May 28, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Minor Notes: Perales and Penrod promoted; Mata shut down
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Perales and Penrod promoted
Two of the system's best pitchers got rewarded with promotions last week. Luis Perales got promoted to Portland, while Zach Penrod moved to Worcester. Perales has been extremely impressive, striking out 46 in just 26 1/3 innings. His 3.42 ERA is outstanding, considering he has been unlucky with a .474 batting average on balls in play. His fastball has been up to 99 and sitting around 96-97.
Penrod's numbers look better on the surface than Perales's, though part of that is the benefit of pitching in front of a strong Portland defense. His ERA with the Sea Dogs was 2.80, and he had a 53-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 35 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old will be the sole left-hander in the Worcester rotation.
Whitlock to undergo season-ending surgery
Garrett Whitlock will miss the remainder of the season as he needs surgery on the ligament damage in his elbow. Whitlock stated that he will likely undergo an internal brace procedure, which puts him on track to return in 11-to-12 months. Whitlock underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 in the Yankees farm system. He finishes the season with a 1.96 ERA over 18 1/3 innings. He has not yet gotten placed on the 60-day injured list, but that will be a formality if a 40-man roster spot is needed.
Mata has shoulder and lat soreness
Hard-throwing right-hander Bryan Mata was recalled from his rehab assignment without being activated due to shoulder and lat soreness one day after he tossed three innings in Portland. The 25-year-old is another candidate for the 60-day injured list, as he was placed on the 15-day injured list on March 25 with a right hamstring strain.
Ian goes in-depth on pitching in a solo podcast
Flying solo this week, Ian gave his in-depth thoughts on several pitchers in the Red Sox system. Players discussed include Perales, Penrod, Mata, Yordanny Monegro, and Richard Fitts.
End of the Pablo Reyes era
After being designated for assignment on April 29 and outrighted to Worcester on May 6, Pablo Reyes got traded to the New York Mets for cash considerations. As Reyes is out of options, the Mets need to keep him on the active roster unless they designate him for assignment in the hope that he clears waivers. Reyes was a versatile asset for the 2023 Red Sox, but his performance fell off precipitously in 2024.
Keller signed to a major league contract
Boston signed Brad Keller to a one-year contract on Sunday. Zack Kelly got optioned to Worcester in a corresponding move. Keller signed with the White Sox this offseason, but elected free agency after being designated for assignment. The 28-year-old tossed 16 2/3 innings over five games with Chicago, with an ERA of 4.86. His last appearance was against the Yankees on May 18, when he allowed four home runs in four innings.
Movement on the development list
Four players were either activated from or placed on the development list. Worcester activated Corey Rosier and Brian Van Belle while moving Melvin Adon to the list. Salem also placed Diego Viloria on the development list as a countermove to Nazzan Zanetello being activated from the injured list.
Gutierrez, Scroggins, and Rodriguez released
Worcester released Vladimir Gutierrez, Portland released Cody Scroggins, and Ricardo Rodriguez was released from the DSL. Gutierrez was acquired from Milwaukee for cash considerations in April and pitched to a 9.00 ERA over eight innings. Scroggins was a ninth-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Arkansas and had appeared in games for both Portland and Worcester this season. He finishes his Red Sox career with a 5.03 ERA in 143 innings over parts of five seasons. Rodriguez got a $50,000 signing bonus in 2023 and appeared in 11 games for the DSL Red Sox last season. He was slated to return to the DSL squad in 2024.
Key Links
Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald had a few good nuggets in his most recent edition of the Minor League Notebook. He discussed the resurgence of Miguel Bleis in May, with the 20-year-old currently hitting .309/.398/.506 in the month. He also had positive injury updates on David Sandlin and Monegro.
Players of the Week for May 20-26
Eddy Alvarez, 2B/LF, Worcester Red Sox
5 G, 18 AB, 9 H, 1 2B, 4 HR, 6 R, 10 RBI, 0 SB, 3 BB, 4 K, .500/.571/1.222
Alvarez was dominant for the WooSox last week, blasting four home runs on his way to posting a 1.794 OPS. This raised his season line to .267/.353/.517, as Worcester's 34-year-old has been a valuable utility piece. The Olympic silver medalist in speed skating also won a silver medal with the US Olympic baseball team in 2021, making him one of six athletes to win medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. His second season in the system has gone much better than his first, as he broke his foot after one at-bat in 2023.
Luis Perales, RHP, Greenville Drive
1 G, 1-0, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 K
Perales's last start in Greenville was memorable, as he tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts. Among players with at least 20 innings pitched, Perales leads the system with 15.72 strikeouts per nine innings, slightly edging out Jojo Ingrassia who is at 15.69. On top of that, he has only given up five extra-base hits in 116 batters faced. The 21-year-old is making a strong case that he is the best pitching prospect in the organization.
Photo Credit: Luis Perales by Kelly O'Connor