Making his first appearance against big league hitters since the 2023 season, Woodruff issued a one-out walk to Tyler Freeman. Freeman then stole second base before the right-hander battled back to strike out Kyle Manzardo. He then retired Jhonkensy Noel on a ground ball to get out of the inning. There’s a good chance that he’ll open the season on the injured list as he continues to build his pitch count up, but this was a strong first step for Woodruff.

It’s unclear how much longer the Red Sox can keep Meyer on the doorstep of the big leagues with veteran Trevor Story continuing to struggle. The 22-year-old top prospect is hitting .275 with eight homers, 38 RBI and one steal in 35 games this season at the Triple-A level. He offers some multi-position defensive versatility, if Boston wants to get creative with their infield mix, but he projects as the organization’s shortstop of the future. His time is coming.

Mitchell scored at least 33 points in four of the series’ five games, but efficiency was an issue in Tuesday’s series finale. He shot just 32 percent from the field, boosting his point total with frequent trips to the foul line. Sometimes, Mitchell appeared to be impacted by his injured left ankle, but many players are dealing with an injury at this stage in the season. While he did not live up to his Yahoo! ADP of 17, the Cavaliers’ star offered third-round value in nine-cat formats during the regular season. Mitchell won’t be worth selecting with a first-round pick in 12-team drafts next fall, but he should not drop out of the second round.