The Boston Red Sox nearly swept the New York Yankees in the Bronx over the weekend. The Sox won the first three games and the Yankees won the final one to crush Boston's push for franchise history and stave off a sweep.
The Red Sox needed a dominant series, and they got one. We even got to see Jhostynxon Garcia make his major league debut. With the Red Sox firmly in a playoff spot, what’s going on in the minor league system might not seem as important to some fans, but there are still prospects who could help this year, and others who could help build the foundation of the not-so-distant future.
With that in mind, how did things go down on the farm last week?
Red Sox Prospect Update: Mikey Romero, Jedixson Paez, Yhoiker Fajardo
Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A)
Payton Tolle gave up a leadoff double on a ball hit under 75 MPH. He didn’t allow another baserunner over his five innings of work.
The left-handed pitcher allowed one run on one hit in five innings. He struck out nine batters without walking any. With each pitch he throws, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Tolle will be in Boston before the season is over.
Tyler Uberstine had another strong start, giving up two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four batters and walked three.
The right-handed pitcher has a 3.70 ERA, .253 BAA, and 1.28 WHIP in 21 appearances (17 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A. He has 111 strikeouts compared to 33 walks in 99 2/3 innings.
Mikey Romero had at least one hit (including a double and a home run) in five of the six games he appeared in. The left-handed-hitting infielder is slashing .243/.305/.435 with 22 doubles, four triples, and 12 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s driven in 58 runs, scored 48 more, and stolen five bases.
Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
John Holobetz tossed a career-high seven innings in his lone start this week. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on six hits. He struck out four batters and only walked one.
Holobetz has a 3.29 ERA, .248 BAA, and 1.12 WHIP in 20 appearances (17 starts) between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. He has 105 strikeouts compared to 17 walks in 106 2/3 innings.
Dalton Rogers tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his lone start. The left-handed pitcher allowed four hits and two walks, while striking out seven batters.
Rogers has a 3.44 ERA, .226 BAA, and 1.38 WHIP in 20 appearances (13 starts) between High-A and Double-A. He has 109 strikeouts compared to 49 walks in 89 innings.
Hayden Mullins gave up two runs on six hits over five innings on Saturday. The left-handed pitcher walked four batters and struck out six. It might not have been his cleanest start, but he still looked fantastic.
Mullins has a 2.06 ERA, .169 BAA, and 1.06 WHIP in 19 appearances (18 starts) between High-A and Double-A. He has 107 strikeouts compared to 42 walks in 87 1/3 innings.
Allan Castro went 8-for-21 with two doubles and a triple while collecting at least one hit in all five games he played. The switch-hitting outfielder is slashing .268/.349/.403 with 15 doubles, two triples, and seven home runs. He’s driven in 33 runs, scored 37 more, and stolen 15 bases.
Justin Riemer made his Double-A debut this week. The right-handed hitting utility went 2-for-7 with a double in two games. He drove in one run and scored three more.
Riemer has been one of the better ABs in the system this season. He has 56 walks compared to 47 strikeouts between High-A and Double-A.
Juan Chacon stayed hot and now has a six-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting outfielder is hitting .225/.295/.275 with four doubles in Double-A. He’s driven in seven runs, scored seven more, and stolen one base.
Greenville Drive (High-A)
Maximus Martin was the lone hot bat in the High-A lineup this week. That’s especially wild considering he made his debut at the level on Friday.
Martin went 4-for-9 with four walks with Greenville. He drove in three runs and added one steal. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .259/.403/.362 with three doubles and one home run between Single-A and High-A. He’s driven in eight runs, scored eight more, and stolen five bases.
Jedixson Paez is back and had his best outing of the year. The right-handed pitcher allowed one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out a season-high five batters, and (predictably) didn’t walk anyone.
Blake Aita tossed six shutout innings this week. The right-handed pitcher allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out four batters.
Aita has a 3.29 ERA, .185 BAA, and 0.97 WHIP in 11 appearances (10 starts) since being promoted to High-A. He has 46 strikeouts compared to 17 walks in 54 2/3 innings.
Salem Red Sox (Single-A)
Yhoiker Fajardo had possibly his best start of the season on Sunday. The right-handed pitcher allowed two hits over a career-high six shutout innings. He struck out eight batters (tied for a season-high) without walking any.
Fajardo has a 2.08 ERA, .193 BAA, and 1.00 WHIP in 17 appearances (15 starts) between the FCL and Single-A. He has 70 strikeouts compared to 21 walks in 65 innings.
Jesus Travieso continues to rack up strikeouts. The right-handed pitcher gave up one run on five hits over four innings. He walked one batter while tying a career-high with eight strikeouts. Travieso has 28 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings in the month of August.
Brady Tygart made an appearance on April 5 and, due to injury, didn’t pitch again until August 7. He’s been filthy at every opportunity, though. The right-handed pitcher gave up one hit in 3 2/3 shutout innings this week. He walked one batter and struck out a career-high six.
Tygart has a 0.00 ERA, .111 BAA, and 0.91 WHIP in four appearances (three starts). He has 17 strikeouts compared to six walks in 11 innings.
Patrick Galle made his Single-A debut this week. The 2025 17th-round draft pick didn’t allow a hit over two scoreless innings. He walked two batters and didn’t strike out any.
Justin Gonzales continues to impress. The right-handed hitting outfielder went 8-for-23 with four doubles this week.
Gonzales is slashing .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, and four home runs in Single-A. He’s driven in 27 runs, scored 45 more, and stolen 11 bases.
Gonzales is limiting strikeouts while drawing walks. He needs to hit the ball in the air more, but the power is terrifyingly legitimate. Give the 18-year-old a shot in High-A before the end of the year, please.
Yoeilin Cespedes ended the week on a three-game hitting streak. The right-handed hitting infielder is slashing .232/.280/.372 with 24 doubles, five triples, and seven home runs. He’s driven in 49 runs, scored 44 more, and stolen eight bases.
Cespedes has shown good power and some clutch-hitting. However, he could stand to improve his plate discipline/swing decisions.
Gerardo Rodriguez showed almost no power for the first two-and-a-half seasons in the system. He’s come back up to Salem and been mashing for three weeks, though.
Rodriguez is slashing .316/.438/.605 with two doubles and three home runs (tied for a career-high) in 13 games in Single-A. The right-handed hitter has driven in seven runs, scored six more, and stolen one base. He’s walked eight times compared to just three strikeouts.