Minor Notes: Campbell makes MLB debut, WooSox open season

Baseball season has officially started. The Red Sox played a pair of exhibition games in Mexico and then opened the regular season in Texas, with a handful of prospects making the Opening Day roster. The WooSox also opened their season last Friday, splitting a weekend series with Syracuse. The rest of the full-season affiliates will begin their season on Friday. 

Campbell makes major league debut
Kristian Campbell, a fourth-round draft pick in 2023, has completed his rapid ascent to the major leagues. Campbell played second base and batted sixth in Boston's Opening Day lineup and he has reached base in each of the team's first five games. Campbell has gotten off to an impressive start, going 6 for 16 with one home run, two doubles, and four walks. Campbell collected his first major league home run on Sunday, driving a line drive to center field off Rangers right-hander Jacob Webb. 

To cap off a memorable week for Campbell, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that Campbell and the Red Sox are "deep in talks" on a contract extension. No terms of this potential contract have been reported yet. 

Mayer, Campbell stand out in Mexico 
A handful of prospects joined the Red Sox for a pair of exhibition games against the Sultanes de Monterrey before the season opener. The Red Sox put plenty of runs on the board, winning 10-1 and 12-8. Boston's Big Three got in on the action, with Marcelo Mayer and Campbell delivering standout performances. In the two games, Mayer went 5 for 8 with one home run, two doubles, and one walk. Campbell was 4 for 9 with one home run, one double, and one walk. While he did not add a home run of his own, Roman Anthony also delivered a strong performance in Mexico, going 2 for 8 with a triple and two walks. 

Ninth-ranked prospect Richard Fitts started the first game in Mexico. He threw six strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits, striking out five, and walking none. Left-hander Shane Drohan started the second game, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Drohan was followed by Austin Adams, Zack Kelly, Jack Anderson, Greg Weissert, Christopher Troye, Brennan Bernardino, Zach Bryant, and Erik Rivera. 

Fitts, Newcomb open season in Boston's rotation
A spring training competition emerged after a series of spring injuries opened up two spots in the Red Sox starting rotation. Richard Fitts earned the fourth spot in the rotation after an excellent spring, in which he increased his fastball velocity and pitched to a 2.45 ERA in 14 2/3 innings. Fitts made his first start of the season on Sunday, taking the loss in Texas but delivering a solid outing. He allowed three runs in six innings, striking out four and walking none. Veteran left-hander Sean Newcomb emerged as a dark horse candidate for the team's final rotation spot after pitching to a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings this spring. Newcomb, who signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox this offseason, was named to the Opening Day roster and made his first start of the season on Monday. Newcomb allowed four runs in four innings, taking the loss against the Orioles. 

The Red Sox also entered the spring with a competition for the final three spots in the bullpen. A fourth spot opened up shortly before Opening Day as Liam Hendriks was placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation. The Red Sox selected right-handers Cooper Criswell, Zack Kelly, and Greg Weissert, and left-hander Brennan Bernardino to the Opening Day to fill these spots in the bullpen. 

Carlos Narvaez, the 28th-ranked prospect in the system, also made the Opening Day roster as the backup catcher. Narvaez was acquired from the Yankees during the offseason after hitting .254/.370/.412 in 96 games in Triple-A Scranton last season. Narvaez made his Red Sox debut on Saturday, going 1 for 3 with an RBI single and a walk. 

WooSox open season against Syracuse
The WooSox started the Triple-A season last Friday against Syracuse, losing 4-3 on Opening Day. Following a rainout on Saturday, the WooSox crushed Syracuse 12-0 on Sunday. Roman Anthony delivered the standout performance of the young season on Sunday,  going 2 for 3 with a pair of home runs, four runs, three RBI, and two walks. Marcelo Mayer made his long-awaited Triple-A debut on Friday and he has gone 2 for 9 through the first two games of the season. Mayer was initially promoted to Worcester on August 11 last year but he did not play another game for the rest of the season as he battled a lumbar strain. Robert Stock was named the Opening Day starting pitcher for the WooSox and he rose to the occasion, throwing four shutout innings and striking out six. 

Remainder of full-season affiliates start season on Friday
The WooSox will continue their season on Tuesday, starting a six-game series in Jacksonville. The rest of Boston's full-season affiliates will open their seasons on Friday. Double-A Portland will travel to Reading, High-A Greenville will host Bowling Green, and Low-A Salem will host Delmarva. 

Pre-Season All-Stars
SoxProspects.com released our annual Pre-Season All-Star lists, highlighting the top position players and pitchers in the Red Sox system. 

Transactions

• The Red Sox traded right-handed pitcher Noah Davis to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. Davis signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training after pitching to a 5.75 ERA in 20 1/3 innings with the Rockies last season. 

• The Red Sox placed left-handers Chris Murphy (recovery from UCL surgery) and 20th-ranked prospect Zach Penrod (left elbow sprain) on the 60-day IL. Both pitchers will accrue major league service time.

• The Red Sox released right-handed pitchers Grant Gambrell and Taylor Broadway, as well as catcher Daniel McElveny. Gambrell, originally acquired from the Royals in the Andrew Benintendi trade, threw 83 2/3 innings with a 4.09 ERA in Triple-A Worcester last season. Broadway missed the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He posted a 6.34 ERA in 22 appearances for Worcester in 2023. McElveny, a sixth-round pick in 2021, slashed .179/.336/.231 in 55 games in Salem last season. 

Where are they now? 
Several former Red Sox minor leaguers made Opening Day rosters around the league. 

• Mickey Gasper made the Opening Day roster for the Twins and collected his first major league hit on Saturday. He is 1 for 5 with two walks. 

• Infielder Christian Koss was selected to San Francisco's 26-man roster. Koss played three seasons in the Red Sox minor league system from 2021-2023, reaching Triple-A in his final season. Koss was traded to the Giants last spring and hit .299/.376/.496 across three levels of the minor leagues last season. He has not yet appeared in a game for the Giants. 

• Right-handed pitcher Eduard Bazardo was named to the Mariners' season-opening bullpen. Bazardo was originally signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent from Venezuela in 2014 and he pitched in the Red Sox organization until 2022, throwing 19 1/3 major league innings. Bazardo had a 4.88 ERA in 27 2/3 innings for the Mariners last season. 

Photo Credit: Kristian Campbell by Kelly O'Connor

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