Cup of Coffee: Houck strikes out six, Jordan goes deep

July 10 Cup of Coffee: Tanner Houck (pictured) was the story of the night, as he turned in his best rehab outing with 4 1/3 strong innings for Worcester. Nick Sogard had a couple of extra-base hits, while Blaze Jordan belted a home run in the WooSox loss. Dalton Rogers pitched well for Portland as well despite losing the game. Albert Feliz had a nice night for Greenville, and Salem was rained out. 

 

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Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 4, Worcester Red Sox 3

Tanner Houck made his fifth rehab appearance, his fourth with Worcester, and it was a success. The right-hander tossed 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball with three hits allowed, six strikeouts, and two walks. He threw 76 pitches, 46 for strikes, and induced 13 swinging strikes. Jovani Moran struggled out of the bullpen, surrendering three earned runs on four hits in one inning. Wyatt Mills followed and worked around three walks, giving up no runs in 1 2/3 innings without allowing a hit. Austin Adams pitched well for an inning, allowing no runs with two strikeouts. Nick Sogard had a nice game out of the leadoff spot, going 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Jhostynxon Garcia went 1 for 3 with a single, a walk, and an RBI. Blaze Jordan also belted his fourth Worcester home run of the season. 

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Cup of Coffee: Grissom, Thompson power WooSox in slugfest win

7/9 Cup of Coffee: It was a tough night for the Red Sox farm as only two affiliates picked up wins in a full slate of games on Tuesday. A four-hit game from Vaughn Grissom (pictured) and a three-hit game by Trayce Thompson led the WooSox to victory despite an inconsistent outing from Kyle Harrison on the mound. The Sea Dogs and Drive fell despite strong starting pitching performances by Eduardo Rivera and Michael Sansone. Justin Gonzales and Enddy Azocar collected run-scoring doubles in a loss for Salem, while Anderson Fermin and Gerardo Rodriguez delivered outstanding games in the FCL. The DSL teams split their games, with Geomaikel Martinez powering the Red team to the win. 

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Worcester Red Sox 11, Rochester Red Wings (WAS) 5

The Worcester bats exploded in their series opener against Rochester. Vaughn Grissom kicked off the scoring with an RBI single in the first and went on to have one of his best games of the season, going 4 for 4 with a walk and two doubles. Trayce Thompson drilled RBI singles in the third and fifth innings as part of a 3-for-5 game. Seby Zavala and Nathan Hickey each blasted two-run homers, their fourth and 11th of the season, respectively. Kristian Campbell started at first base and went 1 for 3 with a double and two walks. 

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Minor Notes: Garcia named to Futures Game roster; draft preparation begins

With the All-Star break fast approaching, that also means the MLB draft is on the horizon as well. There are also several notable names currently on rehab assignments. The Futures Game rosters have also been announced, with one Red Sox player making an appearance. 

 

New podcast episodes 

It was a jam-packed week for the SoxProspects.com podcast, as a pair of new episodes were released. First, Ian Cundall is joined by Geoff Pontes of Baseball America to preview the upcoming MLB Draft, which begins on July 13. They discuss who may fall to the Red Sox, how the draft class compares to last year, as well as the Futures Game rosters. In the next episode, Ian is joined by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe as they break down a variety of topics on the current state of the organization. They discuss the Sox pitching depth, Tanner Houck, and how Kyle Harrison has adjusted since entering the organization. 

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Cup of Coffee: Bello, Rodriguez highlight strong day for pitching in FCL

7/8 Cup of Coffee: Boston's rookie-level affiliates went 3-1 on a Monday in which five games were scheduled. Behind solid pitching from the likes of Jose Bello and Wuilliams Rodriguez (pictured), the FCL Red Sox swept the FCL Rays in a doubleheader. Both Dominican Summer League squads, on the other hand, were affected by the weather. 

