Cup of Coffee: Zanetello walks it off in Greenville; FCL Red Sox throw no-hitter

5/16 Cup of Coffee: Boston's affiliates went 3-3 on Thursday. Nathan Hickey homered for the third straight night in Worcester's blowout loss to Buffalo. Blake Wehunt and Yordanny Monegro combined for 12 strikeouts in their respective starts as Portland split its doubleheader with Somerset. Zach Ehrhard stayed hot while Nazzan Zanetello (pictured) played hero in Greenville's walk-off win over Hub City. Fraymi De Leon had three hits, and Yoeilin Cespedes drove in one run in Salem's loss to Charleston. In the FCL, three Red Sox pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter against the Pirates. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 12, Worcester Red Sox 1

Jose De Leon struggled in his start for Worcester, surrendering five earned runs on five hits (including a three-run homer), four walks, and no strikeouts over just two innings. Alex Hoppe (making his Triple-A debut), Luis Guerrero, and Austin Adams combined to yield seven additional runs out of the bullpen. At the plate, the WooSox' lone run came by way of a 422-foot solo shot off the bat of Nathan Hickey in the fifth inning. Hickey has now homered in three straight games to bring his season total up to seven. Roman Anthony tripled and Vaughn Grissom doubled for their only hits of the night.

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Podcast Ep #363: Very Mid May

The Red Sox are mid again. Why? Ian and Chris examine what's up with the MLB club, then dive into our latest rankings update, spiced up with some reports from Ian's week in Portland, where yes, they did play SOME of their scheduled games. Listen in!

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Cup of Coffee: Ehrhard's five hits power Greenville to win

5/15 Cup of Coffee: Zach Ehrhard (pictured) went off with eight total bases in Greenville's win over Hub City. Worcester also had a big offensive game, as Nathan Hickey went deep and Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony combined to reach base seven times. Yoeilin Cespedes picked up three knocks for Salem as well. 

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4

The Sox used a five-run fifth inning to take the lead for good. Marcelo Mayer had an RBI single in the frame before Trayce Thompson knocked in two runs with a double. Yasmani Grandal capped off the inning with a two-run single. Mayer ended 2 for 4 with a walk. Roman Anthony reached base four times from the top spot in the order with two singles and two walks. Nathan Hickey had a big game as well, going 2 for 4 with a two-run home run and a walk. Brian Van Belle started for Worcester and delivered a quality start, allowing three earned runs over six innings of work. He only punched out one, but did not walk anybody. Bryan Mata came on after Van Belle and surrendered one run on one hit in two frames. He walked three, but struck out four. Isaiah Campbell fired a clean inning of his own to close it out in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Mayer, Hickey hit three-run homers in WooSox comeback

5/14 Cup of Coffee: The Red Sox affiliates were 2-2 on Tuesday night, as Portland was rained out yet again. The WooSox headlined the night with a thrilling comeback win in Buffalo, as three-run homers by Marcelo Mayer and Nathan Hickey (pictured) led the charge. Eduardo Rivera delivered a dominant start, tossing five no-hit innings in a win for the Drive. Blake Aita turned in a strong start for Salem but the Red Sox bats were shut out and the FCL Red Sox dropped to 0-7 in a blowout loss.  

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Worcester Red Sox 10, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 7

The WooSox pulled off an incredible comeback in their series opener against the Bisons. Down 7-1 entering the eighth inning, Worcester brought the game within reach on back-to-back homers, including a three-run blast off the bat of Nathan Hickey and a solo shot by Trayce Thompson. The WooSox completed their comeback in the ninth, taking the lead on a three-run homer by Marcelo Mayer and tacking on an insurance run with an RBI single for Nathan Hickey. Mayer and Hickey were the offensive stars for Worcester, as they each went 2 for 4 with a home run and a walk. Thompson and Alex Binelas were both 2 for 5 with a solo home run. 

