Triple-A (Pawtucket Red Sox)
Pawtucket’s definitely felt the sting of all these roster moves. They’ve had a lot of talented players already leave their team, or at the very least miss some time due to call-ups.
The two top hitting prospects they’ve had this year not named Chavis are Josh Ockimey and Sam Travis. Neither have exactly found their footing yet this season.
Travis is hitting .191 with two doubles and four RBI. He started off slow last year as well before salvaging the season late. The right-handed hitter’s also looked better in the Majors this year (2-for-7) than he has in Triple-A. Both of those create a silver-lining to this start.
Ockimey’s been much better than that and has been improving lately. Still, his numbers aren’t exactly going to turn heads. The first baseman has a .239 average and has already struck out 16 times.
However, he’s also walked 11 times and smacked three doubles and three home runs – as well as one triple. Ockimey’s driven in seven runs and his raw power should make his run production and home run numbers climb.
Nick Lovullo‘s been a nice surprise in Triple-A. The infielder ended last season in Advanced-A and hit .203 on the year. He’s 4-for-16 (.250) with two RBI, three runs scored and one steal with Pawtucket this season though.
Travis Lakins has a 3.38 ERA over eight innings this season. The right-hander has 10 strikeouts and with all the recent moves lately, he could find himself in Boston this season.
Speaking of, Mike Shawaryn is a candidate for a call-up soon. The starting righty has a 3.63 ERA over 22 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 23 and has yet to give up a home run. With Eovaldi out for 4-6 weeks, Boston might call on Shawaryn to make his MLB debut sooner rather than later.
Another call-up candidate has to be Trevor Kelley. He’s flown under the radar for most of his minor league career. The 25-year-old right-hander has been nothing short of fantastic though – especially in the last two years.
Last season, Kelley posted a 2.88 ERA – including a 1.54 in Triple-A. Now he’s thrown 5 2/3 innings this season without giving up an earned run. The former 36th-round pick has certainly proven he can get outs without giving up runs.