Red Sox pitcher Junichi Tazawa will be called back up to the majors on Tuesday. (AP)

It has been a long road back for Junichi Tazawa.

The 25-year-old will be called back up to the major leagues on Tuesday, putting him in position to throw a pitch in the major leagues for the first time since Sept. 4, 2009, a span of more than two years. Tommy John surgery ended his 2010 season before it even started, and marked the beginning of a process that pitchers dread.

Tazawa, whom the Sox signed as an amateur out of Japan to a three-year, $3.3 million deal in December 2008, said that entering the surgery, he was worried about how much time he would have to spend away from the game.

“I was able to overcome those fear and worries, and I learned patience,” he said through a translator last month.

The trait would be necessary, not just during a 2010 season in which Tazawa was limited to rehabbing, but also this year, as he slowly moved to regain his form in games. Some pitchers return from Tommy John with improved velocity out of the chute, a byproduct of the comprehensive rehab process that can lead to comprehensive strength gains.

But Tazawa followed a different – albeit similarly common – pattern. When he started pitching in games this year, first in extended spring training in Florida, and then on his first rehab assignment in High-A Salem in May, his fastball velocity was regularly in the mid-80s, well short of the low-90s velocity (topping out at 94 mph) that he showed before surgery.

That diminished velocity, in turn, led Tazawa to struggle. He allowed 12 runs in his first two rehab outings with Salem. However, after those initially poor outings, he turned the corner. He allowed one run in his next 11 2/3 innings, and his velocity started to creep back into the 90s.

“I just couldn’t swing my arm like before.” Tazawa said. “As long as I resolved that problem, I felt pretty good.”

From there, his performance also rounded back into the form that established him as one of the top pitching prospects in the Red Sox organization in 2009. After he was promoted from Salem to Double-A Portland in June, he allowed six runs and retired just two batters in his first outing, but then had a 2.42 ERA in his next seven appearances for the Sea Dogs. Read the rest of this entry »

Daniel Bard hasn’t allowed a run since May 23, a stretch of 19 1/3 innings in which his ERA has plummeted from 3.60 to 2.05. The Red Sox are 4-0 in Andrew Miller’s four starts this year, and Miller himself is 3-0 with a 3.57 ERA.

This isn’t the first time Bard and Miller have played together. They were teammates at the University of North Carolina, two years ahead of Portland Sea Dog catcher Tim Federowicz. And Federowicz, who was a freshman at UNC when the two pitchers were juniors who were on the cusp of being drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft, said their powerful arms were evident even then. Read the rest of this entry »

Red Sox prospect Stolmy Pimentel was sent back down to Hi-A Salem (photo courtesy Salem Red Sox)

PHOENIX — Exactly one year ago today, a glimmering future stood before Red Sox pitcher Stolmy Pimentel, on a day when he pitched in the All-Star Futures game. He recorded a pair of outs that day, and talked enthusiastically about how a big league future was starting to feel increasingly like a reality.

One year later, Pimentel finds himself traveling in an opposite direction. After a season-long struggle as a very young pitcher in Double-A Portland, the Sox have sent the promising young right-hander down to Hi-A Salem, the level from which he appeared to have graduated in 2010.

The development is eye-opening. After all, few Red Sox prospects entered the year with as much promise as Pimentel. The 21-year-old right-hander, long viewed as a pitcher with tremendous potential and a polished pitch mix that was advanced for his age, appeared ready to make a significant career leap forward entering this season. Read the rest of this entry »

The Red Sox announced the lineup for this year’s Futures at Fenway minor league doubleheader. This year, the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox will face the Syracuse Chiefs, and the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs will battle the Binghamton Mets.

Following is the press release from the Red Sox.

2011 FUTURES AT FENWAY PRESENTED BY XFINITY TO TAKE PLACE ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 20

Sixth Annual Minor League Doubleheader will feature Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and Double-A Portland Sea Dogs; Fans who purchased tickets to the 2010 Futures at Fenway rain-shortened doubleheader will have a special pre-sale opportunity

BOSTON, MA — The Boston Red Sox announced details today for the sixth annual Futures at Fenway presented by Xfinity minor league doubleheader that is scheduled for Saturday, August 20 at Fenway Park. Similar to the five previous events, family-friendly ticket and concession prices along with kid-friendly activities will highlight this day of minor league fun at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

After a one year absence, the Red Sox Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs will return to take part in the 2011 Futures at Fenway.  They will be joined by the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston’s Triple-A affiliate in the International League.  Portland will face off against the Binghamton Mets (Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets Organization) in the first game at 1:05 p.m. while Pawtucket will battle the Syracuse Chiefs (Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals Organization) in the second game of the doubleheader.

Kids attending the event will be selected randomly throughout the day to participate in a number of exciting activities including mascot races and other on-field activities. Additionally, youngsters will be able to get autographs from the players during autograph sessions scheduled on the Big Concourse.

Tickets will be available for fans to sit in ballpark locations many have never before had the chance to enjoy, such as the Green Monster Seats, on the Right Field Roof Deck, in the Dugout Seats, and EMC Club and State Street Pavilion. For the fifth consecutive year, prices will start as low as $5 (for Bleacher seats) and range up to just $30 (for Green Monster Seats, Dugout Seats, the EMC Club and the State Street Pavilion Club). In addition, discounted concession items will be available for fans attending Futures at Fenway.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Red Sox and Portland Sea Dogs, whose Player Development Contract was set to expire after the 2012 season, extended their agreement for two more years, thus meaning that the Sox’ Double-A affiliate will remain in Portland through at least the 2014 season.