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FCL Red Sox 4, FCL Rays 0

This game began on July 3 but was suspended in the third inning due to rain. After Dalvinson Reyes struck out three over two scoreless, no-hit innings in his start last Thursday, Jesus Travieso, Tejahari Wilson, and Yoandys Veraza combined to allow just two hits across seven shutout frames of relief on Monday. Offensively, Franyer Noria went 3 for 3 with one run scored, one walk, and one stolen base out of the nine-hole. Batting in front of him, Justin Barry crushed a two-run shot for his third home run of the season, scored twice, and stole two bases as part of a 1-for-4 showing.

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Cup of Coffee: Sikes and Grissom lift Worcester; Tibbs and Castro homer for Portland

7/7 Cup of Coffee: There was plenty of offense on the farm on Sunday as Phillip Sikes, Vaughn Grissom, Allan Castro, James Tibbs III, Freili Encarnacion, and Enddy Azocar (pictured) all homered. The pitching could not get the job done, however, as Worcester was the only affiliate in the win column. Connelly Early had a rare rough outing, but John Holobetz and Luis Cohen were impressive in the lower minors.

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Worcester Red Sox 8, Syracuse Mets (NYM) 7

The WooSox held off the Mets to end a three-game losing skid. Things got off to a rocky start as the Mets got to Cooper Criswell for five runs over the first 1 1/3 innings, including a two-run home run by the rehabbing Jesse Winker. Wyatt Olds followed and managed to allow only one run over 2 1/3 despite walking six while failing to record a strikeout. Jovani Moran, Alex Hoppe, and Isaiah Campbell combined to allow only one run over the final 5 1/3, with Moran getting the win and Campbell earning the save. 

A two-run home run from Phillip Sikes gave Worcester the lead in the sixth, and a solo shot off the bat of Vaughn Grissom proved to be the winning run in the seventh. Sikes finished 1 for 2 with a walk and three RBI, while Grissom went 2 for 5 with an RBI double. Nick Sogard and Blaze Jordan both doubled as part of a multi-hit game, while Kristian Campbell went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts. Campbell is hitting .160/.222/.200 with 13 strikeouts in 25 at-bats in July. 

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Cup of Coffee: A pair of rehab assignments continue in Portland, Greenville bullpen impresses in victory

7/6 Cup of Coffee: While it was a fairly quiet night for Boston's affiliates' bats, Greenville got strong showings on both sides of the ball thanks to Nazzan Zanetello (pictured) and the pitching duo of Erik Rivera and Matt McShane. In Portland, the Sea Dogs hosted Hunter Dobbins and Masataka Yoshida for the latest stops on their respective rehab assignments, and Griffin Kilander turned in a strong performance on the mound for Salem.

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 3, Worcester Red Sox 1

Worcester's offense could not find its footing while failing to get a hit with runners in scoring position to drop its third game in a row. Isaac Coffey started and picked up the loss with three runs allowed, including two home runs, three walks, four hits, and four strikeouts in four innings of work. Following Coffey, Hobie Harris and Jose Adames combined for four scoreless frames out of the WooSox bullpen. Worcester's only run of the night came off the bat of Seby Zavala, who launched a solo home run in the top of the fourth that cut the deficit to 2-1 at the time. Kristian Campbell went hitless out of the DH spot while Jhostynxon Garcia and Vaughn Grissom each picked up a knock. 

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Cup of Coffee: Romero provides fireworks to support Houck and Tolle gem

7/5 Cup of Coffee: Hadlock Field was the site of some exciting fireworks both during and after the Portland victory. The mid-week switch to maximize the number of teams able to host July 4th fireworks had Worcester, Portland, and Greenville on the move. Tanner Houck returned on a rehab assignment to where he spent most of the 2019 season, pairing with Payton Tolle to dominate on the mound. They also got plenty of offensive support, notably off the bat of Mikey Romero (pictured). Worcester and Greenville fell following their bus trips, while Salem had no such travels to blame for its comeback loss. Boston's two DSL teams went head-to-head, while the FCL doubleheader was a weather casualty. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 4, Worcester Red Sox 0

Hits were hard to come by in the Salt City, as the teams matched zeroes into the sixth inning. Kristian Campbell had two of Worcester's four hits on the night. Nathan Hickey and Karson Simas also had a base hit apiece. Jose de Leon returned from the injured list with three scoreless innings, surrendering just one hit while striking out five without issuing a walk. After Cooper Adams pitched a scoreless fourth, Bryan Mata cruised through the fifth before allowing a decisive four-run sixth, taking the loss. Jovani Moran and Alex Hoppe also went a shutout frame apiece. 

