The Boston Red Sox went 4-2 since the last prospect watch. That's a positive sign for the major league team. We don't need to talk about the drama. Rafael Devers is hitting through it.
What about the minor league system, though? How did they respond to all the noise happening with the big league club? Between the injuries and arguments, there's a lot to wonder about.
Luckily, the prospects stepped up in a big way. The charge was led by Jhostynxon Garcia, who finished off the week with back-to-back walk-offs. What else happened, though?
Red Sox prospects Jhostynxon Garcia, Blaze Jordan, Franklin Arias and more dominate amid big league drama
Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A)
Roman Anthony is hitting .324 in May. The issue is that all 12 hits this month have been singles.
The left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .302/.423/.476 with five doubles, one triple, and five home runs this season. He's driven in 17 runs, scored 25 more, and stolen three bases.
Anthony seems to have mastered the level. Even when he isn't overly dominant, he's putting in good performances and playing winning baseball. The Red Sox already have a logjam in the outfield, but realistically, how much longer can they deny Anthony?
Marcelo Mayer is slashing .269/.333/.478 with five doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He's driven in 35 runs, scored 22 more, and stolen one base.
The left-handed hitting shortstop has started hitting second in the order (as opposed to third). That means Anthony and Mayer are officially back-to-back and giving pitchers headaches.
Nathan Hickey admittedly isn't having the best month. The left-handed hitting first baseman/catcher is 3-for-28 in May. However, he hit a grand slam this week that gave Worcester a late-game lead.
Hickey is in an interesting spot. The Red Sox have question marks at first base. If he can start to produce at the plate again, he could force himself into the conversation.
Shane Drohan had a solid start this week, but it was shorter than many were expecting. The left-handed pitcher allowed one run on three hits in three innings. He struck out three batters while walking one.
Drohan didn't seem to be in any discomfort and was only at 46 pitches, so it remains a mystery. He has a 2.03 ERA, .177 BAA, and 1.05 WHIP in seven appearances (six starts). Drohan has 38 strikeouts compared to 11 walks in 26 2/3 innings.
Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
Jhostynxon Garcia was the star of the week. The right-handed hitting outfielder hit a walk-off home run on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, he hit a walk-off two-run single.
Garcia is slashing .286/.395/.418 with five doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He's driven in 15 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen four bases. After walking just 33 times in 2024, Garcia's already drawn 18 walks (compared to 23 strikeouts) this year.
Blaze Jordan is 9-for-30 (.300) with eight walks in May. The right-handed hitting corner infielder is slashing .255/.368/.398 with eight doubles and two home runs. He's driven in 20 runs, scored 19 more, and stolen one base.
Jordan has 16 walks compared to just 13 strikeouts this season. Last year, he only drew 18 walks. The bat has woken up in May, and he's made massive improvements in his plate discipline. Jordan deserves the promotion to Triple-A, which should inevitably be coming.
Mikey Romero had a phenomenal week and is currently riding a five-game hitting streak. The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .280/.368/.530 with six doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 21 more, and stolen three bases.
Romero has improved his eye since last year. He's walked 13 times this year, after only drawing 18 walks in the entire 2024 season.
David Sandlin had his most dominant start of the year this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed three runs on five hits in five innings. However, he also struck out a season-high nine batters without walking any. The Sandman generated 20 whiffs in the game.
Sandlin has a 4.78 ERA, .260 BAA, and 1.37 WHIP in six starts. He's struck out 28 batters compared to nine walks in 26 1/3 innings. So far, 2025 has not been perfect, but Sunday's start is a reminder of how filthy he can be.
Connelly Early piggybacked Sandlin on Sunday and had a fantastic outing. The left-handed pitcher allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in five innings. He struck out a season-high eight batters while walking two.
Early has a 2.41 ERA, .156 BAA, and 1.02 WHIP in five appearances (two starts). He's struck out 30 batters compared to nine walks in 18 2/3 innings.
Yordanny Monegro only got to throw three innings this week because his scheduled start was rained out. The right-handed pitcher dominated in his short appearance, though. Monegro gave up two hits in three scoreless innings. He struck out three batters while walking one.
Monegro has a 2.20 ERA, .270 BAA, and 1.35 WHIP. He's struck out 30 batters compared to five walks in 16 1/3 innings. Monegro's labored at times, but the strikeouts have been getting him out of plenty of jams.
Greenville Drive (High-A)
Juan Valera posted the best start of his season by a mile. The right-handed pitcher surrendered four hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out a season-high eight batters while walking one.
