Minor Notes: Bello placed on injured list; four pitchers added from independent leagues

The wave of injuries continued last week with Brayan Bello being the latest player to hit the injured list. Triston Casas was also formally transferred to the 60-day injured list, and the Red Sox went outside the organization to help replace him. Four other players were added from outside the organization, with Boston looking to the independent leagues to sign four pitchers. 

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Bello placed on the injured list

Right-handed starter Brayan Bello was placed on the 15-day injured list with right lat tightness. Bello joins Nick Pivetta and Garrett Whitlock on the injured list as Boston's starting pitching depth is being tested early in the season. There is no timetable yet for Bello's return. The Red Sox recalled Zack Kelly from Worcester to fill Bello's spot on the roster. 

Pablo Reyes designated for assignment

Pablo Reyes, who had played every infield position for the Red Sox this year, was designated for assignment on Monday. With Ceddanne Rafaela announced as the everyday shortstop and Vaughn Grissom close to finishing his rehab assignment, the starting middle infield is coming into focus. David Hamilton figures to be the primary backup for both positions. Reyes had struggled to a line of .183/.234/.217 in 60 at-bats this season.

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Cup of Coffee: Grissom records four hits in Worcester's win; Gonzalez fans eight for Portland

4/29 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went 1-3 to close out the weekend. Vaughn Grissom had a monster day at the plate in Worcester's win over Toledo. Wikelman Gonzalez (pictured) struck out eight and Nick Yorke had two more hits, but Portland dropped its third straight to Hartford. Allan Castro and Miguel Ugueto stood out in Greenville's loss to Greensboro while Marvin Alcantara hit his first home run of the season for Salem.

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 5

Vaughn Grissom led the way offensively, going 4 for 4 with two RBIs, one run scored, and one walk. Corey Rosier broke out of a 0 for 17 slump by going 3 for 4 with his first home run of the season. Niko Kavadas also went deep for the fifth time this year by crushing a 442-foot solo shot in the seventh inning. Eddy Alvarez drove in a team-high three runs on a two-run single and sacrifice fly. Chase Meidroth went 1 for 4 with an RBI single, one run scored, and one walk.

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Cup of Coffee: Perales and Paez shine; Zanetello and Lugo homer

4/28 Cup of Coffee: Each affiliate played a close game on Saturday with strong performances throughout the system. Angel Bastardo and Matthew Lugo had Portland in a position to win until a late bullpen collapse, and Luis Perales returned for Greenville with four strong innings. An inside-the-park home run from Nazzan Zanetello was the highlight of a Salem victory. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 8, Worcester Red Sox 7

The WooSox let a five-run lead slip away as they dropped their fourth game of the series. Chase Shugart made his first start of the year, allowing two runs, one earned, over three innings. Brendan Cellucci allowed one run over three innings in his Triple-A debut after being added from Portland earlier in the week. It was another Worcester debut for Sal Romano, who was signed to a minor league deal on Friday. The former major leaguer and Connecticut native allowed one run on three hits in his lone inning. The blown save went to Melvin Adón who allowed four runs while recording one out. 

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Podcast Ep #314: Talking About What You Want To Hear About

Ian is joined by a very special guest this week as SoxProspects founder and Editor-In-Chief Mike Andrews joins to answer listeners' questions! Before getting to those, however, Ian and Mike discuss Brayan Bello’s injury, Ceddanne Rafaela as the everyday shortstop and Masataka Yoshida’s absence from the lineup. They also go over all the latest minor league transactions, including the three new pitcher signings out of independent ball, Adam Smith, Danny Kirwin and Michael Sansone. Next, they answer a bunch of listener questions from Twitter/X and wrap up answering listener emails. In those sections there was a lot of talk about the big three prospects and their timelines, thoughts on Matthew Lugo’s resurgence, the upcoming Draft and more!

