Minor Notes: Early breaks camp in rotation, Triple-A season begins

The 2026 season is underway, as Boston and Worcester kicked off their seasons on Thursday and Friday last week. Portland, Greenville, and the newly-branded Salem RidgeYaks will follow in the coming days. Here at SoxProspects.com, we switch into regular season mode with our Minor Notes, the weekly breakdown of all the news on the system.

Early makes rotation as rosters are set

The final tweaks to the major league roster came down last week, and the most notable news was that 23-year-old lefty Connelly Early (pictured) made the major league rotation out of spring training. Early, currently ranked third in the system, was initally expected to open in Worcester, but a strong spring training on the heels of his impressive introduction to the majors at the end of 2025 earned him the nod. News that he would make the major league squad came last week, and the confirmation that Early would start was announced as the MLB rotation was set. Ryan Watson (#30) held on for the other open roster spot. Watson was taken in the Rule 5 draft by Oakland and then flipped to the Red Sox for infield Justin Riemer. Had he not made the roster, Boston would have needed to offer him back to the Giants. 

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Podcast Ep #408: And Away We Go

Ian Cundall is joined by SoxProspects Editor-In-Chief Mike Andrews to discuss the start of the Boston and Worcester seasons. They give their thoughts on ABS after a few games and an update on Angel Bastardo’s unique situation. After that, they discuss the Worcester season opening roster and what Ian saw from on opening day from Jake Bennett and Noah Song. After that, they preview the other affiliate rosters and answer all your emails. Ian then ends the show with an announcement.

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Ian Cundall Joins Baseball America

We’re excited to announce that Ian Cundall will be joining Baseball America full‑time as a Prospect Writer beginning April 1. The good news for SoxProspects readers is that Ian will continue hosting the SoxProspects.com Podcast and remain a valued friend of the site. SoxProspects fully expects to maintain the same high standard of content our audience has enjoyed for years.

Ian first joined the SoxProspects staff in October 2010 as our Northeast Scout. He became a regular presence on the podcast in July 2011 and was promoted to Director of Scouting in November 2013. Over the years, Ian has scouted hundreds of games across the Red Sox system, including stops in Boston, Worcester, Pawtucket, Portland, New Hampshire, Greenville, Salem, Lowell, and Fort Myers.

In November 2025, Ian began contributing to Baseball America in a part‑time role, and he will now be expanding that role in the weeks and months ahead. As most of our readers and listeners know, BA has been a leading authority on prospects across the MLB, college baseball, the international market, as well as the MLB Draft for over 45 years. 

At SoxProspects, we take immense pride in developing talented prospect writers and analysts and helping them advance to full‑time roles in the industry. Our staff members and alumni have gone on to work for or contribute to ESPN.com, Baseball Prospectus, The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun, The Worcester Telegram, MLB.com, and more - and Ian’s next step is yet another example of that tradition.

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Cup of Coffee: Tolle struggles through four innings; Gasper collects three hits

3/30 Cup of Coffee: It was a rough day for Worcester's pitching staff, as top prospect Payton Tolle only made it through four innings. The offense kept the team in the game, with Mickey Gasper's three hits leading the team. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 10, Worcester Red Sox 8

The Mets scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth to win a back-and-forth contest. Starter Payton Tolle lasted only four innings and gave up six runs (four earned) while walking two and striking out six. It was an atypical pitch mix for Tolle, who threw his four-seam fastball only 25 percent of the time. His sinker and cutter were used more frequently, with the sinker being a new pitch in his arsenal in 2026. Zack Kelly allowed one hit over two shutout innings, and Jacob Webb surrendered two unearned runs in his 1 2/3 frames. The loss went to Kyle Keller, who allowed a two-run home run in the top of the ninth. 

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Cup of Coffee: Romero slugs first home run of the season, Uberstine turns in strong outing

With the Minor League season just two days old, only Worcester was in action on Saturday as the following ranks of the organization await their respective opening days next week. 

Worcester Red Sox 5, Syracuse Mets 3 

After a quiet day offensively on Opening Day, the Worcester offense had plenty of traffic on the bases thanks to seven hits and six walks on the afternoon. Tyler Uberstine made his first start of the season and was strong over his four innings of work in a no decision. Throwing 36 of his 56 pitches for strikes, the right-hander allowed a run with a pair of hits, a lone walk and three strikeouts. He would depart the game with the WooSox leading 2-1 thanks to a sacrifice fly by Matt Lloyd in the bottom of the second and the first home run of the season for Mikey Romero. After hitting 17 home runs across two levels in 2025, Romero sent an 0-2 changeup over the right-center field fence. The WooSox tacked onto the lead in the fifth. After Braiden Ward singled and Nick Sogard walked, Mickey Gasper roped a two-run double to right field to plate a pair and extend the lead to three. Worcester got one more run in the eighth on an RBI double by Jason Delay. 

