August 13, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Minor Notes: Anthony, Mayer, Teel promoted; Duran suspended; Shugart, Gasper called up
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Big Three promoted to Worcester
Starting with the headliner, top prospects Roman Anthony (pictured), Marcelo Mayer (pictured), and Kyle Teel have officially been promoted from Portland to Worcester. Ranked as the organization's Nos. 1, 2, and 3 prospects, "The Big Three" are expected to be active for the WooSox' series opener against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park on Tuesday night. Nathan Hickey was transferred from Worcester to Portland in a corresponding move.
Anthony, 20, was selected by Boston with the 79th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla). The left-handed hitting outfielder batted .269/.367/.489 with 20 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 48 walks, and 96 strikeouts in 84 games (376 plate appearances) for Portland this season. He made 57 starts in center field, nine in left field, one in right field, and 15 at DH.
Mayer, 21, was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.). The left-handed hitting shortstop slashed .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts in 77 games (335 plate appearances) for Portland this season. He made 65 starts at short, one at third base, and nine at DH. He was recently sidelined by a minor hip issue but was activated from the injured list over the weekend.
Teel, 22, was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of the University of Virginia. The left-handed hitting catcher batted .298/.390/.462 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, 65 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 48 walks, and 87 strikeouts in 84 games (382 plate appearances) for Portland this season. He made 57 starts behind the plate (where he threw out 18 of 91 would-be base stealers) and 27 at DH.
Castro, Garcia promoted to Portland
To help fill the gap left behind by Anthony, Mayer, and Teel, outfielders Allan Castro and Jhostynxon Garcia have been promoted from Greenville to Portland. The two 21-year-olds originally signed with Boston as international free agents in July 2019. They are currently ranked as the organization's Nos. 12 and 19 prospects, respectively.
Castro, a switch-hitter from the Dominican Republic, batted .243/.363/.449 with 21 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 65 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 61 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 95 games (413 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. He made 47 starts in center field, 29 in right field, two in left field, and 17 at DH.
Garcia, a right-handed hitter from Venezuela who made the jump from Salem in late May, slashed .311/.371/.627 with 14 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 37 RBIs, 44 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 50 strikeouts in 53 games (229 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. Aptly nicknamed "The Password," Garcia made 22 starts in center field, 19 in right field, two in left field, and 10 at DH.
Duran suspended two games
The Red Sox issued an unpaid two-game suspension to outfielder Jarren Duran on Monday for using a homophobic slur in the sixth inning of Sunday's 10-2 loss to the Astros at Fenway Park. The 27-year-old's salary from the two-game suspension "will be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the United States’ largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people and those who love them," per an announcement from the team.
Shugart, Gasper called up for first MLB stints
Before opening a three-game series against the Rangers on Monday, the Red Sox selected the contracts of right-hander Chase Shugart and catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper from Worcester. Gasper drew a seven-pitch walk in his first big-league plate appearance after pinch-hitting for David Hamilton in the 10th inning of Boston's 5-4 walk-off win over Texas.
Shugart, 27, was originally selected by Boston in the 12th round of the 2019 draft out of the University of Texas. The righty has forged a 4.98 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 28 appearances (five starts) spanning 59 2/3 innings for Worcester this season. Opposing hitters have batted .251 against Shugart, who figures to provide the Red Sox with length out of the bullpen.
Gasper, 28, was claimed from the Yankees in the minor-league phase of last winter's Rule 5 Draft. The switch-hitting New Hampshire native opened the 2024 campaign at Portland before being promoted to Worcester in early June. He has since slashed .401/.515/.664 with 12 doubles, eight home runs, 32 RBIs, 36 runs scored, one stolen base, 29 walks, and 16 strikeouts in 40 games (171 plate appearances) for the WooSox. He has made starts at catcher, first base, and second base.
Other roster moves
In addition to calling up Shugart and Gasper, the Red Sox activated Brayan Bello from the paternity list and recalled Bailey Horn from Worcester. While Duran's suspension opened one roster spot, Boston cleared the others by placing James Paxton on the 15-day injured list with a right calf strain, optioning Brennan Bernardino and Brad Keller to Worcester and designating Jamie Westbrook for assignment.
Additional injury updates
Two notable infield prospects were placed on their respective affiliate's injured list within the last week. Portland's Blaze Jordan was placed on the 7-day IL with a head contusion on Saturday after being hit in the face by a 97 mph fastball on Friday night. Greenville's Mikey Romero, meanwhile, was placed on the 7-day IL with a concussion on Thursday after taking a bad hop to the face last Tuesday.
SoxProspects x Section 10
Our own Chris Hatfield and Ian Cundall were featured as guests on the latest episode of Underdog Fantasy's Section 10 Podcast. Among the topics discussed were Anthony, Mayer, and Teel being promoted to Worcester, Kristian Campbell's rise in Portland, and the overall state of the farm system. You can listen to the episode in its entirety by clicking here.
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Players of the Week for August 5-11
Mickey Gasper, C/IF, Worcester Red Sox
5 G, 19 AB, 11 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 10 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, 3 BB, 4 K, .579/.636/.947
To go along with SoxProspects Player of the Week honors, Gasper was also named the International League Player of the Week for August 5-11. In the week leading up to his first big-league call-up, the Bryant University product recorded five straight multi-hit games in Syracuse to bring his batting average with Worcester up to .401. He is currently ranked as the No. 57 prospect in the organization.
The aforementioned Campbell is an honorable mention here after being named the Eastern League Player of the Week for August 5-11. The right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 8-for-18 (.444) with three home runs, five RBIs, six runs scored, five stolen bases, six walks, and three strikeouts in five games for Portland. He is currently ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the organization.
Isaac Coffey, RHP, Portland Sea Dogs
1 G, 1-0, 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K
Coffey matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts in his start for Portland last Tuesday. The 24-year-old righty has posted a 3.62 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 103 punchouts to 43 walks in 19 appearances (16 starts) spanning 87 innings of work this season. He has held opponents to a .223 batting average but has also hit more batters (19) than any other pitcher in the Eastern League. He is not currently ranked among the top 60 prospects in the organization.
Photo Credit: Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer by Kelly O'Connor