The rollercoaster ride season continues for the Boston Red Sox. They had a masterful week, including a commanding sweep of the Washington Nationals, to get back over .500. There's potential to climb higher thanks to the Colorado Rockies coming into town to open the final week before the All-Star break.
Once again, it feels like Red Sox fans won't know if they're buyers or sellers at the trade deadline until the day actually comes. We might be losing some prospects, and we might be gaining some. For now, however, there's plenty to talk about after another eventful week on the farm.
Red Sox Prospect Update: Allan Castro hot streak, James Tibbs III, Justin Gonzales
Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A)
Blaze Jordan went 4-for-19 with a double and two RBI this week. The right-handed hitting first/third baseman is slashing .302/.376/.489 with 20 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He's driven in 52 runs, scored 47 more, and stolen three bases.
Jordan has drawn 29 walks compared to 33 strikeouts. He's getting more respect for his improvements this season, but it still doesn't feel like enough.
Corey Rosier went 5-for-16 with two doubles and four RBI. He drew four walks.
Rosier is slashing .259/.356/.443 with 13 doubles and seven home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. The left-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 39 runs, scored 32 more, and stolen 11 bases.
Phillip Sikes went 1-for-4 with two walks and a home run this week. The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .165/.274/.320 with three doubles and four home runs this season. He's driven in 13 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen one base. Sikes has struggled in the first half of this season, but it would be great to see him get consistent ABs to try and right the ship.
Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
Payton Tolle came in out of the bullpen following the Hunter Dobbins rehab start. The left-handed pitcher picked up the four-inning save. He allowed one run on two hits and no walks, while striking out eight batters.
Tolle has surrendered two runs on three hits over nine innings in two outings since being promoted to Double-A. He has 17 strikeouts compared to two walks.
Allan Castro is on a nine-game hitting streak. He has a seven-game multi-hit streak. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .301/.381/.470 with eight doubles, one triple, and six home runs. He's driven in 24 runs, scored 20 more, and stolen five bases. Castro is only 22 and is enjoying another breakout season.
James Tibbs III hit his first Double-A homer and his first in the Red Sox organization. The left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder is slashing .286/.378/.397 with two doubles, one triple, and one home run since being traded to Boston. He's driven five runs, scored 10 more, and stolen two bases.
Mikey Romero went 9-for-30 with two doubles and a home run this week. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .278/.344/.485 with 13 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. He's driven in 32 runs, scored 36 more, and stolen four bases.
Ahbram Liendo is starting to get hot again. He went 8-for-18 with a pair of doubles and four steals (in four attempts) this week.
The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .225/.296/.303 with 10 doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 33 more, and stolen 22 bases in 26 attempts.
Greenville Drive (High-A)
Yophery Rodriguez has figured things out. He is 9-for-18 with three doubles during a five-game hitting streak.
The left-handed hitting outfielder is up to a .204/.327/.311 slash line with 10 doubles, three triples, and three home runs with Greenville. He's driven in 25 runs, scored 27 more, and stolen nine bases.
Johanfran Garcia is only 20 and missed a year of baseball with an injury. Despite that, he looks every bit the marquee prospect we were hoping for.
The right-handed hitting catcher is 9-for-25 with four RBI during a six-game hitting streak. Garcia's slashing .268/.369/.286 with one double since being promoted to High-A. He's driven in five runs and scored seven more in 15 games.
Franklin Arias is back to hitting in July. He went 6-for-19 with four doubles and three RBI this week. The right-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .303/.355/.418 with 19 doubles, one triple, and four home runs between Single-A and High-A. He's driven in 41 runs, scored 36 more, and stolen nine bases.
Brandon Clarke hasn't missed a step — he's looked fantastic since returning from injury. The left-handed pitcher gave up one hit over scoreless 2 2/3 innings in his start this week. He struck out four batters and walked one.
Clarke has a 1.88 ERA, .082 BAA, and 0.70 WHIP in nine starts between Single-A and High-A. He's struck out 45 batters compared to 12 walks in 28 2/3 innings.
Blake Aita allowed two runs on three hits over five innings. He struck out six batters and walked four. While it wasn't a bad start by any means, it was the worst since Aita's been promoted to High-A. That's how good he's been.
Aita has a 1.88 ERA, .159 BAA, and 0.92 WHIP in four starts for Greenville. The right-handed pitcher has 23 strikeouts compared to nine walks in 24 innings.
Salem Red Sox (Single-A)
Justin Gonzales went 8-for-20 with three walks compared to three strikeouts this week. He had three doubles and one mammoth home run. The 18-year-old even stole two bases.
Gonzales is slashing .273/.383/.376 with nine doubles, one triple, and two home runs. The right-handed hitting outfielder has driven in 15 runs, scored 24 more, and stolen nine bases since being promoted to Single-A. It feels like we might get a fireworks show very soon.
Enddy Azocar went 0-for-10 in the first three games of the week. He went 4-for-9 with a double, a homer, and a walk in the final two games, though.
The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .192/.257/.313 with three doubles and three home runs since being promoted to Single-A. He's driven in 12 runs, scored 13 more, and stolen five bases.
Natanael Yuten went 5-for-17 with two doubles and two triples. The left-handed hitting outfielder has been a massive positive for Salem over the last month. Yuten is slashing .260/.318/.422 with 12 doubles, five triples, and three home runs. He's driven in 26 runs, scored 32 more, and stolen five bases.
Devin Futrell allowed two hits over four shutout innings in his lone start. He walked two batters and struck out three. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.53 ERA, .244 BAA, and 1.13 WHIP in eight starts. He has 16 strikeouts compared to five walks in 21 1/3 innings.
P.J. Labriola tossed three scoreless innings over two appearances this week. The left-handed pitcher allowed one hit with no walks. He struck out three batters. Labriola has allowed one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings in Single-A. He has six strikeouts without any walks.