Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Major injury news dampens the day

Major injury news dampens the day in this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch

Some brutal injury news puts a dark aura around this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch. We saw plenty of great performances and even some promotions. However, the headline has to be on Miguel Bleis.

One of the top prospects in the Red Sox system, Bleis is only 19 and has all the tools in Single-A. He has missed out on the last few weeks due to injury, though. And now it has been announced that he's expected to undergo left shoulder surgery. That means Bleis is likely out for the rest of the season.

That would be tough news to swallow under any circumstances. Your teenage prospect, who seems to be a consensus top-100 at this point, missing out on his first Single-A season because of an injury makes it hurt that much more, though.

Luckily, we have plenty to talk about to take our minds off of it. Let's hope Miguel Bleis has a clean surgery and a good recovery.

Brayan Bello carved out a gem on Sunday. The right-handed pitcher tossed seven innings against the New York Yankees, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three batters. Bello has found a groove and is becoming a great pitcher in the Majors. He has a 3.78 ERA, .254 BAA, and 1.34 WHIP in 52 1/3 innings. Bello's struck out 49 batters compared to 17 walks.

Josh Winckowski has a 2.19 ERA, .241 BAA, and 1.11 WHIP in 37 innings out of the bullpen. The righty reliever has struck out 27 batters and walked seven. Winckowski continues to be a star in the bullpen and doesn't seem to let a rough outing phase him.

Masataka Yoshida is slashing .300/.375/.467 with 15 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 33 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen three bases. He has 25 walks compared to 26 strikeouts. Remember when people were worried after he struggled for the first few weeks? Silliness.

Jarren Duran may not get as much playing time now that Adam Duvall is back, but he isn't going to let that slow him down. The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .281/.337/.437 with 17 doubles and three home runs. He's driven in 24 runs, scored 17 more, and stolen eight bases.

Connor Wong is slashing .235/.297/.456 with 12 doubles and six home runs. The right-handed hitting catcher has driven in 15 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen one base. Wong has shown plenty of pop this year and has been one of the better defensive catchers in baseball.

I'm going to keep saying it, Triston Casas is about to break out. The left-handed hitting first baseman is slashing .201/.322/.374 with eight doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He's driven in 19 runs, scored 25 more, and has 33 walks. Casas continuously makes extremely loud outs. That doesn't count for anything, but it shows you that he's getting the barrel on the ball.

Red Sox Triple-A (Worcester)

Chris Murphy was promoted to the Majors this week and looked awesome. He was sent back down, but the left-handed pitcher will be back soon enough. Murph tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He surrendered two hits and one walk while striking out five.

Shane Drohan has made three straight strong starts in Triple-A. The left-handed starter has allowed five earned runs over 16 2/3 innings in that time. Drohan has a 3.09 ERA, .191 BAA, and 1.17 WHIP between Double-A and Triple-A. He's struck out 56 batters and walked 28 in 58 1/3 innings.

Rio Gomez has looked great in Triple-A. The lefty has made two appearances. He's allowed three runs on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings. Gomez has walked five batters but struck out seven.

Brandon Walter's had a tough year but made his best start of the season on Sunday. The left-handed pitcher allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven batters. Walter has a 6.44 ERA, .309 BAA, and 1.73 WHIP in 57 1/3 innings. He's struck out 58 batters and walked 26.

Andrew Politi is having a strong June. The right-handed reliever has allowed one run on three hits and one walk over six innings. He's struck out five batters in that time. Politi has a 3.18 ERA, .221 BAA, and 1.24 WHIP in 28 1/3 innings. He's struck out 29 batters compared to 12 walks.

Brendan Nail was promoted to Triple-A after utterly dominating in Double-A. The left-handed pitcher had a 0.99 ERA, .161 BAA, and 0.91 WHIP with Portland. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings in his Worcester debut. Nail struck out six batters.

Enmanuel Valdez is back down in Triple-A, and I think this will be perfect for him. He had a taste of the Major Leagues, but now he can work on a few things back in the minor leagues. The left-handed hitting second baseman is 6-for-10 with a double and two home runs in three games since returning to Worcester. He'll get regular playing time and can get his swing back.

It feels like Ronaldo Hernandez got hot the second Jorge Alfaro left the organization. The right-handed hitting catcher is slashing .223/.305/.476 with five doubles and seven home runs. However, he is 7-for-19 with two walks, one double, three home runs, and nine RBI since June 4. Hernandez has driven in 26 runs and scored 12 more.

Ryan Fitzgerald has a .313/.376/.559 slash line with 16 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. The left-handed hitting utility has driven in 42 runs, scored 31 more, and stolen five bases. It really feels like Fitzy could help a Major League team right now.

