A few days ago, Boston Red Sox infield prospect Brainer Bonaci was called into the office of his manager at Class A Greenville – former Portland Sea Dogs player Iggy Suarez. The 21-year-old from Venezuela was asked a simple question. Are you tired? This deep into the season, of course Bonaci said yes.
Then Suarez told Bonaci that he was being promoted to Double-A, and his fatigue evaporated.
“I said I don’t feel 100% because I play every day, and he told me I’m going to Portland,” Bonaci said following his second game with the Sea Dogs – a 7-4 loss Thursday to the Hartford Yard Goats in front of 7,044 fans at Hadlock Field.
Bonaci started at second base and hit leadoff for the second straight day, after playing shortstop in his Double-A debut Wednesday. He reached base three times in five plate appearances, with two walks and a single, and scored Portland’s first run on a Nathan Hickey double in the first inning. On Wednesday, the switch-hitting Bonaci singled in his first Sea Dogs at-bat.
“He’s got a good approach, and we’re excited to have him here. He brings some energy to that top spot, and he can do some things on the bases. He’s not necessarily a burner, but he’s a smart base runner who can get on base,” Portland Manager Chad Epperson said.
An international signee in 2018, The 5-foot-10, 164-pound Bonaci played 63 games in Greenville, missing some time because of a hamstring injury. He hit .301 with nine home runs, 38 RBI, 34 runs scored, a .353 on-base percentage and an .825 OPS. He is ranked 15th among Boston’s prospects by MLB.com and 12th by Soxprospects.com.
Bonaci said he’s comfortable playing short, second base or third base. He typically hit second or third in the Greenville lineup, but has enjoyed leading off his first two games for the Sea Dogs.
“I like leadoff, because you see the first fastballs of the game. You can attack early in the count,” Bonaci said. “I like shortstop more, but I can play second, too, and sometimes I play third base. I don’t have a preference.”
With shortstop Marcelo Mayer, Boston’s top prospect, on the injured list because of left shoulder inflammation, Epperson said Bonaci will primarily play shortstop for the time being. While Mayer is eligible to come off the IL on Friday, his return is not expected until late next week at the earliest. Brian Abraham, Boston’s director of player development, said the goal is to have Mayer resume baseball activities in the middle of next week.
“We’re not going to rush. We’re going to make sure we nip it in the bud now, that way when he does get going, this is not an issue at all,” Epperson said.
Bonaci said he’s not working on any specific aspect of his game. He’s just trying to improve all around.
“For me, it’s the same game (as High-A),” he said. “I feel good. I’ll keep working. I’m so excited to be here. I want to keep going.”
RELIEVER ALEX HOPPE made his third appearance as a Sea Dog and his first at Hadlock Field since his promotion from Greenville last week. Hoppe faced four batters, striking out two and getting a pair of groundouts. Boston’s sixth-round pick in 2022 out of UNC-Greensboro, Hoppe boasts a fastball that’s consistently in the upper-90s and occasionally hits 100 mph.
In his first game with Portland last week at Bowie, Hoppe pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout. In his second, he allowed three earned runs on four hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Epperson said Thursday’s effort was more in line with what he expects to see from Hoppe the rest of the season.
“He has a big arm. We had a chance to see him a couple times in Bowie. His first outing was really good. His second outing, we didn’t really help him out defensively and forced him to throw some extra pitchers,” Epperson said. “But you’ve got to love the arm.”
In 37 1/3 innings this season, Hoppe has 52 strikeouts.
THURSDAY’S LOSS was Portland’s third in a row, and the Sea Dogs are 3-12 over their last 15 games. Now 18-18 in the second half, Portland is a game behind Binghamton and Somerset in the Eastern League’s Northeast Division. Even with the slump, the Sea Dogs are 58-47 overall and hold a four-game lead over Binghamton for the division’s second playoff spot, based on overall record, if first-half champion Somerset also wins the second half.
“You’ve got to ride it,” Epperson said of the team’s downswing. “You’ve got to make sure you’re showing up every day and you’re doing the things that need to be done to turn it around. It just seems like it’s pitching one day, it’s hitting the next day. We made three errors today, and that’s not us… We know we’re better than what we’re showing now.”
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