Here is the press release announcing the agreement:

The Boston Red Sox and Portland (ME) Sea Dogs today announced the extension of their Player Development Contract (PDC) for an additional two years. The extension keeps the Red Sox Eastern League Double-A affiliate in Portland through the 2014 season.

Red Sox Director of Player Development Mike Hazen and Sea Dogs President Charlie Eshbach made the announcement.

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with the Portland Sea Dogs for an additional two seasons,” said Hazen. “We are extremely fortunate to work with some of the best people in minor league baseball in Portland. The Burke family, Charlie Eshbach, and the entire Sea Dogs organization always go above and beyond to provide support to our players and staff. With the Sea Dogs, our minor leaguers experience the ideal environment to succeed and grow.”

The Red Sox originally entered into an agreement with the Sea Dogs following the 2002 season when Portland changed affiliations from the Florida Marlins. At that time, a likeness of Fenway Park’s Green Monster was erected at Hadlock Field and the skyboxes were renamed in honor of former Red Sox legendary hitters. The PDC was last extended with a four-year extension through 2012 in July 2007. Read the rest of this entry »

The Red Sox will shut down prospect Casey Kelly for the duration of the 2010 Portland Sea Dogs season due to a strained right latissimus muscle that the 21-year-old suffered, said farm director Mike Hazen. News of the decision was first reported by the Portland Press-Herald.

Kelly was 3-5 with a 5.31 in 21 starts for the Sea Dogs. The 2008 first-rounder was in the middle of his first full season as a pitcher since turning pro. In his most recent start, on Aug. 6 against Richmond, he touched 96 mph on the radar gun, the best velocity readings that he’s had this year and evidence that his arm is fine and that he’s done an impressive job of maintaining his strength over the course of his first full professional season. But the next day, he experienced stiffness that forced him to miss a side as well as his next start, and when the discomfort continued to linger, the Sox decided to end Kelly’s Double-A season, with an eye toward making up innings later this year.

The decision to shut him down was deemed precautionary, rather than a sign of a major injury. Because the Sea Dogs are nearing the end of the season, the Sox felt that it did not make sense for Kelly to rush through his rehab in order to make just one or two more starts in Double-A, followed by a month of throwing sides before having him complete his innings load for the year in Instructional League.

Following such a course would have meant that Kelly would have seven and a half months (dating to spring training) of pitching more or less continuously. The Sox elected instead to have Kelly stop pitching for the next month and then return to the mound in Instructional League, with the idea that he can get roughly 20-30 additional innings on the mound in games both there and in a winter league (likely the Arizona Fall League).

“As young as he is, we’re not going to risk anything. He definitely gets it, which is good,” said Hazen. “The choice was fairly simple. Shut him down and shoot to make up the innings when we can give him a month off right now. … If he’s doing well, progress him out and then make up those innings in instructional league and the beginning part of the Fall League so we can shut him down as soon as possible.”

Kelly is generally viewed as the top prospect in the Red Sox system, and so his numbers have struck some as disappointing. His walks total more than doubled, from 16 in 95 innings in 2009 to 35 in the same number of innings in 2010.

Yet the fact that he has been competing at a high level (Kelly is one of the youngest handful of pitchers in the Double-A Eastern League), along with a dramatic improvement in stuff, have convinced the Sox that he has made major strides forward this year. The fact that Kelly has struggled at times with his command (both in and out of the strike zone), the Sox suggest, could be attributable to the adjustment to a new, stronger pitcher’s build, as he’s added more than 20 pounds of muscle and an inch or two of height since turning pro. His fastball velocity has gone from the 89-91 range to consistently 92-94 this year, and his curveball has become a more powerful pitch as well.

“I know a lot of people look at the numbers and sort of scratch their heads,” said Hazen. “We’ve seen some of the best stuff we’ve ever seen out of this guy. Last year, he was a pretty good pitcher with average stuff. That’s the way I’d probably describe it. He was carving up younger kids with average stuff. Guys can do that. This year, we’re seeing plus stuff across the board. We’re seeing plus-plus fastball velocity, we’re seeing a plus breaking ball and we’re seeing a plus changeup.

“I know all the pieces haven’t been put together yet to where we’re looking at six scoreless with 10 punchouts every game. But that’s a pipe dream. That’s not going to happen right away. It’s just not going to come together that quickly. It’s going to take time for him to log innings. He has 200 professional innings under his belt. That’s nothing. It’s hard to keep saying that when people constantly look at the numbers. It’s not just about the age. It’s about the stuff that we’re seeing. As smart and intelligent as he is, with the stuff, the repeatability of his delivery, this guy, we know is going to be pretty good.”

Red Sox prospect Jose Iglesias left in the second inning of Saturday’s game with Double-A Portland after getting hit in the right hand by a pitch. According to Sox farm director Mike Hazen, X-rays were negative, and the 20-year-old has been diagnosed instead with a bruise.

The injury occurred on a pitch at which Iglesias swung, and so he was replaced in the middle of his at-bat by Portland teammate Yamaico Navarro. Though Navarro went down on strikes, the strikeout was credited to Iglesias.

Iglesias, who signed with the Sox out of Cuba last summer, is hitting .306 with a .340 OBP, .408 slugging mark and .748 OPS in Double-A, excellent numbers for one of the youngest players in the Eastern League.

“He’s been really good – really good,” Hazen said recently. “He’s going through a period of adjustment. As we said in spring training, I think that’s sort of expected. I think he’s outperformed what we’ve expected from a raw performance standpoint, which is a credit to him and his ability. … But we’re still talking about a kid who needs to just play and get more experience.”