Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Big-name pitcher promoted, offensive outbursts ensue

The Boston Red Sox prospect watch had a wild week. We saw ridiculous offensive outbursts at every level. Meanwhile, Luis Perales earned a promotion to Double-A, and Zach Penrod did the same to Triple-A.

Zach Penrod hasn't appeared in a Triple-A game, but he did make a start in Double-A (we're going to talk about it here, though). Penrod allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings and struck out nine more batters compared to one walk. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.80 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings. He now takes his talents to Worcester.

Luis Guerrero allowed one run in three innings over three appearances this week. The righty reliever picked up seven strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 3.38. He has 29 strikeouts and a .195 BAA in 21 1/3 innings this season.

Nick Sogard is on another level at the moment. The switch-hitting utility man snapped a six-game hitting streak on Sunday and is hitting .299 in May. Sogard is up to a .270/.394/.440 slash line with six doubles and seven home runs.

Chase Meidroth has a four-game hitting streak and a hit in eight of his last nine. The right-handed hitting infielder is batting .273 with a .416 OBP. Meidroth's only hit six doubles and two home runs, but has driven in 21 runs, scored 26 more, and stolen seven bases. He's drawn 34 walks compared to 23 strikeouts.

Niko Kavadas is slumping, but still drew some walks and hit another home run this week. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .280/.439/.592 with nine doubles and 10 home runs. He's driven in 30 runs and scored 33 more.

Nathan Hickey went 4-for-17 with a double and a home run this week. The left-handed hitting catcher is up to a .220 average with seven doubles, one triple, and five home runs. Hickey's hit a homer in back-to-back weeks and could be heating up again.

Boston Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Marcelo Mayer only hit one double this week but cracked two home runs. The left-handed hitting shortstop is batting .294 with 17 doubles and five home runs. He's driven in 22 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen nine bases.

Roman Anthony continues to creep his numbers back up. The left-handed hitting outfielder went 4-for-15 with eight walks compared to four strikeouts this week. He's hitting .243 with a .365 OBP this season.

Kyle Teel is on a seven-game hitting streak. He has four doubles and five walks compared to two strikeouts over those seven games. The left-handed hitting catcher has quickly boosted his slash line to .287/.391/.434 with 10 doubles and three home runs. Teel has 23 RBI, 28 runs scored, and one steal.

Matthew Lugo is scorching again. The right-handed hitting outfielder had four multi-hit games this week, racking up three doubles, one triple, and one home run. Lugo's slashing .312/.407/.672 with nine doubles, three triples, and 10 home runs. He's driven in 34 runs, scored 21 more, and stolen nine bases. Don't be shocked if he's in Worcester soon.

Tyler McDonough had a big week, which included a four-hit (three doubles and a home run) performance. The switch-hitting utility is batting .250 with six doubles and one home run between Triple-A and Double-A.

Phillip Sikes is rocking a four-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting outfielder is up to a .255 average with six doubles and two home runs. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen seven bases.

Mickey Gasper went 9-for-22 with two doubles and a home run this week. He also drove in seven runs, doubling his RBI total on the year. The switch-hitting catcher/first baseman is batting .276 (.414 OBP) with 11 doubles and four home runs. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 27 more, and stolen three bases.

Luis Perales didn't pitch in Double-A this week but was promoted. He made a start in High-A and was dominant. The right-handed pitcher tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out 12 batters. Perales posted a 3.42 ERA with 46 strikeouts compared to 10 walks in 26 1/3 innings in High-A this season.

Felix Cepeda picked up a save in both of his appearances this week. The right-handed reliever struck out five batters compared to one walk and four hits without allowing an earned run in 3 2/3 innings. Cepeda has a 3.50 ERA, .236 BAA, and 1.33 WHIP in 18 innings. He's struck out 20 batters compared to seven walks and has nine saves.

Brendan Cellucci has bounced back nicely from a blowup outing on May 10. Last week, Cellucci tossed two scoreless innings. This week, he added another 1 2/3. The lefty reliever is down to a 3.68 ERA in nine appearances between Triple-A and Double-A. He has 20 strikeouts compared to 13 walks in 14 2/3 innings.

Boston Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Cutter Coffey returned this week and promptly returned to hitting home runs. The right-handed hitting infielder went 3-for-13 with two home runs in three games. Coffey is hitting .225 with four doubles and four home runs. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 16 more, and stolen four bases.

Kristian Campbell hits the ball incredibly hard. The right-handed hitting outfielder/second baseman is slashing .293/.401/.537 with nine doubles and seven home runs. He's driven in 24 runs, scored 24 more, and stolen three bases. Campbell is striking out (42 Ks), but outside of that looks far too good for High-A.

