Minor Notes: Houck set to begin rehab assignment; Godbout's power surge continues

The minor league season continues to wind down as the playoff chances dwindle for the affiliates. Portland fans will be treated to two appearances by Tanner Houck (pictured, right) next week, while  Jedixson Paez had a start to forget in his first action with Boston. 

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Season ends for Greenville and Salem

Despite being in the playoff race for much of the second half, both Greenville and Salem fell short of the postseason. Their last game was on September 6. Leighton Finley was rewarded with a start for Greenville after tossing 96 innings with the RidgeYaks. He struck out seven over 4 2/3 shutout innings in the finale for Greenville. The season-end rosters for both squads are posted to our 2026 Season-End Rosters page. 

Playoff chances in the upper minors

With Portland entering its last week of play, they need to essentially win-out and get some help. They are in fourth place and 4.5 games behind Reading. Worcester has a better shot, as they are just two games back with two weeks to play. 

Houck set to begin rehab assignment

For the first time in 14 months, Tanner Houck is going to be on the mound. Tim Healey of the Boston Globe reported that the right-hander will throw about 20 pitches with Portland on Tuesday, then 40-45 with Portland on Friday. He will then move up to Worcester, as Portland's season will likely be over by Sunday. 

Harris claimed by the Giants; Paez roughed up in first appearance

The Red Sox designated Brett Harris for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Jedixson Paez. Harris was later claimed by the San Francisco Giants and optioned to Triple-A. It was a short stint in the organization for Harris who was acquired from the Athletics in July. 

Paez was tagged for eight runs on 10 hits in his start against Seattle. He was then optioned to Worcester with Raymond Burgos coming back up. 

Injury updates

• Two key members of the major league roster went down with injuries that are not feared to be long-term. Ceddanne Rafaela got placed on the 10-day injured list with a sore right quad, while Tyron Guerrero went on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The Red Sox recalled Nate Eaton from Worcester to help with the outfield depth, while Wyatt Olds got called up to fill out the bullpen. 
• Eduardo Rivera got placed on the 60-day injured list with a lumbar strain. He had last pitched on August 11. 
• The Sea Dogs placed Reidis Sena on the injured list with an undisclosed injury. He left the game after pitching to just one batter in his last appearance. With just one week left in Portland's schedule, there is a good chance his season is over.

Other transactions

There was some minor shuffling between Worcester and Portland, with Michael Sansone moving from the Sea Dogs to the WooSox and Max Carlson going the other way. Carlson made his presence felt right away, going 2-0 last week out of the bullpen for Portland. 

Where are they now?

• It was really tough news on Hunter Dobbins as the right-hander had to undergo elbow surgery. Though not quite a full Tommy John surgery, which would have been his second, it is still a major UCL injury for Dobbins. The surgery also repaired his flexor tendon. 
• This was inevitable when he got traded inside the division, but Anthony Eyanson made his first appearance against his old team (Portland) last week. Eyanson struck out eight over six innings of one-run ball. He has an ERA of 2.00 over 27 innings with Chesapeake. 
• Thomas Pannone, who spend much of 2022 with the Worcester Red Sox, threw the fifth perfect game in the history of the International League. The Nashville Sounds right-hander needed just 94 pitches as he struck out eight in Monday's gem. The last three pitchers to do so all spent time with the Red Sox: Tomo Ohka threw one with Pawtucket in 2000, Bronson Arroyo repeated the feat with the PawSox in 2003, and Justin Germano tossed one with Columbus in 2011, a year before he joined the Sox. 

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Players of the Week August 31-September 6

 

Henry Godbout, SS, Portland Sea Dogs

5 G, 22 AB, 10 H, 5 R, 1 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, .455/.455/1.045

 

Godbout has been on a torrid pace over the last three weeks, and his four home runs against Chesapeake continued his recent power surge. Over his last 15 games he is batting .339/.394/.780 with eight home runs in 59 at-bats. His 25 percent strikeout rate over that time is a bit high for someone with his elite contact skills, but he is trading some swing-and-miss for an impressive amount of power. The bat speed he added has paid dividends in 2026, and he continues to be a candidate to climb the rankings for anyone who buys into this power output. 

Hayden Mullins, LHP, Portland Sea Dogs

1 G, 0-0, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K

 

It was a dominant start for the 2025 Portland Sea Dogs Pitcher of the Year. After making a spot start in Worcester on July 8, Mullins (pictured, left) has been tremendous in Portland. He has made nine starts in Double-A since that one start for the WooSox, and he has posted an ERA of 2.08 over 39 innings with 54 strikeouts to 16 walks. The 25-year-old is the 23rd-ranked prospect in the system, and he is second to just Dylan Brown in strikeouts on the farm. Walks continue to be an issue for Mullins, but he has lowered his walk rate in this recent strong stretch. 

 

Photo Credit: Tanner Houck and Hayden Mullins by Kelly O'Connor

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