Boston Red Sox Prospect Watch: Connelly Early, David Sandlin, Noah Dean

With the All-Star break over and baseball back in full swing, the Boston Red Sox prospect makes its glorious return. The Red Sox have been buyers in the lead-up to the trade deadline this evening — the organization has moved some prospects already, and more could be going.

Cutter Coffey, Eddinson Paulino, and Gilberto Batista were shipped to Toronto on July 27 for Danny Jansen. The Sox traded No. 6 prospect Nick Yorke to the Pirates for Quinn Priester on July 29.

Even with the distractions, the minor league system had a massive week that included promotions and some highlight-reel performances.

Zach Penrod returned from injury on July 26. The left-handed pitcher allowed two runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. He didn't walk anyone (one HBP) and struck out seven batters. Penrod's had limited time in Triple-A due to injury, but he's already been impressive.

Grant Gambrell had one of his best starts of the season this week. The righty tied a season-high with six innings. He didn't allow a run on just two hits and one walk (one HBP) while striking out four batters. Gambrell is down to a 4.09 ERA in 83 2/3 innings. He only allowed two runs in 15 innings in July.

Chase Meidroth had a four-hit game on July 28. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .299/.441/.401 with 18 doubles and five home runs. He's driven in 41 runs, scored 69 more, and stolen 10 bases.

Mickey Gasper has a 1.084 OPS in Triple-A. The switch-hitting catcher/first baseman is hitting .365 with nine doubles and five home runs in 104 at-bats with Worcester. He already has 24 RBI at the level after recording just 22 in 142 at-bats in Double-A.

Nick Yorke has cooled down a bit, and his numbers in Triple-A are still absurd. The right-handed hitting second baseman/left fielder is slashing .310/.408/.490 with eight doubles and six home runs in 145 at-bats since being promoted. He's driven in 19 runs, scored 32 more, and stolen six bases. He'll continue his career with Triple-A Indianapolis after he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization on July 29.

The Boston Red Sox prospect watch returns with an eye on promotions

Boston Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Marcelo Mayer recently missed some time due to injury but is 8-for-20 with three doubles and a home run since the All-Star break. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .308/.371/.482 with 28 doubles and eight home runs. He's driven in 38 runs, scored 60, and stolen 13 bases. Following the trade deadline, Mayer should be in Triple-A.

Roman Anthony has a hit in nine of his last 10 games. The left-handed hitting outfielder holds a .247/.350/.452 slash line with 18 doubles, three triples, and 11 home runs. He's driven in 34 runs, scored 45 more, and stolen 12 bags.

Kyle Teel has had some big games recently. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .295/.385/.448 with 17 doubles and nine home runs. He's driven in 53 runs, scored 57, and stolen seven bases. Teel should be on that flight to Worcester with Mayer after the trade deadline.

Kristian Campbell has now played 40 games in Double-A. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .385/.486/.574 with 14 doubles, one triple, and four home runs in those 40 games. He's driven in 24 runs, scored 36 more, and stolen 11 bags.

Tyler McDonough was making plenty of great plays in the field this week, and the bat was working for him, too. The switch-hitting utility has a .257 average with 14 doubles, two triples, and three home runs in Double-A. He's driven in 29 runs, scored 33 more, and stolen 13 bases.

Phillip Sikes was hitting out of the four-hole on July 28 and went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .240/.330/.393 with 16 doubles and seven home runs. He's driven in 27 runs, scored 41, and stolen 15 bases.

Drew Ehrhard made his Double-A debut on July 28 and went 1-for-3 with an HBP. The right-handed hitting catcher looked comfortable at Double-A, and don't forget his brother Zach was drafted by the Red Sox this season.

Connelly Early made his Double-A debut on July 26. The left-handed pitcher gave up one hit over five shutout innings. He walked two batters and struck out five. Early was impressive in High-A this season and made a fantastic first impression with Portland.

David Sandlin made his Double-A debut on July 28. The righty allowed one run on two hits in four innings. He struck out three batters without walking anyone. Sandlin looked sharp, throwing 37 strikes on 46 pitches. He nearly had an immaculate inning in the fourth inning.

Hunter Dobbins didn't allow a hit over five scoreless innings on July 28. The right-handed pitcher walked just one batter while striking out six. He's lowered his ERA to 3.66 and his BAA to .232 in 83 2/3 innings this season. After the trade deadline, Dobbins needs to be promoted to Triple-A.

Wikelman Gonzalez continued his strong stretch, allowing one run in four innings this week. The righty gave up two hits and one walk while striking out five batters. The curveball looked nasty live, and he was hitting 97 on his fastball. Gonzalez still doesn't have pretty numbers, but he passes the eye test live.

Christopher Troye has allowed one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings over three appearances since the All-Star break. The right-handed reliever has gotten his velocity back up and is keeping the hits down (.222 BAA). Walks have been a bit of an issue (20 in 25 innings), but he has 34 strikeouts to go along with them.

Jacob Webb made two appearances this week. The righty reliever allowed one earned run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters and walked one. Webb has a 4.13 ERA in 56 2/3 innings.

Boston Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz made his High-A debut on Thursday. The right-handed pitcher allowed two runs on two hits over four innings. He struck out three batters but walked four. ERC gave up both runs in the first inning but cleaned up his act after that.

