Minor Notes: Garcia named to Futures Game roster; draft preparation begins

With the All-Star break fast approaching, that also means the MLB draft is on the horizon as well. There are also several notable names currently on rehab assignments. The Futures Game rosters have also been announced, with one Red Sox player making an appearance. 

 

It was a jam-packed week for the SoxProspects.com podcast, as a pair of new episodes were released. First, Ian Cundall is joined by Geoff Pontes of Baseball America to preview the upcoming MLB Draft, which begins on July 13. They discuss who may fall to the Red Sox, how the draft class compares to last year, as well as the Futures Game rosters. In the next episode, Ian is joined by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe as they break down a variety of topics on the current state of the organization. They discuss the Sox pitching depth, Tanner Houck, and how Kyle Harrison has adjusted since entering the organization. 

 

Outfielder Zach Ehrhard and left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rivera were honored as the SoxProspects.com Players of the Month for June. Ehrhard posted an OPS of .863 across 102 plate appearances. Rivera won the award for a second consecutive month, as he posted a dazzling 1.57 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 23 innings during June. Read more about Ehrhard and Rivera here. 

 

Masataka Yoshida's rehab assignment is going well, and he should be back anytime now. He has played two games with Worcester and three for Portland. Combined, he is hitting .286/.353/.286 across 17 plate appearances with two walks and two strikeouts. He has been the DH three times and played in left field twice. Hunter Dobbins also began a rehab assignment with the Sea Dogs and pitched very well over five innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. Tanner Houck is also now four appearances deep into his rehab stint, with the most recent outing going much better than the first three. He tossed five shutout frames for Portland on Friday. 

 

Kristian Campbell is now up to 13 games played and 45 plate appearances with Worcester since being sent down. He is hitting .200/.379/.289 with a pair of doubles and a triple. He has 10 walks and 21 strikeouts. The 23-year-old has played six games at first base, four at second base, and three at DH. 

 

Jhostynxon Garcia (pictured, above) was the lone member of the Red Sox organization to be added to this year's Futures Game roster. The 22-year-old outfielder is having a monster season for Worcester, batting .282/.362/.542 with six doubles, two triples, and nine home runs in 37 games for the WooSox. Before his call-up to Triple-A, Garica posted a .748 OPS in 33 games with Portland. Garcia also made an appearance on MLB.com's most recent Top 100 prospect list, checking in at 100th. He is currently ranked seventh here at SoxProspects.com.

 

Trennor O'Donnell, Boston's eighth-round pick from 2023, has undergone Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL. The righty was pitching for Salem this year and had a 4.70 ERA in 23 innings pitched to go along with 24 strikeouts and 13 walks. 

 

The Seattle Mariners have called up left-handed pitcher Joe Jacques, who spent two years in the Red Sox organization from 2023 to 2024. He pitched 28 1/3 innings in the big leagues for Boston with a 5.08 ERA. 

 

Right-handed pitcher Michael Fulmer has signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals. Fulmer spent last year and part of this year with the Red Sox. He tossed 2 2/3 innings for Boston this year before being picked up by the Cubs. The Royals become his third organization of 2025. 

 

Colten Brewer, who was with the Red Sox from 2019-2021, has opted out of his contract with the Yankees after spending all of this year pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The righty had a 4.98 ERA in three seasons with Boston. 

 

Jordan Weems, a third-round pick by Boston back in 2011, has been designated for assignment by the Houston Astros. Weems pitched for the Sox in the minors for four seasons before being signed by the Oakland Athletics. He has since seen MLB time with Oakland, Washington, Arizona, and Houston. He has a career ERA of 5.28 in 158 2/3 innings. 

 

Alex Verdugo was released by the Atlanta Braves. After being dealt to Boston in the Mookie Betts trade, Verdugo posted a .761 OPS and 8.1 bWAR in four seasons with the Red Sox. After playing for the Yankees in 2024, Verdugo was signed by the Braves this year and had a .585 OPS in 56 games. 

 

The Nationals have signed Luis Garcia after the Dodgers released the 38-year-old on Friday. Garcia was traded to Boston last summer in a deadline move in exchange for Ryan Zeferjahn, Matthew Lugo, Niko Kavadas, and Yeferson Vargas. Garica posted an 8.22 ERA in 15 1/3 innings for the Sox. 

 

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6 G, 24 AB, 12 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K, .500/.556/.833

 

Castro (pictured, right) has put together a very strong season for the Sea Dogs in 2025 with a slash line of .301/.381/.470 in 46 games. The 22-year-old switch-hitter has eight doubles, a triple, and six home runs. He has played all three outfield spots so far this year but has seen a majority of his time come in center field with 31 games played there. Castro was signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in July of 2019 and is currently ranked 28th here at SoxProspects.com. 

 

1 G, 0-0, 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

 

Cohen started July off on the right foot with six strong innings. Despite only one strikeout, he was able to battle and limit Lynchburg to just four baserunners in six innings. The 22-year-old is in the midst of his second consecutive season with Salem, and he is posting nearly identical results to last year. In 2024, he had a 3.40 ERA and a .213 opponent's batting average with a 1.12 WHIP in 98 innings. So far in 2025, he has a 3.56 ERA and a .224 opponent's batting average with a 1.22 WHIP in 60 2/3 innings. Cohen was signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela back in January of 2022.