Josh Reddick has returned to the minors after a short stint with the big club. Meanwhile, Lars Anderson, the former top prospect in the system, has been promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket after a stellar start at Double-A Portland. Their respective weeks highlight our latest look at the stars of the Red Sox’ organization.
1. Casey Kelly, RHP
At some point the organization will want Kelly to have some struggles, just to see how he responds. It may get to see that response now. Kelly had his first rough outing of the season on Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings. Lefties have been hitting Kelly rather well early on, producing a collective .385 mark against the 20-year-old.
Last week: No. 1
2. Josh Reddick, OF
He was getting a little too much time on the bench while up at Fenway for the organization to be comfortable, so Reddick was sent down when the club acquired Jonathan Van Every. Since returning to Pawtucket, the 23-year-old Reddick is just 4-for-20 but slugged his second home run of the season Thursday against Indianapolis.
Last week: No. 2
3. Ryan Kalish, OF
While his average remains low (.226 through Thursday), Kalish has some other numbers that look fantastic. Not only is he second on the Portland squad in home runs with four, but the 22-year-old has drawn 16 walks against just seven strikeouts.
Last week: No. 3
4. Lars Anderson, 1B
As long as Anderson keeps raking, we’ll keep moving him up the ladder. That’s just what the Sox did by adding the first baseman to the PawSox earlier this week. Upon his promotion, the 22-year-old Anderson was third in the Eastern League with a .355 average and ranked second in homers (five) and RBIs (16). Anderson has been hitting lefties and righties equally well, an encouraging sign as he steps closer to the big club, or to becoming a prime piece on the trading block.
Last week: No. 5
5. Jose Iglesias, SS
The defensive whiz continues to have solid results with the bat, posting a .274 mark. But he has made three errors in the last week and has drawn just one walk in eight games through Thursday. Improved plate discipline will be a factor in his progression.
Last week: No. 4
6. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
The big first baseman has cooled off a bit at Single-A Salem. After a seven-game hitting streak, he has hit just 3-for-20 in five games, during which he has not driven in a run. Rizzo’s strikeout rate has also soared this season. He has fanned 21 times in just 78 at bats.
Last week: No. 6
7. Luis Exposito, C
Like Rizzo, Exposito has found the hits hard to come by of late; he had just one in six games through Wednesday. But he has hit .294 with runners in scoring position, and the way this guy works with his pitchers and his fellow teammates makes his slumps seem rather insignificant.
Last week: No. 7
8. Stolmy Pimentel, RHP
After throwing six scoreless innings in his first two outings, the 20-year-old Pimentel has given up five runs — four earned — in 9 2/3 innings for Single-A Salem. He allowed eight hits and walked two in just 4 2/3 frames last weekend. Pimentel is scheduled to start Friday against Kinston.
Last week: No. 8
9. Felix Doubront, LHP
One aspect of Doubront’s game the organization came to admire this spring was his ability to get out both righties and lefties with consistency. However, right-handers have 14 hits and five walks against in only 13 innings against the southpaw. He continues to dominate lefties, holding them to a .190 clip.
Last week: No. 9
10. Che-Hsuan Lin, OF
Lin’s recent slump may have come to an end. He is 6-for-17 (.353) with a stolen base in a span of four games through Wednesday. However, the 21-year-old is just 1-for-16 (.063) against left-handers.
Last week: No. 10