Noah Dean made his High-A debut on July 28 and cooked. The lefty allowed no runs on one hit over four innings in a piggyback role. He struck out seven batters while walking two. Dean also picked up a save.

Jedixson Paez unsurprisingly dealt. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on five hits over five innings. He struck out four batters and walked one. His ERA is down to 2.31 in High-A. Paez has 86 strikeouts compared to nine walks in 71 innings between the two levels this season.

Yordanny Monegro produced his third straight dominant start. The righty allowed just four hits over five shutout innings. He struck out five batters compared to just one walk. Monegro hasn't allowed a run over his last three starts (14 innings).

Dalton Rogers gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in five innings. The left-handed pitcher gave up one walk and struck out five batters. Rogers has struggled this year but has allowed just one earned run in his last two starts combined (nine innings).

Zach Fogell has been a star out of the bullpen for Greenville. The lefty reliever allowed two runs in three innings on July 2. Since then, he's tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings in five appearances. Fogell has a 3.07 ERA, .200 BAA, and 1.27 WHIP in 44 innings for Greenville.

Mikey Romero went 4-for-5 with a double and two home runs on Sunday. Since July 13, the left-handed hitting shortstop is 15-for-36 (.417) with five doubles and five home runs. Romero's seeing a spike in his production. It's amazing what being healthy can do for someone.

Miguel Bleis had his struggles after being promoted to High-A, but he's turning things around in a hurry. The right-handed hitting outfielder is on a four-game hitting streak that includes two doubles and a home run. While his numbers still aren't eye-popping (.203/.277/.317), they're a significant improvement from the beginning of the month.

Allan Castro went 6-for-23 with three doubles and a home run this week. The switch-hitting outfielder is up to a .243/.365/.443 slash line with 19 doubles, three triples, and 12 home runs. He's driven in 42 runs, scored 56 more, and stolen nine bases.

Ronald Rosario went 4-for-13 with three walks and a home run this week. The right-handed hitting catcher has a .249 average with 16 doubles, one triple, and a career-high five home runs. He's driven in 46 runs (also a career-high), scored 32 more, and stolen two bases.

Luis Ravelo is on a seven-game hitting streak and has seen his average rise from .199 at the start of the month to .231 now. He's hitting .367 in the month of July. The switch-hitting infielder has 12 doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He's driven in 29 runs, scored 27 more, and stolen one base.

Boston Red Sox Single-A (Salem)

Franklin Arias had a fun first week in Single-A. The right-handed hitting shortstop went 5-for-17 with three walks (and an HBP), one double, and two home runs (including an impressive opposite-field shot). He drove in seven runs, scored five more, and stole one base.

Antonio Anderson has now boosted his batting average in eight consecutive weeks. Mainly due to a four-hit game on July 28, his average jumped from .172 to .185 (.306 OBP). The switch-hitting third baseman has 13 doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He's driven in 31 runs, scored 37 more, and stolen three bags.

Gerardo Rodriguez is 5-for-13 since being promoted to Single-A. The right-handed hitting catcher has driven in one run and scored one more. Rodriguez is only 18 for the rest of the season and should get a lot of playing time in Salem.

Marvin Alcantara is 9-for-30 with a walk and a triple since the All-Star break. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .234/.290/.294 with seven doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He's driven in 36 runs, scored 44 more, and stolen 11 bases.

Albert Feliz is on a four-game hitting streak that saw him hit another home run. The right-handed hitting first baseman only has a .169 average but has a team-leading 10 home runs. Big Al has driven in 33 runs and scored 21. He also allowed one run in an inning on the mound and now has a 3.00 ERA in three innings this season.

Natanael Yuten went 4-for-14 with a walk and four steals this week. The left-handed hitting outfielder has a .233 average with 12 doubles, five triples, and six home runs. He's driven in 36 runs, scored 30 more, and stolen 11 bags.

Andy Lugo is 7-for-22 since the All-Star game break. The right-handed hitting utility is slashing .271/.338/.391 with 24 doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 31 runs, scored 37 more, and stolen 22 bases.

Stanley Tucker is on a four-game hitting streak. His average has gone from .176 to .189 in that time. The left-handed hitting utility has six doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 22 runs, scored 21, and stolen 21 bases.

Juan Valera made his Single-A debut this week and looked fantastic. The right-handed pitcher didn't allow a hit over four scoreless innings. He walked two batters and struck out three. Valera reached 96.9 MPH on his fastball.

Yeferson Vargas made his Single-A debut this week. The righty allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits over four innings. He walked two batters and struck out five.

Matt Duffy allowed just one hit over five shutout innings this week. The right-handed pitcher struck out three batters and walked two. Duffy has a 3.36 ERA, .227 BAA, and 1.18 WHIP in 69 2/3 innings.

Luis Cohen surrendered one run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings on Saturday. The righty struck out five batters and walked one. He has a 3.93 ERA, .218 BAA, and 1.14 WHIP in 71 innings this season.

Danny Kirwin has allowed seven hits through eight shutout innings in two appearances since the All-Star break. The right-handed pitcher has only walked one batter and struck out eight over that span. Kirwin has a 3.15 ERA, .180 BAA, and 1.05 WHIP in 45 2/3 innings.

Luis Talavera has pitched four times since the All-Star break. The right-handed pitcher has allowed one run on four hits in seven innings over those four games. Talavera only has 14 1/3 innings in Single-A this year. He's looked impressive in that limited time, though.

More Red Sox reads: