September 5, 2023 at 12:00 PM
Minor Notes: Anthony and Teel promoted to Portland; Gonzalez continues to impress
Anthony and Teel promoted to Portland
Two of the system's top-five prospects got promoted to Portland, with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel heading north for the last two weeks of the season. The Sea Dogs are unlikely to make the playoffs, and the regular season will end on September 17. Anthony tore through the South Atlantic League, batting .294/.412/.569 with 12 home runs in 54 games. The only hole you can poke in his stats is his strikeout rate of 30%, which may be problematic as he moves into the upper minors. But the 19-year-old impressed fans and scouts with his brilliant play with the Drive.
Teel was in Greenville for less than a month, but it was clear that he was ready for a new challenge. The 21-year-old hit .377/.485/.453 over 14 games while playing dazzling defense behind the plate. The 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Teel has been as-advertised thus far.
Logan Gillaspie claimed off waivers from Baltimore
The Red Sox claimed Logan Gillaspie off waivers from Baltimore and optioned him to Worcester. To make room on the 40-man roster, Jarren Duran got transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. Gillaspie is a right-handed reliever who opened the season in Baltimore's bullpen. After allowing four runs in his first five innings, he got optioned to Triple-A where he has spent most of the year. Gillaspie's fastball averages just under 96mph, and he features a slider, changeup, and curveball.
September roster expansion
With MLB teams allowed to add one position player and one pitcher to the roster on September 1, the Red Sox recalled Enmanuel Valdez and Brandon Walter from Worcester. Walter had a tough outing on Friday, allowing seven runs over four innings.
Notable pitching performances
A couple of pitchers have continued impressive runs, while a couple pitchers have worked their way back from injuries. Zach Penrod has been arguably the best pitcher in the system in August, and he was not signed until August 16. He made three starts in Greenville and did not allow a run over 17 innings while striking out 17. Yordanny Monegro got promoted from Salem to Greenville, and he struck out eight over five shutout innings in his debut with the Drive.
Zack Kelly opened the season in Boston's bullpen but went down in mid-April with right elbow inflammation. He made his first rehab start last week with Greenville. Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz was also activated after missing almost two months with an undisclosed injury.
Roman Anthony, OF, Greenville Drive
5 G, 16 AB, 6 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 4 BB, 6 K, .375/.500/.688
Anthony ended his time in Greenville with fireworks, putting up an OPS of 1.188 in his final week. He stayed in Greenville long enough for SoxProspects.com Director of Scouting Ian Cundall to get an extended look at him, with Cundall noting that Anthony has quality at-bats with a feel for hit and power to all fields. Anthony is likely to end the year as a top-40 consensus prospect in the game, and a solid two-week showing in Portland can push him higher than that. Baseball America already ranked him at No. 19 in their August rankings update.
Wikelman Gonzalez, RHP, Portland Sea Dogs
1 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Anthony is joining Gonzalez (pictured, left) in Portland, where the 21-year-old has impressed since his promotion in mid-July. The six shutout innings lowered his Double-A ERA to 2.45 over 40 1/3 innings, with 52 strikeouts and 22 walks. Gonzalez has risen to eighth in the system rankings after striking out almost 36 percent of the batters he has faced this year. Batters in the Eastern League are hitting just .147 against Gonzalez, and he just passed the 100-inning mark on the season.
Photo Credit: Roman Anthony and Wikelman Gonzalez by Kelly O'Connor