Wyatt Olds earned the win after following Uberstine with 1 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing a run on a hit with two strikeouts. Tyler Samaniego earned a hold with 2 1/3 innings in his Red Sox organization debut, and Tayron Guerrero picked up the save with a scoreless ninth. 

Player of the Day: Mikey Romero showcased his power profile that Boston fans saw plenty of last season. Romero's first home run of 2026 in the fourth inning gave Worcester the lead for good. Romero belted nine home runs in 45 games in his time with the WooSox last season and is off to a strong start toward adding to his power as the year goes on. 

Photo Credit: Mikey Romero by Kelly O'Connor

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Cup of Coffee: Bennett, Sweet shine but WooSox fall in opener

3/28 Cup of Coffee: The 2026 minor league season is officially underway, as is the SoxProspects.com daily coverage. Worcester kicked off at home with a marquee pitching matchup of Jake Bennett taking on Mets prospect Jonah Tong. The rest of the full-season affiliates get underway late next week. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 3, Worcester Red Sox 1

The WooSox offense was largely held silent by Jonah Tong and a quartet of relievers, managing five hits, all of them singles. Mickey Gasper was 1 for 3 with a pair of walks, scoring Worcester's lone run on a Tsung-Che Cheng single. Nick Sogard also had a hit and walked twice. Jake Bennett took the loss despite a solid effort in his organizational debut, allowing one unearned run on two hits in three innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk and threw 44 of 59 pitches for strikes. Seth Martinez struck out three in two innings but surrendered one run on a solo homer. The Mets reached Noah Song for an insurance run on four hits in 1 2/3. Devin Sweet (pictured) was the standout out of the bullpen, striking out six of the seven batters he faced in 2 1/3 perfect frames. 

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Podcast Ep #407: Alex Speier Joins to Recap Red Sox Spring Training

Ian Cundall is joined by a very special guest, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, to discuss the Red Sox opening day roster and put a bow on spring training. They talk about the fifth starter decision, Payton Tolle’s outlook, questions about the bullpen, how outfield playing time will work, Marcelo Mayer’s spring and more! After that they wrap up the show by discussing Alex’s experience at the WBC and his piece on the Red Sox’ Venezuelan players.

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Podcast Ep #406: Spring Breakout Madness

Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield recap the second half of the crew’s trip to Spring Training, including the Spring Breakout Game. They talk about the dominant performances from the Red Sox pitching staff including Anthony Eyanson’s breakout performance. They then switch gears and discuss the position players who stood out including Henry Godbout and Enddy Azocar. After that they go through other players who caught their eye during backfields action including pitchers Leighton Finley, Barrett Morgan and Madinson Frias and position players Dorian Soto, Harold Rivas and Luke Heyman. They then wrap up the show by talking about the latest minor league transactions.

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Fort Report: Early breaks camp with Boston; Mayer named starter at second base

Spring Training concludes on Tuesday with Boston's season set to kick off on Thursday in Cincinnati. Worcester will be the only affiliate in action this week as the WooSox begin their season on Friday at home against Syracuse. Portland, Greenville, and Salem will all start the first week of April. 

Final roster takes shape

The Red Sox finalized their position player group on Monday with Andruw Monasterio and Connor Wong officially making the opening day roster. Wong will be the backup catcher, while Monasterio will combine with Isiah Kiner-Falefa to be the primary infield backups. This news comes on the heels of the Red Sox announcing that Caleb Durbin will be the starting third baseman with Marcelo Mayer starting at second. The bench is rounded out by Masataka Yoshida who figures to be the fifth outfielder and primary pinch-hitter against right-handed pitching. 

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Podcast Ep #405: The Gang Goes to Florida

Ian Cundall is joined by Mike Andrews and Chris Hatfield for their first podcast from Fort Myers! They start off by praising the World Baseball Classic and then talk about the impact past and current Red Sox had in the final. After that they go through the latest Red Sox news including cuts from camp, two new relievers and several injured minor league pitchers. They then recap their experience at Futures at Fenway South and preview Friday’s Spring Breakout Game!

