Boston Red Sox call up a piece of their future
Sitting in the middle of a competitive AL East race, the Boston Red Sox dipped into their farm system Tuesday for some immediate help, calling up one of their top minor league prospects -- first baseman Sam Travis.
Travis, 23, was hitting .286/.353/.452 for Class AAA Pawtucket (R.I.) and he provides some right-handed power to the lineup that is tied for last in the majors with 38 home runs.
Travis may not be able to lift the Bosox out of their dinger drought -- he has four of them in 126 minor-league at-bats -- but he can provide extra-base power and a platoon bat for lefty-swinging Mitch Moreland at first base.
What about Hanley Ramirez, who played 133 games at first last season, but only one this year (and it lasted only three innings before he reinjured his shoulder)? Travis' promotion seems to indicate Ramirez still isn't healthy enough to play the field.
The Red Sox are scheduled to face Texas Rangers left-hander Martin Perez on Wednesday, so look for Travis to get his first start then. Look for some decent stats in limited playing time since he'll mostly be facing southpaws. However, he's probably not worth adding in mixed leagues just yet because of a lack of regular at-bats.
Digging Devers
Looking a little further into the future, injuries to Pablo Sandoval, Marco Hernandez and Brock Holt have led to Deven Marrero starting the last nine games at third base. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old Marrero is hitting just .139 with a .184 on-base percentage, no homers and four RBI. Backup Jeff Rutledge has a .372 OBP, but a .289 slugging percentage.
But currently raking at Class AA Portland (Maine), is the organization's top prospect -- third baseman Rafael Devers.
Devers, 20, has a .320 average with seven homers and 23 RBI in 128 at-bats.
Even more important, he seems to be making steady progress as he moves up the ladder. His walk rate this season is 10.4%, which is better than he's had in any of his previous three minor league seasons. Meanwhile, his contact rate has remained virtually unchanged. And he's hitting for more power than ever, with a .555 slugging percentage and .944 OPS.
Of course, 144 plate appearances at Class AA is no guarantee Devers will be able to hit in the majors right now. But ... it wouldn't be a surprise to see him promoted to Class AAA fairly soon, with an eye toward a potential call-up after the All-Star break.
That said, Sandoval is currently on a rehab assignment at Pawtucket, and could return to the Red Sox by the end of the week. If he's able to provide some offensive punch, there may be no need to promote Devers this season. It's just a situation that bears watching.