Cup of Coffee: Schaffner hits first professional homer, Romero records four hits

Cup of Coffee: On the night that Jedixson Paez made his major league debut at Fenway Park, there was plenty of action for prospect watchers down on the farm as well. Mikey Romero and Romy Gonzalez had big games in a blowout win for the WooSox, while Henry Godbout homered in a Sea Dogs loss. The Drive and RidgeYaks both had exciting wins, as Yophery Rodriguez (pictured) blasted a go-ahead home run in the ninth for Greenville and Adonys Guzman sent the Salem fans home happy with a walkoff single in the tenth. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1 

Mikey Romero led the charge in a huge night for the WooSox lineup, as he drove in a pair of runs with a double in the third inning as part of a 4-for-4 game. Romy Gonzalez homered in his second consecutive game, ripping a two-run homer to center field in the seventh inning. Franklin Arias went 2 for 4 with a walk and scored three runs. In his first game since being optioned to Worcester, Anthony Seigler drove in two runs with a double in the ninth and went 1 for 5 on the night. 

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Minor Notes: Monegro returns from Tommy John; Anthony and Story rejoin Red Sox

With less than a month remaining in the regular season, the Red Sox postseason roster is beginning to take shape. Three major league mainstays returned to the Red Sox after stints on the injured list, causing a ripple effect for Boston's depth in the upper minors. Down on the farm, the Red Sox affiliates remain on the outside looking in as they battle for postseason berths. 

 

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Rehabbing major leaguers rejoin Red Sox 

After missing more than three months of action, Roman Anthony and Trevor Story made their triumphant return to the Red Sox lineup in Sunday's loss to the Yankees. Both players had spent most of the last two weeks on rehab assignments following their lengthy absences, with Anthony hitting .280/.367/.600 with two home runs in eight games between Portland and Worcester while Story hit .171/.189/.200 with 11 strikeouts in 10 games with the WooSox. While he did not pitch on a rehab assignment, Garrett Whitlock also returned to the Red Sox bullpen on Saturday after missing a couple of weeks with elbow inflammation. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has also played eight games on a rehab assignment with Worcester, is likely to follow once rosters expand in September.

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Cup of Coffee: Campbell homers twice; Heyman plays the hero for Greenville

8/31 Cup of Coffee: Two home runs from Kristian Campbell helped the WooSox cling to their playoff chances. Luke Heyman (pictured) was the hero in a thriller for Greenville, while Martin Shelar was on base five times in a doubleheader for Salem. 

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Worcester Red Sox 13, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 10

The WooSox were able to salvage a series split, but they still sit 4.5 games out of a playoff spot entering September. Kristian Campbell capped the month with one of his best games, going 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBI. Romy Gonzalez also added a home run as he went 3 for 4 with a double, stolen base, three RBI, and four runs scored. Appearing in his last rehab game, Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 1 for 3 with a two-run single. The offense bailed out the pitching staff as the seven Worcester pitchers struggled to set down the RailRiders. John Brebbia threw a scoreless frame as the opener; Max Carlson got the win despite allowing two runs over three innings, while he notched a save with a scoreless ninth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzales goes for 4 hits

8/30 Cup of Coffee: The big club split a doubleheader on Saturday, but the minor league affiliates weren't as fortunate, as just one of the four grabbed a win and they begin to fall further from playoff contention. This wasn't without some solid performances, however, as No. 2 prospect Justin Gonzales (pictured) exploded with a four-hit performance in a big Portland victory, contributing two RBI along the way. Barrett Morgan also had a nice start for Greenville, pitching 3 1/3 no-hit innings, while Andruw Mussett was a bright spot in an otherwise tough close loss for Salem, hitting a two-run homer as part of a three-hit evening.

 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (NYY) 9, Worcester Red Sox 1

A four-run fifth was the separator for Worcester, as the WooSox just got five hits. However, there was some encouraging news for the big league club, as Isiah Kiner-Falefa knocked two hits, while Trevor Story knocked a double and Roman Anthony worked a walk, meaning all three rehabbers reached base. Michael Sansone handled the bulk of the work, pitching the first five innings. He allowed six runs, five of which were earned, on two home runs. He walked one and struck out five. Patrick Halligan also contributed three innings, while Nathan Hickey had another pitching appearance in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Monegro returns to Greenville mound as Hull stays hot