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Fort Report: SoxProspects team makes annual trip to spring training

With several Red Sox mainstays returning from the World Baseball Classic and the season approaching in just over a week, playing time in major league camp has been harder to come by for Boston’s prospects. Still, several exciting Red Sox minor leaguers made appearances in the Grapefruit League over the last week. The SoxProspects.com crew has been taking it all in during the team’s annual trip to Fort Myers, and Director of Scouting Ian Cundall has been posting video and scouting updates on Twitter. One of the highlights of the spring for prospect lovers, the Spring Breakout Game, is set to take place this Friday against the Orioles. 

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Meet Ethan Walker; New Red Sox prospect with 'Liam Hendriks-esque' mound prescence

The last nine months have been an unusual experience for most of the pitchers in Boston's 2025 draft class. Many have never had such a long stretch without appearing in a real game. The lack of game action gives the players a lot of downtime to work on their own stuff while at the complex in Fort Myers. During the time off, it might be safe to say some might be developing that "itch" to go out and compete again. Red Sox 12th-round pick Ethan Walker fits that description.

"Everything has been going really good," Walker said of his time off. "It has been a super easy transition to pro ball getting to know all the staff in the Red Sox facility during this time. I am missing the games quite a lot. I like competing. I like being out there by myself on the mound. There are no worries. It’s just you and the batter. I was itching to start throwing lives. I couldn’t wait for all the stuff to start in Spring Training. I have had the itch since I got drafted. I was ready to get going right away."

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Fort Report: Boston prospects make headlines in WBC, first cuts of the spring made

As spring training inches closer to the halfway mark and Opening Day sits just over two weeks away, there is still plenty going on in Fort Myers while the World Baseball Classic is in full swing. In the latest iteration of the Fort Report, there is plenty of news going on between both events

 

Boston farmhands stand out in WBC

While plenty of players from Boston's major league team are representing countless countries in the World Baseball Classic, a few prospects have also taken the global stage. After pitching well in the Puerto Rican Winter League this offseason, left-hand pitcher Eduardo Rivera turned in a stellar start for the island. In Puerto Rico's 5-4 extra-inning victory over Panama on Saturday night, Rivera dazzled over 4 1/3 frames. He allowed a run on a single hit with one walk while striking out five as he reached 97.4 MPH on his fastball. Rivera split time between Greenville and Portland in 2025, posting a 3.10 ERA in 87 innings. 

Although Great Britain was eliminated in short order, Jack Anderson made an impression on the first day of the tournament. Facing Mexico, the right-hander struck out three and scattered a pair of hits over three innings. In his first full season with Boston in 2025, Anderson appeared in 23 games (four starts) and registered a 4.57 ERA over 86 2/3 frames. 

In Japan, Tsung-Che Cheng was one of the top players for Taiwan. The infielder went 3 for 9 with a solo home run, two runs scored and five walks across the team's four pool play games. Cheng came over to Boston after playing with Pittsburgh in 2025 and was 1 for 6 in five spring training games before leaving for the WBC. 

Spring Breakout Game rosters announced 

The third year of the Spring Breakout Game, a day that highlights each organization's top prospects, commences next week as Boston's prospects face the top minor leaguers of the Orioles. On Thursday, the preliminary rosters for the game were announced and feature a majority of the top prospects in Boston's system. Headlining the group of position players are Franklin Arias (SoxProspects #2 prospect), Justin Gonzales (#7 prospect), Dorian Soto (#8 prospect) and Henry Godbout (#11 prospect). On the pitching side, the 2025 draft trio of Kyson Witherspoon (#4 prospect), Marcus Phillips (#9 prospect) and Anthony Eyanson (#10 prospect) headline the group as well as Juan Valera (#5 prospect). 

For the complete roster, visit the MLB website.

First cuts of spring training made

As Opening Day inches closer, the organization has begun to start optioning non-roster invitees to Minor League camp as the roster crunch begins. On Monday, eight players were optioned from the Major League roster. Pitchers Jake Bennett, Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, Vinny Nittoli and Devin Sweet as well as catchers Nate Baez and Ronald Rosario were sent down. 

Stebens gets Tommy John Surgery 

Last week it was announced that right-hander Isaac Stebens underwent Tommy John Surgery and will miss the entire 2026 season. Stebens, a 16th-round pick by the Red Sox in 2023 pitched well for Greenville in 2025, going 6-0 with a 2.15 ERA in 50 1/3 innings. He also represented the Red Sox in the Arizona Fall League, where he recorded a 3.86 ERA in seven innings of work.  

