Yoeilin Cespedes was supposed to be the week's star. The young infielder was set to make his Single-A debut on June 23. However, he was a late scratch and missed the entire week.
But of course, the Boston Red Sox farm system still posted plenty of action across all levels. Here are the highlights from this week's play in Worcester.
Chase Meidroth had a five-hit game for the WooSox on June 30. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .307/.453/.398 with 13 doubles and three home runs. He's driven in 33 runs, scored 52, and stolen 10 bases. Meidroth has 60 walks compared to 34 strikeouts.
Nick Yorke keeps hitting and has a .342/.435/.494 slash line with six doubles and two home runs in 20 games with Worcester. The right-handed hitting second baseman/left fielder has driven in 10 runs, scored 16 more, and stolen five bases.
Matthew Lugo logged a handful of big games this week, including a three-hit day on June 30. The right-handed hitting outfielder is back up to a .239 average with six doubles and four home runs in 18 games in Triple-A. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen five bases.
Yoeilin Cespedes' Single-A debut is delayed, but still tons of action in this week's Red Sox prospect watch
Nathan Hickey went 4-for-13 with a double, a home run, and five walks in four games. The left-handed hitting catcher/first baseman is hitting .216 with 12 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs. He's driven in 41 runs, scored 39, and stolen three bases, which ties his career-high.
Mickey Gasper is on a five-game hitting streak (four being multi-hit games). The switch-hitting catcher/first baseman is slashing .429/.525/.653 with five doubles and two home runs in 14 games in Triple-A. He's driven in 12 runs, scored 12, and walked more (9) than he's struck out (5).
Bryan Mata allowed two runs on two hits over 2 2/3 innings. He walked one (also hit one) and struck out two batters. The numbers weren't great for the right-handed pitcher, but he was hitting 98 MPH on his fastball. It feels like El Idolo will finally get a shot in the major leagues when his rehab assignment is over.
Boston Red Sox Double-A (Portland)
Marcelo Mayer hit his seventh home run of the season on June 30. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .307/.371/.479 with 25 doubles and seven home runs. He's driven in 36 runs, scored 54 more, and stolen 13 bases. We've said it for weeks, but this may be the last we see of Mayer in Portland.
Kristian Campbell is 34-for-81 (.420) with a .515 OBP and a .667 slugging percentage in 22 games in Double-A. The right-handed hitting second baseman/center fielder has six doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 21, and stolen four bags.
Kyle Teel is slashing .303/.392/.468 with 14 doubles and eight home runs. He's driven in 48 runs, scored 49, and stolen five bases. It feels like the left-handed hitting catcher is only in Double-A to get him consistent ABs.
Roman Anthony only had two hits this week, but one was a home run. The left-handed hitting outfielder is hitting .245 with 15 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. He's driven in 24 runs, scored 35, and stolen six bases. Anthony's been more impressive than his solid numbers.
Tyler Miller is on a nine-game hitting streak. The left-handed hitting corner infielder has a .253 average since being promoted to Double-A. Miller's starting to be a steady presence in the Portland lineup, just like he was for Greenville.
Hunter Dobbins tossed six innings, allowing one run on four hits. The right-handed pitcher struck out six batters compared to one walk. He's down to a 3.97 ERA in 65 2/3 innings this season. Dobby has over 130 innings in Double-A and has to be closing in on a Triple-A promotion.
Wikelman Gonzalez gave up just one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out six batters and walked two. Gonzalez has a 7.38 ERA but a decently low .239 BAA. Gonzalez has struggled for most of the season, but we've seen some of the brilliance from last year at times.
Juan Daniel Encarnacion had easily his best start in Double-A this week. The right-handed pitcher surrendered one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out six batters without walking any. JDE got knocked around in his first two appearances for Portland, but he took a massive step in the right direction.
Isaac Coffey allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings. The righty struck out six batters and walked three. Coffey has a 4.25 ERA, .217 BAA, and 1.38 WHIP with 62 strikeouts in 55 innings.
Since his return on June 13, Christopher Troye has looked much more like the pitcher from last season. The right-handed reliever tossed one scoreless inning, gave up one hit and one walk but struck out two. CT still only has 12 1/3 innings pitched this season, but he's trending in the right direction.
Alex Hoppe has looked great in his last two outings. The righty reliever has allowed one hit and two walks (two strikeouts) over 3 2/3 shutout innings. Hoppe even picked up a save in his last appearance.
Boston Red Sox High-A (Greenville)
Jhostynxon Garcia is on a 12-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .308/.370/.659 with five doubles and nine home runs since being promoted to High-A. He's driven in 14 runs and scored 19 in 24 games. Garcia's also playing great defense.
Cutter Coffey has a .256 batting average with eight doubles and 12 home runs. The right-handed hitting infielder has 38 RBI, 31 runs scored, and six steals. He's 22-for-54 (.407) with nine walks, three doubles, and eight home runs since June 9.
Allan Castro went 4-for-16 with two doubles and a home run this week. The switch-hitting outfielder is hitting .219 (.359 OBP) with 14 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. He's driven in 22 runs, scored 38 more, and stolen eight bases.
Bryan Gonzalez had a two-homer game on June 30. The right-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder is slashing .250/.306/.550 with seven doubles, one triple, and 15 home runs. He's driven in 40 runs, scored 37 more, and stolen eight bags.
Mikey Romero went just 4-for-21 this week but did hit two triples. The left-handed hitting shortstop has a .220 average with six doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He's driven in 11 runs and scored 16.