8/29 Cup of Coffee: The Red Sox got some strong pitching performances as its affiliates drew a Friday-night split. Yordanny Monegro had his first in-game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, getting the start for the Drive. He was supported by a solid piggyback effort by Shea Sprague and the continued excellent play of Owen Hull (pictured). Devin Futrell got more than enough support for his quality start in Portland's win as the Sea Dogs ripped 14 hits, seven for extra bases. Leighton Finley was excellent for Salem, but the RidgeYaks suffered a come-from-behind loss, while John Holobetz was on the wrong side of a Polar Park pitchers' duel. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (NYY) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

It was a strange evening at Polar Park, with most of the attention paid to who wasn't in the lineup. A trio of rehabbing major leaguers, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, were not activated on Friday for the Yankees series but were also not in the Worcester starting lineup. Afield was a pitchers' duel, with John Holobetz and a trio of relievers falling to a pair of Railriders who threw a three-hit shutout. Holobetz went the first five innings, allowing two runs on five hits, striking out two and walking one. John Brebbia followed with a scoreless sixth inning, striking out one and surrendering one hit. Angel Bastardo fanned two and walked one in two hitless frames, and Hobie Harris struck out three batters, sandwiching one walk in the ninth. For Harris, it was his sixth straight game and 10th in his last 11 that he was not scored upon. At the plate, Franklin Arias had the only extra-base hit, a ninth-inning double. The knock extended his hitting streak to seven games. Nate Eaton and Romy Gonzalez had a hit apiece. 

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Cup of Coffee: Brown, Jackson lead Greenville past Rome; Anthony picks up two more hits

8/28 Cup of Coffee: Aside from Salem's game in Fayetteville getting rained out, Boston's affiliates went 3-0 on Thursday. Blake Wehunt went five innings while the rehabbing trio of Roman Anthony, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Trevor Story combined for five hits in Worcester's win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Ahbram Liendo and Henry Godbout homered in Portland's blowout win over Richmond. And in Greenville, Isaiah Jackson (pictured) and Dylan Brown stood out as the Drive toppled Rome.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 1

Blake Wehunt picked up the win in his start for Worcester after allowing only one earned run on four hits, two walks, and four strikeouts over five solid innings. He threw 75 pitches (47 strikes) and generated five whiffs. Osvaldo Berrios and Seth Martinez combined for nine additional strikeouts over four scoreless, one-hit frames of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: Andujar reaches six times in twinbill; Shelar blasts first homer

8/27 Cup of Coffee: A Portland victory in extra innings saved the system from being swept on Wednesday. The Sea Dogs were locked in a scoreless tie into the 10th and the two exchanged rallies until Yoeilin Cespedes hit a decisive two-run homer in the 13th. Salem was swept in a doubleheader despite a huge day from Louis Andujar (pictured), who reached base six times in seven plate appearances. Greenville fell despite a strong Jason Gilman start while Worcester could not dig out of an early deficit.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 7, Worcester Red Sox 1

It was a tough evening at Polar Park for the WooSox, who were outhit 13 to five and failed to register an extra-base hit. Rehabbers Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Roman Anthony, and Trevor Story occupied the top three spots in the lineup and went a combined 0 for 10, though Kiner-Falefa did draw a pair of walks and stole a base. Allan Castro had the only multi-hit effort, going 2 for 4. Franklin Arias singled to bring his hitting streak to six games. Starter Gage Ziehl took the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits in three innings. He struck out one, walked one, and allowed two homers. Noah Song had a strong effort out of the bullpen, fanning four as he allowed two hits in three shutout innings. Tyler Samaniego and Devin Sweet went a scoreless inning apiece before Scranton picked up an insurance run in the ninth against Sam McWilliams.

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Cup of Coffee: Paez strikes out eight, Anthony homers in WooSox win

8/26 Cup of Coffee: With the help of three rehabbing major leaguers and a great start from Jedixson Paez (pictured), the WooSox rode a late rally to the win on Tuesday night. The Sea Dogs clawed their way back after falling behind early but were unable to emerge victorious despite strong games from Justin Gonzales and Henry Godbout. Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull led the Drive to a walkoff win while the Salem bats were held quiet in a pitching duel. 

