Boston Red Sox prospect watch: Shaking off the rust
By Hunter Noll
Top prospects are still shaking off the rust in this week's Boston Red Sox prospect watch.
The Boston Red Sox prospect watch is back, as we're starting to see some of the top names in the system shake off all that rust and get their numbers up.
As always, we're starting in the majors. It was a busy week for Boston. They got swept by the Tampa Bay Rays but have bounced back nicely against the Los Angeles Angels.
Just like the team's success, the young guys on the team dealt with a mixed bag.
Connor Wong is gaining some fans with his arm. The right-handed hitting catcher is slashing .156/.250/.250 with three doubles, two RBI, and four runs scored. But he's throwing out base runners at a phenomenal rate. His defense has been enough while the team waits for him to wake up at the plate.
Triston Casas has given positives to point to. The left-handed hitter is slashing .133/.200/.311 with two doubles and two home runs. He's driven in seven runs and scored three more. Defensively, he's looked good at first base. Casas had a fantastic 14-pitch walk this week that shows you how special he can be at the plate.
Masataka Yoshida missed the majority of the week due to an injury. He was back in the lineup on Sunday, though. The left-handed hitting outfielder holds a .205/.354/.308 slash line with one double and one home run. He's driven in six runs, scored eight more, and stolen two bases. The outfielder also has more walks (7) than strikeouts (4).
Josh Winckowski is looking like a bullpen ace. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.50 ERA, .205 BAA, and 0.92 WHIP this season. In 12 innings, he has eight strikeouts compared to only two walks. It looks like the full-time transition to reliever has unlocked something for Winck.
Sad news did strike the Red Sox this week. Zack Kelly suffered a scary-looking injury. The initial thought of many was that he would need Tommy John surgery. However, the first tests seemed to indicate that wasn't the case. Kelly is awaiting more updates and testing. All we can do is hope for the best.