Ahbram Liendo went 7-for-17 with a double and six walks this week. The switch-hitting infielder is up to a .218 average (.331 OBP) with two doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Liendo's calling card last season was a solid OBP with a lot of steals and great defense. The steals (16) and the great defense have been present, and now he's drawing walks again.

Mikey Romero only appeared in three games this week but went 4-for-15 with a double and a home run. The left-handed hitting shortstop is 7-for-27 with one double, one triple, and one home run in High-A. He's driven in five runs and scored four more.

Allan Castro went 3-for-20 this week but hit a home run and walked nine times. The switch-hitting outfielder holds a .201 average but a .358 OBP. Castro has eight doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 21 more, and stolen three bases.

Bryan Gonzalez went 5-for-19 with a home run and a steal this week. The right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder is batting .248 with a .543 slugging percentage. Gonzalez has five doubles, one triple, and eight home runs. He's driven in 23 runs, scored 21 more, and stolen four bases.

Connelly Early had his best outing of the year this week. The left-handed pitcher tossed six shutout innings. He allowed two hits and one walk (one HBP) while striking out six batters. Early has a 3.62 ERA, .191 BAA, and 0.96 WHIP in 37 1/3 innings. He's struck out 45 batters compared to 10 walks.

Juan Daniel Encarnacion has continued his efficient season. The righty gave up three runs in the first before cleaning up his act and finishing five innings with just those three runs. JDE has a 3.66 ERA with 42 strikeouts compared to nine walks in 32 innings.

Jeremy Wu-Yelland made his first appearance since the 2021 season. The left-handed pitcher has worked his way back from an injury and didn't give up a run in one inning. He struck out one batter and walked one without allowing a hit.

Boston Red Sox Single-A (Salem)

Miguel Bleis is riding an 11-game hitting streak and holds a .309 average in May. The right-handed hitting outfielder is up to a .252/.347/.404 slash line with nine doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He's driven in 18 runs, scored 23 more, and stolen 16 bases. He's another player who could see a promotion relatively soon.

Nelly Taylor is on a 10-game hitting streak that has boosted his average from .212 to .265. The left-handed hitting outfielder has 13 doubles, 18 RBI, 20 runs scored, and eight steals.

Natanael Yuten continues to be one of the most electric and clutch bats in the Boston Red Sox system. The left-handed hitting outfielder is batting .252 with eight doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He's driven in 23 runs, scored 14 more, and stolen two bases.

Antonio Anderson doesn't have the best numbers on the year, but he's coming around. The switch-hitting third baseman is only batting .135 but is 7-for-27 in his last six games. He's hit three of his four doubles and both his home runs in those six games.

Jhostynxon Garcia hit his first triple, another home run, and stole two more bases this week. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .267/.363/.535 with six doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He's driven in 19 runs, scored 18 more, and is a perfect 12-for-12 in steal attempts.

Freili Encarnacion went 4-for-12 with a double and a home run this week. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .288/.363/.375 with two doubles, one triple, and one home run. He's driven in nine runs, scored 13 more, and stolen three bases. Despite the low power numbers, Encarnacion has hit the ball hard.

Andy Lugo went 5-for-16 with a double and two steals this week. The right-handed hitting utility man is hitting .278 with a .395 OBP. He's hit 12 doubles and one triple with nine RBI, 19 runs scored, and nine steals.

Jojo Ingrassia tossed four more scoreless innings this week. The right-handed pitcher gave up two hits and one walk while striking out four batters. Ingrassia has a 1.46 ERA, .184 BAA, and 1.05 WHIP in 24 2/3 innings. He's struck out 43 batters compared to 10 walks.

Blake Wehunt allowed one run on three hits over five innings. The righty struck out seven batters compared to two walks. Wehunt has a 2.22 ERA, .167 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP in seven appearances. The chicken farmer has 41 strikeouts compared to 15 walks in 28 1/3 innings.

Noah Dean tossed three innings in relief this week. The left-handed pitcher gave up some base runners (two hits, two HBP, three walks) but didn't allow a run. Dean has a 5.47 ERA, but opposing batters are hitting just .188 against him.

Michael Sansone allowed one run on four hits over four innings this week. The lefty struck out four batters compared to one walk (although he hit three batters). Sanson has a 1.06 ERA, .190 BAA, and 0.82 WHIP. He's struck out 20 batters compared to three walks in 17 innings.

There's your rundown. The farm's looking up and