Red Sox's No. 13 Prospect Promoted To Double-A Portland For Playoff Run

Matthew Lugo is taking the next step of his development.

Scott Neville | Sep 15, 2022

Red Sox's No. 13 Prospect Promoted To Double-A Portland For Playoff Run /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are giving the Portland Sea Dogs all the resources they need to bolster up their roster for a playoff run.

There are multiple reinforcements making the jump from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland in anticipation of a (hopefully) deep playoff run. The most exciting of the bunch is infielder Matthew Lugo, the Red Sox's No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Lugo hit .288 with 25 doubles, 10 triples, 18 home runs, 78 RBIs, 20 stolen bases (in 27 attempts) and a .844 OPS in 114 games, all with the Greenville Drive.

The 21-year-old has spent the majority of his time at shortstop this season but recently moved over to third base and saw a massive spike in offensive production. It's hard to determine if there is a correlation there but Red Sox fans saw the reverse effect when Xander Bogaerts made the same move in 2014.

Lugo made 78 appearances at shortstop, 25 at third base and seven at second base.

The Sea Dogs were given a group of High-A players to choose from, and there's no guarantee Lugo will be activated with his new club but he's the highest-rated prospect of the bunch. To make matters more likely, the Sea Dogs lost infielder Ricardo Cibillan to the Worcester Red Sox and corner infielder Nick Northcut via trade.

Other players being sent from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland are pitchers Jacob Webb, Brendan Cellucci, Chih-Jung Liu and Wyatt Olds according to Sox Prospects' Chris Hatfield.

Fellow prospect Ceddanne Rafaela extended the Sea Dogs' season with a playoff-clinching grand slam Wednesday night, adding more time on the clock for players like Lugo.

Watch Red Sox Prospect Ceddanne Rafaela Blast Playoff-Clinching Grand Slam

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Published Sep 15, 2022

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu