Red Sox Links: Marcelo Mayer Is A Top-Three Prospect In All Of Baseball

It wasn’t too long ago that we were talking about a starting pitching crunch, wondering how the Red Sox would find room for all their arms once Garrett Whitlock and James Paxton came back. That’s been settled (for now) with Nick Pivetta and Corey Kluber moving to the bullpen. Now, it’s time for the brass to figure out what to do with the hitters, as Yu Chang and Christian Arroyo are almost ready to return, with Adam Duvall hopefully coming up right behind them. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

And hey, these things tend to have a way of working themselves out, don’t they? For instance, if Jarren Duran can’t pull himself out of this really bad slump he’s found himself in, giving Duvall some run out in center won’t be a tough call. (Keagan Stiefle, NESN)

As for Kluber, he seems to be handling the demotion in stride. And let’s face it, with the inconsistent health of guys like Chris Sale, Whitlock, and Paxton, he could be back in the rotation sooner or later. (Christopher Smith MassLive)

Marcelo Mayer continues to impress, and ESPN’s latest rankings of the top 50 prospects in baseball, he’s moved all the way up to #3. But there’s something else Red Sox related that’s interesting about that list. Only one other Sox player made the cut, and it’s probably not the one you would’ve guessed. So, is it time to start paying more attention to Roman Anthony? (Kiley McDaniel, ESPN)

Alex Cora got Shohei Ohotani’s autograph while in Anaheim — not for himself, but for Red Sox pitching prospect Chih-Jung Liu. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)