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer has two hits in slow offensive day

4/27 Cup of Coffee: There wasn't much offense to be had anywhere, as no game featured more than seven total runs, while four scores was enough for three teams to emerge victorious and the fourth had just three. Tyler Miller (pictured) was able to record three hits in a loss for Greenville. He, Marcelo Mayer, Karson Simas, and Nelly Taylor formed the multi-hit club on the night, while Eddy Alvarez, Blaze Jordan and Matthew Lugo each went yard. The best outing on the mound belonged to Hunter Dobbins, who turned in a quality start for Portland.

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3

Worcester scored one in the ninth and got the tying run to third, but it was too little, too late, which was a theme on the farm on Friday night. The Red Sox had just five hits, two of which were by Karson Simas, while Eddy Alvarez hit a home run in the sixth to bring his team to within one run. It wasn't a banner outing for Jason Alexander, who allowed three runs over four innings of work. He allowed six hits and one walk, but he did punch out six Mud Hen hitters. He was followed by Lucas Luetge, who didn't allow a run in two innings. 

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Cup of Coffee: Rodriguez shines for Salem as Yuten provides punch

4/26 Cup of Coffee: All four full-season affiliates were in action on Thursday and three came away with victories. A sterling effort by Elmer Rodriugez (pictured) and a pair of relievers along with a Natanael Yuten blast gave Salem the victory. Portland also prevailed in a pitchers' duel, with Helcris Olivarez proving nearly unhittable. Worcester delivered a four-run, ninth-inning rally to come from behind in its win, with only Greenville dropping its contest. 

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 5

Trailing 5-3 headed into the ninth inning, the WooSox stormed ahead on back-to-back two-run doubles by Eddy Alvarez and Jamie Westbrook. Westbrook had previously driven in a run on a two-bagger in the fourth. Elih Marrero delivered a double and a two-run homer, while Karson Simas was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored. Luis Guerrero got credit for the win in relief, allowing just one hit in two scoreless frames, striking out four against two walks. Starter Brian Van Belle went five innings, giving up four runs on 10 hits. 

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Cup of Coffee: Castro walks it off in Greenville; Mayer nearly hits for cycle

4/25 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went 2-3 on a busy Wednesday. Nick Sogard racked up four hits in Worcester's doubleheader against Toledo. Marcelo Mayer (pictured) finished a triple shy of the cycle while Nick Yorke added a home run of his own in Portland's victory over Hartford. In Greenville, Allan Castro delivered with a walk-off double as part of a come-from-behind win at Fluor Field. On the mound, Matt Duffy put together his best start of the season for Salem.

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 5, Worcester Red Sox 3 (Game 1)

Richard Fitts had a rough outing in Game 1 of Wednesday's twin bill. The 24-year-old righty was charged with his first loss of the season after allowing five earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and four strikeouts over four innings. Chase Shugart followed with two scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Chase Meidroth and Nick Sogard accounted for five of Worcester's eight hits. The former went 3 for 4 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot while the latter went 2 for 3 with a double, run scored, and a walk. Nathan Hickey also doubled in a run for his lone hit of the contest.

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Cup of Coffee: Jordan homers; Zanetello makes season debut

4/24 Cup of Coffee: The Drive had the best night among Red Sox affiliates last night, scoring eight runs and tossing a shutout. Juan Daniel Encarnacion (pictured) was phenomenal in his start, while the offense saw contributions from just about everyone. The Salem game saw the season debut for Nazzan Zanetello as well as a great game from Blake Wehunt. The WooSox did not play due to rain, while Blaze Jordan had a huge night in Portland's loss.

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Worcester Red Sox @ Toledo Mud Hens (DET); PPD (rain)

This game was washed out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader Wednesday beginning at 11:05 am Eastern Time. 

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Hartford Yard Goats (COL) 9, Portland Sea Dogs 6

Blaze Jordan was the star of an otherwise tough night for Portland. The third baseman went 2 for 5 with a solo home run and a three-run double. It was his first long ball of the 2024 campaign. Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel had productive nights as well, both going 1 for 3 with a single and two walks. Phillip Sikes also singled, walked, and scored a pair of runs. Isaac Coffey labored through four innings, allowing four hits and four walks, but limiting the damage to just two runs. He punched out four. Robert Kwiatkowski continued his solid season so far with no runs allowed over 1 1/3 innings. His ERA is 2.08 in 8 2/3 innings this year. 

