Minor Notes: Primera brought up to Salem, Arias continues to swing a hot bat

It was a "next man up" mentality in the Boston affiliates, and the week ended with a notable promotion from the FCL. The organization also added to the system with a Minor League free agent signing.

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Primera promoted to Salem 

After a torrid start to the season down in the FCL, catcher Franklin Primera earned a promotion to Low-A affiliate Salem on Monday. Through his first 32 games down on the complex, the backstop slashed .427/.549/.718 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs along with a 22:13 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He was also stellar defensively behind the plate. Primera has climbed from 36th to 13th on the SoxProspects' top 60 list and has garnered national attention for his start to the season. 

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Cup of Coffee: Baker, Brito lead FCL Red Sox to win; Casanova, Urbina homer in DSL

6/30 Cup of Coffee: Boston's rookie-level affiliates went 1-2 on Monday. In the Florida Complex League, Tavano Baker (pictured) and reigning Player of the Week Josue Brito propelled the FCL Red Sox to a win. In the Dominican Summer League, Esterlin Casanova and Anderber Urbina homered as the Blue and Red squads both lost.

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FCL Red Sox 11, FCL Braves 10

Tavano Baker led the way offensively, going 2 for 3 with one double, his first home run of the season, two RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk. Josue Brito, fresh off being named FCL Player of the Week, went 1 for 2 with one double, two RBIs, one run scored, and two walks out of the leadoff spot. Jorge Rodriguez also doubled, drove in one run, scored another, and drew one walk. Harold Rivas singled and scored one run before coming out of the game in the fourth inning for Jhoan Peguero, who drew one walk, stole one base, and scored one run in his place. Jhorman Bravo, Dorian Soto, and Jostin Ogando all went 1 for 4. Bravo had recorded one RBI, one run, one stolen base, and one walk. Soto recorded one RBI, one run, and one walk. Ogando recorded one RBI and two runs.

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Podcast Ep #419: Assessing The Red Sox Roster One Month From The Trade Deadline

Ian Cundall and Mike Andrews are back to talk about the latest Red Sox prospect news. They start off by going through the Red Sox major league and high minors rosters to identify who the core players are and which players they’d be more open to trading. Within that discussion, they also hit on Marcelo Mayer’s injury and why Anthony Eyanson’s velocity downturn isn’t a concern. After that, they answer your emails, including questions on the Garrett Crochet trade, Franklin Primera and more.

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Cup of Coffee: Wehunt strikes out eight; Bleis homers in third straight

6/29 Cup of Coffee: It was another successful rehab start for Patrick Sandoval, while Blake Wehunt (pictured) shut down the Yard Goats. Miguel Bleis's hot streak continued, and Starlyn Nunez delivered a walk-off single for Salem. 

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Worcester Red Sox 3, Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 1

Patrick Sandoval led a dominant pitching performance as Worcester snapped a five-game losing streak. Sandoval allowed one run and struck out three over four innings. His ERA is now 2.70 in 13 1/3 innings since restarting his rehab assignment on June 5. The win went to Jovani Morán who fired two perfect frames, and Joe La Sorsa got the save with a scoreless ninth. A first-inning home run from Vinny Capra opened the scoring, and Jason Delay laced a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth. Kristian Campbell went 1 for 2 with a walk as the right fielder. 

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Cup of Coffee: Arias and Eyanson star in Portland, Anderson homers for third straight game

6/28 Cup of Coffee: It was a mixed bag of results across the Boston affiliates on Saturday, with plenty of highlights within. In Portland, the trio of Miguel Bleis (pictured), Franklin Arias, and Anthony Eyanson helped the Sea Dogs grab a comeback win. Luke Heyman starred in Greenville and Josue Brito continued to swing it in the Complex League. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 15, Worcester Red Sox 6

The WooSox started strong, jumping out to a 5-0 lead after two innings after Andrew Knizner doubled home a pair, Kristian Campbell drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Max Ferguson belted a two-run home run. After retiring the first six in a row, Jack Anderson ran into trouble in the fourth, allowing four of the six runs he surrendered on the mound. Anderson only pitched four innings and did not record an out in the fifth before being replaced. Tyler Samaniego pitched a scoreless fifth and Tyler Uberstine allowed six runs in a tough sixth inning. Eduardo Rivera allowed a run across two innings and Juan Montero took the mound in the ninth.

