Minor Notes: Organization gets pair of Rule 5 picks back, Uberstine makes Major League debut

The baseball season kicked off in its fullest this week as the High-A and Low-A seasons began over the weekend. While the Minor League season got into full swing, a Boston farmhand made the trip to Fenway Park to pitch in the big leagues for the first time in his career. 

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Uberstine makes Major League debut

With pitcher Johan Oviedo going to the injured list with an elbow strain and Garrett Whitlock heading to the paternity list over the weekend, the Red Sox made a pair of call-ups from Worcester before the team's home opener. One of those promotions was starting pitcher Tyler Uberstine, who capped off an incredible journey to reach the Major Leagues for the first time in his career. Uberstine debuted on Sunday afternoon against the Padres and looked impressive. While the right-hander took the loss in Boston's 8-6 defeat, he pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three hits (one home run) with a walk and three strikeouts. 

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Podcast Ep #409: Opening Day Rankings Discussion

Ian Cundall is joined by SoxProspects Editor-In-Chief Mike Andrews to discuss the latest Red Sox major league and minor league news. They discuss the Red Sox slow start, Johan Oviedo’s injury, players off to hot starts in the minors and Blake Wehunt’s injury. After that, they go in depth on the SoxProspects opening day rankings and breakdown all the risers, all the fallers and the grade changes! They then wrap up the show by answering your emails!

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Cup of Coffee: Tolle strikes out seven; Gasper homers twice

4/6 Cup of Coffee: With Greenville and Salem off and Portland rained out, all eyes were on the WooSox. Payton Tolle and Mickey Gasper (pictured) helped the team sweep a doubleheader over St. Paul. Kristian Campbell also went deep for Worcester, while Mikey Romero continued his hot start. 

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Worcester Red Sox 4, St. Paul Saints (MIN) 2 (Game One)

It was a great bounce back start for Payton Tolle as he stifled the Saints in the first game of a doubleheader. Tolle allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings while walking one and striking out seven. He threw 50 of his 74 pitches for strikes, and he generated 11 whiffs. The save went to Noah Song as he pitched a spotless seventh. On offense, Nate Eaton accounted for the team's lone extra-base hit as he laced a 111-mph double. Mikey Romero ripped a two-run single as part of a 1-for-4 day, and Allan Castro went 2 for 3 with a stolen base and a throwing error. 

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Cup of Coffee: Sogard stays hot at the plate, Eyanson makes pro debut in Greenville

It was a day full of headlines across the Boston farm system. Nick Sogard continued his torrid start to 2026 in a Worcester win while John Holobetz dazzled for Portland. Down in Greenville, a pair of 2025 draft picks made their pro debuts on the mound. 

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Worcester Red Sox 5, St. Paul Saints (MIN) 3 

The WooSox flexed their power on Saturday, scoring all of their runs from home runs. Mickey Gasper started the day offensively for Worcester with a two-run shot in the top of the first, which drove in Nick Sogard, who walked to start the game. In the third frame, Sogard would add his third home run of the young season with a solo shot. Nate Eaton followed the infielder with his first big fly to cap off a back-to-back attack. The final tally of the day came off the bat of Tsung-Che-Chung, who connected with his second home run to put Worcester out to a 5-0 lead after four innings. 

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Cup of Coffee: Witherspoon debuts and Gonzales goes deep in Greenville

4/4 Cup of Coffee: It was tough going on the system's first scheduled slate of full-season games. Three teams combined to allow 40 runs while Worcester was unable to play for a second straight day. Kyson Witherspoon had mixed results in Greenville for his professional debut, while Justin Gonzales (pictured) had a big day at the plate and afield. Salem surrendered a late four-run lead despite the best efforts of Anderson Fermin. Little went right in Portland's season opener as the Sea Dogs were outhit 22 to three in a blowout loss.

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Worcester Red Sox @ St. Paul Saints, canceled

A rainy and cold day in Minnesota made Friday's game unplayable. The teams will make up Thursday's rainout with a doubleheader on Sunday, while the Friday contest will not be scheduled.

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Cup of Coffee: Brown shines for Salem in pro debut; Valera fans seven in Greenville

4/3 Cup of Coffee: While Worcester's game in St. Paul was postponed, Greenville and Salem opened their seasons at home on Thursday. Juan Valera struck out seven, and Freili Encarnacion homered, but the Drive ultimately fell to Greensboro in extras. In Salem, Dylan Brown (pictured) got the RidgeYaks era off to a promising start by delivering five scoreless innings and a win in his professional debut. 