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Minor Notes: Casas placed on IL with rib strain; Gutierrez acquired from Milwaukee

The Red Sox swept the Pirates in Pittsburgh over the weekend but it came at a cost. Triston Casas (pictured) became the latest player to hit the injured list after suffering a left rib strain on Saturday. We cover that, and much more, in the latest installment of our weekly notes.

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Casas placed on injured list

Triston Casas was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left rib strain ahead of Sunday's series finale at PNC Park. The 24-year-old first baseman suffered the injury in the process of drawing a walk in the first inning of Saturday's 4-2 win over the Pirates. He took his base but was replaced defensively by Bobby Dalbec in the bottom half of the frame.

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Episode 313: More Injuries and Early Reports from the Affiliates

Ian and Chris Clegg reconvene to discuss more injuries for the major league team and what the Red Sox should do at first base with Triston Casas seemingly out for an extended period of time. Is Niko Kavadas an option or is an external addition necessary? They then breakdown all of the transactions since the last episode including Cam Booser’s incredible journey to the major leagues. Finally, Chris discusses what he’s seen in Greenville so far (Connelly Early, Dalton Rogers, Luis Perales, Kristian Campbell, Alan Castro and more) and Ian goes over what he saw in Portland (Wikelman Gonzalez, Alex Hoppe, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony) and Worcester (Richard Fitts, Luis Guerrero, Grant Gambrell, Chase Meidroth, Nathan Hickey and Vaughn Grissom) to close the show!

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Cup of Coffee: Meidroth, Sogard lead Worcester; Sikes propels Portland

4/22 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went 2-2 on Sunday, as both upper-level teams won and both lower-level teams fell. Chase Meidroth and Nick Sogard combined for five hits in Worcester's victory over Durham. Wikelman Gonzalez earned the win in relief while Phillip Sikes (pictured) plated three runs as Portland took its fifth straight from New Hampshire. Greenville and Salem each came up short, but Juan Chacon and Miguel Bleis were among those who stood out in defeat.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Durham Bulls (TB) 1

Naoyuki Uwasawa put forth his best start for Worcester thus far. The Japanese right-hander allowed only one earned run on five hits and one walk to go along with a season-high seven strikeouts over five solid innings of work. He finished with 79 pitches (48 strikes) and induced 14 swings-and-misses. Vladimir Gutierrez (organizational debut), Jorge Benitez, and Zack Kelly combined for four scoreless frames of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: Sea Dogs stay hot on Lugo's bat, Dobbins' arm

4/21 Cup of Coffee: Portland picked up the only affiliate win on Saturday, with Matthew Lugo (pictured) turning in another big day at the plate, supporting a Hunter Dobbins quality start. The WooSox were swept in their doubleheader, garnering just five hits across the two games. Juan Chacon was a highlight in the Greenville loss, while Natanael Yuten and Marvin Alcantara had big games as Salem dropped a slugfest.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 12, Worcester Red Sox 2 (Game 1)

The Worcester lineup managed just three hits in the opener, with a fourth-inning double by Eddy Alvarez the only one going for extra bases. Nick Sogard added a walk and run scored to his 1-for-3 effort, while Mark Contreras singled, stole a base, and drove in a run. Brian Van Belle allowed five runs in five innings, taking the loss. It was a Triple-A debut to forget for Cody Scroggins, as the righty surrendered seven runs in the sixth inning.

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer walks off New Hampshire; Kavadas knocks two homers

4/20 Cup of Coffee: It was a dramatic Friday night on the farm, in contrast to the ho-hum defeat of Pittsburgh that the big club had. Worcester trailed in the late innings and had an offensive outburst for victory that featured two home runs for Niko Kavadas, while Marcelo Mayer walked off New Hampshire with a single in a game that was tight all evening. The low minors were less fortunate, as Salem stranded the winning run on first and Greenville's late comeback bid fell two runs short.