Nick Sogard is slashing .292/.398/.385 with 10 doubles, one triple, and one home run. The switch-hitting utility has driven in 21 runs, scored 27 more, and stolen 10 bases. Sogard has been an incredibly consistent presence in the Worcester lineup all year.

Stephen Scott made the jump to Triple-A this week. He slashed .248/.369/.448 with five doubles, one triple, and six home runs. The left-handed hitting catcher drove in 22 runs, scored 23 more, and stole four bases in Double-A. He's 0-for-5 with a walk and a run in Triple-A.

Christian Koss is 3-for-23 with two doubles in Triple-A. The right-handed hitting shortstop has driven in four runs, scored four more, and stolen one base. Koss is a very good defender who can get hot at the plate in an instant. He's adjusting to Triple-A.

Red Sox Double-A (Portland)

Nick Yorke had a big week. The right-handed hitting second baseman went 8-for-24 with two doubles, two home runs, and 11 RBI. He's now slashing .297/.401/.500 with nine doubles, three triples, and eight home runs. Yorke has driven in 30 runs, scored 42 more, and stolen six bases. One of the best hit tools I've seen from a prospect.

Ceddanne Rafaela ended his 14-game hitting streak this week but continues to mash. The right-handed hitting centerfielder has a .285/.324/.420 slash line with 13 doubles and five home runs. He's driven in 34 runs, scored 36 more, and stolen 27 bases. Rafaela's pushing on the Triple-A door.

Marcelo Mayer doesn't have the best numbers through 10 Double-A games, but he did mash two home runs this week. The left-handed hitting shortstop has a .261/.337/.484 slash line with 12 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs between High-A and Double-A. He's driven in 40 runs, scored 27 more, and stolen eight bases.

Chase Meidroth continues to hit and is even flexing some home run muscle with two this week. The right-handed hitting second baseman is slashing .323/.467/.465 with seven doubles and five home runs between High-A and Double-A. He's driven in 26 runs, scored 31 more, and stolen seven bases. Meidroth has walked more times (37) than he's struck out (36).

Nathan Hickey's back from a short stint on the IL. The left-handed hitting catcher is slashing .284/.372/.545 with nine doubles, one triple, and eight home runs between High-A and Double-A. He's driven in 22 runs and scored 22 more.

Matt Donlan got his first Double-A hit this week. The right-handed hitting catcher is 1-for-4 with a walk in two games. He's only appeared in 10 games since signing last season as an undrafted free agent. Donlan is an interesting prospect that the team must see something in if they already have him in Double-A.

Corey Rosier continues to hit. The left-handed hitting outfielder has a .306/.363/.438 slash line with nine doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 27 more, and stolen 24 bases.

Phillip Sikes has a .240/.320/.358 slash line with 11 doubles, two triples, and two home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder has 17 RBI, 30 runs scored, and 23 steals.

Matthew Lugo has struggled a bit this season, slashing .237/.261/.397 However, the right-handed hitting third baseman has hit 13 doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 20 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen four bases. Lugo is also adding versatility by learning left field.

Tyler Dearden is having a quietly strong season. The left-handed hitting outfielder holds a .264/.347/.379 slash line with two doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 12 runs and scored 11 more. Dearden doesn't get a lot of playing time but tends to capitalize when he does.

Niko Kavadas has struck out a lot but is being effective otherwise. The left-handed hitting first baseman has a .220/.396/.421 with five doubles and nine home runs. He's driven in 31 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen one base.

Brian Van Belle can't stop pitching gems. The right-handed pitcher has a 2.81 ERA, .241 BAA, and 1.19 WHIP in 64 innings. He's struck out 52 batters compared to 20 walks. BVB is a guaranteed five-plus innings every time out.

CJ Liu didn't have the best performance this week, but he managed to stay effective. The right-handed pitcher has a 3.93 ERA, .242 BAA, and 1.41 WHIP. He's struck out 59 batters and walked 28 over 52 2/3 innings.

Grant Gambrell had a tough first few innings in his lone start this week. The righty starter settled in and ended up posting a solid line of five runs (four earned) over six innings. He has a 2.60 ERA, .180 BAA, 1.01 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings in Double-A.

Luis Guerrero is cooking in Double-A, and it feels like it's time for a new challenge. The right-handed reliever has a 1.05 ERA, .133 BAA, and 1.09 WHIP in 25 2/3 innings. He's struck out 20 batters and walked 17. Guerrero only has nine walks in his last 16 2/3 innings, though, cleaning up the act a bit.