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Minor Notes: New rankings as Tolle, Clarke, others rise up

It was a big week for rankings, as three fresh lists are ready to go, including SoxProspects' Top 60 list. First base has also been a huge topic of late, and we have a new podcast out laying everything out.

New podcast episode 

With the Red Sox' first base situation being a sizzling topic in the last week, Chris and Ian took some time to lay out their thoughts on the 362nd edition of the SoxProspects.com podcast. In addition to digging into the team's options at first, they also talk about recent promotions, the FCL, and answer some questions. 

Updated rankings 

The latest update of the SoxProspects.com rankings has been released, with a trio of left-handed pitchers rising up the ranks, while others make their debut on the list. Payton Tolle, the Sox second round draft pick last summer, jumps into the top 10 at number eight. He has been terrific for the Drive this year, with 34 strikeouts and just six walks in 19 2/3 frames. Another lefty drafted in 2024, Brandon Clarke (pictured, left), moves up to the 12th spot after a hot start to the season. He has a 1.62 ERA with 30 strikeouts and three walks with Salem and Greenville this year. Shane Drohan also makes a sizable leap, going from 45th to 29th. John Holobetz, a right-handed pitcher just acquired from Milwaukee to complete the Quinn Priester trade, debuts at 54th. Another trade acquisition from January of this year, Matt McShane, gets onto the list at 59th. He is a right-handed pitcher who was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 13th round last year and was dealt to Boston for Chase Shugart. Check out the rest of the rankings on the SoxProspects.com homepage. 

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Cup of Coffee: Florida Complex League Red Sox rained out

5/13 Cup of Coffee: Jesus Travieso (pictured) was in line to start for the FCL Red Sox on Monday before all seven games in the Florida Complex League were rained out.

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FCL Red Sox @ FCL Rays (PPD)

The 0-6 FCL Red Sox will have to wait at least one more day to secure their first win of the season, as Monday's contest against the FCL Rays in Port Charlotte was postponed due to rain. It is tentatively scheduled to be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 27.

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Cup of Coffee: Another walk-off hit for Garcia; Sandlin and Early rack up the strikeouts

5/12 Cup of Coffee: The Red Sox pitching depth may have taken another hit, as Josh Winckowski left his start early on Sunday. In Portland, Jhostynxon Garcia (pictured), David Sandlin, and Connelly Early were all big factors in an extra-innings victory. Brandon Clarke had an up-and-down start for the Drive, while Yosander Asencio launched a home run for Salem. 

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 6, Worcester Red Sox 0

Roman Anthony and Vaughn Grissom combined to reach base five times, but the rest of the lineup was quiet in a shutout loss. Anthony finished 2 for 3 with a walk, and Grissom went 2 for 4 with his ninth double. The other seven starters went 1 for 24. Josh Winckowski was excellent over the first 3 1/3 innings, striking out four while allowing just a bloop single. He was removed from the game after a visit from the trainers. The team has not announced an official injury designation, but he appeared to favor his right elbow. The IronPigs did most of their damage off of José De León, but Luis Guerrero kept them off the board with two scoreless frames. 

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Cup of Coffee: Garcia walks it off for Portland, Tolle takes the mound for Greenville

Cup of Coffee 5/11: It was a mixed bag of results across the Boston affiliates on Saturday. Jhostynxon Garcia (pictured) helped cap a comeback with a walk-off home run in Portland, Jeremy Wu-Yelland made his Doublet-A debut, and Payton Tolle toed the mound following his impressive 12-strikeout outing last week. 

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Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (PHI) 5, Worcester Red Sox 2

A relatively slow night for the WooSox offense led to the team's third straight loss, scattering five hits and a lone extra base hit across the contest. Blake Sabol led the way for Worcester with a pair of hits as well as driving in both runs.

On the mound Robert Stock took the loss after allowing four runs and six hits across 5 2/3 innings while adding six strikeouts. Zack Kelly took over for Stock in the sixth inning and continued to struggle with his command, walking four and allowing a run. Kelly has now walked 12 hitters across seven innings of work since being sent to Triple-A.