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Worcester Red Sox 12, Durham Bulls (TB) 5

Worcester was down 3-2 headed into the bottom of the sixth but burst out for 10 runs over its final three at-bats to take a convincing win over Durham ahead of a doubleheader on Saturday. Niko Kavadas had a big day, going 3 for 3 with a pair of two-run home runs that bookended the scoring. The game-winning run came off the bat of Jamie Westbrook, who drilled a three-run shot in the sixth as part of a three-homer day for the WooSox. He matched Kavadas' four RBI with a 2-for-2 night, while Chase Meidroth also had two hits. Three of Durham's runs were charged to starter Grant Gambrell, who went five innings. He allowed four hits and one walk but struck out five. Jorge Benitez, who handled the eighth, was the only Worcester arm to not allow a run.

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Cup of Coffee: Penrod leads a Portland shutout; Yuten drives in three

4/19 Cup of Coffee: With Worcester rained out, the attention was on Portland in its matinee with New Hampshire. Zach Penrod (pictured) was excellent again for the Sea Dogs, while Roman Anthony and Eddinson Paulino stayed hot at the plate. Jhostynxon Garcia and Johanfran Garcia played well again for Salem, while Natanael Yuten added a bases-clearing double. 

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Durham Bulls (TB) @ Worcester Red Sox, PPD (rain)

Thursday's game was postponed and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday. 

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Cup of Coffee: Fitts earns first win for Worcester; Mayer extends hitting streak in Portland

4/18 Cup of Coffee: On the same night Tanner Houck threw a complete game shutout at Fenway Park, Boston's minor-league affiliates went 3-1. Richard Fitts impressed and Chase Meidroth stayed hot as Worcester won its third straight. Marcelo Mayer extended his hitting streak and Matthew Lugo (pictured) came through in the clutch in Portland. Bryan Gonzalez homered yet again in Greenville's victory over Wilmington. Blake Wehunt and Jhostynxon Garcia were bright spots in Salem's loss to Lynchburg.

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Durham Bulls (TB) 2

Richard Fitts earned his first winning decision for Worcester by spinning his first quality start of the season. The 24-year-old righty allowed just one earned run on four hits, zero walks, and one hit batter with five strikeouts over six innings of work. Fitts finished with 80 pitches (53 strikes) and induced 11 whiffs. Chase Shugart, Justin Hagenman, and Luis Guerrero combined for three innings of one-run ball out of the WooSox bullpen.

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Cup of Coffee: Refsnyder, Grissom rehab, Meidroth homers in Worcester win

Cup of Coffee: Worcester had a big night offensively in their win over Durham. They belted three home runs, including the rehabbing Rob Refnsyder. Dalton Guthrie (pictured), Chase Meidrtoh, and Jamie Westbrook were the big bats for the WooSox. Greenville lost a tough one, while Miguel Bleis and Johanfran Garcia played well in an otherwise disappointing night for Salem. 

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Durham Bulls (TB) 4

This one had a few key rehabbing players in Rob Refsnyder and Vaughn Grissom, who each went 1 for 3. Refsnyder belted a home run. Chase Meidroth also blasted his first career Triple-A home run in addition to drawing a walk in four trips to the plate. Jamie Westbrook and Dalton Guthrie each had huge nights at the dish. Wesbrook went 3 for 4 with a double and three runs scored, while Guthrie went 2 for 4 with his first long ball of the season and four RBI. 