Eduardo Lopez is on a four-game hitting streak and had a home run and a few clutch hits this week. The switch-hitting first baseman/outfielder is hitting .202 with six doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 16 more, and stolen two bases. Lopez also has 19 walks compared to 22 strikeouts.
Miguel Bleis had just two hits this week but did make a few incredible plays in center. The right-handed hitting outfielder is 7-for-50 (.140) since being promoted to High-A but is 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.
Dalton Rogers made his best start of the season this week. The left-handed pitcher allowed two hits and one walk over five scoreless innings. He also struck out four batters. Rogers has a 5.70 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings.
David Sandlin gave up one unearned run on two hits over three innings this week. The righty walked one batter and tied a season-high with seven strikeouts. Sandlin has a 4.43 ERA, .220 BAA, and 1.25 WHIP in 22 1/3 innings. He's struck out 34 batters compared to 10 walks.
Hayden Mullins keeps raking up strikeouts. The left-handed pitcher gave up one run on two hits over four innings. He walked one batter and struck out nine. Mullins is down to a 3.48 ERA, .217 BAA, and 1.22 WHIP. He's struck out 72 batters compared to 22 walks in 51 2/3 innings.
Connelly Early allowed two runs on six hits over four innings. The lefty struck out seven batters and walked two (hitting one). Early has a 3.84 ERA, .215 BAA, and 1.14 WHIP. He's struck out 78 batters compared to 19 walks in 58 2/3 innings.
Blake Wehunt surrendered one run on five hits over four innings this week. The right-handed pitcher has looked better in his last two starts in High-A. He holds a 3.10 ERA between Single-A and High-A. The chicken farmer has 61 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings this season.
Jedixson Paez walked just one batter in four scoreless, hitless innings and fanned five batters. Paez has a 2.87 ERA, .257 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP between Single-A and High-A. He's struck out 67 batters compared to seven walks in 53 1/3 innings.
Reidis Sena made two appearances this week. The right-handed reliever allowed one hit and one walk over three scoreless innings in those two appearances, striking out six batters. Sena has a 3.90 ERA, .216 BAA, and 1.23 WHIP. He's struck out 43 batters compared to 12 walks in 30 innings.
Jeremy Wu-Yelland tossed two perfect innings this week, striking out two batters. The lefty only has 10 innings this season after not appearing in High-A since 2021 due to injury.
Boston Red Sox Single-A (Salem)
Antonio Anderson went 4-for-15 with a double in four games. Anderson is hitting .157 (.293 OBP) with nine doubles and four home runs. He's driven in 22 runs, scored 33 more, and stolen three bases. Anderson's drawn 47 walks this season.
Brooks Brannon is 21-for-64 (.328) with two doubles, one triple, and two home runs in 16 games for Salem. The right-handed hitting catcher/first baseman has driven in eight runs, scored eight more, and stolen two bases.
Nelly Taylor went 5-for-16 with a double, a triple, and four walks this week. The left-handed hitting outfielder is hitting .236 with 19 doubles, one triple, and three home runs. He's driven in 32 runs, scored 35 more, and stolen 16 bases.
Nazzan Zanetello went 3-for-13 with four walks and a double this week. The right-handed hitting shortstop is hitting .193 with seven doubles and four home runs in 109 ABs. He's driven in 10 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen one base.
Andy Lugo loves to hit doubles, and he knocked two more this week. The right-handed hitting utility is hitting .259 (.346 OBP) with 21 doubles and one triple. He's driven in 19 runs, scored 29, and stolen 16 bases.
Marvin Alcantara had a hit in four of five games he appeared in this week and even hit a home run. The right-handed hitting infielder is hitting .229 with seven doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He's driven in 30 runs, scored 30, and stolen seven bases.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz allowed one unearned run on three hits over six innings this week. The right-handed pitcher didn't walk anyone while striking out a season-high nine batters. ERC is down to a 2.44 ERA, .205 BAA, and 1.16 WHIP. He's struck out 68 batters compared to 21 walks in 55 1/3 innings.
Noah Dean allowed one hit over five scoreless innings in his start this week. The lefty walked two batters (and hit one) while striking out a career-high 10 batters. Dean has a 3.54 ERA, .153 BAA, and 1.03 WHIP. He's walked 26 batters compared to 66 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings.
Jojo Ingrassia gave up two runs on two hits in four innings. The left-handed pitcher struck out eight batters while walking two. Ingrassia has a 2.42 ERA with 74 strikeouts compared to 17 walks in 44 2/3 innings.
Luis Cohen tossed five shutout innings this week. The righty allowed three hits and a walk (as well as one HBP) while striking out five batters. Cohen is down to a 3.91 ERA, .222 BAA, and 1.14 WHIP in 56 1/3 innings.
Max Carlson struck out five batters over three scoreless innings this week. The right-handed reliever has a 2.37 ERA, .207 BAA, and 1.21 WHIP between High-A and Single-A this season. He's struck out 52 batters compared to 17 walks in 38 innings.
Michael Sansone picked up a save this week while not allowing any runs over four innings. The lefty reliever has tossed 8 2/3 scoreless innings over his last two appearances and is down to a 1.38 ERA, .170 BAA, and 0.69 WHIP in 39 innings. Sansone has 37 strikeouts and only four walks.
Danny Kirwin gave up one run on two hits over 4 2/3 innings this week. The right-handed reliever struck out five batters and walked one. Kirwin holds a 3.98 ERA, .179 BAA, and 1.01 WHIP in 31 2/3 innings.