Minor Notes: Early breaks camp in rotation, Triple-A season begins
The 2026 season is underway, as Boston and Worcester kicked off their seasons on Thursday and Friday last week. Portland, Greenville, and the newly-branded Salem RidgeYaks will follow in the coming days. Here at SoxProspects.com, we switch into regular season mode with our Minor Notes, the weekly breakdown of all the news on the system.
Early makes rotation as rosters are set
The final tweaks to the major league roster came down last week, and the most notable news was that 23-year-old lefty Connelly Early (pictured) made the major league rotation out of spring training. Early, currently ranked third in the system, was initally expected to open in Worcester, but a strong spring training on the heels of his impressive introduction to the majors at the end of 2025 earned him the nod. News that he would make the major league squad came last week, and the confirmation that Early would start was announced as the MLB rotation was set. Ryan Watson (#30) held on for the other open roster spot. Watson was taken in the Rule 5 draft by Oakland and then flipped to the Red Sox for infield Justin Riemer. Had he not made the roster, Boston would have needed to offer him back to the Giants.
The rest of the MLB and Triple-A rosters went largely as expected. The WooSox roster features the system's top ranked prospect, left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle. Other ranked prospects include Jake Bennett (#6), Mikey Romero (#12), Tyler Uberstine (#13), Allan Castro (#19), and Tyler Samaniego (#26). The full list of assignments can be found on our 2026 Projected Rosters page.
Transaction Log
With the finalization of the season-opening rosters, the Red Sox placed several players on the injured list. First baseman Tristan Casas, third baseman Anthony Seigler, and pitchers Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval will all begin the season on the IL. Casas continues his recovery from the patellar tendon injury that knocked him out for much of 2025. Crawford continues his road back from his 2025 wrist surgery, while Sandoval was out for all of '25 after his Tommy John procedure. Seigler is suffereing from tendonitis in his left knee which kept him out of spring training.
The team also released four players:
- Brendan Rodgers was released from his minor league deal and then signed to a two-year deal. The MLB veteran and former first-round pick was expected to compete for a spot on the major league bench, but he suffered a shoulder injury early in spring training that is likely to keep him out for much of the season.
- Vinny Nittoli was also released. Another veteran signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, Nittoli suffered a UCL injury that will require internal brace surgery, knocking him out for 2026.
- Minor leaguers Juan Chacon and Yohander Linarez were released. Chacon was the team's top international free agent in the July 2019 class, getting a $900,000 bonus. He showed some on-base skills but his ability to hit with authority never followed.
Rule 5 maneuvering
As mentioned above, Ryan Watson made the Red Sox opening day roster. He will need to stick with the team all year or be placed on waivers. If he clears, he would be offered back to the San Francisco Giants, who would not need to keep him on their 40-man roster.
Jedixson Paez made the Chicago White Sox in a long relief role. The right-hander has appeared in two games, allowing three runs in 1 2/3 innings. Paez has excellent control, having walked on 49 batters in 307 minor league innings.
Angel Bastardo did not make the Blue Jays, but there has not yet been an update to his roster status. The right-handed pitcher missed all of 2025 after Tommy John Surgery. Due to weirdness in Rule 5 specifics, Bastardo would have only needed to stick for 90 days this season. However, unlike the White Sox, the Blue Jays have legitimate championship aspirations, making it harder to protect a not-quite-ready player on the 26-man staff.
Podcast jamboree
The team released a pair of podcasts this week. First, podcast guest chapmion Alex Speier joined Ian Cundall to discuss the opening day roster, the development of Marcelo Mayer, and share other observations around spring training. Then, Mike Andrews and Ian hopped online to discuss their thoughts on the opening weekend, with Ian giving some observations from his first look at the Worcester squad.
Ian Cundall joins Baseball America
The SoxProspects.com team was very proud to announce that our longtime Owner and Scouting Director Ian Cundall has taken a full-time role with Baseball America. While his scouting responsibilities with the site will shift, the good news is that he will remain on the SoxProspects team as host of the podcast.
Photo Credit: Connelly Early by Kelly O'Connor