Worcester got one more run in the bottom of the ninth thanks to Mikey Romero's sixth home run of the year. Romero was a bright spot in the defeat as the third baseman homered, walked three times and scored twice. 

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Cup of Coffee: Witherspoon shines for Drive; Bleis homers twice

 

6/27 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough day down on the farm, with the affiliates dropping seven out of eight contests. There were strong individual performances, however. The Greenville and Portland bullpens could not hold on after strong efforts by starters Kyson Witherspoon (pictured) and John Holobetz. Worcester and Salem were both blown out at home. The FCL Sox split a de facto doubleheader, while the DSL squads continue to sputter. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 13, Worcester Red Sox 1

Little went right at Polar Park in a blowout loss to the Mud Hens. Mikey Romero blasted a solo home run in the first inning, his fifth of the season, accounting for all of the Worcester scoring. Allan Castro reached base three times, going 1 for 2 with a pair of walks. It was a bullpen day on the mound, with six pitchers getting work in, none for more than two innings. Starter Seth Martinez was hit hard, allowing five runs in his two frames, taking the loss. Zack Kelly and Wyatt Olds threw a scoreless inning apiece.

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzales hits 10th homer for Greenville; Brito, Marin go off in FCL

6/26 Cup of Coffee: Thursday's slate featured three games that were decided by one run. Brayan Bello tossed five innings, and Tyler McDonough homered as Worcester fell to Toledo in extras. Gage Ziehl and Marvin Alcantara starred in Portland's win over Hartford. Justin Gonzales (pictured) and Antonio Anderson went deep in Greenville's loss to Asheville. Cole Tolbert struck out four over three innings in Salem's loss to Myrtle Beach. In rookie ball, Josue Brito and Lioswald Marin combined for three home runs and five hits.

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 3, Worcester Red Sox 2 (10 innings)

Brayan Bello went five innings in his third start for Worcester since being optioned earlier this month. The righty gave up one earned run on five hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. He threw 85 pitches (54 strikes) and generated 10 whiffs. Jovani Moran (in the first appearance of his rehab assignment) and Joe La Sorsa combined for two scoreless frames of relief. Alec Gamboa allowed the tying run to score in the eighth, while Osvaldo Berrios took the loss after surrendering the winning (unearned) run in the 10th.

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Cup of Coffee: Dylan Brown dominates in Greenville shutout

6/25 Cup of Coffee: Wednesday's usual slate of full-season squads was joined by a special guest, as one of the DSL teams got a game in on its usual off day. Greenville starter Dylan Brown (pictured) was the highlight of the night, throwing seven shutout innings as part of the Drive's shutout victory. Leighton Finley and his crew of batterymates led the way for Salem's win, while the Sea Dogs pounded out 14 hits in a blowout victory. Worcester could not hold onto an early lead at home, while the DSL Red team continues to slump. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 5, Worcester Red Sox 4

The WooSox jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first, but it was nearly all Mud Hens from then on. Allan Castro ripped a two-run double as part of that first inning rally, Worcester's only extra-base hit of the evening. Braiden Ward was on base three times, going 2 for 3 with a walk and a pair of stolen bases. Matt Thaiss scored twice as part of his 1-for-3 effort. Lefty Raymond Burgos got the start, allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits in four frames, striking out five and walking two. The only blemish for Tyler Samaniego in two innings of relief was a solo home run, but that was enough to saddle him with the loss. Perhaps the most significant takeaway from the game was Tyler Uberstine, used for the first time in a traditional relief role. Uberstine entered in the seventh and pitched two innings scoreless innings. He surrendered one hit, struck out four, did not issue a walk, and threw 17 of his 27 pitches for strikes. Eduardo Rivera followed with a scoreless ninth inning. 