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Cup of Coffee: Paulino, Teel homer as Portland wins fourth straight

4/15 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went 3-2 on Sunday. As part of a doubleheader in Syracuse, Rob Refsnyder and Vaughn Grissom continued their rehab assignments while Tyler McDonough shined in his first start of the year for Worcester. Eddinson Paulino (pictured) homered for the third consecutive game, leading a power surge in Portland's win over Reading. At the lower levels, Cutter Coffey broke out in Greenville while Austin Ehrlicher struck out seven of the 13 batters he faced for Salem.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 10, Worcester Red Sox 5 (Game 1)

Despite scoring the first five runs, Worcester fell in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against Syracuse. Brian Van Belle went just 3 2/3 innings for the second straight start, allowing four earned runs on nine hits (three home runs), zero walks, and zero strikeouts. AJ Politi took the loss in relief after yielding four runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth. Three members of the WooSox' starting lineup recorded multiple hits. Chase Meidroth went 2 for 4 with an RBI, Mark Contreras went 2 for 4 with a run-scoring double, and Eddy Alvarez went 2 for 3 with a double and run scored. Niko Kavadas homered for the second time this season while Nick Sogard scored two runs. The rehabbing duo of Vaughn Grissom and Rob Refsnyder combined to go 1 for 7 with a run, a walk, and four strikeouts.

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Podcast Ep #312: New Rankings, Same Defense

After a strong start, the Red Sox have seen old issues crop up with injuries and poor defense fueling a losing streak. Ian and Chris discuss the injuries and what to do about the defensive issues that have plagued the team recently, especially at the shortstop position. They then discuss the Ceddanne Rafaela extension and if it was the right move by the organization. Finally, they wrap up by discussing the latest transactions and the new SoxProspects rankings that were released in conjunction with the start of the minor league season!

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Cup of Coffee: Multi-home run nights for Anthony, Paulino, and Gonzalez

4/14 Cup of Coffee: It was an exciting night with strong performances across the three levels. In Portland, Roman Anthony and Eddinson Paulino hit home runs in each game of the doubleheader. Connelly Early and Bryan Gonzalez were excellent, though that was not enough to will Greenville to victory. Elmer Rodriguez led a tremendous effort for the Salem pitching staff, while Jhostynxon Garcia collected three hits. 

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Worcester Red Sox @ Syracuse Mets (NYM), PPD (rain)

Saturday's game was postponed, with the teams now slated to play a doubleheader on Sunday. 

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Portland Sea Dogs 9, Reading Fightin Phils (PHI) 2 (Game One)

The Sea Dogs launched four home runs in seven innings as they cruised to a victory in the first game of a doubleheader. Nick Yorke started the barrage with a two-run home run in the first inning, and Roman Anthony and Eddinson Paulino followed with home runs in the third inning. Nick Decker capped things off with a three-run home run in the sixth that broke the game open. Anthony finished 2 for 4 with a double, and the announcer stated his home run left the bat at 111 mph. On the mound, Helcris Olivarez struggled through his 1 2/3 innings as he walked five, and Robert Kwiatkowski picked up the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer goes yard as Sea Dogs win in a blowout

4/13 Cup of Coffee: Following the example from the big club, there were two shutouts down on the farm on Friday night, as Portland dominated Reading, but Greenville was unable to get into the run column against Bowling Green despite four extra-base hits on the night. Marcelo Mayer hit his first home run of the season and was joined in the home run club by teammate Max Ferguson, as well as Jamie Westbrook for Worcester and both Johanfran Garcia and Jhostynxon Garcia in Salem. Worcester dropped a tight decision to Syracuse, while Salem escaped Delmarva, both by identical scorelines.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 4, Worcester Red Sox 2

Worcester had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third, but Syracuse put up a three-spot in the frame and added one more for good measure in the sixth. Nick Sogard opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning, while Jamie Westbrook tacked on a second run in the Red Sox's next at-bat via the home run. Rob Refsnyder had a two-hit day and the trio represented four of Worcester's five hits. Grant Gambrell was on the mound and pitched the first five innings, surrendering three runs on five hits and a trio of walks, while he struck out five. Justin Hagenman struck out three hitters over two frames, while Lucas Luetge had a clean eighth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Yuten caps big night with game-winning blast

4/12 Cup of Coffee: Three teams were in action on Thursday night, with each coming down to the final at-bat. Greenville walked off with the victory in the bottom of the ninth, while Natanael Yuten starred in Salem's extra-inning victory. Worcester suffered the system's only defeat of the night, surrendering an eighth-inning lead to fall 5-4. Portland was also scheduled to play but the Sea Dogs were washed out for the third time in six games. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 5, Worcester Red Sox 4

