Simply forward of the deadline so as to add gamers to the 40-man roster earlier than the Rule 5 Draft, the Pink Sox introduced that they’ve chosen the contracts of two right-handed pitchers: Wikelman Gonzalez and Luis Perales. The membership’s 40-man roster now sits at 39.
Gonzalez, 21, is the No. 9 prospect within the Pink Sox system and the top-ranked pitcher, per MLB Pipeline. The righty is coming off a powerful 2023 marketing campaign wherein he pitched to a 3.96 ERA in 25 begins between Excessive-A and Double-A. He appeared significantly spectacular after his midseason promotion, posting a 2.42 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings pitched. Gonzalez received’t flip 22 till March, so it appears unlikely he’ll contribute to the massive league workforce in 2024. Nonetheless, given his efficiency final season, it’s not laborious to grasp why Boston selected to guard him.
MLB Pipeline has Perales, 20, ranked one spot under Gonzalez, making him the No. 10 prospect within the Pink Sox group. The hard-throwing righty had a powerful season of his personal in 2023, pitching to a 3.91 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 21 begins between Low-A Salem and Excessive-A Greenville. Perales is even much less more likely to play for the MLB membership this coming season, however it’s equally clear to see why the Pink Sox made positive to maintain him round.
In a barely extra shocking transfer, Boston selected to not defend Shane Drohan following his disappointing efficiency in 2023. The southpaw ranks 18th amongst Pink Sox prospects on MLB Pipeline, however the evaluators at FanGraphs (eighth) and Baseball America (ninth) had been extra optimistic concerning the 24-year-old starter on their newest prospect lists. What’s extra, Drohan’s age and expertise make him a more likely goal for different groups within the Rule 5 draft. He made 21 appearances (19 begins) at Triple-A final season, and though the outcomes weren’t nice (6.47 ERA, 6.55 FIP), his numbers from Double-A (2.17 ERA in 11 begins from 2022-23) are indicative of the pitcher he may sometime turn out to be.
