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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Cup of Coffee: Brutal losses all around despite four-hit day for Romy Gonzalez

8/16 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough day on the farm, as all four full-season affiliates, each of which are trying to get into playoff position, fell on Saturday, doing so in difficult fashion. Worcester left the winning run on second in the ninth and lost in extras, while Salem got the tying run to the plate and Greenville had the go-ahead run at-bat in the game's final frame and were unable to cash in. Desput that, there were some big performances, including four hits from Romy Gonzalez (pictured) and back-to-back home runs by Wills Maginnis and Franklin Primera in Salem to set up a comeback bid in the ninth.

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 7, Worcester Red Sox 5 (10 Innings)

The Red Sox tied the proceedings in the eighth and could have walked off with the win, but stranded Franklin Arias at second base in the ninth. Buffalo scored two in the 10th and then held off a comeback attempt. Romy Gonzalez led the way offensively with a 4-for-6 afternoon, including three RBI, while Nate Eaton and Mikey Romero each had a pair of knocks. Blake Wehunt was on the mound and surrendered four htis and two walks, resulting in three runs. He only struck out one Bison. Shining in relief were Tyler Samaniego and Sam McWilliams, each of whom worked around a hit to pitch a clean inning.

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Cup of Coffee: Futrell, Winnay power Portland; Campbell, Jackson stay hot

8/15 Cup of Coffee: All but one of Boston's full-season affiliates were victorious on Friday. Kristian Campbell extended his hitting streak to six games in Worcester's loss to Buffalo. Devin Futrell and Jack Winnay (pictured) powered Portland to a win over Binghamton. Isaiah Jackson homered in his third straight game as Greenville defeated Hub City. Andruw Musett went deep in Salem's win over Delmarva.

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 6, Worcester Red Sox 2

Gage Ziehl took the loss in his start for Worcester after allowing three earned runs on six hits (including one home run), one walk, and five strikeouts over five innings. He threw 75 pitches (50 strikes) and generated six whiffs. In relief of Ziehl, Angel Bastardo and John Brebbia combined to surrender three runs across three innings, while Raymond Burgos struck out two and put up a zero in the ninth.

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Cup of Coffee: Arias finishes triple shy of cycle, Paez strikes out five in Triple-A debut

8/14 Cup of Coffee: As the big club snapped a five-game losing streak in Toronto, only one of Boston's affiliates was victorious on Thursday. Franklin Arias (pictured), Kristian Campbell, and Jedixson Paez led Worcester to a blowout win over Buffalo. Johanfran Garcia and Miguel Bleis both homered in Portland's loss to Binghamton. Ronny Hernandez went deep in Greenville's loss to Hub City. Andruw Musett recorded two doubles in Salem's loss to Delmarva.

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Worcester Red Sox 10, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 3

Franklin Arias finished a triple shy of the cycle in his latest strong showing for Worcester. He went 3 for 5 with one double, his fourth Triple-A home run, two RBI, and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Batting behind him, Nate Eaton went 1 for 4 with a two-run blast for his ninth Triple-A homer of the year. Mickey Gasper and Kristian Campbell both went 2 for 3 with two doubles, one RBI, one run scored, and one walk. Nathan Hickey tripled, drove in three runs, and scored another as part of a 2-for-4 night at the plate. Romy Gonzalez collected one RBI, while Allan Castro, Brett Harris, and Vinny Capra each scored one run. Castro stole one base and drew one walk as well.

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Cup of Coffee: Streaking Primera powers RidgeYaks

8/13 Cup of Coffee: It was a busy Wednesday down on the farm, with extra baseball for the stateside cohort and one of the DSL teams in action during that circuit's usual off day. Franklin Primera (pictured) had another monster effort to lead Salem, ripping four hits. Greenville split its de facto doubleheader following Tuesday's rain interruption. Worcester snapped its first string of consecutive losses in nearly a month with a come-from-behind win, while Portland could not overcome an early deficit. 

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Worcester Red Sox 2, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1

All four of Worcester's hits were doubles as the WooSox clawed back for the win in Wednesday's matinee at Polar Park. Jason Delay delivered the key hit, an RBI double in the seventh that snapped a 1-1 tie. Mickey Gasper had a two-bagger in his follow-up to Tuesday's four-hit effort, while Kristian Campbell and Braiden Ward had a double apiece. Franklin Arias was held to a rare hitless afternoon, but he did draw a pair of walks. A quintet of hurlers scattered eight hits to hold the Bisons at bay. Jason Brebbia got the first call, allowing a run on three hits in two innings. Hobie Harris was outstanding in relief, giving up one hit in three shutout innings. He struck out four without walking a batter. All four outs recorded by Tyler Samaniego came via the strikeout, sandwiching three base hits in 1 1/3 frames. Wyatt Olds earned the win with his 1 2/3 shutout innings, and Angel Bastardo fired a scoreless ninth for the save. Bastrdo did walk one batter, the first free pass he'd issued since June 26. 