 

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 5 

After spending a week in Portland, Roman Anthony took the next step in his rehab assignment as he jumped up Worcester on Tuesday night. Anthony was right in the middle of the action, crushing a two-run homer to give the WooSox the lead in a pivotal seventh-inning rally, and going 2 for 4 with a walk on the night. Franklin Arias also ripped an RBI double and Kristian Campbell delivered an RBI single in that five-run rally. Arias was 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored in the game. Also in the WooSox lineup on rehab assignments, Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 1 for 3 with a double and two walks and Trevor Story went 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts. 

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Minor Notes: Anthony takes rehab to Worcester; Phillips heads to IL

In the thick of the American League Wild Card race, the Red Sox are looking to end August on a strong note. At the same time, their four full-season affiliates are fighting for playoff spots down the stretch. Salem and Greenville have two weeks of games remaining, while Portland has three and Worcester has four. This week's notes will cover those playoff chases, as well as injury and rehab assignment updates.

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Anthony's rehab shifts to Worcester

Working his way back from a partially torn tendon in his right hand/wrist sustained in early May, Roman Anthony (pictured, left) is joining Worcester from Portland this week to continue his rehab assignment. The 22-year-old outfielder appeared in four games for the Sea Dogs last week, going 3 for 11 (.273) with one double, one home run, three RBI, one run scored, two walks, and four strikeouts. He made two starts in left field and two starts at DH.

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Cup of Coffee: Godbout and Bleis go back-to-back; Burgos stifles the Mets

8/24 Cup of Coffee: The big league squad's magic did not carry down to the affiliates as they went 0 for 4 on Sunday. Raymond Burgos was solid for Worcester, and Henry Godbout (pictured) and Miguel Bleis had back-to-back home runs for Portland. It was a hitless rehab appearance for all of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Trevor Story, and Roman Anthony, while Kleyver Salazar kept his hitting streak alive. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 2, Worcester Red Sox 0

The WooSox were shut out for the third time this series as they dropped five of six to the Mets. The rehabbing Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Trevor Story combined to go 0 for 8 at the top of the order, while Franklin Arias and Mikey Romero both went 1 for 3 with a walk. Making his first start since being optioned, Raymond Burgos kept the game scoreless as he fired five shutout frames with three walks and four strikeouts. The loss went to Seth Martinez who gave up two runs (one earned) in his two innings. The WooSox are now 3.5 games out of playoff spot after dropping their fourth straight. 

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Cup of Coffee: Sansone goes 6 strong; White, Rodriguez have 3 hits

8/23 Cup of Coffee: It was another tough day on the farm, as there were tough results up and down the minor league ladder, as many games went down to the wire and Salem was the only affiliate able to pull out a victory. In Greenville's completion of a suspended game, the Drive lost by one, while Portland gave up three runs in the ninth and got the tying run aboard, but was unable to complete the comeback, wasting six effective innings by Michael Sansone (pictured). Mason White did his part, knocking three hits, including a double. Worcester was also shut out. All nine batters got in on the action for Salem and seven of them had at least one RBI, including three for Colton Coates.

 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 3, Worcester Red Sox 0

Syracuse scored three runs in the bottom of the second and that was able to hold up, as neither team was able to push an additional run across the plate. The WooSox were shutout and unable to take advantage of two Syracuse errors. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in his rehab appearance, while Trevor Story was 1 for 4. Brett Harris was the only member of the multi-hit club, adding a double. John Holobetz was on the mound and gave four innings, with all three runs on his tab, as he gave up seven hits and walked another Met. He struck out four. John Brebbia was the only reliever to not allow a baserunner, doing so with a clean ninth, but Osvaldo Berrios (two innings) and Tyler Samaniego (one inning) scattered a hit each.

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Cup of Coffee: Guzman, Primera roll, but RidgeYaks fall short

8/22 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough day down on the farm, with all three affiliates who completed their games coming up short. Salem could not come all the way back from an early deficit despite the efforts of Adonys Guzman and Franklin Primera. Franklin Arias spoiled the no-hit and shutout bids against Worcester, but the WooSox suffered a walk-off defeat. Devin Futrell turned in a quality start, but Portland never led against the Fightin Phils. Greenville was holding a 2-0 lead in the third inning when its contest was suspended by weather.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3

Worcester was held hitless into the eighth inning, but came back to knot the score at 3-3 before Syracuse walked it off in the ninth. The WooSox' first hit scored their first two runs, as Franklin Arias ripped a one-out double that scored Nate Baez and Nate Eaton, who both had walked. In the ninth, Romy Gonzalez doubled and then came on to score on an Allan Castro base hit. Trevor Story continued his rehab assignment, going 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts. Starter Blake Wehunt went 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits. He walked four, struck out four, and hit a batter. Hobie Harris continued his run of solid relief work, striking out a pair and allowing one hit in 1 1/3 innings. It was the fourth straight scoreless outing for the veteran righty, and he has allowed just one run in his last nine appearances. Sam McWilliams allowed a run in the ninth to take the loss. 