A reminder that Portland opens its season on the road against Somerset (NYY) on Friday evening.

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Worcester Red Sox @ St. Paul Saints (MIN) (PPD)

This game was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on a date still to be determined.

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2026 SoxProspects Pre-Season All-Stars Pt. 2 - Pitchers

For the second and final part of SoxProspects.com's 2026 Pre-Season All-Stars list, we turn our attention to the mound and recognize some of the more well-regarded pitchers in the Red Sox farm system. This group of eight includes five starting pitchers who all rank in the system's top 10, and three relievers in the upper minors. 

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Kyson Witherspoon: Starting Pitcher, Greenville Drive

The first of three 2025 draftees on the list, Witherspoon will headline a stacked Greenville rotation in 2026. The first-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma was an NCAA First-Team All-American and Golden Spikes Semifinalist in 2025 after pitching to a 2.65 ERA with 124 strikeouts in 95 innings. The Red Sox drafted him 15th overall despite him being a consensus top-10 talent. In the Spring Breakout game, his fastball averaged 96 mph while also featuring a slider, cutter, and changeup. He only threw the changeup twice, and that will be a key pitch for him to develop to neutralize left-handed hitters. Red Sox fans will hope he follows in Payton Tolle's footsteps, as Tolle was promoted after just 49 2/3 innings with the Drive. 

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Cup of Coffee: Cheng, Romero spur Worcester comeback

4/2 Cup of Coffee: The WooSox didn't draw 20 walks like they did in Tuesday's series opener, but three players with three-hit games was enough to come away with the win. Worcester will get some company on the schedule Thursday, as Greenville and Salem both open the Class A schedule.

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Worcester Red Sox 5, St. Paul Saints (MIN) 4

Far from Tuesday's walk in the park, Worcester fell into an early hole before clawing its way back to the comeback win. Starter Jack Anderson surrendered a grand slam to highly-touted Twins outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez in the third inning, giving the Saints a 4-0 advantage. The WooSox responded in the fourth with a Tsung-Che Cheng (pictured) solo homer. Cheng added a pair of singles and a stolen base, as well as executing a ninth-inning squeeze play that knotted the game at 4-4. Matt Thaiss followed with a go-ahead single, his third knock of the game. Mikey Romero made loud contact all afternoon with a double, two singles, and two 113-mph lineouts. 

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2026 SoxProspects Pre-Season All-Stars Pt. 1 - Position Players

For the first part of SoxProspects.com's 2026 Pre-Season All-Stars list, we start with the position players. This group of nine includes seven of the organization's top 20 prospects and two others who are also ranked. Stay tuned for the pitching portion of the 2026 Pre-Season All-Stars list coming on Thursday.

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Luke Heyman: Catcher, Salem RidgeYaks

Heyman, 22, is a Pre-Season All-Star for the first time and is currently ranked as the organization's No. 31 prospect. A 14th-round selection of the Mariners in last year's draft out of Florida, Heyman was acquired by the Red Sox for right-hander Alex Hoppe in November. In his junior season with the Gators, the right-handed hitter earned All-SEC First Team honors by batting .301/.397/.578 with seven doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 44 RBIs, 37 runs scored, 22 walks, and 38 strikeouts in 49 games (204 plate appearances). He did not play in an affiliated game after signing with Seattle for an over-slot $230,000 in July, as he was rehabbing from a broken forearm. To that end, he will make his professional debut once he takes the field for Salem to start the 2026 campaign.

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Cup of Coffee: Sogard homers twice, WooSox draw 20 walks in blowout win

4/1 Cup of Coffee: The patience and power of the WooSox lineup was on full display on Tuesday night, as the WooSox drew an incredible 20 walks and homered four times in their series opener in St. Paul. 

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Worcester Red Sox 19, St. Paul Saints (MIN) 3

The WooSox came out of the gates hot, as they batted around and scored eight runs in the top of the first. Worcester's monster first inning was highlighted by three home runs, including a three-run homer by Allan Castro and back-to-back home runs by Vinny Capra and Nick Sogard (pictured). Worcester put together another offensive explosion in the sixth inning, batting around again and scoring another ten runs. Sogard capped the rally with a grand slam and Jason Delay laced a two-run double in the inning. Capra and Delay both reached base five times in the game, each going 2 for 3 with three walks. Castro's first-inning homer was his first hit at the Triple-A level, as he was 1 for 4 with two walks and four RBI on the night.  

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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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