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Cup of Coffee: Gasper reaches base five times, Brannon homers for Sea Dogs

8/12 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough night in the Red Sox system, as none of Boston's affiliates came through with a win on Tuesday. Mickey Gasper (pictured) had a big game for the WooSox but John Holobetz was hit hard on the mound. Brooks Brannon homered as the Sea Dogs lost in a rout to Binghamton and Franklin Primera reached base three times for Salem. The Southeastern Red Sox affiliates had some rainy weather on Tuesday, as the Drive game was suspended in the third inning and a scheduled doubleheader for the DSL Blue team turned into a single rain-shortened game. 

 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 9, Worcester Red Sox 6

After falling behind 8-0 early, the WooSox clawed their way back into the game but were unable to complete the comeback. Mikey Romero drove in the WooSox' first run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth and then two more with a single in the ninth in a 1-for-4 game. Mickey Gasper had a huge game, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances and scoring two runs. Franklin Arias was 2 for 5 and scored two runs, pushing his line to .298/.359/.509 in 13 games in Triple-A. Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with a double. 

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Minor Notes: Brand new rankings; Godbout and Ziehl climb the ladder

With the season on the home stretch, the major league squad and all four full-season affiliates remain in the playoff hunt. The post-deadline shuffle in the rankings and affiliate rosters made for another busy week on the farm. This week's notes will cover those new rankings, significant promotion activity, and some key injury updates. 

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New rankings

August is always the busiest month for updates to the rankings as new draftees sign while other members of the organization come and go at the trade deadline. This year was even more hectic due to the quantity (and quality) of prospects traded in late July. Franklin Arias held steady as the system's top prospect, but behind him there were massive changes. With Jake Bennett graduating and Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, and Enddy Azocar all traded to the Orioles, that made room for four new players in the top 10. 2026 draftees Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull debuted at six and eight, respectively. Slotting behind them are John Holobetz (pictured, right) at nine and Harold Rivas at 10. Two other notable risers were Blake Wehunt from 17 to 11 and Angel Bastardo from 24 to 17.

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Cup of Coffee: Silverio records first professional multi-homer game in DSL

8/11 Cup of Coffee: Boston's Dominican Summer League affiliates went 1-1 on Monday. Most notably, top 2026 international signee Garielvin Silverio homered twice in the same game for the first time as a pro.

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DSL Padres Gold 13, DSL Red Sox Blue 4

On an otherwise quiet day for the Blue squad's lineup, Garielvin Silverio stood out by going 2 for 4 with two home runs, four RBI, and two runs scored. Miguel Welch and Eber Miranda each scored a run as well. On the mound, Allan Griman took the loss in his start after allowing five runs (four earned) on two hits, four walks, and no strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings. Maikol Tovar, who started the game at first base, was credited with 1 2/3 scoreless frames of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: White launches two home runs; Campbell reaches base four times

8/10 Cup of Coffee: With four weeks left in the regular season for Low-A and High-A, five weeks for Double-A, and six weeks for Triple-A, all four affiliates are in the playoff hunt. Kristian Campbell continued his hot hitting for Worcester, while Mason White (pictured) powered Portland to victory. 

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 7, Worcester Red Sox 6

The IronPigs plated five runs in the top of the ninth to stun the WooSox. Three hits, a walk, and two throwing errors by Wyatt Olds helped Lehigh Valley take the lead. Blake Wehunt got the start and allowed one run over the first 3 1/3 innings, and Osvaldo Berrios followed with 2 2/3 frames of one-run ball. Making his second rehab appearance, Adley Rutschman went 0 for 3 with a strikeout as the designated hitter. Reports are that he is on track to be activated by Tuesday. Kristian Campbell went 3 for 3 with a double and a walk as he batted .316/.391/.579 over the five-game series. Nate Eaton went 2 for 3 with two RBI, and Vinny Capra went 2 for 4. 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has a half-game lead over both Worcester and Durham in the East division's playoff race. 

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Cup of Coffee: Romero goes 6 for 6, Portland gets shut out

8/9 Cup of Coffee: Extreme results were the name of the game on Saturday, as Worcester and Portland were on opposite sides of shutouts in which the winning team scored double-digits, while in the Dominican Republic, the DSL squads struggled to generate offense and took a pair of losses. In Worcester, Mikey Romero (pictured) was a perfect 6 for 6 at the plate and was the first member of the WooSox to accomplish this feat. Louis Andujar paced Salem in its win with a 3-for-4 performance, including a double.