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Cup of Coffee: Heyman, Martin power Greenville; Song has career night

8/21 Cup of Coffee: Boston's affiliates went 1-3 on Thursday. Noah Song tallied a career-high seven strikeouts out of the bullpen in Worcester's shutout loss to Syracuse. Will Turner doubled and homered, while Roman Anthony continued his rehab assignment in Portland's blowout loss to Reading. Luke Heyman (pictured) and Maximus Martin both went deep in Greenville's come-from-behind win over Winston-Salem. Louis Andujar also left the yard in Salem's high-scoring loss to Wilson. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 5, Worcester Red Sox 0

Gage Ziehl went four innings and took the loss in his start for Worcester, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits (including one home run), three walks, and two strikeouts. He threw 82 pitches (49 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. In relief of Ziehl, Noah Song struck out a career-high seven over three frames of one-run ball, while Devin Sweet worked a scoreless eighth inning. Offensively, the WooSox were held to just four hits (all singles) as a team. Brett Harris accounted for two of those knocks. Franklin Arias and Nate Eaton, who each drew a walk, were responsible for the others.

With the loss, Worcester remains 1 1/2 games back of Indianapolis for first place in the International League second-half standings.

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Showing off new arsenal, Gage Ziehl is one call away from majors

Being traded twice in an eight-month span would be tough on anybody. For Gage Ziehl, the timing was all the more difficult. Headed into his second professional season, Ziehl was acquired by the Red Sox in a deal with Chicago on February 1st, a time when most minor leaguers have already reported to training camps around the league. It made for a quite an experience in his welcome to the Boston organization. 

"I have been with three organizations now in just over two years of pro ball," Ziehl said. "It has been tough to pack up your whole life and go find another spot and just have to fit in and keep it moving. The whole trade experience here was a bit crazy. I trained in Florida over the offseason and had already shipped my car to Arizona for White Sox camp. I was about to board my connecting flight to Arizona when I got a call asking if I had already booked a flight out. I had already boarded and on the runway when I got a call from the Assistant General Manager from Chicago saying I had been traded. I couldn’t get off the plane by this point. So, I made my flight and shipped my car to Fort Myers and was there the next day. It has been great here with the Red Sox since I got here. The communication has been great since early on. They have been awesome with collaborating on what I have wanted to get better with. I think it has showed so far this year."

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Cup of Coffee: Shelar debuts in Salem as Foutch, Walker combine for one-hitter

8/20 Cup of Coffee: It was a clean sweep in the system, with all four affiliates boosting their playoff chances with victories on Wednesday. Pitching was a highlight in the low minors. Salem's Christian Foutch (pictured) and Ethan Walker had a combined one-hit shutout victory. A trio of Greenville hurlers fanned 20 batters, highlighted by Brady Tygart striking out 10 in 4 1/3. Justin Gonzales hit his first Portland homer to get things rolling for the Sea Dogs, while Worcester brought in a pair of ringers to help knock off Syracuse in a slugfest. 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 7

A pair of rehabbing middle infielders helped Worcester pull even in its series in the Salt City. Isiah Kiner-Falefa began his rehab stint batting leadoff and playing second base, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Double play partner Trevor Story slotted into the next spot in the lineup and went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. Story could join the major league club as soon as Friday. Fellow veteran Romy Gonzalez blasted a three-run homer as part of Worcester's six-run fifth-inning rally. Franklin Arias did not start but did come on in a key spot in the eighth inning, delivering an insurance run with a pinch hit RBI single. Kristian Campbell reached base three times with a single and a pair of walks. 

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Cup of Coffee: Anthony begins rehab assignment; Gonzales makes Double-A debut

8/19 Cup of Coffee: All eyes were on the Sea Dogs on Tuesday night, as Roman Anthony returned to the baseball field after missing more than three months with a wrist injury and No. 2 prospect Justin Gonzales made his Double-A debut. Both players delivered on the hype, as Anthony homered and Gonzales collected two hits. However, it was Franklin Primera (pictured) and the RidgeYaks who stole the show as Primera drove in seven runs in a 21-run outburst for Salem.  

