June 14, 2022 at 1:00 PM
Minor Notes: Rafaela promoted to Portland, Crawford excels in spot start
One of the system's breakout prospects was promoted, Boston added reinforcements from Worcester, and two top prospects returned from injuries.
Ceddanne Rafaela promoted to Double-A Portland
One of the breakout prospects of the 2022 season, Rafaela was promoted to Portland after just 45 games in Greenville. With a batting line of .330/.368/.594 to go along with 14 steals and high-level defense, Rafaela proved that he was ready for a new challenge. He acclimated quickly to Portland, with an early line of .346/.393/.692 in six games.
An in-depth look at Rafaela came in the newest series at SoxProspects.com, Scouting the Box Score. Managing Editor James Dunne details Rafaela's rise and provides historical comparisons for his promotion. Rafaela's promotion was also discussed on the 250th episode of the SoxProspects.com Podcast.
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Kutter Crawford, Rob Refsnyder, and Phillips Valdez all called up to Boston
With Nathan Eovaldi, Garrett Whitlock, and Kiké Hernández going on the injured list, the Red Sox added reinforcements from Worcester. Crawford (pictured, above) held the Mariners to one hit over five innings in a Boston win on Sunday, Refsnyder reached base four times in his two starts, and he also made a great diving catch in right field.
Jonathan Araúz designated for assignment
Araúz was designated for assignment to make room for Refsnyder on the 40-man roster. The 23-year-old was hitless in 10 at-bats in Boston this year and was hitting just .185/.242/.239 in 24 games for Worcester.
Connor Seabold and Nick Yorke activated from the 7-day injured list
The top of the farm system has struggled with injuries lately, but Boston is close to getting everyone back healthy. Yorke may still be banged up, as he came back on June 7 for one game and has not played since. Seabold came back and tossed three shutout innings as they work to ramp him back up.
Devlin Granberg placed on the 7-day injured list
Granberg is in the midst of another great season, as he is currently hitting .304/.427/.467 for Portland while playing mostly center field. There is no word on the severity of his injury, but hopefully, he will be back soon to keep his momentum going.
Bryan Mata continues his rehab
Mata threw three innings for Greenville this week, striking out five and allowing one run. Mata will be an important arm for the organization as it gets ready for a push for a playoff spot.
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Ian Cundall provided a write-up on the system's top pitching prospect. Bello has been extremely impressive this year, and it is a situation where the scouting matches up with the statistics.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe wrote about the rave reviews that Mayer is getting in his first full season. The 19-year-old is hitting .324/.389/.568, and the only thing to slow him down so far has been a wrist injury.
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Players of the WeekNick Northcut, 3B/1B, Greenville Drive
6 G, 22 AB, 7 H, 2 2B, 4 HR, 7 R, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, .318/.400/.955
This is Northcut's (pictured, left) first Player of the Week award in 2022, despite leading the system with 20 home runs. Northcut went deep four times last week as he continues to pace the South Atlantic League. While the home runs have come in bunches for Northcut, so too have the strikeouts. His strikeout percentage of 37.6% has his OBP for the year at just .286. If Northcut can find the right balance between in-game power and swing-and-miss, he could see his prospect status rise from his current ranking of 60th in the system. Northcut was named the Player of the Week for the South Atlantic League.
Josh Winckowski, RHP, Worcester Red Sox
1 G, 1-0, 7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K
After hitting a rough patch over his last three appearances, one of which came in the majors, Winckowski was dominant in a complete-game shutout. He needed only 74 pitches to get through the second game of a doubleheader against Buffalo. With injury issues mounting in the Boston rotation, Winckowski is putting himself back in the conversation if the team needs to call up an arm from Triple-A. The soon-to-be 24-year-old has risen into the top 10 of the system's rankings and was named the International League's Pitcher of the Week.
Photo Credit: Kutter Crawford by Kelly O'Connor