Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Former first-round pick returns to High-A Greenville

In this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch, a few big names have started making bigger impacts. However, the return of a top name steals the headlines.

2022 first-round pick Mikey Romero made his season debut in High-A and didn't disappoint. His return further showcases how ridiculously deep Boston's farm system is.

How did the guys in Triple-A look this week, though?

Chase Meidroth is 5-for-13 with a walk in his last three games. The right-handed hitting infielder is batting .269 with a .419 OBP. He's driven in 18 runs, scored 23, and stolen seven bases. Meidroth has walked 31 times compared to 19 strikeouts.

Nick Sogard went 8-for-20 with a double and two home runs this week. The switch-hitting utility player is slashing .257/.375/.386 with six doubles and four home runs this season. He's driven in 18 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen three bases.

Mikey Romero returns to headline this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch

Nathan Hickey had his best week in a bit. The left-handed hitting catcher went 4-for-14 with a double and a home run. He's only hitting .218 but can get hot quickly, and this could be the start of his upswing. Hickey has 11 extra-base hits and 20 RBI.

Niko Kavadas went 1-for-12 this week but did manage six walks. The left-handed hitting first baseman is still slashing .292/.454/.632 with nine doubles and nine home runs. He's driven in 26 runs and scored 29.

Grant Gambrell looked great in his lone start this week. The righty pitcher allowed one run on four hits in five innings. He struck out four batters and walked one. Gambrell's down to a 4.20 ERA in 45 innings.

Ryan Zeferjahn tossed two more shutout innings this week. The righty ran into trouble with walks for the first time all year (five in the two innings) but did strike out three batters. Zeferjahn has a 0.00 ERA with 30 strikeouts compared to 10 walks in 19 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season.

Double-A (Portland)

Marcelo Mayer won't stop hitting doubles and it's getting ridiculous at this point. The left-handed hitting shortstop is already more than halfway to his previous career-high of 30 two-baggers. Three more doubles this week puts him at 16 on the season. Mayer's hitting .301 with three home runs and 20 RBI, along with his minor league-leading doubles total.

Roman Anthony hit a home run the day after his 20th birthday. The left-handed hitting outfielder now has three home runs, 10 doubles, and one triple in 2024. His average is back up to .241 with a .342 OBP.

Kyle Teel had a big week, going 6-for-14 with three walks and two doubles. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .275/.383/.422 with seven doubles and three home runs. Teel's driven in 17 runs, scored 22 more and stolen one base.

Even when he's slumping, Matthew Lugo is making consistently solid contact. It feels like everything he hits looks dangerous off the bat. The right-handed hitting left fielder hit another home run this week. Lugo's slashing .296/.395/.643 with six doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. He's driven in 26 runs, scored 14 more, and stolen seven bases.

Zach Penrod carried a perfect game through 4 2/3 innings in his start this week. The left-handed pitcher gave up one run on one hit over six innings. He walked three batters and struck out 10. Penrod is down to a 2.10 ERA and has 44 strikeouts in 30 innings. Triple-A has to be within sight.

Wikelman Gonzalez had a fantastic bounce-back start this week. The righty gave up one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out six batters compared to three walks. Gonzalez is down to a 5.70 ERA, and as the weather warms up, so will he.

Angel Bastardo is racking up strikeouts in May. In his lone start this week, the righty allowed one run on three hits over five innings. He walked one batter and struck out eight. Bastardo's up to 25 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings in May and down to a 3.66 ERA this season.

CJ Liu made his first Double-A appearance of the year. The left-handed pitcher tossed three scoreless (and hitless) innings. He walked one batter and struck out five. Liu has shown flashes of brilliance, including a no-hitter last season, so it's great to have him back in action.

Felix Cepeda allowed one run on two hits over two appearances out of the bullpen this week. The righty struck out five batters and walked two in three innings. He has allowed seven earned runs in 14 1/3 innings, but three of those runs came in a blowup outing that only lasted 1/3 of an inning. Cepeda is 7-for-9 in save opportunities.

High-A (Greenville)

Mikey Romero is back and already making an impact. A back injury limited the infield prospect to just 34 games last season, but he's healthy and returned to the lineup on May 15. The left-handed hitting shortstop burst onto the scene with a triple in his second at-bat of the season in High-A. Romero went 3-for-12 with that triple and a walk. He drove in two runs and scored one more.

