Fall/Winter League Roundup: Moncada sidelined by thumb sprain

Here is a recap of the past week's action in Fall and Winter leagues. For the full list of Red Sox prospects participating in these leagues, check out our Fall & Winter Leagues page, which will be updated continuously through the offseason. This week's roundup covers the period of October 25-31.

Arizona Fall League

On Friday, the Red Sox announced that top prospect Yoan Moncada (pictured), who had not played since October 21 due to a left thumb sprain, will not play for the remainder of the Arizona Fall League season. He is scheduled to resume baseball activities in two weeks and is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training. In six games with the Surprise Saguaros, Moncada slashed .292/.370/.458 with one double and one home run. 

As for those still in Arizona, Mauricio Dubon raked in three games this week, going 4 for 11 with two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Dubon, who broke out with an excellent season between Salem and Portland in 2016, has received playing time at his natural shortstop and in center field this fall. Danny Mars struggled at the plate this week, turning in an 0-for-11 performance. Hard-throwing Michael Kopech made his third start of the season on Thursday, tossing four innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and no walks. Jamie Callahan looked good out of the bullpen in two appearances, throwing a pair of scoreless innings and striking out three. Trey Ball threw a clean inning on Wednesday but allowed a run in an inning of work on Saturday. Jalen Beeks pitched one shutout inning on Thursday, striking out a batter. 

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

Second baseman Carlos Tovar played in three games this week, with Tovar going 1 for 7. Infielder Deiner Lopez and right-handed pitcher Dedgar Jimenez did not appear in games. 

Starting pitcher William Cuevas, who will be a minor league free agent this offseason, started on Thursday. Cuevas tossed six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while fanning six. He has a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings across five starts in Venezuela. 

Dominican Baseball League

Rafael Devers has gotten off to a cool start in the Dominican Baseball League, going 4 for 21 in four games this week. He did put together a big game on Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with two runs, a double, a walk, and an RBI, and is hitting .188/.257/.250 in seven games. Outfielder Aneury Tavarez went 2 for 8 in limited playing time. 

Justin Haley started on the mound on Saturday but pitched only one inning, allowing a run on two hits. Victor Diaz (2/3 of an inning, two runs) and Roenis Elias (three innings, one run) each made one appearance out of the bullpen over the course of the week, while Chandler Shepherd (1 1/3 innings, one run) and Roman Mendez (two innings, one run) made two.

Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League

The Puerto Rican winter league began play on Thursday, with first-time free agent Henry Ramos playing for Mayaguez and Joseph Monge for Santurce. Monge has gotten off to a strong start, going 3 for 9 with a double and three RBI in his first two games, while Ramos has gone just 2 for 11 so far. 

Two other players in the Red Sox organization are listed on rosters, as catcher Christian Vazquez is on Santurce's roster and Jeremy Rivera on Mayaguez's. However, neither player appeared in games this week. 

Venezuelan Liga Paralela

Boston's affiliate played in only two games this week, going 1-1, and is now 8-4 this season. Boston won 10-5 on Thursday, with Lorenzo Cedrola and Ricardo Cubillan recording three hits each to power the offense. Starting pitcher Angel Padron silenced the Phillies' bats with three shutout innings, striking out five, while Eduard Bazardo picked up the win with three innings in relief. 

Boston fell by a score of 8-3 on Friday. The bats picked up only five hits in the game, with Raiwinson Lameda's 2-for-3 game standing out as one of the only offensive highlights. Victor Garcia took the hill and threw three strong frames, striking out four and allowing no runs. However, Daniel Gonzalez and Alejandro Rodriguez allowed three runs each in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to let the game get away. 

Coming Up

The Colombian Professional Baseball League is scheduled to begin play on Friday. We have been unable to find complete rosters as of press time, but outfielder Dawill Aponte, the only Colombian in the system, looks likely to be playing for Barranquilla in his native country.

Photo Credit: Yoan Moncada by Kelly O'Connor

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