The Pawtucket Red Sox are currently down two big-name players as Tzu-Wei Lin is in the Majors and Rusney Castillo is on the disabled list. Meanwhile, Jalen Beeks hasn’t appeared in a MiLB game since July 4.
Despite all of that, there’s still a lot to talk about when it comes to the Triple-A squad.
Brandon Phillips is with the team now. The 37-year-old is 3-for-10 with a double and two RBI so far. He’s had a fantastic Major League career and could find his way to Boston soon enough.
Tony Renda is fighting to make himself a viable infield option as well. The 27-year-old was tearing it up in Double-A, hitting .371 through 97 at-bats. This led to a recent move to Triple-A and he’s looked even better. Renda is slashing .481/.500/.704 over 27 at-bats. He’s appeared in 32 games in the Majors and is making a strong case to return.
Sam Travis just had a quick stint in the Majors. He’s back with Pawtucket now and appears to be turning things around. Two straight two-hit days have Travis up to a .235 average. No offensive stat of his will exactly impress anyone, but maybe he can ride this hot-streak for a while.
Speaking of hot-streaks, Aneury Tavarez is rocking a 10-game hitting streak at the moment. The outfielder is slashing .242/.302/.372 but has 28 RBI and 35 runs scored, as well as a team-high nine steals.
I know Robby Scott isn’t a fan favorite at the moment. In 2 1/3 innings for the Red Sox, he’s allowed four runs. The left-hander has a 1.08 ERA over 33 1/3 Triple-A innings though. He’s shown in the past he can handle Major League pitching and I don’t think he’s even close to being done in the MLB.
It’s amazing that Ty Buttrey is on the 40-man roster and hasn’t gotten a shot yet. Bullpen arms have been shuffled around all year for Boston. The prospect with a 1.88 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 43 innings hasn’t been included though? I’m getting tired of saying he’ll be in the Majors soon enough, but it’s got to be coming – right?
Trevor Kelley was having a solid year in Double-A, but nothing spectacular. The 24-year-old had a 4.05 ERA over 26 2/3 innings. He’s been lockdown since moving up to Triple-A though. The right-hander has yet to allow an earned run over eight innings, holding opponents to a .091 batting average.