Minor Notes: Song set to debut, McGrath extends scoreless streak

Here are Thursday's minor league notes:

• Fourth-round pick Noah Song (pictured) is set to make his professional debut on Thursday as the Spinners take on Aberdeen. Song has not pitched in a game since May 17, so he likely will only throw one or two innings for the Spinners, but it will give fans a chance to see some results from one of the most interesting prospects in the system. 

• Considering how well he was playing it was a bit of a surprising move when the Red Sox sent Marco Hernandez down to Pawtucket as the countermove for activating Mitch Moreland. Hernandez was hitting .339/.359/.500 over 62 at-bats with Boston since coming back from a left shoulder injury that cost him the entire 2018 season. 

• After struggling in 2017, 2018, and the beginning of the 2019 season, Sam Travis saw his stock drop pretty significantly, but he has turned things around since the start of May in Pawtucket. Speaking with Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, Travis said he knows what he has been doing wrong the last two years, and it all involves making adjustments to his swing. 

• For the SoxProspects.com $2-and-up supporters on Patreon, Director of Scouting Ian Cundall has uploaded some Patreon Game Updates, with some interesting updates on the exciting Spinners squad. 

• Jenrry Mejia, who has been on the injured list since July 3 with a lower back strain, has started a rehab assignment with Lowell. 

• Ryan Weber has gotten some decent run in Boston this year, but with an ERA of 5.70 over 23 2/3 innings he was optioned back to Pawtucket on Saturday.

Players of the Week (July 15 through July 21)

Nick Decker, OF, Lowell Spinners

5 G, 14 AB, 7 H, 3 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, .500/.588/1.143 

A second-round pick in the 2018 draft, Decker has shown tremendous power potential in his first extended action in the minors. His three home runs last week give him five on the year, and his .272 isolated power ranks ahead of players like Triston Casas and Bobby Dalbec in the system. While he is still striking out a fair amount, Decker has fit right in on a talented Lowell team. 

Daniel McGrath, LHP, Portland

2 G, 13 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 10 K, 0.92 WHIP

McGrath has been on a torrid run for the Sea Dogs, with last weeks two scoreless starts bringing his total up to 30 2/3 straight scoreless innings with Portland. He has allowed only one unearned run over this stretch, walking 15 and striking out 33. His .180 batting average on balls in play over this time shows that he is due for some regression, but that does not take away from how impressive he has been over his last six appearances.

Photo Credit: Noah Song by Kelly O'Connor

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