Ryan Fernandez tossed four shutout innings over two appearances this week. The righty reliever gave up just two hits and one walk while striking out eight batters in that time. He has a 1.59 ERA, .188 BAA, and 0.97 WHIP in 22 2/3 innings. Fernandez has struck out 31 batters and only walked seven.

Ryan Zeferjahn also tossed four scoreless innings over two appearances this week. The left-handed reliever walked three batters and didn't allow a hit while striking out nine batters. Zeferjahn has a 3.52 ERA, .200 BAA, and 1.37 WHIP in 15 1/3 innings between Single-A and Double-A. He's struck out 25 batters and walked 10.

Red Sox High-A (Greenville)

Hunter Dobbins is on a hell of a run. The right-handed pitcher has allowed two earned runs over his last 20 innings. In that time, he has 25 strikeouts compared to zero walks. Dobbins has a 2.57 ERA, .211 BAA, and 0.89 WHIP in 35 innings. He's struck out 36 batters and walked four.

Isaac Coffey has a 2.63 ERA, .206 BAA, and 0.95 WHIP. The righty starter has struck out 75 batters compared to just 10 walks in 54 2/3 innings. He's allowed 10 home runs but hasn't surrendered one in any of his last four starts.

Angel Bastardo has a 4.02 ERA, .207 BAA, and 1.27 WHIP in 53 2/3 innings. He's struck out 71 batters and walked 27 batters. The right-handed pitcher has allowed just five earned runs over his last six starts (25 2/3 innings).

Wikelman Gonzalez has started to limit the walks to a degree and is racking up the Ks. The right-handed pitcher has a 5.95 ERA, .215 BAA, and 1.58 WHIP. Gonzalez has 70 strikeouts compared to 33 walks in 42 1/3 innings. He has 17 walks and 66 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings since the start of May.

Dalton Rogers has now made three starts in High-A. The left-handed pitcher has allowed six runs in 13 2/3 innings (3.95 ERA) in those games. He's struck out 16 batters and walked 12. Rogers was dominant in Single-A and is settling in at his new level.

Jordan DiValerio has allowed one run over his last five appearances (12 1/3 innings). The righty reliever has a 2.79 ERA, .208 BAA, and 1.07 WHIP in 29 innings. DiValerio has struck out 26 batters and only walked nine.

Nate Tellier is down to a 2.60 ERA, .167 BAA, and 1.21 WHIP in 17 1/3 innings. The right-handed reliever has struck out 22 batters and walked 11. Seven of those walks came in his first four appearances (five innings). He's cleaned it up since then.

Blaze Jordan is slashing .300/.351/.483 with 15 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. The right-handed hitting corner infielder has driven in 37 runs, scored 30 more, and stolen one base. Jordan continues to hit even with the lineup around him disappearing.

Ronald Rosario's bat has been a pleasant surprise lately. The right-handed hitting catcher is slashing .305/.388/.424 in High-A and .278/.388/.426 between Single-A and High-A combined. Rosie has hit nine doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 18 runs and scored 24 more.

Tyler Miller's quietly strong season continues. The left-handed hitting corner infielder/outfielder is slashing .258/.312/.444 with 11 doubles and four home runs. He's driven in 21 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen six bases. The 11 doubles are already a career-high.

Bryan Gonzalez is slashing .234/.301/.413 with five doubles, five triples, and five home runs. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 26 runs, scored 29 more, and stolen three bases. Gonzalez is working on an eight-game hitting streak.

Max Ferguson holds a .240/.359/.344 slash line with 10 doubles and three home runs. The left-handed hitting outfielder/second baseman has driven in 18 runs, scored 34 more, and stolen 23 bases. Ferguson's batting average is improved nicely from last year, and he finds ways to get on base.

Eddinson Paulino is slashing .234/.311/.381 with 12 doubles, four triples, and three home runs. The left-handed hitting second baseman has driven in 23 runs, scored 35 more, and stolen 13 bases. Pauli has been very streaky this year but is showing signs of breaking out.

Karson Simas was promoted to High-A this week. The right-handed hitting second baseman/outfielder appeared in three games, going 1-for-7 with two walks. He drove in two runs and scored two more.

Alex Erro is having an incredible month, slashing .467/.550/.600. The switch-hitting catcher/first baseman has a .273/.365/.352 slash line with four doubles and one home run on the season. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 17 more, and stolen five bases.

Nick Decker is slashing .191/.336/.382 with seven doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He's driven in nine runs, scored 18 more, and stolen four bases. Decker is having a solid month, slashing .261/.308/.565 with four doubles and a home run.