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Top Red Sox prospect belts fifth homer in six games; Vaughn Grissom trade return hits big grand slam
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- Top Red Sox prospect belts fifth homer in six games; Vaughn Grissom trade return hits big grand slam
Red Sox top positional prospect Franklin Arias went deep again Wednesday, his fifth home run in the past six games.
Arias also doubled in Double-A Portland’s 13-8 loss to Hartford.
The 20-year-old shortstop is 18 for 40 (.450) with a .531 on-base percentage, .900 slugging percentage and 1.431 OPS. He leads all Red Sox minor leaguers with five home runs. He also has three doubles, 13 RBIs, 11 runs and five walks compared to four strikeouts.
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Baseball America ranks Arias Boston ’s No. 2 prospect behind only left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle .
Arias put on approximately 10 pounds during the offseason and he worked on his point of contact to get a bit further out in front as a way to more consistently hit the ball in the air.
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That offseason work has translated to more power after he hit just eight home runs in 116 games last year.
Other top Red Sox minor league performers from Wednesday:
~ Isaiah Jacksonbashed a game-tying grand slam in the ninth inning of High-A Greenville’s 11-10 comeback win over Asheville in 10 innings. He went 2 for 5 with five RBIs. The Red Sox acquired Jackson from the Angels for Vaughn Grissom on Dec. 9 .The 21-year-old outfielder was an Angels 2025 eighth-round draft pick out of Arizona State.
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~ Justin Gonzales put Greenville ahead for good in the top of the 10th inning with a two-run double. The 19-year-old went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, one walk and one run for the Drive. Gonzales, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound outfielder/first baseman, is 17 for 62 (.274) with a .328 on-base percentage, .435 slugging percentage, .763 OPS, two home runs, four doubles and 10 RBIs in 14 games.
~ Yoeilin Cespedes went 3 for 5 with two doubles, one RBI, three runs and a hit by pitch in Greenville’s win. The 20-year-old middle infielder is 18 for 62 (.290) with a .353 on-base percentage, .532 slugging percentage, .885 OPS, two home runs, nine doubles and 10 RBIs in 15 games.
~ Brooks Brannon hit an RBI double in his first at-bat of the season for Portland after beginning the year on the IL. The 21-year-old first baseman/catcher went 1 for 3 with a walk and run.
~ Kristian Campbell hit a walk-off RBI single to lead Triple-A Worcester to a 7-6 win over Syracuse. He went 2 for 4 with two singles and one walk. The 23-year-old outfielder is batting .266 with a .381 on-base percentage, .342 slugging percentage, .723 OPS, one home run, three doubles and 10 RBIs. He has 15 walks compared to 26 strikeouts.
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~ Jake Bennett allowed just one run, four hits and one walk while striking out three in 4 ⅔ innings for the WooSox. He topped out at 94.3 mph with his fastball. The 25-year-old left-handed starter has allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings (0.86 ERA) across five starts. Opponents are batting .162 against him. He has 16 strikeouts compared to three walks.
~ Mickey Gasper stayed hot in the WooSox’ win. The 30-year-old, who is on the 40-man roster, hit a two-run double in the first inning to put Worcester ahead 2-0. It left his bat at 104.8 mph. Gasper is 22 for 69 (.319) with a .460 on-base percentage, .522 slugging percentage, .982 OPS, three home runs, five doubles and 18 RBIs in 18 games. He has 18 walks compared to 19 strikeouts.
~ Nick Sogard , who’s also on the 40-man roster, reached base four times for the WooSox with two singles and two walks. He also scored two runs. The 28-year-old has an .806 OPS, three homers and four doubles in 20 games.
~ Jacob Mayers, a 2025 ninth-round draft pick out of LSU, pitched 4 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief in Low-A Salem’s 7-6 loss to Fredericksburg. He pitched around four hits and one walk while striking out three. The 21-year-old righty has allowed four earned runs in 9 ⅔ innings (3.72 ERA) across three appearances this season.
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~ Luke Heyman , a 22-year-old catcher , reached base four times for Salem. He went 2 for 3 with two singles, two walks, one RBI and one run. Boston acquired Heyman from the Mariners on Nov. 18 for minor-league pitcher Alex Hoppe .
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