August 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Minor Notes: Anthony signs eight-year extension, Tolle makes Triple-A debut
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Roman Anthony extended through 2033
The recently graduated top prospect in all of baseball, Roman Anthony (pictured, left), is going to be wearing a Red Sox uniform for at least the next eight seasons. The deal is for $130 million and includes a club option for the 2034 season. The $130 million is the third largest amount of guaranteed money for a player with less than one year of MLB service time. Read more from Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald on how this deal compares to other recent contracts across baseball. The 21-year old is off to a terrific start to his big league career, batting .283/.394/.433 (132 wRC+) with 16 doubles, a triple, and three home runs in 213 plate appearances. His .394 OBP ranks sixth in all of baseball among 291 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances. Anthony's contract also includes many escalators, which are all tied to awards like Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo lays out the details here.
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New podcast episode
Speaking of the Anthony extension, Chris Hatfield and Ian Cundall jump on the SoxProspects.com podcast for the 377th episode to discuss this nice piece of business. They also talk about what Ian saw in Worcester over the past several days, including an update on Kristian Campbell. As always, they end the show answering emails.
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Payton Tolle makes WooSox debut
The current top prospect in the system, left-hander Payton Tolle, made his Triple-A debut this past week. After a rough first inning in which he allowed six runs, Tolle tossed four shutout innings from the second through the fifth. He had 14 whiffs, and Ian was in attendance and has more details on the outing here.
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Red Sox call up Jovani Moran
Boston has called up left-handed reliever Jovani Moran to the big leagues. Moran was acquired this past offseason from the Minnesota Twins in a trade that sent Mickey Gasper to Minnesota. The 28-year old was having a very good season for Worcester, posting a 3.44 ERA and a 1.86 FIP in 18 1/3 innings pitched. He sported a very impressive 26 strikeouts (35.1% strikeout rate) to just three walks (4.1% walk rate). Moran logged 91 innings at the MLB level with the Twins and had a 5.31 ERA and a 3.69 FIP with 112 strikeouts.
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Boston adds help behind the dish
The Red Sox claimed catcher Ali Sanchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, and according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, he will be added to the 26-man roster. He has bounced around quite a bit in his career, as the Red Sox will be his eighth organization. In 54 games with Triple-A Buffalo this season, Sanchez hit .279/.347/.419 with seven doubles, six home runs, and 28 RBI across 199 plate appearances. He also played in eighth games with the Blue Jays this year. He made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Mets. As of now, the Sox are keeping Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez on the roster and will carry three catchers.
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Other transactions
To make room on the roster for Sanchez and Moran, the Red Sox optioned David Hamilton and Chris Murphy to Triple-A. Boston also designated Nick Burdi for assignment. The 32-year old right-hander was terrific in Worcester, tossing 24 innings with a 1.88 ERA. He also fired 5 1/3 shutout innings for Boston this year with five strikeouts. Right-hander Jorge Alcala was also designated for assignment and was claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. He posted a 3.31 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 16 1/3 frames for the Sox. Boston also added righty Isaiah Campbell to the big league roster. He had a 4.17 ERA in 45 1/3 innings for the WooSox this year.
The Red Sox have signed an international free agent, right-handed pitcher Jose Alexandro. He is 18 years old and has been assigned to the DSL Red team. Right-hander John Holobetz has also been promoted to Portland. He was traded to Boston from Milwaukee in the Quinn Priester trade earlier this year and posted a 3.43 ERA in 63 innings with Greenville. Joe Vogatsky was bumped from Salem to Greenville as well. The club has released right-handed pitcher Darvin Garcia and outfielder Kelvin Diaz as well.
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Where are they now?
Christian Arroyo has just begun a rehab assignment in the Phillies organization, as he was out for two months with an injury. The former Red Sox utility player had been having a tremendous season for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, posting a slash line of .324/.388/.519 with nine doubles and four home runs in 121 plate appearances.
The Rays have designated Connor Seabold for assignment. The right-hander spent two years in the Sox organization after being traded from the Phillies along with Nick Pivetta for Brandon Workman. He had a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 frames for the Rays this year.
Bobby Dalbec has signed a third minor league deal in 2025, this time with the Kansas City Royals. He hit a home run in his first game with their Triple-A affiliate on Saturday. Between the Royals, Brewers, and White Sox Triple-A teams this year, Dalbec is hitting .271/.351/.528 with 18 doubles, 17 home runs, and 59 RBI.
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Players of the Week August 4 - August 10
5 G, 14 AB, 5 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 5 BB, 2 K, .357/.526/.643
Salazar (pictured, right) picks up the first Player of the Week honor of his career. The 19-year old is playing his first full season of professional baseball, logging a career-high 83 games this year. He has caught 52 of those games, been the DH for 30, and has played one game at first base. He is hitting .206/.313/.275 on the year for Salem with eight doubles, four home runs, and 33 RBI in 291 plate appearances. He was signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January of 2023.
Hayden Mullins, LHP, Portland Sea Dogs
2 G, 1-0, 10 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K, 0.84 ERA
Mullins made two starts in one week, which has become a rarity. He was very good in both outings, logging 5 1/3 frames in each start. He gave up just four hits in the first start and three in the second. These two starts for Mullins come after a great month of July that saw him post a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings. With Portland this year, the 24-year old has a 2.28 ERA in 13 starts with 67 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings. He is currently ranked 22nd here at SoxProspects.com.
Photo Credit: Roman Anthony and Kleyver Salazar by Kelly O'Connor