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Cup of Coffee: Cespedes, Nunez power Salem romp

5/10 Cup of Coffee: While Portland continues to get little cooperation from the weather, the rest of the affiliates split in Friday action. A pair of ranked pitchers got the call to make their organizational debuts. John Holobetz, formerly of the Brewers, got plenty of support in a winning effort in Greenville. Yhoiker Fajardo, ex-White Sox arm, was solid but got little help in the FCL. Yoeilin Cespedes (pictured) and Starlyn Nunez led a Salem win, while Worcester dropped a walk-off despite a Nathan Hickey grand slam and a good night from Marcelo Mayer.

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 5, Worcester Red Sox 4

A 1-for-13 effort with runners in scoring position doomed the WooSox to a walk-off loss in Allentown. That hit provided all of the Worcester scoring, as Nathan Hickey blasted a sixth-inning grand slam, his fourth homer of the season. Marcelo Mayer had the only multiple-hit evening in the lineup, going 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored. Corey Rosier singled, walked twice, and stole three bases, and Roman Anthony added a single. Starter Brian Van Belle surrendered two runs on three hits in four innings. Wyatt Mills took the loss in relief as his ninth-inning throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt allowed the winning IronPig to score.

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Cup of Coffee: Encarnacion, Salazar power Salem to victory in extras

5/9 Cup of Coffee: Boston's affiliates went 1-4 on a Thursday that included one rain-shortened contest and two games that went into extra innings. Cooper Criswell struck out seven, and Nate Eaton homered as Worcester's comeback bid against Lehigh Valley fell short due to inclement weather. Mikey Romero and Blaze Jordan each had two hits, while Max Ferguson went deep in Portland's 10-inning loss to Chesapeake. Noah Dean fanned nine and Franklin Arias doubled as part of a two-hit night in Greenville's loss to Rome. Freili Encarnacion (pictured) and Kleyver Salazar combined for two homers and eight RBIs in Salem's action-packed victory over Fayetteville.

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 3, Worcester Red Sox 1 (7 innings)

This game was called in the top of the seventh inning due to rain. Cooper Criswell took the loss on the mound after surrendering three earned runs on four hits, three walks, one hit by pitch, and seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. Zack Kelly recorded the final out of the sixth inning. The offense drew a tough test, as Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter made his Triple-A debut, holding the WooSox scoreless in his three innings of work. Nate Eaton provided the only offense for Worcester by going 1 for 2 with a fourth-inning solo homer for his fourth big fly of the year. Marcelo Mayer also went 1 for 2 with a walk, while Roman Anthony drew two free passes out of the leadoff spot.

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Cup of Coffee: Taylor, Valera lead Greenville to win; Mayer doubles and triples

5/8 Cup of Coffee: Worcester had a nice comeback win against Lehigh Valley, led once again by top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Portland battled through some rain once again, but was able to get both games of a doubleheader in. Yordanny Monegro pitched really well in game one, while Jack Anderson turned in a nice outing in game two. Nelly Taylor (pictured) had a huge game with three extra-base hits in Greenville's win. Juan Valera was tremendous on the mound for the Drive as well. 

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4

Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony started a four-run rally in the eighth inning that led to a comeback win for the WooSox. After Anthony walked to lead off the frame, Mayer belted a double off the wall in right center field. Nick Sogard had an RBI single before Vaughn Grissom tied it with a sacrifice fly. Yasmani Grandal had the game-winning knock, a two-run double to right center. In the first inning, Mayer ripped an RBI triple down the right field line to score Anthony, who singled to center to lead off the game. Mayer ended up going 2 for 5 and Anthony was 2 for 4 with a pair of singles and a walk. 

