The Red Sox pitching factory is firing on all cylinders.
Three of Boston’s top 10 prospects toed the rubber for their respective clubs in the Minors on Tuesday, racking up a combined 14 strikeouts over 14 1/3 scoreless frames. If you add in Single-A Salem’s starter, who is not on the Top 30 Prospects list, Red Sox starting pitching prospects delivered 17 1/3 innings without an earned run.
Homegrown lefties Payton Tolle and Connelly Early have served as key cogs for the Major League team this season, and based on the performances across the Minors, the Red Sox could have even more talent on the way in the future. Here’s a breakdown of Tuesday's four standout starts:
COMPLETE RED SOX PROSPECT COVERAGE
Triple-A Worcester: Jake Bennett, LHP (BOS No. 6)
Acquired over the winter in a deal with the Nationals, Bennett has been as stingy as they come since joining the Red Sox. His latest example of that came in Worcester’s 3-2 victory over Buffalo at Polar Park. Bennett twirled five scoreless frames, allowing one hit and striking out four. The outing lowered his ERA to 1.60 -- the best mark among Triple-A pitchers with at least 35 innings. It was Bennett’s eighth start out of nine in which he has allowed one run or fewer for the WooSox.
The 6-foot-6 southpaw -- who posted a 4.35 ERA over two starts in the bigs this year -- found success filling up the zone (70 percent strikes) and producing soft contact. Tuesday's four strikeouts came on a mix of his four-seamer, sinker and changeup. This season, Bennett is holding Minor League opponents to a .297 slugging percentage.
Double-A Portland: Anthony Eyanson, RHP (BOS No. 2/MLB No. 71)
If Bennett has been stingy, Eyanson has been downright filthy. The 2025 third-rounder delivered his sixth scoreless outing of the season, striking out three over five frames in Portland’s 9-0 victory over Hartford at Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field. The start brought his system-best ERA to 1.17 and his Minors-leading WHIP to 0.73.
Already at his second level in his first professional season, Eyanson has held opponents to a .143 batting average through eight starts. He leans on a healthy mix of his 65-grade slider and a 55-grade curveball while also employing his plus four-seamer, which can touch triple digits.
Franklin Arias (BOS No. 1/MLB No. 10) also hammered his 13th homer of the year in the contest.
High-A Greenville: Marcus Phillips, RHP (BOS No. 8)
Drafted No. 33 overall by the Red Sox last July, Phillips has had a rocky start to his pro career, but perhaps his latest showing portends future success. The Tennessee product tallied five punchouts over 4 1/3 innings of one-hit ball in Greenville’s 8-2 loss to Rome at AdventHealth Stadium. It marked his first scoreless appearance since April.
At 6-feet-4 and 246 pounds with a fastball that sits at 98 mph, Phillips profiles as a prototypical power arm. He’ll look to continue to refine his secondaries and his consistency this year after posting an ERA north of 12.00 in May.
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Single-A Salem: Luis Cohen, RHP (unranked)
Cohen was assigned to High-A out of Spring Training but was sent down to Single-A in late May after struggling through seven starts. He responded with four scoreless frames in his first appearance for the RidgeYaks and followed it up with three more frames without an earned run in the club’s 14-7 loss to Wilson at Wilson Ballpark.