Cup of Coffee: Season comes to a close

9/21 Cup of Coffee: Unfortunately, there was no minor league baseball to recap on Sunday, as Worcester's scheduled season finale was canceled. With the WooSox being the lone Red Sox affiliate still active, that brings the 2026 minor league season to an end across the organization.

On behalf of everyone at SoxProspects, thank you for reading, commenting, listening, and following along throughout the season. Stay tuned next week for our annual Awards and All-Star selections as we begin putting a bow on the 2026 minor league season.

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Cup of Coffee: Arias homers, but Worcester is eliminated from playoff contention

9/20 Cup of Coffee: An extra-inning loss to Durham has officially eliminated Worcester from playoff contention. Even with a win they would have been eliminated after Rochester beat Buffalo. Top prospect Franklin Arias still had a big day, and Tanner Houck was solid in long relief.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3 (10 innings)

Worcester's slim playoff hopes ended with an extra-innings loss to Durham. A two-run home run from Franklin Arias in the third inning gave the WooSox a 2-1 lead, and Arias later added an RBI single in the fifth to retake the lead at 3-2. Braiden Ward followed up his five-hit night by going 1 for 4 with a double and a walk, and Tyler McDonough went 1 for 2 with a double and two walks. 

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Cup of Coffee: Ward has five hits, Castro drives in seven in WooSox romp

9/19 Cup of Coffee: Everything went right for Worcester on Friday, as the team needed to take care of business on the field while getting some help around the league. Braiden Ward (pictured) and Allan Castro had huge evenings at the plate in support of a near-perfect Michael Sansone.

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Worcester Red Sox 16, Durham Bulls (TB) 1

Worcester scored early and often, keeping its long-shot playoff hopes alive as the International League schedule winds down to a wild finish. By the end of the third inning, the WooSox sported a 12-0 lead and Allan Castro had already driven in Braiden Ward three times. Ward scored five runs and drove in three as he went 5 for 5. He pulled a solo homer over the right field wall in the sixth inning and added his 61st stolen base of the season. Castro finished with seven RBI, going 3 for 4 with two doubles, a sacrifice fly, and a three-run homer in the third. Nathan Hickey also had a three-run homer, going deep in the first. Not to be lost in the shuffle, top prospect Franklin Arias was 2 for 4 with a pair of runs driven in. 

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Cup of Coffee: Oviedo makes rehab start, Holobetz shines in relief as Worcester is shut out

9/18 Cup of Coffee: Worcester's three-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of Durham on Thursday. Johan Oviedo struck out four in his rehab start, while John Holobetz (pictured) fanned eight in his first relief appearance at the Triple-A level, but the bats went cold in a losing effort.

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Durham Bulls (TB) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

Johan Oviedo got the start for Worcester. Making his first appearance of any kind since late March, the rehabbing right-hander went 2 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 30 pitches (20 strikes) and generated three whiffs. Fellow righty John Holobetz followed out of the bullpen and fared well in his first relief outing at the Triple-A level, scattering two hits and two walks while striking out eight over 4 1/3 scoreless frames. He threw 66 pitches (43 strikes) and generated 20 whiffs. Tyler Samaniego surrendered an additional run in the eighth, while Noah Song put up a zero in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Castro homers twice as WooSox stay alive

9/17 Cup of Coffee: Worcester won its third straight, as Allan Castro (pictured) twice came up clutch on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the WooSox did not get the help they were looking for elsewhere on the International League schedule, and continue to face an uphill battle for a playoff spot.

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Durham Bulls (TB) 5

Twice Worcester fell into deficits, trailing both 3-0 and 5-3, and both times Allan Castro erased them with a long ball. Castro's two-run blast in the third inning scored Franklin Arias and knotted the score at 3-3. Four innings later, his second two-run homer of the night carried into the right-center field seats and put Worcester up 6-5, a lead it would not relinquish. Arias also singled and drove in a pair. Braiden Ward, who scored on the second Castro long ball, was 3 for 4 with two stolen bases, giving him 60 on the year. 

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Cup of Coffee: Paez deals, Castro hits walkoff single for WooSox

9/16 Cup of Coffee: With the Sea Dogs' season ending on Sunday, the WooSox are the last team standing in the Red Sox system as the Triple-A regular season enters its final week. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 2, Durham Bulls (TB) 1 (10 innings)

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the WooSox bats were held silent until the eighth inning. The WooSox loaded the bases on a Nathan Hickey walk, a Franklin Arias single, and an Allan Castro walk then scored their first run of the game when Romy Gonzalez drew Worcester's third walk of the inning. That run was enough to push the game into extra innings, where Castro was the hero as he ripped a walkoff single to right field to send the WooSox home with the win. Arias went 1 for 4 with a walk. 

 

WooSox starting pitcher Jedixson Paez allowed a solo shot in his first inning of work but he was in complete control for the rest of his start, throwing six innings of one-run ball. Paez allowed three hits and struck out four batters with no walks. After making two appearances with the Sea Dogs, rehabbing right-hander Tanner Houck had his strikeout stuff working in his first outing of the year in Worcester as he fanned three batters in an inning, walking one. Osvaldo Berrios threw a scoreless inning and Hobie Harris tossed two shutout frames to earn the win out of the bullpen. 

Worcester's win combined with a Rochester loss narrowed their deficit to just two games with five remaining. However, Indianapolis, Scranton, and Syracuse all were victorious ahead of them, tightening an already crowded playoff picture. 

 

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Player of the Day: Allan Castro had the signature moment in a pitchers' duel where the WooSox scored just two runs on six hits, delivering a walkoff single in the bottom of the tenth. Castro went 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, raising his slash line to .247/.322/.370 in 115 games on the season. The 23-year-old Castro is playing in his first season at the Triple-A level and the outfielder is ranked No. 34 in the Red Sox system. 

 

Photo Credit: Allan Castro by Kelly O'Connor

  

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