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Podcast Ep. #362: First Base First

Triston Casas's season-ending injury is on everyone's mind, and Ian and Chris are here to break down the team's options. Is it as simple a situation as it seems like it should be? Meanwhile, we've got another set of promotions to discuss, the Florida Complex League season has begun, and of course, your emails round out this episode

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Cup of Coffee: Sabol's extra-inning heroics power WooSox win

5/7 Cup of Coffee: An extra-inning victory by the WooSox was the Red Sox affiliates' only win on Tuesday night. The Worcester win was highlighted by a two-homer game by Blake Sabol and six excellent innings from Josh Winckowski. Greenville and Salem received strong starts by Eduardo Rivera and Luis Cohen, respectively, but dropped close contests. The Sea Dogs were rained out and will play a doubleheader on Wednesday.

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Worcester Red Sox 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4 (10 innings)

The WooSox got the week off to a good start, earning a thrilling win with a four-run rally in the tenth inning. After two quick outs to start the inning, the WooSox loaded the bases and then promptly unloaded them on a go-ahead grand slam by Blake Sabol. Sabol had previously hit a solo home run to give the WooSox their first run of the game in the seventh inning as part of a 2-for-5 game. Center fielder Nate Eaton delivered a strong performance, going 3 for 5 with a double. 

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Minor Notes: Dobbins promoted to Boston, FCL season begins

It was an eventful week full of roster shuffling and debuts at new levels of the Red Sox system. Injuries on the major league team forced the Red Sox to turn over a few spots on the roster, headlined by Hunter Dobbins' (pictured) promotion to the big league rotation. Left-handed pitchers Brandon Clarke and Hayden Mullins made impressive debuts at new levels of the Sox system following promotions to Greenville and Portland, respectively. The FCL Red Sox opened their season on Saturday, and Conrad Cason burst onto the scene with a dominant debut in the Red Sox system.

Dobbins joins Red Sox rotation

The Red Sox placed Walker Buehler on the 15-day injured list with bursitis in his right shoulder on Friday and recalled Hunter Dobbins from Worcester. Dobbins, the 12th-ranked prospect in the system, performed well in a pair of spot starts with Boston earlier this season and will now receive a more extended look in the Red Sox rotation. Dobbins started against the Twins on Saturday and took his first major league loss, allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Dobbins now holds a 3.78 ERA with 13 strikeouts and 4 walks in 16 2/3 major league innings. Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Buehler is expected to resume playing catch this week and is hopeful to miss only two or three turns through the rotation.

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Cup of Coffee: Pinto stays hot, Cason racks up more milestones in FCL

5/6 Cup of Coffee: It's the first Complex Cup of the season, as the FCL Red Sox were the only Boston affiliate in action on Monday. Avinson Pinto (pictured) built off his strong 2025 debut by collecting two more hits and stealing two bases. Conrad Cason, meanwhile, notched his first professional hit at the plate after making his first start on the mound two days prior. 

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FCL Braves 6, FCL Red Sox 2

The Red Sox fell to 0-2 on the young Florida Complex League season. Despite the loss, Avinson Pinto recorded his second straight multi-hit game out of the gate by going 2 for 3 with one double, one run scored, his first two stolen bases of the year, and one walk. Enddy Azocar and the rehabbing Seby Zavala each went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. Tavano Baker tripled and scored a run while Conrad Cason (single) and D'Angelo Ortiz (sacrifice fly) collected the first RBIs of their professional careers.

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April Players of the Month: Roman Anthony and Brandon Clarke

The first full month of the minor league season is in the books. As such, it is time to present the SoxProspects.com Players of the Month for April in outfielder Roman Anthony (pictured, left) and left-hander Brandon Clarke (pictured, bottom right). Both prospects are currently ranked within the organization's top 20, and each has shown why they are worthy of such high marks to begin the 2025 campaign.

Anthony entered the season with lofty expectations after establishing himself as one of baseball's premier prospects in 2024. The left-handed hitting 20-year-old took part in his first major league spring training and broke camp with Worcester in late March. From March 28 through the end of April, he batted a stout .292/.423/.539 with five doubles, one triple, five home runs, 14 RBIs, 21 runs scored, two stolen bases, 21 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 25 games (111 plate appearances). Following Sunday's series finale against Toledo, he is now slashing .305/.419/.514 through 29 games (129 plate appearances) in 2025. He currently leads the WooSox in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (.933), and walk rate (17.1 percent). 