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Worcester Red Sox 19, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 0

The Red Sox stepped to the plate eight times and scored in seven of them, pounding out 19 hits and surrendering just three of their own in a blowout on Saturday afternoon. Each of the nine starters recorded at least one hit, including rehabber Adley Rutschman, making his organizational debut after being traded from Baltimore on Monday. The backstop walked twice and added a double, driving in two runs. However, Mikey Romero was the headliner, going a perfect 6 for 6, finishing a triple short of the cycle, as he also had a pair of RBI. Romy Gonzalez and Allan Castro also registered three hits and Kristian Campbell also went yard as part of a three-RBI afternoon.

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Cup of Coffee: Fermin walks off Salem; Anderson, Schaffner shine for Drive

8/8 Cup of Coffee: As former top prospect Payton Tolle struck out 14 on a major-league mound, it was a big night for the next wave of prospects down on the farm. Current top prospect Franklin Arias delivered the go-ahead hit as the surging WooSox moved within 1/2 game of first place. Devin Futrell had a solid debut in Portland's victory, while Anderson Fermin was the catalyst in Salem's win. Greenville was the only stateside team to fall on Friday, despite a combined seven hits from Antonio Anderson (pictured) and Jake Schaffner. The DSL Teams continued to go in opposite directions: Team Blue won their fifth straight while their Red counterparts lost for the fifth time in a row.

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

The WooSox continued their excellent stretch, winning for the 14th time in 16 games. Franklin Arias delivered the key hit, a two-run double in the fifth inning that snapped a 2-2 tie. The knock extended Arias' hitting streak to nine games. Mikey Romero was 2 for 4 with a homer, his first since July 17th. Mickey Gasper also collected a pair of hits, while Braiden Ward had a single, a hit-by-pitch, and his 51st stolen base of the year. Alec Gamboa got the opening nod in the bullpen game, surrendering a pair of runs on four hits in two innings. Noah Song was outstanding in his 3 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out three without issuing a walk. Hobie Harris gave up one run in 1 2/3 innings, and Angel Bastardo finished things up with two frames, striking out three and allowing one run on a solo homer. The run snapped a stretch of six straight scoreless outings by Bastardo. He has not walked a batter in his last 11 appearances.

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Cup of Coffee: Mayers, Tygart shut down Renegades

8/7 Cup of Coffee: It was an even split of the system's six contests on Thursday. Jacob Mayers and Brady Tygart (pictured) were outstanding on the mound in Greenville's win, while Vinny Capra led the way in Worcester's blowout. The Sea Dogs squandered a solid Hayden Mullins start, while Salem fell in the RidgeYak debut of Berny Ortiz. The DSL squads also split, with Team Blue picking up the win to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.

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

The WooSox are on a roll to make their parent club proud, cruising in Thursday's matinee to win their seventh of their last eight games and 13th out of 15. Vinny Capra led the way at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a two-run homer in the sixth. He added a single and a walk, scoring three runs. Franklin Arias ripped a 105 mph single to extend his hitting streak to eight games, while Kristian Campbell ran his on-base streak to 20 with an RBI double. Nathan Hickey was 3 for 4 with an RBI, while Allan Castro doubled, scored twice, and drove in two as part of his 2-for-4 afternoon. 

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Cup of Coffee: McDonough homers twice in 9th; Arias keeps rolling

8/6 Cup of Coffee: It was a night of blowouts in the system, with all four games decided by at least seven runs. Boston's affiliates came out on top in three of those four contests. Franklin Arias and company made things easy for John Holobetz in his Polar Park debut. Tyler McDonough (pictured) led a ninth-inning romp to turn Portland's victory into a laugher, while an Avinson Pinto grand slam propelled Salem. Greenville was the only team on the wrong side of its rout, snapping an eight-game winning streak. 

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Worcester Red Sox 10, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 1

Franklin Arias and the WooSox keep cruising. Arias extended his hitting streak to seven games as Worcester won for the 12th time in its last 14 contests. Arias wasted little time extending the streak, ripping a base hit in the first inning. He added another single and a two-run homer to finish 3 for 4 on the evening, scoring and driving in three apiece. The home run was his system-leading 22nd of the season and third since his promotion from Portland. Nate Eaton was 2 for 4 with a double, triple, and four RBI, while Mickey Gasper led off the seventh inning with a homer. 

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Podcast Ep. #426: Breaking Down The Adley Rutschman Trade

Ian Cundall and Mike Andrews are back to talk about all the moves the Red Sox made at the Trade Deadline. They start off with their general thoughts before diving into each specific move and then talk about the injury news and whether or not we could see Franklin Arias this season. Then, to end the show, they go through the latest minor league transactions.

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