August 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Minor Notes: Brand new rankings; Godbout and Ziehl climb the ladder
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New rankings
August is always the busiest month for updates to the rankings as new draftees sign while other members of the organization come and go at the trade deadline. This year was even more hectic due to the quantity (and quality) of prospects traded in late July. Franklin Arias held steady as the system's top prospect, but behind him there were massive changes. With Jake Bennett graduating and Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, and Enddy Azocar all traded to the Orioles, that made room for four new players in the top 10. 2026 draftees Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull debuted at six and eight, respectively. Slotting behind them are John Holobetz (pictured, right) at nine and Harold Rivas at 10. Two other notable risers were Blake Wehunt from 17 to 11 and Angel Bastardo from 24 to 17.
New podcast
The Adley Rutschman trade was the biggest story of the trade deadline, and Ian and Mike discussed that as well as every other move the Red Sox made. They also discussed the latest injury news and recent minor league transactions.
Promotions
Several players were on the move last week, highlighted by the system's fourth-ranked prospect.
- Chase Ford of Milb Central was the first to report that shortstop Henry Godbout was getting promoted to Double-A Portland. He missed almost two months due to hand surgery, but he went 3 for 14 in a five-game rehab stint with Salem that started on July 31. Rather than activate him in Greenville, the Red Sox are pushing him up to Portland, where he will split duties with Mason White. 2026 first-round pick Jake Schaffner has taken over as the full-time shortstop in Greenville.
- Worcester added Gage Ziehl from Portland. Ziehl made his presence felt right away, winning the SoxProspects.com Player of the Week award below.
- Portland added Devin Futrell and Steven Brooks from Greenville. This is Futrell's second promotion, as he had a quick stint in Salem to begin the year. His ERA is 3.96 with 100 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings across three levels. Brooks has the best strikeout rate in the system for pitchers with over 40 innings. But his WHIP in Greenville was 1.51, as he had a high walk rate as well.
- Greenville got reinforcements with the additions of Jason Gilman, Brady Tygart, and Luis Cohen from Salem. Gilman just debuted at 60th in the last rankings update after posting a 2.91 ERA with the RidgeYaks.
- Salem has several additions to the roster, with Berny Ortiz (pictured, left), Yander Bonaci, and Josue Brito coming up from the FCL. Additionally, 11th-rounder Wills Maginnis and 16th-rounder Colton Coates are getting added to the roster. Ortiz and Brito rank 50th and 58th, respectively.
With the Red Sox in the midst of playing 16 games in 16 days, they have needed several roster moves to keep the team fresh. Raymond Burgos was an unsung hero over the weekend against the Athletics. After being called up on Friday, he saved the bullpen by finishing the final three innings of the 13-1 victory. He then was the cleanup man for three more innings during Saturday's 7-3 loss. He got optioned so that Boston could add a fresh arm, Seth Martinez, to the roster. Boston also optioned Greg Weissert and Romy Gonzalez to Worcester.
Brebbia signed to minor league deal
36-year-old John Brebbia, who was born in Boston, was signed to a minor league contract last week. The reliever was released by the Rockies Triple-A affiliate earlier in the week. Brebbia has pitched in parts of nine seasons in the majors, sporting an ERA of 4.12.
Injury updates
It was a mixed bag of injury news this week, though several players are trending in the right direction. Minor league fans should pay close attention to when these names will be rehabbing with an affiliate.
- It was a quick rehab stint for Rutschman as he went 1 for 5 with two walks between Saturday and Sunday with the WooSox. He has already joined the big league team, and reports are that he will get activated on Tuesday. He was behind the plate on Saturday and threw out the only would-be base stealer.
- Roman Anthony is now hitting off a machine that throws with high velocity. If all goes well, he will progress to batting practice on the field and then the Trajekt machine before going on a rehab assignment.
- Reports last week were that Garrett Crochet began throwing up to 60 feet. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy noted this week that it is unlikely Crochet can get ramped back up to a starter's workload this season. But he did not rule out using Crochet out of the bullpen.
- The most unfortunate news was the announcement that Triston Casas underwent left wrist surgery. Casas has not played in an MLB game since last May, and there is no timetable for recovery from this new injury.
- On the minor league front, Salem transferred Dalvinson Reyes to the 60-day injured list, Portland placed Reidis Sena on the seven-day injured list, and Worcester added Sam McWilliams to the seven-day injured list with a right forearm strain.
Six players released
With new draftees being added to the Domestic Reserve List, the Red Sox had to release a few players. Joe La Sorsa, who last appeared in a game on June 28 with Worcester, got released. Salem also released Ilan Fernandez. The lanky infielder signed out of Venezuela in January 2024, and he had an OPS of .743 over 200 at-bats in Salem. In Worcester, catcher Andrew Knizner exercised his opt-out on Friday. This coincided with the Red Sox trading for both Rutschman and Jake Rogers at the deadline. On Monday, Matt Fraizer, PJ Labriola, and Jay Allmer got released from Portland, Greenville, and Salem, respectively.
Where are they now?
- Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson was claimed off waivers by the Angels. That effectively ends the 28-year-old's tenure with Boston. He posted an ERA of 4.53 over 55 2/3 innings this season.
- After signing with the Mariners in the offseason, Rob Refsnyder got released. He hit .140/.211/.254 with four home runs over 129 plate appearances. There are unconfirmed reports that he has chosen to retire.
- The news on recently traded Connelly Early was distressing as the left-hander was shut down from his rehab after feeling forearm tightness.
- Wikelman Gonzalez, one of the players traded in December 2024 for Crochet, got designated for assignment by the White Sox. After a promising cup of coffee in the big leagues in 2025, Gonzales has struggled with both injuries and ineffectiveness in 2026. His ERA in Triple-A this year was 6.57 over 24 2/3 innings. He will get a new opportunity with the Marlins after they claimed him off waivers.
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Players of the Week August 3-August 9
Antonio Anderson, 1B/3B, Greenville Drive
4 G, 13 AB, 8 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 2 K, 7 R, 6 RBI, .615/.706/1.231
This is Anderson's second Player of the Week award in the last seven weeks. The 21-year-old has quietly put together a strong bounce-back season after struggling in 2024 and 2025. The former third-round pick in 2023 has fallen out of the site's top-60, but over his last 35 games he is hitting .371/.443/.661 with seven home runs. He had nine home runs total over his last two seasons. Portland's infield is crowded so it is unlikely that the Red Sox would move Anderson up at this time, but he figures to be a key piece of the Greenville lineup for the Drive's playoff push.
Gage Ziehl, RHP, Worcester Red Sox
1 GS, 1-0, 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Ziehl did not miss a beat in his Triple-A debut, striking out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless frames. The Statcast data on Ziehl was fascinating, as the 23-year-old threw seven different pitch types over his 79 pitches. 33 percent of his pitches were a sweeper that graded very highly on the models. He mixed in a sinker, four-seamer, and a cutter that all sat in the low-90s. Advanced pitchability of a wide-ranging arsenal has helped Ziehl post a 4.05 ERA over 86 2/3 innings with 104 strikeouts between Portland and Worcester. His ceiling will depend on how his fastballs develop, but for now the right-hander is enjoying great success in the upper minors. His ERA is just 2.87 over his last 53 1/3 innings, and he was the SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Month in June.
Photo Credit: John Holobetz and Berny Ortiz by Kelly O'Connor