Minor Notes: The postseason has arrived!

The MLB regular season came to a close over the weekend and the Red Sox shift their attention to the postseason, where they will face the Yankees in the Wild Card Series for the second consecutive season. It was a light week for news on the farm system, as Worcester's season ended a week earlier, but some of Boston's minor league talent saw action with the big league club in the season's final week and the Red Sox announced the winners of their Minor League Awards.

 

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Red Sox announce 2026 Minor League Award winners 

 

Last Thursday, the Red Sox honored the standout performers in their minor league system this season. To nobody's surprise, Franklin Arias was named the Offensive Player of the Year after a monster season that saw him hit .323/.400/.557 with 25 home runs between Portland and Worcester and claim the crown as the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox system. The Red Sox named Dylan Brown the Pitcher of the Year after the 22-year-old lefty pitched to a 3.46 ERA and struck out 143 batters in 106 2/3 innings for Salem and Greenville. The fifth-round pick out of Old Dominion was one of the breakout stars in the system this year and rose from No. 60 to 20 in the SoxProspects.com rankings.  

 

Catcher Gerardo Rodriguez earned the title of Defensive Player of the Year after a strong season in Greenville and Andrews Opata was the Baserunner of the Year after stealing 54 bases for Salem. The Latin Program Position Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year went to Joskairo Ramirez and Emanuel Jimenez, respectively. Ramirez hit .320/.443/.553 with five home runs in 45 games in the DSL and Jimenez pitched to a 2.73 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 33 innings. 

 

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Paez lights out in second major league start

 

Jedixson Paez (pictured) was called up as the 27th man on the roster and started the second game of Boston's doubleheader against the Cubs on Friday. After getting roughed up in his first MLB start against the Mariners on September 1, Paez was excellent on Friday night. He worked five shutout innings, striking out five batters while allowing three hits. Paez had a whirlwind of a season, as he started the season in the White Sox bullpen after being claimed in the Rule 5 draft before returning to the Red Sox and pitching most of the season between Portland and Worcester. He closed his season on a positive note, turning in the best performance of his major league career, and he will end the season as the sixth-ranked pitcher (No. 16 overall) in the system. 

 

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Houck returns to the major leagues

 

After spending the 2026 season working his way back from Tommy John Surgery, Tanner Houck's efforts were rewarded as he started the last game of the season for the Red Sox on Sunday. Houck pitched the first three innings of the game and surrendered three runs on four runs, allowing a pair of home runs while striking out a batter. It remains to be seen whether the Red Sox plan to include Houck, a 2024 All-Star, on their postseason roster. 

 

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New podcast episode

 

In the latest episode of the SoxProspects.com podcast, Chris and Ian discussed their takeaways from the 2026 Red Sox season and previewed the upcoming Wild Card Series against the Yankees.   

 

Additional transactions

• The Red Sox announced on Tuesday morning that Garrett Crochet will be a part of their postseason roster. Boston's ace, who pitched to a 6.30 ERA in six starts this season and has not pitched since April 25, is expected to pitch out of the bullpen. 
• After he was activated from the IL on September 20, Tyron Guerrero made only two appearances with the big league club before he was placed on the IL again with a right shoulder strain on Sunday. Losing Guerrero, who pitched to a 3.10 ERA in 40 2/3 innings this season, will be a major blow to the Red Sox bullpen this postseason.  
• Mickey Gasper was also placed on the 10-day IL after straining his right bicep on a swing on Friday and he is likely to miss the remainder of the season. Gasper's incredible run in August was a highlight of the Red Sox season as the 30-year-old journeyman hit .400/.571/1.100 with six home runs in that tremendous month.  
• With Guerrero and Gasper heading to the IL, Wyatt Olds and Nate Eaton were recalled in corresponding moves. Both players were named to the Red Sox postseason roster. 

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Where are they now? 

A trio of former Red Sox have been named to the Yankees' postseason roster and will have their chance at revenge in the first round of the postseason. John Schreiber and Michael Fulmer both pitched out of the Yankees' bullpen in September, with Schreiber pitching to a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings after he was claimed off waivers from Kansas City. Fulmer tossed 10 innings with a 4.50 ERA after the Yankees signed him as a free agent on August 26. Yankees backup catcher Ali Sanchez, who appeared in four games with the Red Sox last year, hit .244/.275/.302 and is known for his glove behind the plate. 

 

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Photo Credit: Jedixson Paez by Kelly O'Connor

    

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