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Cup of Coffee: Futrell strikes out twelve; Winnay makes Portland debut

6/24 Cup of Coffee: It was a quiet night for the bats throughout the system, as only two Red Sox affiliates came away with wins on Tuesday. Patrick Sandoval continued his rehab assignment in a loss for the WooSox and Jack Winnay reached base twice in his Portland debut. Devin Futrell (pictured) was phenomenal in a shutout win for the Drive as he struck out 12 batters. Down in the DSL, Isaac Velasquez headlined the day with a pinch-hit walkoff grand slam. 

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Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 4, Worcester Red Sox 1

Patrick Sandoval made the third start of his rehab assignment, building up to 53 pitches through 3 1/3 innings on Tuesday night. Sandoval allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk, striking out one batter. Seth Martinez followed him with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Noah Song was touched up for two runs in an inning before Zack Kelly and Angel Bastardo combined for three shutout innings of relief to finish out the game. The WooSox scored their only run on an RBI groundout for Jason Delay in the third inning. Tsung-Che Cheng went 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored.  

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Minor Notes: Winnay promoted, Primera on fire

This week brought an end to the first half of the minor league schedule in the full season leagues, a promotion for a former local star in his first full season, and some national plaudits for a pair of the system's hottest players. 

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Transactions: Winnay promoted, Duffy begins rehab

Per Andrew Parker, the Red Sox will be promoting corner infielder Jack Winnay (pictured) to Double-A Portland to kick off the Sea Dogs second-half schedule on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Winnay is hitting .255/.434/457 with Greenville, leading the system with 53 walks and sharing the team lead in home runs (with three other players) with 11. Winnay has been particularly good in the last six weeks, hitting .311/.475/.615 with 10 of those 11 homers in his last 32 games. A 13th-round pick out of Wake Forest last July, Winnay will be the second member of that draft class to reach Double-A, joining Anthony Eyanson. Born in Michigan, Winnay grew up in Newton and played high school baseball at Belmont Hill. 

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Cup of Coffee: Brito stays hot, Primera extends hitting streak to 16 games in FCL

6/23 Cup of Coffee: Boston's rookie-level affiliates went 1-3 on Monday. Josue Brito (pictured) reached base three times, while Franklin Primera extended his hitting streak as the FCL Red Sox defeated the FCL Pirates in Bradenton. In the Dominican Summer League, Esterlin Casanova and Adrian Valdez hit their first professional home runs as the Blue and Red squads dropped a total of three games. 

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FCL Red Sox 8, FCL Pirates 3

Josue Brito led the way offensively, going 3 for 5 with two doubles, one RBI, and two runs scored. Franklin Primera and Harold Rivas recorded multiple hits as well, with the former singling twice to extend his hitting streak to 16 games and the latter scoring once. Dorian Soto tripled, drove in two runs, and scored another. Christopher Alvarado went 1 for 3 with one RBI, one stolen base, and one walk. Jhorman Bravo went 1 for 3 with two runs scored and one stolen base before being replaced defensively at third base by Edwin Darville in the seventh inning. Tavano Baker and Alexander Mambel also drove in runs.

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Offseason changes 'opening new doors' for Matt McShane in year two with Red Sox

In pedantic terms, a "homegrown" player in baseball means someone who was originally signed by a team and rises through the ranks with them. But in any practical sense, Greenville right-hander Matt McShane is about as homegrown as it gets. 

"It definitely feels like the Red Sox are home," McShane said about the organization. "Even though I wasn’t drafted here, I have spent the majority of my pro career here. It is also great going into the year to know most of the guys down at spring training. Last year I was a new face and didn’t know most of the guys here. So now going into year two, having connections and friendships with a lot of the guys makes it a lot more enjoyable to go to the field with the talent we have. They are awesome guys to be around. I felt a little more comfortable. I felt like I could be myself a little bit more. But I also knew what to expect showing up in Fort Myers every day knowing what the work was that needed to be done and how to go about my day."