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Cup of Coffee: Bleis, White homer for Greenville; Brannon, Salazar also go deep

7/4 Cup of Coffee: Happy Fourth of July. Thursday was a tough day for Boston's affiliates. Nick Sogard and Kristian Campbell combined for five hits in Worcester's loss to Syracuse. Brooks Brannon homered for the first time at the Double-A level in Portland's loss to New Hampshire. Miguel Bleis (pictured) and Hudson White both went deep in Greenville's loss to Asheville. Kleyver Salazar also left the yard in Salem's loss to Lynchburg. As for the rookie-level teams, the FCL squad's game was suspended due to rain, while both DSL squads fell. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 7, Worcester Red Sox 4

Tyler Uberstine took the loss in his seventh start for Worcester after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits (including two homers), one walk, one hit by pitch, and four strikeouts over five innings. Isaiah Campbell surrendered two additional runs in the top of the eighth, while Wyatt Olds and Hobie Harris combined for three scoreless frames of relief. On the flip side, Nick Sogard and Kristian Campbell enjoyed productive nights at the plate. Sogard went 3 for 5 with one double and one run scored, while Campbell went 2 for 4 with one double and two RBIs. Jhostynxon Garcia and Blaze Jordan both drove in runs as well. Masataka Yoshida went 1 for 3 with one run scored and played five innings in left field in the second game of his rehab assignment.

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New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 7, Portland Sea Dogs 5

Dalton Rogers struggled with command in his latest start for Portland, surrendering four earned runs on two hits (including one home run), a season-high six walks, and seven strikeouts over four innings. Only 42 of the 87 pitches he threw landed for strikes. In relief of Rogers, Jonathan Brand and Jorge Juan allowed three additional runs (two earned) in three combined innings out of the bullpen, while Yovanny Cruz tossed a scoreless eighth.

Offensively, Mikey Romero and Drew Ehrhard accounted for half of their side's 12 hits. Romero went 3 for 5 with one RBI and one run scored, while Ehrhard went 3 for 4 with one double. James Tibbs III and Allan Castro also doubled as part of two-hit outings, with the former scoring one run and the latter driving in another. Brooks Brannon crushed a solo shot in the second inning for his first Double-A homer and his only hit of the night. Max Ferguson tripled and scored one run, while Ahbram Liendo had one RBI, one run scored, one walk, and one stolen base to bring his total on the year up to 20.

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Asheville Tourists (HOU) 3, Greenville Drive 2

Brandon Clarke scattered one hit, one walk, and one hit by pitch while striking out four over 2 1/3 scoreless innings in his latest start for Greenville. Fellow lefty Shea Sprague received the bulk of the work out of the bullpen and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits (including one home run), one walk, and seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 frames. Cooper Adams fanned three more in his 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Miguel Bleis put together a productive night at the plate, going 2 for 4 with one double, a solo shot for his 11th home run of the season, and one stolen base. Hudson White also cranked a solo homer for his fourth big fly of the year. Johanfran Garcia went 2 for 4 with a pair of singles. Franklin Arias doubled for his only hit, while Nelly Taylor drew two walks and stole two bases. 

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Lynchburg Hillcats (CLE) 7, Salem Red Sox 1

Yhoiker Fajardo struggled in his third start for Salem, surrendering six runs (five earned) on eight hits, one walk, and three strikeouts over four-plus innings. Calvin Bickerstaff was charged with one run in his two innings of relief, while PJ Labriola fanned a pair across two scoreless frames. Kleyver Salazar led the way at the plate by going 2 for 4 with a solo shot for his third home run of the season. Frederik Jimenez also tallied two hits (both singles) and drew one walk.

