Wikelman Gonzalez impressing in Double- A

During the 2023 campaign, Wikelman Gonzalez has seen his stock rise while pitching between two levels. The 21-year-old is ranked as the Red Sox’s No.11 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and getting better which each outing. On July 14th, he was promoted to Double-A and has taken his game to another level against advanced competition.

In three starts for Portland, Gonzalez has posted a 1.59 ERA while holding opponents to a .109 batting average. Through his first 17 innings as a SeaDog, the talented righthander has struck out 23 batters. Although it is a small sample size, Gonzalez has shown the ability to overcome adversity.

After allowing seven hits in his final start for Greenville, the Venezuelan native has only allowed three hits in three starts for Portland. While Gonzalez has walked nine batters since his promotion, he has been able to work out of trouble and has not allowed control issues to derail his outings. That is an encouraging sign for the Red Sox.

Although Gonzalez is currently on the developmental list, he will be looking to build on his success when he returns to action. He already has one ten-strikeout game with Portland, which matches his season high. If his dominance continues, a stint in Worcester could be on the horizon.

As the season winds down, Gonzalez will be a prospect to watch. He has used his fastball that reaches 97 miles per hour and promising changeup to keep hitters off balance. After posting a 5.14 ERA in Salem, he has made the transition to a higher level seem easy and showed why his future is bright.