Valera has a 5.47 ERA, .286 BAA, and 1.44 WHIP in six starts. The 18-year-old has 30 strikeouts compared to eight walks in 26 1/3 innings. Did we mention he's 18? Because, yeah, he's 18.
Payton Tolle allowed one run on five hits in five innings this week. The left-handed pitcher struck out five batters compared to one walk. Even when Tolle doesn't have his best stuff, he's fantastic.
Tolle has a 3.66 ERA, .227 BAA, and 1.17 WHIP in five starts. He's struck out 34 batters compared to six walks in 19 2/3 innings. In his first start, Tolle allowed six runs on five hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings. Think about how dominant he's been since then. Ridiculous.
Brandon Clarke struggled with his command, leading to a short start. However, he still managed some positives. The left-handed pitcher allowed two runs on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out six batters while walking one (and hitting two).
Clarke has a 1.62 ERA, .070 BAA, and 0.42 WHIP in five starts between Single-A and High-A. He's struck out 30 batters compared to three walks in 16 2/3 innings.
Antonio Anderson made his High-A debut this week. The switch-hitting corner infielder went just 3-for-22, but showed signs of life towards the end of the week. He hit a double and drove in three runs.
Anderson is slashing .302/.382/.425 with seven doubles and two home runs between Single-A and High-A. He's driven in 20 runs, scored 20 more, and stolen one base.
Franklin Arias is on a six-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .339/.406/.444 with seven doubles and two home runs between Single-A and High-A. He's driven in 16 runs, scored 20 more, and stolen five bases.
Arias is pretty close in average and OBP compared to where he was in Single-A. Meanwhile, his slugging percentage has taken a massive leap. We're seeing the 19-year-old go from "top 100 prospect" to "top 20 prospect" in real time.
Zach Ehrhard needs to join his older brother, Drew, in Double-A immediately (shoutout to Drew Ehrhard, who hit a two-run double on Mother's Day after his mom threw out the first pitch).
The right-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .315/.453/.402 with eight doubles. He's driven in 14 runs, scored 18 more, and stolen seven bases in seven attempts. Ehrhard's drawn 23 walks compared to 25 strikeouts. He's also on a 13-game hitting streak. For the sake of the opposing pitchers, get this man out of High-A.
Salem Red Sox (Single-A)
Justin Gonzales made his heavily anticipated Single-A debut this week. The right-handed hitting outfielder went just 2-for-17 (.117) with a double and an RBI. However, he drew four walks (and was hit twice) while only striking out three times. That gives Gonzales a solid .348 OBP.
The 18-year-old has appeared in four games at centerfield. He was the designated hitter in the other two. That's interesting, as Gonzales was primarily a first baseman (32 games there compared to 14 in right field and two in centerfield) in the DSL last season.
Freili Encarnacion hit two doubles and three home runs this week. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .284/.323/.560 with nine doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. He's driven in 25 runs, scored 23 more, and stolen two bases.
Encarnacion is in an awkward position where he clearly shouldn't be in Single-A anymore. However, there's a ridiculous logjam in High-A. Too many mouths to feed means some need to eat in Salem.
Yoeilin Cespedes has had a disappointing start to the 2025 season. The right-handed hitting infielder did some big things this week, though. That included a three-hit day and hitting his first two homers of the season.
Cespedes is slashing .237/.288/.419 with seven doubles, two triples, and two home runs. He's driven in 12 runs, scored 12 more, and stolen one base.
Starlyn Nunez hit home runs in back-to-back games this week. The switch-hitting infielder is slashing .247/.301/.430 with three doubles, one triple, and four home runs. He's driven in 22 runs, scored 15 more, and stolen four bases.
Nunez has an electric play style and is someone fans could fall in love with. He has a chance to leapfrog into serious conversations as a young prospect to watch.
Shea Sprague allowed one hit over 4 2/3 scoreless innings on Sunday. The left-handed pitcher struck out six batters while walking one. That marks the third straight fantastic appearance from Sprague.
After starting the year with back-to-back rough outings, Sprague has completely flipped the script. Sprague holds a 4.79 ERA, .294 BAA, and 1.40 WHIP in five appearances (two starts). He's struck out 27 batters compared to four walks in 20 2/3 innings. Those numbers still aren't great, but he's trending in the right direction.
Manuel Medina made his organizational debut last week after being acquired from the Miami Marlins in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. The left-handed reliever has made two appearances since then.
Medina hasn't allowed a run on two hits in five innings. He's struck out eight batters and only walked one. Medina picked up a save in his first appearance and a win in his second appearance. That's certainly not a bad way to start your career with a new organization.