September 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Minor Notes: Portland wraps while Worcester enters final week, Perales returns from injury
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Perales returns from Tommy John Surgery
After being sidelined since last June, Luis Perales made his return to the mound on Saturday following his recovery from right elbow surgery. The news was not anticipated and came as a bit of a surprise. In recent weeks, Perales had been seen throwing live batting practice at Boston's spring training complex in Florida and putting up eye-popping metrics at that.
Perales started and pitched the first inning in Portland's matchup with Binghamton on Saturday. While only throwing eight of his 16 pitches for strikes, the 22-year-old managed to toss a scoreless frame with just a walk on his line. Perales will see more regular-season action this week with Worcester before heading to the Arizona Fall League.
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Eight prospects head to the Arizona Fall League
While the regular seasons begin to wind down at this time of year across the Minor Leagues, October is still an exciting time for those who stay up to date on prospects. The annual Arizona Fall League in Arizona kicks off on October 6. Along with Perales, Jonathan Brand, Jojo Ingrassia, Brandon Neely, Isaac Stebens, Johanfran Garcia, Nelly Taylor, and Stanley Tucker will represent the organization. Two of the most intriguing names that Red Sox fans will get an extensive look at are Perales and Neely, who both are making returns from elbow surgeries. While fans have seen glimpses of Perales in prior years before his return in 2025, Neely has not pitched in a professional game since being drafted by the Red Sox out of the University of Florida in the third round of the 2024 draft. Neely struck out 108 batters in 79 innings in his junior season with the Gators.
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New Podcast Episode
Ian rides solo for episode 380 as he breaks down the stellar Major League debut of Connelly Early against the Athletics, as well as the Boston debut for Kyle Harrison in relief. After that, he also takes a deeper look into Payton Tolle's recent struggles, along with the Arizona Fall League representatives from the organization.
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Where are they now?
- Speaking of the Arizona Fall League, former Boston farmhands Angel Bastardo (Blue Jays) and Braden Montgomery (White Sox) will represent their respective organizations in Arizona. Bastardo was selected by Toronto in last winter's Rule 5 Draft, but did not throw an inning in 2025 as he recovered from Tommy John Surgery. Montgomery had a strong first season of professional baseball after being selected in the first round of the 2024 draft before being one of the key pieces in the Garrett Crochet deal. In 121 games across three levels, the outfielder slashed .270/.360/.444 with 12 home runs and 68 runs driven in.
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Mikey Romero, IF, Worcester Red Sox
6 G, 25 AB, 6 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 10 K, .240/.296/.680
Boston's 2022 first-round pick tapped into his power this week with a three-homer week, including a multi-home run game on Thursday in a 10-1 win over Syracuse. Putting together one of his best seasons as a pro, Romero's 17 home runs and 71 RBIs are career-highs while also playing over 100 games in a season for the first time.
Eduardo Rivera, LHP, Portland Sea Dogs
1 G, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Rivera's lone appearance last week was a spectacular one, earning a no-decision on September 9 despite holding Binghamton scoreless and allowing just a pair of baserunners. It has been a strong first full season for Rivera in Boston's organization after signing with the Red Sox on a Minor League deal in the middle of June last season. Across Greenville and Portland, the left-hander has recorded a 2.48 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched.
Photo Credit: Mikey Romero and Eduardo Rivera by Kelly O'Connor