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. 

Hamilton called up 

With the unfortunate injury to the shoulder of Trevor Story, David Hamilton has been brought up to the big league club to help fill the void at shortstop. The left-hand-hitting Hamilton had already swatted two home runs for the WooSox this year, and immediately carried that over in Anaheim against the Angels. In his first game with Boston on Sunday, Hamilton went 2 for 4 with his first major league home run, a single, and a walk. 

New SoxProspects.com podcast

Speaking of the Story injury, Chris and Ian chatted about the impact of his injury on the latest edition of the SoxProspects.com podcast. They also discussed the loaded Sea Dogs roster, some of the top players on the A-ball rosters, and answered some questions. 

Red Sox extend Rafaela

Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported Monday afternoon that the Red Sox have agreed to a contract extension with Ceddanne Rafaela (pictured). Rafaela joins Brayan Bello as another young player the Sox have locked up to be part of their core over the next several years. The deal is for eight years and $50 million. In addition to elite defense in center field, Rafaela is off to a nice start with the bat this year, posting a 101 OPS+ in 35 plate appearances. He has a double and two triples. 

 

Links

Check out Ian Cundall on The Ringer's "Off the Pike" podcast with Brian Barrett. The two discuss Boston's sweep in Oakland, Jarren Duran, and the impact that Andrew Bailey has had on the pitching staff thus far.

Transactions

On the injury front, Portland has placed Luis Talavera, Daniel McElveny, Alex Hoppe, and C.J. Liu on the 7-day injured list. Greenville has also placed Yordanny Monegro, Bryce Bonnin, and Mikey Romero on the 7-day injured list. Nick Decker and Elih Marrero have also been placed on the development list. 

 

Players of the Week 

 

Romy Gonzalez, INF/OF, Worcester Red Sox

4 G, 15 AB, 5 H, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB, .333/.444/.667

Gonzalez had a huge first week as a member of the Red Sox organization. He was selected off waivers by Boston in January from the White Sox, and is already primed to make an impact at the MLB level. He played 86 games at the MLB level with Chicago over the past three seasons and hit .221 with a .598 OPS. Gonzalez can play anywhere, as he saw action in 2023 with the White Sox at every single position besides pitcher, catcher, and first base. He has played first, second, and short so far with Worcester. 

Cooper Criswell, RHP, Worcester Red Sox

2 G, 0-1, 10 1/3 IP, 0.87 ERA, 8 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K

Like Gonzalez, Criswell's organizational debut has gone very well so far and will likely make an impact at the big league level at some point in 2024. Acquired this past December as a free agent, Criswell spent time in the Rays organization last year. He was in Triple-A all year, where he posted a 3.93 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 84 2/3 frames.

Photo Credit: Ceddanne Rafaela by Kelly O'Connor 

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