June 25, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Minor Notes: Tommy John surgery for Perales and Bastardo; Campbell stays hot
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Tommy John surgery for Perales and Bastardo
It was a tough week for injury news, with reports that Luis Perales and Angel Bastardo will need Tommy John surgery. With the recovery timeline being 14 to 18 months, both pitchers are expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season. Perales had recently cemented himself as the top pitching prospect in the system and a top-100 overall prospect in baseball. As he is on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox will look to receive a fourth option year for Perales. Otherwise, he would have one option left at the end of the 2025 season.
Bastardo, a teammate on the Sea Dogs with Perales, was placed on the injured list on June 6. He had gotten off to a hot start in Portland this year but cooled off considerably over the last six starts. He finished April with a 2.89 ERA, but a tough stretch saw his ERA rise to 5.40.
Abreu returns from injury
After a brief rehab stint that saw him hit two home runs in three games with the WooSox, Boston activated Wilyer Abreu from the 10-day injured list. Bobby Dalbec got optioned to Worcester to make room on the roster. Dalbec went 4 for 30 in his most recent 15-game term with the big league club.
Criswell optioned to Worcester
After Chris Martin was activated from the 15-day injured list, Boston optioned Cooper Criswell to Worcester. Chase Anderson seemed likely to be sent down as he had not pitched since June 14, but the Red Sox may want Criswell to work on things in Worcester. After a strong start to the year, Criswell has a 5.30 ERA since the beginning of May.
More bullpen movement
The Red Sox still needed to finish tweaking their bullpen, and on Monday they optioned Cam Booser and Brad Keller to Worcester while recalling Isaiah Campbell and Josh Winckowski. Campbell did allow a mammoth home run to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Monday night, but Boston was able to come back and win. Winckowski was the SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week last week and has been excellent over the last month with the WooSox.
Politi released
Andrew "AJ" Politi, a 15th-round pick in the 2018 draft, got released from Worcester. The 28-year-old took a step back in 2023 with Worcester and had gotten off to a rough start in 2024. He had a good year in 2022, posting an ERA of 2.34 in 69 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. His ERA nearly doubled to 4.45 in 2023 and was 12.19 in 2024. He was a SoxProspects.com All-Star in 2022 and peaked at 31 in the rankings.
Other injury news
Alex Binelas and Nicholas Judice were placed on the 7-day injured list retroactive to June 16 with undisclosed injuries.
Key links
Christopher Smith of MassLive.com spoke in-depth about Kyle Teel with Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham. Abraham discussed some key development points that Teel is working on, including improving his bat speed and, defensively, his receiving in the bottom of the zone.
Nick Yorke has been outstanding in his first three weeks with the WooSox. The 22-year-old has an OPS of .992 over 16 games. In an interview with Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram, Yorke discussed his journey through the Red Sox system since being drafted in the first round in 2020. Yorke's mother came from California to watch him play last week, which Yorke relished. His mother, Robyn, was a four-time All-America selection in softball at Fresno State.
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Players of the Week for June 17-23
Kristian Campbell, 2B/CF, Portland Sea Dogs
5 G, 14 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 R, 6 BB, 3 K, .571/.714/.786
After being an honorable mention last week, Campbell takes home the award for the second time this season. After blitzing through the South Atlantic League with a .306/.418/.558 line over 40 games, Campbell has taken his game to new heights with the Sea Dogs. Another impressive week has raised his line to .431/.526/.692 over 17 games. While his .510 batting average on balls in play with Portland is due to regress, the 22-year-old can go 0 for 15 next week and still be hitting .350. He is currently the 10th-ranked prospect in the system, and in weeks like this, he is pushing to climb higher in the next update.
Conor Ryan of Boston.com covered Campbell's meteoric rise and how he quickly adapted to the Eastern League. Ryan spoke with Campbell and got some insight from Roman Anthony and Portland manager Chad Epperson.
Michael Sansone, LHP, Salem Red Sox
1 G, 0-0, 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Sansone faced the minimum over 4 2/3 innings in a dominant appearance for Salem. One batter did reach base on an error, but he was quickly erased via a double play. The 24-year-old was signed out of the Pioneer League in April and has been a great addition to a Salem team that is third in the Carolina League in ERA. He has posted a 1.54 ERA over 35 innings, with a 36-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Sansone was born in Cheshire, CT, and attended college at Fairfield University.
Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell by Kelly O'Connor