Kristian Campbell lost a six-game hitting streak on Sunday but is still raking. The right-handed hitting second baseman/centerfielder is slashing .286/.400/.543 with nine doubles and six home runs. He's driven in 20 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen one base.

Bryan Gonzalez is currently working on a seven-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder hit two more home runs this week and is up to seven on the season. Gonzalez boosted his average up from .210 to .244 during his current streak.

Ronald Rosario went 6-for-21 with one walk and one double. The right-handed hitting catcher is up to a .246 batting average with seven doubles and one triple. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 11 more, and stolen one base.

Bryan Mata made a rehab start in High-A. The right-handed pitcher gave up two runs on four hits over two innings. He walked one batter without striking any out. It will be interesting to see Mata's development over the next few starts, especially with a decision needing to be made about his future with the team.

Juan Daniel Encarnacion continues to impress. The righty allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out six batters without walking any. After a miserable first outing, JDE is down to a 3.33 ERA, .218 BAA, and 1.11 WHIP over six starts. He's struck out 37 batters compared to eight walks in 27 innings.

Single-A (Salem)

Miguel Bleis has been ridiculous in May. After slashing .186/.288/.286 in April, Bleis holds a .321/.406/.554 slash line in May. The right-handed hitting outfielder is on a six-game hitting streak and has boosted his average to .244 on the season. He's hit nine doubles, one triple, and three home runs this season. Bleis has also driven in 16 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen 13 bases.

Natanael Yuten constantly provides electric (and timely) moments for Salem. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .261/.336/.454 with five doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He's driven in 20 runs, scored 13 more, and stolen two bases.

Freili Encarnacion hit his first Single-A triple this week. The right-handed hitting infielder only has two extra-base hits this year but does hold a .279 batting average.

Fraymi De Leon has been impressive with the glove, and the 19-year-old has shown off his offensive skills lately. The switch-hitting infielder went 4-for-15 with an HBP and three RBI this week. De Leon is only hitting .206 this year, but this was a positive week with the bat.

Nelly Taylor had a massive week. The left-handed hitting outfielder went 7-for-18 with two doubles and five RBI. He's up to a .239 average with nine doubles and 13 RBI this season.

Andy Lugo is all about the doubles. The left-handed utility player is hitting .272 with a .396 OBP, one triple, and seven stolen bases. He's also hit a team-leading 11 doubles.

Jhostynxon Garcia had a pair of multi-hit games to end his week. The right-handed hitting outfielder boasts a .286/.375/.543 slash line with six doubles and four home runs. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 13 more, and is 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts.

Last week, Trennor O'Donnell tossed four no-hit innings in relief. This week, the right-handed pitcher made his first start of the season. He went five perfect innings and struck out five batters. O'Donnell has a 0.98 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings this season.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz is becoming one of the best pitching prospects in the Boston system. The righty gave up one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out five batters and walked one. ERC has a 2.76 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 29 1/3 innings this season.

Jojo Ingrassia made his first start of the season as well. The left-handed pitcher tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He didn't allow a hit but did walk four batters. Unsurprisingly, Ingrassia also struck out four batters and is now at 39 strikeouts over 20 2/3 innings. He also holds a 1.74 ERA.

Jedixson Paez came out of the bullpen for Ingrassia and didn't allow an earned run in four innings. The righty gave up five hits but didn't walk anyone (obviously, it's Jedixson) and struck out four batters. Paez now has a 2.25 ERA and 34 strikeouts compared to three walks in 28 innings.

Luis Cohen went five innings for the fourth-straight start. The right-handed pitcher didn't allow any runs on three hits over five frames. He struck out three batters and walked one. Cohen has a 3.38 ERA, .215 BAA, and 1.09 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings.

Royman Blanco didn't allow a run in his lone three-inning appearance this week. The righty gave up two hits and struck out three batters without walking any. He's down to a 2.29 ERA in 19 2/3 innings.

Max Carlson pitched twice this week. The right-handed pitcher struck out two batters compared to one hit and one walk over three scoreless innings. He holds a 2.84 ERA with 28 strikeouts compared to eight walks in 19 innings for Salem.

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