Kyle

Teel

Zavala fortifies Boston’s catching depth behind Connor Wong. He makes sense as a temporary stopgap until top prospect Kyle Teel is ready to ascend to the big leagues at some point next year. The 31-year-old journeyman backstop holds a lifetime .613 OPS in 194 contests in the majors since 2019.

The first game was actually the resumption of a suspended game from Aug. 11, which was two days before Teel debuted with Worcester. Teel got off to a slow start upon his promotion to Triple-A, but he’s 11-for-27 with two homers and a 4/7 K/BB this month (or 9-for-24 if one gets technical and doesn’t count his performance in the suspended game as this month). He’s poised to take over as Boston’s primary catcher at some point during 2025.

Mayer, 21, has had an outstanding season at Double-A Portland, slashing .307/.370/.480 with eight homers, 38 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 77 games. He’s now just one step away from helping out the Red Sox at the big-league level. It’s unlikely that any of the trio will debut with the Red Sox before the end of the 2024 season though.

It’s been a disappointing offseason for Red Sox fans, but they’re in for a treat this weekend as the Fenway faithful will get a glimpse of the big three prospects who represent the next wave of impact homegrown talent. Anthony skyrocketed up prospect lists last year, while Mayer battled a shoulder issue and struggled in his first stint at Double-A Portland. Teel might arrive in the majors first out of this trio, despite just being drafted last summer out of the University of Virginia.

Cerullo adds that Boston’s 2023 first-round pick, catcher Kyle Teel, will also head to Portland this week as well. Anthony has rocketed up prospect lists over the past few months, by slashing .265/.396/.459 with 13 homers and 13 stolen bases between High-A Greenville and Single-A Salem at just 19 years old. The 2022 second-round pick is on the fast-track to the big leagues and is quickly developing into one of the more intriguing prospects in baseball. He should be on fantasy manager’s radar screens moving forward.

The Red Sox were able to sign Teel for under his slot value of $4.66 million, even though he was widely expected to go higher than 14th in the draft. The team is also expected to soon announce a deal with second-round pick Nazzan Zanetello.

Teel slipped unexpectedly into the middle of the first round and is now headed to Boston where he has a chance to become their catcher of the future. The 21-year-old lefty-hitting backstop was widely-regarded as the top catching prospect in this year’s draft class and has spent the last three years tearing the cover off the ball for Virginia. He’s an extremely athletic catcher with a cannon for an arm, and has the chance to hit for average and power at the highest level. He figures to stick behind the plate on his way to the big leagues, but has also dabbled in the outfield, so there’s a chance the Red Sox will move him out from behind the plate to expedite his timeline to the majors.