Minor Notes: Red Sox agree to deals with draft picks, Chris and Ian break down the rest of Boston's draft

All-Star week has come and gone and with it brought a shortened week across Minor League Baseball as each affiliate played a three-game weekend series compared to the normal week-long stretch. During the week however, some of the Red Sox recent draft picks inked deals as the season slowly approaches the trade deadline. 

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MLB Draft Picks Sign 

With the MLB Draft happening last weekend as part of All-Star weekend, the negotiations followed between team and players with several reaching agreements throughout the week. As of Sunday night, the Red Sox agreed to deals with several of their draft picks including Kyson Witherspoon (1st Round), Marcus Phillips (competitive balance A), Anthony Eyanson (3rd) and Barrett Morgan (11th). Witherspoon signed for $5M (slot $5,114,200), Phillips agreed to $2.5M (slot $2,898,300), Eyanson inked for $1.75M (slot $907,200) and Morgan signed for $500,000 (slot $150,000) While there is plenty of time left, the deadline for signing draft picks is July 28 at 5 p.m. For anyone wanting to get a breakdown on the newest members of the Red Sox organization, there are reports on each pick on SoxProspects.com. 

On the undrafted side, Boston agreed to deals with Andrews Opata (OF, North Georgia), Ty Hodge (SS, UTSA) and Caleb Berry (C, Michigan State), each of which signing for $150,000.

To find out which draft picks have signed and for how much, check out the draft page on SoxProspects.com

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New Podcast Episode

After a busy week breaking down Boston's draft strategy as well as the players selected, the latest SoxProspects podcast episode go in depth on round four through 20 while giving an overall perspective on the Red Sox's 2025 draft class. 

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Links

• While the Red Sox continue their series in Philadelphia against the Phillies, Christopher Smith of MassLive breaks down Roman Anthony's "Oh, wow" moment when the 21-year-old met Phillies star Bryce Harper during spring training. 

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Transactions 

• In desperate need of adding catching depth, the Red Sox brought back Ronaldo Hernandez on a minor league contract. Hernandez was with the organization from 2021-2023 and came to the Red Sox along with Nick Sogard in a trade with Tampa Bay that sent left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza to the Rays.

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Where Are They Now

• On Monday afternoon, the Kansas City Royals announced that they are calling up 45-year-old Rich Hill to the Major League Club. His first appearance with the Royals will mark the 21st consecutive season in which Hill has appeared in a big league game. Hill had several stints in Boston over the years, pitching for the Red Sox in 2010-2012, 2015, 2022 and most recently 2024.  
• Along with Jhostynxon Garcia appearing in the recent MLB Futures Game in Atlanta, Braden Montgomery joined him as part of the American League roster. Despite never playing a game with Red Sox affiliates, the outfielder was Boston's first-round pick last summer before being one of the headliner prospects dealt for Garrett Crochet.  
• After attempting to make another comeback to Major League Baseball, Daniel Bard announced his retirement on Sunday. Bard was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft out of the University of North Carolina. The right-hander made his Major League debut three years later and went on to pitch to a 2.88 ERA over his first three seasons from 2009-2011 before command issues led to a rocky two seasons after. After seven years between big league appearances, Bard made a comeback with the Colorado Rockies at 35 years old in 2020 and pitch with the team from 2020-2023.  

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Players of the Week July 14-20

Yoeilin Cespedes, SS, Salem Red Sox

3 G, 5-10, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Cespedes made a big impact in a short amount of time for Salem as the Red Sox took two of three in the weekend series. The middle infielder recorded hits in all three contests including a two-run home run in the series finale. While Cespedes has only managed to put together a .223/.276/.366 slashline through 73 games this season, this is by far the most amount of games played in a season across his three years with the organization. He is currently ranked the 16th prospect according to SoxProspects.com

Connelly Early, LHP, Portland Sea Dogs  

1 G, 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

With the shortened week, Early took the mound for one appearance last week and continued to show why he has been worthy of a promotion to Worcester for a while. Despite earning a no-decision on Sunday, the left-hander tossed 5 2/3 innings with one run allowed on three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. The outing lowered his ERA on the season to 2.51 across 71 2/3 frames with 96 punchouts. Similar to several other pitchers across Boston's farm system, Early has taken a massive leap from last season and showcased the talent Boston believed he had when they selected him in the 2023 draft. Early currently sits as the 10th-ranked prospect in the system.

Photo Credit: Connelly Early and Yoeilin Cespedes by Kelly O'Connor

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