Minor Notes: Bello placed on injured list; four pitchers added from independent leagues
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Bello placed on the injured list
Right-handed starter Brayan Bello was placed on the 15-day injured list with right lat tightness. Bello joins Nick Pivetta and Garrett Whitlock on the injured list as Boston's starting pitching depth is being tested early in the season. There is no timetable yet for Bello's return. The Red Sox recalled Zack Kelly from Worcester to fill Bello's spot on the roster.
Pablo Reyes designated for assignment
Pablo Reyes, who had played every infield position for the Red Sox this year, was designated for assignment on Monday. With Ceddanne Rafaela announced as the everyday shortstop and Vaughn Grissom close to finishing his rehab assignment, the starting middle infield is coming into focus. David Hamilton figures to be the primary backup for both positions. Reyes had struggled to a line of .183/.234/.217 in 60 at-bats this season.
Rodriguez DFA'd; Uwasawa recalled from Worcester
While pitching has been a strength of the major league squad to begin the year, Joely Rodríguez was one of the exceptions. He was designated for assignment after posting a 6.55 ERA over 11 innings. Naoyuki Uwasawa was recalled from Worcester to take his place. Uwasawa made three starts for the WooSox, posting a 4.80 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 15 innings.
Casas transferred to 60-day IL; Cooper acquired from Cubs
With Triston Casas being transferred to the 60-day injured list, the Red Sox acquired Garrett Cooper from the Cubs for cash considerations. Casas is eligible to return on June 21 at the earliest. Cooper is a 33-year-old right-handed hitting first baseman who has played eight seasons in the majors. In 2023, he hit .251/.304/.419 in 123 games. He is off to a .270/.341/.432 start in 2024.
Boston adds four pitchers to the organization
The Red Sox signed four pitchers to minor-league deals last week. The biggest name is Sal Romano who is assigned to Worcester. Romano has 275 innings of major league experience, but last appeared in a game in 2021. He spent last year in the independent Atlantic League.
Three additional players were signed out of the independent leagues, with Danny Kirwin, Michael Sansone joining Salem and Adam Smith joining Greenville. Kirwin played collegiately at Rider University where he graduated in 2023. His team in the Pioneer League posted a video of him throwing 98 mph, and the Red Sox signed him a few days later. Sansone is a left-hander who spent two years in the Tampa Bay organization. He is a Connecticut native who played his college ball at Fairfield University.
Smith was a 14th-round pick by the Padres in 2021, making it to High-A for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He was set to play for Evansville in the Frontier League in 2024 but has moved back into High-A with the Red Sox.
Mike Andrews joins the Podcast
SoxProspects founder and Editor-In-Chief Mike Andrews joined Ian on the latest podcast to answer listeners' questions. Questions varied from being about the big three prospects and their timelines, thoughts on Matthew Lugo’s resurgence, the upcoming Draft, and more.
Player movement
A few players have moved up a level as injuries have opened spots at higher levels of the minors. One of the more notable moves was Salem adding Freili Encarnacion from extended spring training. He received a $1,100,000 signing bonus in 2022 but struggled last year in the FCL. Salem also added Max Carlson from Greenville and sent Kelvin Diaz to the FCL, while Greenville added Isaac Stebens from Salem.
In the high minors, Worcester added Brendan Cellucci and Robert Kwiatkowski from Portland and Karson Simas from Greenville. Portland added Jonathan Brand from Greenville but is still two players below the roster maximum.
Seven players released
Seven players from the rookie leagues were released last week. Darlyn De La Cruz was released from the FCL, while Luis Arredondo, Alisson Del Orbe, Cristofher Paniagua, Nixson Cueche, Anger Romero, and Claudio Evangelista all were released from the DSL. Paniagua is arguably the most notable name, as he received a $400,000 signing bonus in 2022.
Players of the Week for April 22-28
Blaze Jordan, 1B/3B, Portland Sea Dogs
6 G, 18 AB, 9 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 8 RBI, .444/.429/.815
It was a breakout week for Jordan (pictured, above), who entered play on Tuesday batting .146/.234/.195 with no home runs. All signs pointed to a correction coming, as his batting average on balls in play was just .162. That came true in the series in Hartford as he notched six extra-base hits, including his first two homers. The 21-year-old continues to split his time defensively between third base and first base, and he is now up to 257 at-bats in Double-A dating back to last season. The system's lack of big-league depth at first base has been exposed since the injury to Triston Casas. Jordan will look to prove that he can be a right-handed complement to Casas in the future, but that likely would only come in the middle of next season in a best-case scenario.
Jordan also received the Eastern League Player of the Week honors. It is his first honor since being named South Atlantic League Player of the Week for June 12-18, 2023.
Angel Bastardo, RHP, Portland Sea Dogs
1 G, 0-0, 6 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Similar to Jordan, Bastardo is a 21-year-old who got off to a slow start with the Sea Dogs this season. While his 4.26 ERA in 12 2/3 innings was not alarming, he did that while issuing nine walks and only striking out nine. On Saturday, his control was not an issue against a strong lineup for the Yard Goats, and Bastardo twirled six shutout innings. He left with the lead, but the bullpen could not hold on for him to pick up his first win of the season. The system's 29th-ranked prospect, Bastardo is looking to show that he can be a long-term starter for the organization. If he cannot refine his command and control, he profiles better as a multi-inning relief arm where his fastball can play up in shorter stints.
Photo Credit: Blaze Jordan by Kelly O'Connor