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Cup of Coffee: Arias, Gonzales, and Cespedes go deep; Eyanson delivers again

6/22 Cup of Coffee: Franklin Arias and Anthony Eyanson starred for Portland, but it was not enough to get the Sea Dogs past the Patriots. Home runs from Justin Gonzales and Yoeilin Cespedes (pictured) could not help Greenville in a heartbreaking loss, and Worcester used a well-balanced attack to take down the IronPigs.

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Worcester Red Sox 12, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 3

Six players posted multi-hit games and the bullpen was lights out in Worcester's victory. Vinny Capra went 2 for 5 and homered as the second batter of the game. Even though he did not go deep, Jason Delay was the highlight of the day on offense. He drove in six runs as part of a 3-for-4 day that included two doubles and a triple. Matt Thaiss also tallied a double and a triple while going 2 for 4 with a walk. Jack Anderson took advantage of the offense to post his second win. He allowed three runs over five frames.  Four relievers combined to allow only one hit over the final four innings to give the WooSox a series split. 

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzales breaks out of slump in Greenville, Portland pulls off stunning walk-off win

6/21 Cup of Coffee: Despite the Boston affiliates seeing just two wins across the organization on Saturday, there were some strong highlights from the group. Justin Gonzales (pictured) got back on track in Greenville, Portland came from behind to win as Franklin Arias played a new position, and Allan Castro's night was not quite enough to help the WooSox win. 

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Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (PHI) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3

Despite recording 10 hits as a team, the WooSox stranded seven runners on base and went just 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position as they fell short. Worcester got their runs from a sacrifice fly by Mikey Romero, a solo home run off the bat of Allan Castro, and an RBI single from Tyler McDonough as the WooSox led 3-2 after four innings. After Osvaldo Berrios and Eduardo Rivera pitched two innings each, Alec Gamboa was charged with a blown save as he allowed the tying run in the fifth. Gamboa struck out three over his three frames of work, handing the ball off to Kyle Keller, who took the loss with a run charged to his line while recording just one out. 

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Cup of Coffee: Primera extends hitting streak to 15 with two-homer day

6/20 Cup of Coffee: As has become standard, this morning's Cup comes with an extra dose of Franklin Primera (pictured), whose two-homer effort powered the FCL victory. Gage Ziehl and Kyson Witherspoon turned in solid starts for Portland and Greenville victories. Salem held on for the win in Frederickburg, while Worcester dropped its contest in Allentown. The DSL teams drew a split, with Team Blue prevailing in a wild 28-run contest despite being outhit 14 to 4. 

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 9, Worcester Red Sox 3

This was a closer contest than the final score indicated, as Lehigh Valley blew the game open late. Brayan Bello got the start for the second time as he tries to reset. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out five, walking two, and hitting a batter. Joe La Sorsa followed with a scoreless 1 1/3. Angel Bastardo took the loss, allowing a seventh-inning solo home run to Otto Kemp as part of Kemp's four-hit night. The IronPigs touched up Seth Martinez for five runs in 2/3 of an inning, so Worcester turned to Nathan Hickey to get the final out. It was the seventh time that Hickey has been used as a pitcher this year. Mikey Romero stayed hot at the plate with a double and a walk, bringing his line to .364/.417/.523 since the calendar flipped to June. Tyler McDonough blasted a solo homer in the fifth, while Matt Thaiss and Anthony Siegler had two hits apiece. 

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Podcast Ep #418: No SoxProspects, No Party

After reacting to the biggest news of the 2026 Boston Red Sox season - the takeover of Fenway by the Tartan Army last week - Mike and Chris briefly discuss the hottest topic for the major league team, whether Craig Breslow should be charged with handling the inevitable sell-off at the trade deadline. Then, circling to a much happier topic, the guys looked at who might be due for promotions in the system, including FCL stars Franklin Primera and Sadbiel Delzine. Finally, they gave their gut-check reactions to the MLB owners' proposed changes to amateur acquisition, namely the domestic player draft and proposed international player draft.