The WooSox fell in a second consecutive one-run defeat after a back-and-forth contest in Syracuse. Richard Fitts turned in a solid start, allowing three runs on six hits in five innings, striking out five without issuing a walk. Luis Guerrero took the losing decision, surrendering a two-run homer in the eighth inning. Eddy Alvarez was the offensive standout, blasting a solo home run in the second and a double in the fourth. Bobby Dalbec also had a solo blast, his first hit of the season after starting 0 for 15 between Boston and Worcester. 

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Cup of Coffee: Sandlin debuts in Greenville; Tucker ignites Salem's late rally

4/11 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went 1-3 on Wednesday. Naoyuki Uwasawa debuted and Nathan Hickey homered again as Worcester fell to Syracuse. Matthew Lugo and Phillip Sikes each had two hits in Portland's loss to Reading. David Sandlin was charged with the losing decision in his first start for Greenville. Jhostynxon Garcia, Nelly Taylor (pictured), and Natanael Yuten enjoyed multi-hit performances as Salem defeated Delmarva.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 3, Worcester Red Sox 2

Naoyuki Uwasaka made his first start for Worcester on Wednesday night. The Japanese right-hander allowed three earned runs on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts over five innings. He finished with 79 pitches (52 strikes). Zack Kelly and Cam Booser combined for five punchouts across three scoreless frames of relief. Both of Worcester's runs came by way of the long ball. Nathan Hickey went deep for the second straight game and the third time this season as part of a 1 for 3 showing. Nick Sogard also homered in the top of the sixth for his lone hit of the contest. Mark Contreras went 2 for 4 with a double.

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Cup of Coffee: Anthony, Mayer, Teel all notch multi-hit games

4/10 Cup of Coffee: The big three prospects at the top of Portland's lineup, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel (pictured), all had big nights at the plate, leading to eight Sea Dogs runs in a tough loss to Reading. Kristian Campbell went deep in Greenville's loss, and Salem rode three good pitching performances to a win. 

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Reading Fightin Phils (PHI) 9, Portland Sea Dogs 8

The Sea Dogs' studs at the top of the lineup had a big offensive showing in this one. Leadoff hitter and number one prospect Roman Anthony went 2 for 5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Marcelo Mayer had a couple hits as well to go along with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Anthony and Mayer each have an OPS north of 1.000 to begin the season. Kyle Teel had a big night as well, going 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, and three RBI. Nick Yorke, who started in left field for the first time in his career, added three hits of his own, including a double. 

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Minor Notes: Full-season affiliates underway; Hamilton called up; Rafaela extended

All full-season affiliates are officially underway, as the Portland Sea Dogs, Greenville Drive, and Salem Red Sox have started up their seasons. 

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Top prospects off to a good start

Snow had a large impact on the start of the season for the Sea Dogs, and have only played one game so far as a result. However, it was a good game for the top two prospects in the system, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Anthony picked up a pair of singles, while Mayer doubled and swiped a base. 

Cup of Coffee returns for another season

As all full-season affiliates are underway, we are excited for another season of the Cup of Coffee. Each day, our staff writers will recap each game with notes on how the games went, standout performances, stats, and a Player of the Day. Check out the news page each morning for the Cup. Here is our most recent edition, courtesy of Brendan Campbell, recapping four games. 

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Cup of Coffee: Alexander eclipses Mets with six no-hit innings

4/9 Cup of Coffee: The WooSox were the only team in action as part of a rare Monday contest to celebrate the path of the solar eclipse through Syracuse. Jason Alexander (pictured) had a cosmically dominant performance, departing after six non-hit innings and supported by a Nathan Hickey-led nine-run outburst.