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FCL Red Sox @ FCL Rays (Suspended)

This game was suspended in the middle of the third inning due to rain and is tentatively scheduled to be completed on Monday, July 7. Dalvinson Reyes had struck out three of the first six batters he faced over two perfect innings. Franyer Noria had set the tone offensively by singling in the top of the third, stealing second base, and eventually scoring the game's first run on a passed ball. Anderson Fermin had also drawn one walk and stolen two bases.

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DSL Cubs Blue 9, DSL Red Sox Blue 7

Oscar Vaamonde went 4 1/3 innings in his start, allowing four earned runs on three hits (including one home run), two walks, and four strikeouts. Jainer Almanza and Ranci Castillo were tagged for a total of five runs in 4 2/3 combined innings out of the bullpen. Offensively, Harold Rivas and Maikol Tovar accounted for four of the Blue squad's nine hits. Rivas went 2 for 5 with one double and two RBIs, while Tovar went 2 for 4 with one double, one RBI, one run scored, and one stolen base. Vladimir Asencio also doubled, drove in two runs, and scored once as part of a 1-for-4 day.

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DSL Athletics 5, DSL Red Sox Red 1

Williams Montero took the loss on the mound, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits, one walk, one hit by pitch, and five strikeouts in three innings. Angelo Ladera gave up a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth, while Jose Golindano struck out three over three scoreless frames of relief. At the plate, Jhorman Bravo accounted for his side's lone RBI when he drove in Luis Aular on an eighth-inning sacrifice fly. Dorian Soto and Kevin Morillo both doubled for their only hits.

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Player of the Day: Miguel Bleis gets the nod after going deep for the first time in nearly a month on Thursday night. The 21-year-old outfielder is now batting .241/.329/.446 with 11 doubles, one triple, a team-leading 11 home runs and 39 RBIs, 42 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, 28 walks, and 61 strikeouts in 60 games (255 plate appearances) for Greenville this season. He is currently ranked as the No. 14 prospect in the organization.  

Photo Credit: Miguel Bleis by Kelly O'Connor

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Podcast Ep. #370: Check-in with Alex Speier

In our second episode of the holiday week, Ian is joined by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe to break down everything going on with the Red Sox right now. They start off by talking about the Red Sox pitching depth, what’s going on with Tanner Houck, and how Kyle Harrison is adjusting to the Red Sox pitching development program. They then move over to position players and discuss Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer’s development at the major league level, how Masataka Yoshida fits into the equation and more! Ian then wraps the episode up by answering your emails.

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June Players of the Month: Zach Ehrhard and Eduardo Rivera

The third full month of the minor league season is in the books, which means it is time to present the SoxProspects.com Players of the Month for June to outfielder Zach Ehrhard (pictured, left) and left-hander Eduardo Rivera (pictured, bottom right). Both prospects are currently ranked within the organization's top 35.

Ehrhard, 22, put together a solid June with Portland. The speedy right-handed hitter batted .278/.363/.500 with five doubles, five home runs, 10 RBIs, 15 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 10 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 25 games (102 plate appearances). Overall, he is slashing .252/.327/.459 with 10 doubles, six home runs, 15 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 12 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 37 games (151 plate appearances) since being promoted from Greenville on May 20. He has made 19 starts in right field, 10 starts in left field, six starts at DH, and two starts in center field for the Sea Dogs.

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Cup of Coffee: Yoshida begins rehab, Gonzales blasts long home run

7/3 Cup of Coffee: Worcester split a doubleheader with Syracuse, as Masataka Yoshida played in his first rehab game. Kyle Harrison was on the mound again as well, while Karson Simas and Vaughn Grissom led the way in a big win in the second game. The Drive swept their doubleheader behind a huge hit from Franklin Arias. Justin Gonzales (pictured) also had a monster game in Salem's win. 