Key Links

Although he was recently optioned to Minor League camp, MassLive's Sean McAdam talked with Jake Bennett as he goes through his first spring training with Boston after being acquired over the offseason in a deal with the Washington Nationals.

Where are they now?

• Acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the start of spring training, Kyle Harrison has impressed early on with his new club. In his first outing, the left-hander tossed three innings, allowing two runs (one earned) two hits with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts on his line. Harrison was not able to carve out a spot within Boston's rotation after being part of the blockbuster trade that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco. 
• While he never appeared in a single game in the Boston organization, former first-round pick Braden Montgomery has been fighting to make the Opening Day roster for the Chicago White Sox. In 18 spring plate appearances, the switch-hitting outfielder has slashed .412/.412/.824 with two triples, a home run and two runs driven in. Montgomery was the headliner prospect included in the deal that landed the Red Sox star pitcher Garrett Crochet. 

Minor Leaguers in MLB games

Since our last Fort Report dropped on the morning on March 3, the following Red Sox minor leaguers not in major league camp have appeared in at least one Grapefruit League game: 

Pitchers: Max Carlson, Michael Sansone, P.J. Labriola, Cade Feeney, Jorge Juan, Jay Allmer

Position Players: Corey Rosier, Caden Rose, Natanael Yuten, Enddy Azocar, Will Turner, Yophery Rodriguez, Freili Encarnacion, Mason White, Jack Winnay, Allan Castro, Nelly Taylor, Yoeilin Cespedes, Miguel Bleis, Justin Barry, Andrews Opata, Frederik Jimenez, Ahbram Liendo, Anderson Fermin, Avinson Pinto, Justin Gonzales, Isaiah Jackson, Marvin Alcantara 

Photo Credit: Franklin Arias by Kelly O'Connor

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Podcast Ep #404: Red Sox News and Spring Trip Preview

Ian Cundall is joined by Mike Andrews to go through all the news from Red Sox spring training over the last week! After that they talk about the greatness that is the World Baseball Classic and then preview their upcoming trip to Red Sox spring training! They wrap up the show discussing the players they are excited to see in the Spring Breakout Game and answer your emails!

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Podcast Ep #403: Red Sox Spring Training Storyline Draft and Emails

Ian Cundall is joined by Andrew Parker to go through all the storylines from Red Sox spring training so far! Topics discussed include Jake Bennett’s velocity increase, Justin Gonzales’s size, Payton Tolle’s arsenal changes, Braiden Ward’s speed and more! They also go through Andrew’s latest articles on Henry Godbout and Marcus Phillips and answer your emails!

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Fort Report: Arias, Gonzales enter spring spotlight as WBC begins

We are back with our fourth Fort Report of the spring. The Red Sox are 11 games into their spring training schedule and, like other clubs, are entering an interesting stretch with the 2026 World Baseball Classic set to get underway this week. Having said that, here is a look at where things stand within the organization as Opening Day draws closer.

WBC departures mean opportunities for others 

The Red Sox will be well-represented in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Even with non-roster invitee Tayron Guerrero withdrawing from Colombia, Boston still has 14 players set to participate in the tournament: Wilyer Abreu (Venezuela), Jack Anderson (Great Britain), Roman Anthony (United States), Brayan Bello (Dominican Republic), Willson Contreras (Venezuela), Jarren Duran (Mexico), Nate Eaton (Great Britain), Jovani Moran (Puerto Rico), Ceddanne Rafaela (Netherlands), Eduardo Rivera (Puerto Rico), Ranger Suarez (Venezuela), Greg Weissert (Italy), Garrett Whitlock (United States), and Masataka Yoshida (Japan).

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Marcus Phillips on first Spring Training with Red Sox: "I have huge chip on my shoulder'

The Red Sox have brought some top talent into the organization from many of the traditional baseball hotbeds. California. Texas. Georgia. Florida. South Dakota?

Yes, South Dakota, home state of Boston's second 2025 draft selection, Marcus Phillips.

"Baseball is interesting in South Dakota," Phillips said. "It is slowly getting better, but I would be lying to you if I said that it wasn’t a different experience. It is nothing like playing baseball down in Florida. I would travel down there for tournaments, and you see guys running up in the low nineties at 17 years old on a consistent basis. Back home, it was only me and two other guys throwing hard in all of South Dakota. When I say hard, I mean 88-91 mph in high school. My best friend, Jack Riddell, who is at Notre Dame, was throwing 92 in high school. Aside from him, the closest to that was around 85 MPH. It is no wonder you only see pitchers come out of the state because hitters aren’t seeing velocity. I saw 90 for the first time in JuCo ball as a two-way player and I was blown away. I didn’t know what to expect in the box because I had never faced that before."