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 0

The Syracuse Mets hosted a solar eclipse party and then played as though the sun remained in darkness. Jason Alexander went six innings without allowing a hit, striking out seven against two walks in his second Worcester outing. Jorge Benitez followed with a perfect seventh before allowing the Mets first hit with one out in the eighth inning. Luis Guerrero finished off the one-hitter, striking out one in a scoreless ninth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Bastardo and Criswell impress on mound; Big Three debuts in Portland

4/8 Cup of Coffee: Though the big-league club secured a series win in Anaheim, Boston's minor-league affiliates struggled again on Sunday and went 0-4 as a group. Despite getting another strong start from Cooper Criswell (pictured), Worcester dropped its third straight to Buffalo. After getting snowed out on Friday and Saturday, Portland was shut out by Hartford in its season opener as Roman Anthony accounted for two of the Sea Dogs' three hits. Elsewhere, Greenville fell to Greensboro in a rubber match while Albert Feliz hit his first home run of the year in a losing effort for Salem.

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 10, Worcester Red Sox 5

Cooper Criswell was solid yet again in his second start of the season for Worcester. The 27-year-old righty allowed just one earned run on four hits, two walks, two hit batsmen, and four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings of work. Of the 82 pitches he threw, 50 went for strikes and 11 were whiff-inducing. Out of the WooSox bullpen, Chase Shugart and Brennan Bernardino combined to surrender nine runs (eight earned) in just 1 1/3 innings. On the flip side, Lucas Luetge and Andrew Politi put together 2 1/3 scoreless frames of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: Early terrific for Greenville; Bleis shows his patience

4/7 Cup of Coffee: All three affiliates struggled on Saturday, with each pitching staff allowing at least six runs. Brian Van Belle could not follow up on his great season debut, and Elmer Rodriguez only lasted three innings for Salem. Connelly Early (pictured) was terrific for Greenville, though the bullpen let that game slip away late. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 10, Worcester Red Sox 6

Two more hits from Romy Gonzalez paced the offense, but the pitching staff struggled to find the strike zone in a loss to Buffalo. Brian Van Belle lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks. Justin Hagenman was tagged for four runs over two innings, and Joe Jacques allowed one run on three walks over 1 1/3 innings. Zack Kelly was the only pitcher to hold Buffalo scoreless, but he also issued three walks in two innings. 

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Podcast Ep #311: A Neverending Scary Story

Guarded optimism from a 6-2 start and the excitement of the true opening of the minor league season gave Chris and Ian some positives to discuss on this episode, while the specter of Trevor Story's shoulder injury clouded the vibes with some talk of who might fill the gap at short. Just how good is this Sea Dogs lineup? Who are the top dogs on the A-ball rosters? Those questions answered and more on this episode of the pod.

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Cup of Coffee: Minor League Opening Day

Cup of Coffee 4/6: It was Opening Day for the rest of the full-season affiliates, though Portland isn't going to play until at least Sunday with winter weather rolling through coastal Maine. Worcester was able to clear its field to play a frigid doubleheader, while both of the Single-A affiliates went into extra innings in their first games. Romy Gonzalez had five RBI in Game 1 for Worcester, while each of the Garcias in Salem had multi-hit efforts, as well.

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 7 (7 innings)

In the first half of a chilly doubleheader in Worcester, the Red Sox withstood a six-run seventh to come away with the victory as Nathan Luke's grand slam wasn't enough. Five of the runs went on Lucas Luetge's tab, while it was AJ Politi who surrendered the big fly. Richard Fitts performed admirably as a starter, scattering six hits and an unearned run over 4 1/3 innings of work. He walked two and struck out three. Offensively, Worcester recorded just seven hits but worked eight walks to help facilitate scoring. Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a triple and a grand slam of his own, while Eddy Alvarez and David Hamilton reached base three times.  

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Cup of Coffee: Nope, weather still stinks

4/5 Cup of Coffee: Miserable weather caused Worcester to be postponed for a second consecutive day. However, rain nor snow nor even fog has stopped the intrepid SoxProspects.com team, which published its season-opening rankings. 

Friday should see some baseball action. Worcester's attempt at a doubleheader appears fraught, as does Portland's opening day at Hadlock Field. However, the Greenville Drive, featuring fast-rising Kristian Campbell (pictured), and the Salem Red Sox both appear in good shape to kick off their seasons. 

Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell by Kelly O'Connor

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Cup of Coffee: Fitts' 2024 debut postponed due to weather

4/4 Cup of Coffee: The only minor-league game scheduled for Wednesday was postponed due to rain and sleet in the Worcester area. Richard Fitts (pictured), acquired from the Yankees in December's Alex Verdugo trade, was in line to make his organizational debut but that will now have to wait. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR), Worcester Red Sox (PPD)

As previously mentioned, Wednesday's contest between Buffalo and Worcester at Polar Park was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up as part of a single-admission, seven-inning doubleheader beginning at 3:35 pm Eastern Time on Friday afternoon. The two sides are slated to play a single game on Thursday, though the forecast does not look promising.

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Cup of Coffee: Criswell delivers five scoreless in first outing

The WooSox were again the only game of the day, falling to 2-2 in their home opener. Cooper Criswell (pictured) was the bright spot, turning in a terrific outing for his first start of the season. The bullpen was also great for Worcester in the loss. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0 (10 innings)

Cooper Criswell made his organizational debut and followed the lead of all of Boston's starters at the big league level. The right-hander tossed five shutout innings on 74 pitches. He only allowed four hits and one walk while punching out five. Our own Ian Cundall was in attendance and noted Criswell's deceptive delivery and the use of a promising sweeper. Joe Jacques and Zack Kelly each tossed a scoreless frame, with Kelly touching 96 MPH on his fastball. Lefty Jorge Benitez was also great on the mound, throwing two innings without allowing a hit, walk, or run. He struck out three. At the plate, the Sox' bats were silenced, picking up just two hits in 10 innings. Romy Gonzalez singled and has now hit safely in three of his first four games this year. Mark Contreras had the other knock, a single. 

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Minor Notes: Triple-A season begins; Song needs Tommy John surgery

Spring training has officially concluded, and Boston and Worcester have started their seasons. The rest of the full-season affiliates begin play on Friday. For a full look at current and projected rosters, please check out our Projected Rosters page, which includes the major league and minor league squads. 

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Worcester wins opening series

The WooSox opened the season on the road in Lehigh Valley, taking two out of three games from the IronPigs. David Hamilton (pictured) and Romy González homered twice over the three games, with Hamilton going deep for the third straight year on Opening Day. Brian Van Belle turned in the best pitching performance of the weekend, striking out six over five shutout innings. 

Rosters affected by injuries

Several players who were projected to start the year in the majors or upper minors are dealing with injuries of varying significance. Boston placed Vaughn Grissom (left hamstring strain) and Rob Refsnyder (left toe fracture) on the 10-day injured list. Boston also placed Bryan Mata (right hamstring strain) on the 15-day injured list. Injuries continue to plague Mata, who has just over 100 innings pitched since the end of the 2019 season. As expected, the Red Sox placed Chris Murphy (left UCL sprain) on the 60-day injured list. Murphy is expected to require season-ending surgery to repair a torn UCL in his pitching elbow. 

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Cup of Coffee: Hickey crushes first Triple-A homer as Worcester earns series win

The WooSox were yet again the only one of Boston's minor-league affiliates in action on Sunday. Thanks to some timely hitting from the likes of Nick Sogard, Nathan Hickey (pictured), and Romy Gonzalez, they ended the weekend on a positive note. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 2

The WooSox closed out the first weekend of the Triple-A season by picking up a series victory over the IronPigs on Sunday afternoon. Romy Gonzalez recorded his second multi-hit game in three tries, going 2 for 5 with a double and two-run triple out of the three-hole. Leadoff man Nick Sogard, meanwhile, went 1 for 4 with a walk and go-ahead RBI single. Batting between Sogard, and Gonzalez, Nathan Hickey crushed a 435-foot two-run shot in the fourth inning for his first home run of the year. Corey Rosier, Dalton Guthrie, and Eddy Alvarez each doubled while Niko Kavadas drew a team-high two walks.

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