 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) 5, Worcester Red Sox 2 (Game One)

Kyle Harrison made his second start in a Worcester uniform and lasted four innings while surrendering three earned runs on five hits. He also walked two and struck out two on 79 pitches. A bright spot for the lefty was his new cutter, which he used to induce four of his 10 swinging strikes on the afternoon. His fastball sat in the 94-96 mph range. Wyatt Mills gave up two runs in two innings before Austin Adams tossed a shutout frame with one strikeout and no walks. Masataka Yoshida made his 2025 season debut in this one as the designated hitter. He went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and a walk. He was also taking ground balls at first base before the game. Trayce Thompson provided the only two runs for Worcester with a two-run blast in the second inning to score Vaughn Grissom, who doubled to lead off the frame. Kristian Campbell played first base again and went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts at the plate. 

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Podcast Ep #369: MLB Draft Preview with Geoff Pontes of Baseball America

Special episode this week as Ian is joined by Geoff Pontes of Baseball America to preview the upcoming MLB Draft! We hit on a range of draft topics including the strengths and weaknesses of the class, how it compares to last year and who could fall from the top 10 to the Red Sox. Geoff also discussed why former Red Sox draftee Gavin Kilen is an intriguing target for Boston, what happened to Jace LaViolette this year and what the catching crop looks like. Before that, we also hit on a few other topics including the Futures Game rosters which feature Jhostynxon Garcia and the new Baseball America Top 100!

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Cup of Coffee: Mullins throws immaculate inning, Ehrhard homers for Portland

7/2 Cup of Coffee: On a strange day full of rain and extra-inning affairs, only one Red Sox affiliate played a regular nine-inning game. Hayden Mullins (pictured) threw an immaculate inning and Zach Ehrhard blasted a three-run homer in a Sea Dogs win. Aaron Brooks and Joey Gartrell led Salem to the win, combining for seven shutout innings while Natanael Yuten tripled twice. Both Worcester and Greenville were rained out and will play doubleheaders on Wednesday. Avison Pinto reached base four times in a win for the FCL Red Sox. In the DSL, Jakson Gamboa led the Red team to the win while a strong game for Justin Ogando wasn't enough for the Blue team. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) @ Worcester Red Sox (postponed)

The series opener between the WooSox and Mets was rained out and the teams will plan to play a doubleheader on Wednesday. Masataka Yoshida, who is slated to begin a rehab assignment with Worcester, will look to make his season debut on Wednesday. 

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Minor Notes: Yoshida set to begin rehab assignment; changes for Harrison and Tibbs

Worcester fans will see a familiar face when the WooSox return to Polar Park on Tuesday. All three pieces of the Rafael Devers trade had changes over the past week, and Kristian Campbell (pictured, left) officially made his debut at first base. 

Yoshida to begin rehab assignment

Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that Masataka Yoshida is set to begin a rehab assignment with Worcester on Tuesday. Yoshida has been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. The 31-year-old hopes to be back around the All-Star break, which begins on July 14. Yoshida figures to get the bulk of his at-bats as a designated hitter when he makes it back to Boston.

Campbell and Tibbs debut at first base

As the organization plans for both short-term and potentially long-term solutions at first base given the significant injury to Triston Casas, two players made their professional debuts at first base last week. Kristian Campbell played three games at first base and two at second base in Worcester's last series, and James Tibbs III made his first start at first base on Sunday for the Sea Dogs. Tibbs had played exclusively right field prior to last week's series finale.

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Cup of Coffee: Bello, Rodriguez lead the way for FCL Red Sox

7/1 Cup of Coffee: Boston's rookie-level affiliates went 1-2 on Monday. Jose Bello and Gerardo Rodriguez (pictured) played key roles in the FCL Red Sox' come-from-behind win over the FCL Braves. The two DSL squads, on the other hand, were held to just two runs on nine hits altogether.

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FCL Red Sox 4, FCL Braves 3

Jesus Travieso went four innings in his latest start for the FCL Red Sox, allowing one earned run on three hits, four walks, and six strikeouts. Jose Bello pitched well in relief and earned his first organizational win, walking and striking out two over three scoreless, no-hit frames. Juan Henriquez worked his way around some traffic to put up a zero in the ninth for his first save of the season. Gerardo Rodriguez led the way offensively, going 2 for 4 with one double and one RBI. Anderson Fermin drove in two runs as part of a 1-for-4 day. Justin Barry scored two runs, drew one walk, and stole one base.

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