The second week of the Arizona Fall League is officially over, as Boston Red Sox players continued to take advantage of the opportunity to continue their seasons. Unfortunately, just like with the first week, while there were highs for players, there were also serious lows.
Over the past week, the Salt River Rafters played six games, going 4-2 and bringing their record to 5-5 on the season. After two weeks of games, the team is now in fourth place, just two games back of the first place Scottsdale Scorpions.
But you’re not interested in that, so let’s get into how the prospects did this week.
Luis Perales made two starts on the week as he continued on his return from Tommy John surgery. Unlike his first start, the right-hander managed to make it through two innings, looking a bit more like the top prospect he was before getting injured in 2024. Across those two hitless innings, he allowed just one earned run on a single walk while striking out four. In total, he needed 31 pitches to get through the two frames. Perales also had his fastball clocked at 100.7 mph, his fastest of the day, on his third-to-last pitch of the outing.
His second outing wasn’t as dominant; Perales again lasted two innings, but his pitch count got up to 51 pitches on the day. Of those 51 pitches, only 29 were thrown for strikes as the right-hander struggled with command. In his two innings, Perales allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks. He also struck out three batters.
Elsewhere, 2024 draft pick Brandon Neely didn’t fare much better in his lone outing of the week. Tossing 51 pitches, 24 of them for strikes, Neely failed to make it through the second inning as he only tossed 1 2/3 innings. Neely would allow seven earned runs (though one came around to score after he had been pulled) on four hits and three walks. He did manage to strike out two batters, however. The second inning was his downfall, as it opened with a walk, hit by pitch and then two more walks to make it a 3-0 deficit after allowing two runs in the first. He nearly got out of it without much more damage thanks to a double play, but that was followed by a two-run single and a double making it 6-0, leading to Neely’s quick hook.
The trend of pitching struggling this week continued with Jojo Ingrassia, who appeared in one game and tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief. In that span, he allowed five runs, four of them earned, on three hits and two walks. He also struck out four. Despite the stat line being rather ugly, Ingrassia had a strong fifth inning as he struck out two batters in the frame. Overall, he tossed 51 pitches, 25 of them for strikes across the outing.
For the remaining two pitchers the Red Sox sent to Arizona, it was a week they would like to forget. While Isaac Stebens had a great outing in his first appearance, getting three strikeouts while pitching around a hit and walk in his lone inning, his second appearance is one he should probably burn the tape from. Pitching in his second game of the week, Stebens struggled mightily, only able to get one out as he allowed four runs, three of them earned, in one-third of an inning. His usual command wasn’t there as he walked two batters and only got one strikeout.
Much like Stebens, Jay Allmer is looking to forget his latest outing in the AFL, as he failed to even record a single out. Instead, he walked two batters, throwing 10 pitches and only getting two strikes before an injury forced him to leave the game. Both of his runners would score, causing them to be attributed to his ERA, which now sits at an unsightly 19.29.
Offensively, there wasn’t much to be proud about either, as top prospect Johanfran Garcia struggled mightily. Appearing in four games, the catcher and designated hitter went 1-for-15 with three RBIs. The right-handed hitter also walked four times but struck out four times as well. His lone hit of the week was a double to right field that came off a 94.8 mph fastball that got too much of the plate. Fortunately for Garcia, that lone hit exited his bat at 104.5 mph, a promising sign for his future.
Last week’s surprise performer Stanley Tucker fared better than the other Red Sox position players. Appearing in five games, the utility player went 3-for-13 with his first double of the season. He also drove in two runs while walking six times. He also struck out four times, though he managed to steal three bases to bring his total up to six. Defensively, Tucker only appeared at second base.
And much like last week, Nelly Taylor did not receive much playing time. The outfielder appeared in four games, but two of them were as a pinch runner late in the game (where he remained as a defensive substitution). In the two games he did start, Taylor appeared in center field and went 1-for-8 offensively. Taylor struck out four times and walked once while also stealing one base to bring his season total up to three.
Hopefully, the third week of the Arizona Fall League will see this group of prospects put together a little more consistent outcomes. While the league is meant to work on certain skills and develop players beyond the scope of the regular MiLB season, it would still look nice to see consistent results from players such as Perales and Garcia. Regardless, you can’t help but be glad to see players who missed so much time in 2025 now getting a chance to catch up on their development.