Minor Notes: Samaniego makes MLB debut; Crawford and Sandoval begin rehab assignments

The minor league season is now in full swing, as Portland, Greenville, and Salem played their first full six-game series last week. The Red Sox system's last week was highlighted by electric performances from several top pitching prospects, the returns of a pair of rehabbing veterans, and a major league debut.

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The Red Sox drafting and development strategy has heavily tilted toward pitching in recent years and the early returns on Boston's pitching development pipeline have been promising. Payton Tolle, a second-round draft pick in 2024 who tore through the minors last season to become the top prospect in the system, took the mound for Worcester on Sunday and punched out six batters in five scoreless innings. Tolle has gotten off to a great start, posting a 3.00 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings with the WooSox this season. He will be a strong candidate for a promotion if a spot in the Red Sox rotation opens up. 

Last year's third-rounder Anthony Eyanson threw 4 1/3 perfect innings on Saturday, retiring all 13 batters that he faced and striking out seven. Eyanson's velocity has ticked up in his first full season in the organization and he has been phenomenal through his first two professional starts. In an interview with Ian Cundall of Baseball America (and SoxProspects.com, of course), Eyanson talked about his childhood diagnosis with achalasia and his plan to donate money to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) for every strikeout this season. Juan Valera (pictured) caught national attention after throwing a 101.7 mph fastball last Thursday, the hardest pitch that any starting pitcher has thrown in the minor leagues this season. The 19-year-old Valera recorded nine strikeouts across five shutout frames. 

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Two key pieces of rotation depth for the Red Sox are on the road to recovery, as both Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford began rehab assignments with the WooSox last week. Sandoval was activated from the injured list last Wednesday and allowed three unearned runs on three hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings in his first start in the Red Sox organization. Sandoval is expected to make his second rehab start on Tuesday. Crawford started for Worcester on Saturday and allowed five runs on six hits in three innings, though he did strike out five while only walking one batter. 

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Tyler Samaniego was called up last Wednesday and made his major league debut the same day against the Brewers, striking out the side and walking one batter in a shutout inning. He appeared in Friday night's game as well, walking two and striking out a batter in 2/3 of an inning. Samaniego was acquired along with Johan Oviedo and Adonys Guzman from Pittsburgh last offseason and he ranks as the 19th prospect in the system. 

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Franklin Arias has been off to a torrid start despite the chilly weather in Portland. Arias is hitting .588 (10 for 17) through six games this season and currently leads the minor leagues in batting average. The slick-fielding Arias hit .278/.335/.388 in 116 games across Salem, Greenville, and Portland last season and he will play the entire 2026 season at 20 years old. 

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In the latest episode of the SoxProspects.com podcast, Ian and Mike broke down some of the most exciting performances from the first couple of weeks of the season. 

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A longtime Red Sox minor leaguer, Shane Drohan made his major league debut against his former team last Wednesday. The Brewers lefty was tagged with the loss, walking four batters and allowing three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Initially drafted by the Red Sox in the fifth round in 2020, Drohan was previously selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft before the 2024 season but was ultimately returned to the Red Sox organization. He was electric in 12 games with the WooSox last season, striking out 67 batters with a 2.27 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. Drohan was included in the aforementioned trade with the Brewers, in which the Red Sox also dealt Kyle Harrison and David Hamilton to Milwaukee. Harrison did not appear in this reunion series, but he has pitched to a 3.07 ERA through his first three starts of the season. Hamilton is 6 for 30 (.200) with four stolen bases in 11 games. 

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4 G, 14 AB, 8 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 4 SB, .571/.647/1.000

Signed as an undrafted free agent last season out of North Georgia, Opata has gotten off to a fast start in his first taste of professional baseball. Opata has shown off his plus speed, stealing five bases in six games, and he has been impacting the baseball as he has collected four extra-base hits over the last week. 

1 G, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 0.00 ERA

Valera's outstanding stuff was on full display in his start against Hub City on Thursday. He struck out his first batter of the game on a 95 mph changeup and went on to strike out nine batters in the game, setting a new career high. Valera came into last season as one of the prospects with the most helium in the system after impressing in spring training. However, he posted a 5.45 ERA in 10 starts before missing the rest of the season with elbow soreness. In his first two starts in 2026, Valera has shown just how dominant he can be when fully healthy as he has struck out 16 batters and allowed just two runs on four hits through 8 1/3 innings.