackie Bradley, Jr. from disabled list

PAWTUCKET, R.I. - PawSox outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. has been activated from the disabled list, the club announced. He's in Friday's lineup against the Gwinnett Braves, batting leadoff as the team's designated hitter.

Bradley was placed on the 7-day disabled list on May 6 (retroactive to May 4) with right biceps tendinitis. He hasn't played since May 3, when he went 1 for 3 with an RBI against the Durham Bulls serving as the PawSox designated hitter. The 23-year-old hasn't played in the outfield since April 27.

“He saw [Red Sox director of sports medicine] Dan Dydrek today and he did well throwing in the outfield and running the bases today, so it was kind of a late decision to get him out there and get him some at-bats and slowly progress him in," PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina said before Friday's series finale against the Braves.

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Weekly Notes: De La Rosa, Betts take center stage

Here are this week's minor league notes:

• Two prospects creating a lot of buzz this month are Rubby De La Rosa and Mookie Betts. The pair was named SoxProspects Players of the Week for May 6-12. In three starts for Pawtucket this month, De La Rosa is 0-1, but has allowed just an unearned run in 12 innings pitched. The right-hander has also struck out 16 while allowing just six walks. Betts, who hit just .157/.333/.286 in April, has also enjoyed the month of May. The 20-year old has hit .348/.492/.696 with four home runs and seven RBI. 
• Accolades were a common theme for the system this week, as Betts, Mark Hamilton, and Garin Cecchini all won Player of the Week honors for their respective leagues. 
• Anthony Ranaudo has had a resurgence thus far in 2013. SoxProspects Senior Columnist Jon Meoli caught up with the right-hander and discussed his keys for success along with pitching coach Kevin Boles.
  

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Cup of Coffee: Shaw leads 18-hit attack in Sea Dogs rout

5/17 Cup of Coffee: It was a highly anticipated day on the farm, as each affiliate had a top-30 player on the mound. Portland had its biggest offensive output of the season in the only win of the night. Pawtucket saw its late rally fall short, Salem walked off with a loss, and Greenville's May slide continued.

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Down 6-1 entering the ninth inning, Pawtucket rallied but could not complete the comback, losing 6-4 to the Gwinnett Braves (ATL). Rubby De La Rosa got the start for the PawSox. He got off to a shaky start, loading the bases with a single and a pair of walks in the first, but was able to pitch out of the jam and settle in. Overall, De La Rosa allowed only one unearned run on one hit in four innings, though he walked four and struck out three. It was the fifth consecutive appearance that De La Rosa has not allowed an earned run, a stretch that spans 18 innings. Despite just the one run allowed, he was charged with his first loss of the season. In relief, Chris Hernandez allowed five runs on 10 hits in five innings.

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Cup of Coffee: Gedman, big Salem seventh key system’s only win

5/16 Cup of Coffee: It was an overall forgettable night for the Red Sox farm system, with High A Salem the only team recording a win. Pawtucket and Portland both fell with knuckleballers on the mound, while Daniel Bard had another ugly outing for the Sea Dogs.

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A four-run opening frame gave the Pawtucket Red Sox a lead for the first few innings, but after the Gwinnett Braves (ATL) posted pairs of runs in three innings, the visitors left McCoy Stadium with a 6-4 victory.

In that first inning, shortstop Jonathan Diaz launched his first homer of the season for his only hit of the night, and catcher Dan Butler knocked in two with a double.

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Christian Vazquez’s new focus at the plate starting to pay off

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — On a soggy Friday night, with the Portland Sea Dogs and New Britain Rock Cats (MIN) in the midst of the second half of a doubleheader, New Britain designated hitter Josmil Pinto strayed a little too far from second base for Christian Vazquez’s liking.

So Portland’s catcher took the opportunity to show everyone just how good his arm is — again — with a snap throw that beat Pinto back to the bag. Although the throw was not perfect this time, pulling shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the right and allowing Pinto to slide safely back in, it did show the level of trust Vazquez has in his arm and in his teammates to take that chance. 

It is trust like that, hitting coach Rich Gedman said, that he needs to learn at the plate.

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Cup of Coffee: Augliera dominant in Salem victory

5/15 Cup of Coffee: All four affiliates were locked in close games on Tuesday, with Pawtucket and Salem coming out on top. Allen Webster was solid in Pawtucket's win, while Mike Augliera (pictured) was dominant for Salem. 

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Pawtucket improved to 24-15 with a 5-3 win over the Gwinnett Braves (ATL). Allen Webster threw five innings, allowing one run on three hits, while walking four and striking out five. The lone run came on a fourth-inning solo home run. On a cold night in Pawtucket, Webster threw only 49 of his 92 pitches for strikes, and his velocity was a bit lower than normal, but he was still able to have strong results despite not having his best stuff. 

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Players of the Week, May 6-12: Rubby De La Rosa and Mookie Betts

In the biggest landslide vote this season, Pawtucket right-hander Rubby De La Rosa and Greenville second baseman Mookie Betts (pictured) garnered more than 80 percent of the community vote en route to earning this week's SoxProspects.com Pitcher and Player of the Week awards. Both players receive the honors for the first time in their careers.

De La Rosa, SoxProspects.com's fifth ranked prospect, continued his recent dominance this week despite an increased workload. After pitching just 12 2/3 innings in five April starts as a result of a 50-pitch limit, De La Rosa tossed a pair of four-innings outing this week. He struck out 13 while allowing just four hits and walking two over those eight innings, and saw his pitch limit increased to 70 as he tossed 72 pitches in his latest outing on May 11. The 24-year-old has not surrendered a run since April 18, a period which spans over 14 innings (four starts). He's struck out 19 and walked just four over that stretch.

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Cup of Coffee: Streaks continue for Mookie Betts, Chris Martin

5/14 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough night on the farm, as Pawtucket, Salem, and Greenville all took losses. There were some notable bright spots, however, particularly on the mound.

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Pawtucket fell 6-1 to the Charlotte Knights (CWS), as the Knights won their second straight to salvage a tie in the four-game series. The PawSox generated little offense off old friend Zach Stewart. Franklin Morales made the start for Pawtucket, as he continues to rehab from back and pectoral injuries. The left-hander was solid, allowing a run on two hits in three innings, while striking out four without walking a batter.

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SoxProspects Video of the Week: Anthony Ranaudo

In a new series, every Monday during the season we will feature a video here from the SoxProspects YouTube page. Today's video is of Anthony Ranaudo's first inning from his start on April 20. In it, he allows a triple to lead off the game then a sacrifice fly to the next batter, but quickly stops the bleeding there by striking out the final two batters. Follow the link to the YouTube page to view the rest of this start, along with many other prospect videos.

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Ranaudo's 2013 resurgance continues with six shutout innings

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – A healthy and confident Anthony Ranaudo used his mid-90s fastball to continue his torrid start to the 2013 season on Sunday, tossing six innings of three-hit, shutout ball in Portland’s 3-2 win over New Britain.

Ranaudo kept his fastball, which sat 92-95 mph and reached 96 mph, in the lower half of the zone to keep the Rock Cats at bay and secure his fifth win and third scoreless outing of the season.

“Anthony’s done a really nice job of kind of establishing a game and getting good starts with his fastball,” Portland pitching coach Bob Kipper said. “His success on the mound is driven by his ability to command the strike zone with his fastball.”

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