 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 5, Worcester Red Sox 1

Jedixson Paez made his second start at the Triple-A level, taking a step back after an impressive performance in his WooSox debut last Thursday. Paez struck out five Mets hitters while walking just one batter but he was tagged for three runs on four hits in four innings pitched. Patrick Halligan followed him with three strong innings out of the bullpen, surrendering one run on two hits while fanning three batters. John Brebbia struck out the side in one inning of relief but he gave up a run on a hit and a walk. The WooSox bats recorded just two hits in a quiet night at the plate, scoring their only run on an RBI double off the bat of Allan Castro in the seventh inning. Castro's double scored Romy Gonzalez, who was 1 for 3 on the night. 

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Minor Notes: Primera on fire, Olds gets call

The minor league seasons are fully into their stretch run, with just three weeks to go for the Class A teams. Late-season injuries, promotions, and debuts have led to some roster reshuffling.

Wyatt Olds called up

The Red Sox selected the contract of right-hander Wyatt Olds from Worcester on Monday, and the 27-year-old made his major league debut that evening. Olds has had an up-and-down season with Worcester and throughout his professional career. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 draft out of Oklahoma, Olds worked as a starter initially before a full conversion to a bullpen role in 2024. Olds had been particularly effective during a 15 appearances stretch from May 22 through July 8 in which he allowed just 1 earned run in 16 1/3 innings, striking out 24 while walking only seven, but had struggled some in the last month. Olds has always posted big strikeout totals, with 489 in 389 minor league innings. His control has wobbled at times, with 256 walks and a whopping 78 hit batsmen in his professional career. Olds pairs a fastball that touches 98 with a slider, while occasionally mixing in a show-me change-up. Right-handers hit just .170/.308/.283 off of Olds during his time with Worcester. 

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Cup of Coffee: Welch drives in two runs, steals two bases in DSL action

8/18 Cup of Coffee: Boston's DSL affiliates went 0-2 on Monday, the penultimate day of the 2026 Dominican Summer League regular season. Despite the losses, Freyerso Vasquez, Miguel Welch, Enmanuel Figuereo, Jhonny Osta, Axell Herrera, and Geomaikel Martinez stood out offensively.

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DSL Braves 5, DSL Red Sox Blue 4

Three players accounted for all seven of the Blue squad's hits in this one. Freyerso Vasquez led the way, going 3 for 4 with one double, one run scored, and one stolen base. Miguel Welch and Enmanuel Figuereo each went 2 for 4. Welch drove in two runs, scored once, and stole two bases. Figuereo scored one run and stole one base. On the mound, Allan Griman went three innings in his start, allowing two earned runs on four hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Carlos Falcon and Angel Lopez combined for four strikeouts over 1 1/3 scoreless frames of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzales hits two home runs; Story begins rehab assignment

8/17 Cup of Coffee: Trevor Story got off to a good start on his rehab assignment, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa due to join him with the WooSox on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Roman Anthony is slated to begin a rehab stint with Portland on Tuesday. Two home runs from Justin Gonzales (pictured) led Greenville to a big win, while Kleyver Salazar stayed hot for Portland. 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 9, Worcester Red Sox 6

Home runs from Mikey Romero and Jason Delay were not enough as the WooSox dropped their third in a row. Delay finished a double short of the cycle as he went 3 for 4 with three runs scored. Romero went 1 for 4 with the two-run shot, and Trevor Story went 1 for 2 with a run scored while playing four innings at shortstop in his first rehab appearance. The Bisons were all over John Holobetz as he surrendered six runs over 2 2/3 frames. Seth Martinez struck out two over two scoreless innings in his first game since being optioned, and catcher Nathan Hickey fired two scoreless innings in his 12th pitching appearance of the year. 

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Podcast Ep. #427: Rankings Update and an E-mail Landslide

We say we want to talk about what you want to hear about and we mean it, so this episode features Ian and Chris answering a veritable cornucopia of questions from you, our listeners! But first, the book closes on the Adley Rutschman trade with Harold Rivas being named as the PTBNL, the MLB team injury carousel starts turning as three players hit the IL while three others near their return, Ian checks in with some thoughts from Worcester on Kristian Campbell and others, and the guys discuss what their respective August rankings updates say about the strength of the farm system.

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