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Cup of Coffee: Rodriguez ends homerless drought; Turner goes deep in Portland

6/19 Cup of Coffee: As the big league club continues to struggle, Boston's affiliates went 2-4 on Thursday. Tsung-Che Cheng tallied three hits, including a home run, in Worcester's loss to Lehigh Valley. Will Turner (pictured) went deep in Portland's win over Somerset. Yophery Rodriguez homered for the first time in over a month in Greenville's loss to Jersey Shore. Andrews Opata also left the yard in Salem's win over Fredericksburg. In rookie ball, the FCL squad was rained out, while both DSL squads were on the wrong end of blowouts.

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

Raymond Burgos went five innings in his start for Worcester, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 77 pitches (50 strikes) and generated five whiffs. Devin Sweet surrendered two additional runs in the sixth and was hit with the losing decision, while Zack Kelly and Wyatt Olds combined for two scoreless frames of relief.

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Cup of Coffee: Finley shines for Salem; Sandoval makes rehab start in Portland

6/18 Cup of Coffee: Worcester came away with the only win down on the farm on Wednesday, and it needed extra innings to do so. Nathan Hickey led the way for the WooSox, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Patrick Sandoval made a rehab start in Portland with the Sea Dogs' playoff hopes on the brink, and he could not stave off elimination despite a solid effort. Leighton Finley (pictured) was excellent in Salem but got a no-decision in the RidgeYaks shutout defeat, while Greenville was knocked around the Jersey Shore.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4

The WooSox cranked out 12 hits in their 10-inning victory down in Allentown. Nathan Hickey blasted a solo homer in the fourth and then singled in what proved to be the winning run, plating Allan Castro in the 10th. Castro was on base three times, going 2 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base. Vinny Capra had two RBI as part of his two-hit evening, while Tyler McDonough came off the bench to go 2 for 3 and drive in a pair. 

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Cup of Coffee: Gonzalez begins rehab assignment; Futrell throws seven scoreless

6/17 Cup of Coffee: It was a night full of thrills in the Red Sox system, as the WooSox rode a ninth-inning rally to a win while the Sea Dogs and FCL Sox won in walk-off fashion. Romy Gonzalez began his rehab assignment with a blast in Portland, while Devin Futrell was the star of the show in a low-scoring win for the Drive. Barrett Morgan had a strong outing in a loss for Salem and the DSL teams were swept, with the Blue squad losing both games of a doubleheader. 

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Worcester Red Sox 5, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 3

With the game tied 3-3 entering the ninth inning, the WooSox rallied late to win their first game in Lehigh Valley. Anthony Seigler gave the WooSox the lead on an RBI single and then Mikey Romero added some insurance with an RBI single of his own. Romero had an excellent game for the WooSox, going 3 for 4 with a walk and two RBI. Tsung-Che Cheng hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, going 1 for 3 with a walk in the game. Vinny Capra was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. 

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Minor Notes: Primera stays hot; Delzine has a career day

The best performances last week were in the FCL with Franklin Primera (pictured) and Sadbiel Delzine continuing to dominate. The major league team got some reinforcements for the pitching staff, while five players got released. As a reminder, our 2026 Annual Donation Drive is officially underway, with a goal to raise $15,000 to keep SoxProspects.com  running on all cylinders. 

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Whitlock and Bennett rejoin the big league club

After missing a little over two weeks with left knee inflammation, Garrett Whitlock got activated from the 15-day injured list. Jake Bennett also got recalled from Worcester, with Alec Gamboa and Anthony Seigler getting optioned to Triple-A. Bennett took the loss in his first appearance back up, allowing four runs over five innings against the Rays on Wednesday. 

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