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Fort Report: Tolle, Early get nods in early Grapefruit League action

In stark contrast to the local weather back home at Fenway, the Red Sox began Grapefruit League action this week. They kicked off with their annual tilt against Northeastern University before moving on to major league contests on Saturday.

Young hurlers in spotlight

As usual at this juncture of the spring, the pitching load has been heavily weighted toward the prospects. Top prospect Payton Tolle (pictured) got the start on Sunday, with third-ranked Connelly Early following on Monday. Tyler Uberstine, ranked 13th and added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, got the nod for the Northeastern game on Friday. Mixed in was Saturday's outing from 2022 SoxProspects.com valedictorian Brayan Bello.

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Podcast Ep #402: Early reports from Spring Training and emails

Ian Cundall is joined by Andrew Parker who is down in Fort Myers to talk about the latest Red Sox news. They dive into the impact on the roster of Romy González’s injury, the incoming challenge system and more. After that Andrew goes through what he’s learned on the backfields so far including notes on Christian Foutch, John Holobetz and Conrad Cason. They then wrap up the show by answering a plethora of emails!

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Fort Report: Full squad reports to spring training

Pitchers and catchers reported to spring training last Tuesday and the first full team workout took place on Sunday. The Red Sox annual opener against Northeastern is scheduled for this Friday, with the first official Grapefruit League game on Saturday against the Twins. 

The Big Three, one year later

The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell (pictured), and Marcelo Mayer entered last season listed second, fourth, and 15th on Baseball America's prospect rankings. The highly-touted trio all made their debuts with the Red Sox last season, with Anthony excelling before a season-ending oblique injury while Campbell and Mayer posted mixed results in their first taste of the major league level. 

One season later, Campbell's development and role on the 2026 team is one of the more intriguing storylines coming into camp. After making the team out of spring training last year and winning Rookie of the Month in April, Campbell struggled at the plate and defensively at second base before being optioned to Worcester in June. He has overhauled his swing over the offseason as he hopes to recover the form that made him one of the top prospects in baseball a year ago. On the defensive side, Alex Cora indicated that Campbell will receive most of his playing time in the outfield this spring. This position change makes Campbell’s spot on the roster unclear, as the Red Sox already have four starting-caliber outfielders, but a strong spring could propel him onto the Opening Day roster. 

Roman Anthony enters the 2026 season expected to hit near the top of the order and serve a key contributor in the Red Sox lineup after hitting .292/.396/.463 in 71 games as a rookie. On Monday, he was officially named to the Team USA roster for the World Baseball Classic as an injury replacement for Corbin Carroll. At 21 years old, Anthony will be the youngest member of Team USA in World Baseball Classic history. 

Mayer played in 44 games at the big league level last year and hit only .228 while striking out in 30% of his plate appearances. However, he displayed impressive bat speed and strong defense at multiple infield positions. Barring any further additions to the Red Sox infield, Mayer is slated to receive regular playing time at either second or third base, with recent acquisition Caleb Durbin starting in the other position. 

Bennett impressing in first spring training with Red Sox

Per Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Jake Bennett has been a highlight of the team's early spring workouts, with Alex Cora, Roman Anthony, and Carlos Narvaez praising the left-hander. Bennett was acquired from Washington in exchange for Luis Perales this offseason and he is ranked sixth in the SoxProspects.com rankings. In 45 2/3 innings at the Double-A level last season, Bennett posted a 2.56 ERA and struck out 33 batters. Standing 6-foot-6, Bennett has elite extension and showed increased velocity in the Arizona Fall League last year. 

New podcast episode

In the latest episode of the SoxProspects.com podcast, Ian and Mike broke down the Caleb Durbin trade and how the roster is shaping up as spring training begins. 

Where are they now? 

Two members of the 2025 Red Sox signed minor league deals with other organizations. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe signed with Cincinnati and relief pitcher Liam Hendriks with Minnesota. Lowe was an impactful late-season addition after he was designated for assignment by the Nationals, as he hit .280/.370/.420 in 34 games with the Red Sox and helped to solidify one of the team's weakest positions at first base. Hendriks was signed before the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John Surgery. The three-time All-Star never returned to form with the Red Sox, missing the entire 2024 season and posting a 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings last year. 

Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell by Kelly O'Connor

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