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Cup of Coffee: Tolle strikes out 12; Jordan and Romero go deep for Portland

5/5 Cup of Coffee: After fellow 2024 draftees Brandon Clarke, Blake Aita, and Conrad Cason had strong outings earlier in the week, Payton Tolle (pictured) one-upped them with a dominant outing for Greenville. Tolle did not need any run support, but Franklin Arias provided some with a home run. Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer were a highlight again for Worcester, while Mikey Romero was great in both ends of a doubleheader for the Sea Dogs. In Salem, Andruw Musett belted two home runs in a win over Fredericksburg. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 7, Worcester Red Sox 3

Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer combined for five hits, but it was not enough to get past the Mud Hens. Starter Robert Stock allowed only two hits and struck out nine over five innings, but both of the hits were solo home runs. Zack Kelly followed with two innings of one-run ball, striking out three. Jose Adames came on in the eighth with the score tied 3-3, but he was chased after allowing three runs while only recording one out. Anthony went 3 for 5 with a steal while also being picked off, and Mayer went 2 for 5. 

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Cup of Coffee: Thompson homers in return, Gonzales and Cason make season debut

Cup of Coffee 5/4: While there was plenty of action across the Boston affiliates on Saturday, there wasn't much success as the organization went winless while having a pair or games postponed due to rain on the east coast. In Worcester, Trayce Thompson homered in his first game back after missing time and Justin Gonzales and Conrad Cason (pictured) made their anticipated season debuts in the Complex League. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 7, Worcester Red Sox 2

In a game that was split up by a nearly two-hour rain delay, Worcester took an early lead in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a two-run home run by Trayce Thompson, who was playing his first game since the middle of April. The swing by Thompson would be the only two runs Worcester would be able to muster as the pitching staff surrendered the lead in the fourth inning and could never recover. Outside of Thompson's big fly, Worcester scattered a handful of singles across the game. 

Brian Van Belle took the loss for the Red Sox as the right-hander was responsible for six hits, four runs and three home runs in 3 2/3 innings. Jose De Leon and Brendan Cellucci followed Van Belle and each were charged for an earned run.

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Cup of Coffee: Arias, Bleis deliver as Greenville drops slugfest

5/3 Cup of Coffee: Boston's four full-season affiliates earned a split on the eve of the opening of the Florida Complex League. Cooper Criswell was excellent in leading Worcester, as Marcelo Mayer returned after an injury scare. Salem staged a thrilling comeback, tying the game in the bottom of the ninth before walking off in the 10th. It was a wild South Atlantic League slugfest, with Franklin Arias (pictured) and Miguel Bleis picking up three hits apiece in a losing effort. Portland suffered just its second defeat in nine contests, falling in Manchester.

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Worcester Red Sox 5, Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 2

Cooper Criswell turned in another strong outing to lead the WooSox. The veteran righty allowed one run in six innings on an Akil Baddoo solo homer. He struck out eight while walking one as his WooSox ERA rose a touch to 1.06. Wyatt Mills allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings of relief before turning over to Nick Burdi, who struck out three of the five batters he faced to pick up the save. Corey Rosier delivered a solo homer in the fourth as part of a 2-for-3 effort. He scored twice, drove in two, and stole a base. Marcelo Mayer returned to the lineup after being scratched from Thursday's game with a back issue. He was 0 for 3 with a walk. Roman Anthony was 1 for 3, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly as part of Worcester's four-run second inning. 

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Podcast Ep. #361: April Live Looks

Ian and Chris have been out to the fields and have reports from Worcester, Portland, and Salem. Plus, the guys break down the season's first promotions of Franklin Arias, Brandon Clarke, and Hayden Mullins. 

(Note: This episode was recorded before Triston Casas' knee injury on Friday night. We'll discuss that next episode.)

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