Boston Red Sox prospect watch: 2022 Trade deadline shakes things up

Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Nick Yorke has struggled this year. But the right-handed hitting second baseman keeps giving us those glimpses of hope. This week it came in the form of a three-hit day that included a homer. On the year, Yorke is slashing .227/.297/.347 with six doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He’s driven in 30 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen five bases. Two things to remember here. First, Yorke had an insane season last year. Second, he’s dealt with a lot of injuries causing some start-stop play and even him attempting to play injured.

Niko Kavadas continues to be one of the best hitters in the minors. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .337/.504/.694 since his call-up to High-A. He has 22 doubles, one triple, and 24 home runs between Low-A and High-A this year. Kavadas driven in 72 runs, scored 58 more, and stolen one base. He’s also walked a ridiculous 80 times.

Nathan Hickey is on the IL now, but his last game this week was a good one, going 2-for-4 with a home run. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .272/.418/.503 with 17 doubles and nine home runs between Low-A and High-A this season. He’s driven in 48 runs, scored 37 more, and has 48 walks compared to 55 strikeouts.

Matthew Lugo is slashing .262/.313/.465 with a whole bunch of career-highs. His double total (19) is one of the few numbers that don’t set a new mark. Meanwhile, the right-handed hitting shortstop has career-highs in triples (9), home runs (12), and RBI (52). He’s also scored 53 runs and stolen 10 bases.

Max Ferguson is a new name in the organization. The left-handed hitting middle infielder is 4-for-16 with a double, an RBI, two runs scored, three walks, and a steal in four games with Greenville. Ferguson is only slashing .222/.365/.356 in total this season but has a ridiculous 56 steals in 61 attempts. He also has really good run production with 51 RBI and 79 runs scored.

Corey Rosier is the next new name. The left-handed hitting outfielder is 1-for-7 with a double, one RBI, one run scored, and two steals. He’s also drawn four walks. Rosier is another speedster. He’s already got 35 steals in 39 attempts this year and has driven in 38 runs while scoring 70 more.

Phillip Sikes has been so impressive in every area this season. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .265/.375/.534 with 24 doubles, five triples, and 10 home runs between Low-A and High-A. He’s driven in 43 runs, scored 48 more, and stolen 15 bases in 16 attempts. Sikes is a good fielder with good speed and decent pop.

Tyler McDonough is slashing .242/.329/.375 with 19 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs. The switch-hitting outfielder and second baseman has driven in 44 runs, scored 51 more, and stolen 19 bases. McDonough gives you good defensively versatility and offers everything offensively.

Gilberto Jimenez is slashing .266/.310/.380 with 16 doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He’s driven in 27 runs and scored 40 more, while stealing 15 bases. The switch-hitting outfielder hasn’t gotten on-base like he usually does this year. And the strikeouts are up. However, he’s still just 22 and his strikeout numbers have looked much better recently. The doubles are also tied for a career-high, the homers are a new career-high, and he’s one off his old mark for steals.

Big Joe Davis is known for his power. There’s a reason for that. The right-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .255/.304/.491 with two doubles and 16 home runs on the year. He obviously doesn’t have much in the speed department but that power is wild. Davis has driven in 34 runs and scored 31 more in 58 games.

Maceo Campbell made his High-A debut this week after an up-and-down time in Low-A. He had some great stretches, but also got hit with some really rough outings. The right-handed reliever made a good first impression for Greenville though. In his lone appearance so far, Campbell tossed one scoreless inning. He gave up a walk and an HBP but didn’t allow a hit and struck out one batter.

Tyler Uberstine had another great start this week as he continues to be great since his promotion. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on two hits and two walks over five innings, striking out four batters. Uberstine now has a 2.92 ERA, .180 BAA, and 1.05 WHIP over 24 2/3 innings pitched. He’s struck out 28 batters compared to 10 walks in that time.

Shane Drohan also put up a strong start this week. The left-handed starter allowed one run on four hits and no walks, while striking out five over 5 1/3 innings pitched. Drohan has a 4.33 ERA, .240 BAA, and 1.31 WHIP over 95 2/3 innings this season. He’s racked up an absolutely insane 123 batters in that time.

Joey Stock was posting great numbers in Low-A before his promotion. And he’s continuing to impress in High-A. The righty reliever has a 3.55 ERA, .256 BAA, and 1.42 WHIP in 12 2/3 innings pitched. He’s struck out 15 batters in that time. And combined on the year he has 68 strikeouts in 56 innings.

Jacob Webb’s numbers are deceiving since his promotion. The right-handed reliever has a 4.41 ERA, .219 BAA, and 1.35 WHIP in 16 1/3 innings pitched. Webb gave up six of his eight earned runs in one outing though. Over 2/3 of an inning he allowed six runs on six hits. Since then, he’s tossed 7 2/3 innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out 10.