Blaze Jordan graduates to Triple A after parts of three tumultuous seasons in Portland

WORCESTER -- On Sunday afternoon after the Sea Dogs' loss in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Portland manager Chad Epperson went around gathering the whole team into the main part of the clubhouse. He even told the guys showering to wrap it up and join the rest of the squad.
The news he was delivering seemed run-of-the-mill at first, like details of what time to report for the next series. But then he slipped in the big announcement: that Blaze Jordan would instead be reporting to Worcester.
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'I was off that day, so I knew something was up, but it was one of those deals, you never know what's going to happen until it does happen,' Jordan said on his first day in Worcester. 'It was a pretty cool surprise.'
Then came the customary flurry of FaceTimes to deliver the news to family back home in Hernando, Mississippi. His mom was probably the most excited to hear about the promotion; Jordan is pretty sure his dad was excited too, but it was hard to hear him over the lawnmower running in the background as the call came in the middle of Sunday chores. His younger brother, whose birthday it happened to be, might have beat Jordan to the punch, seeing the news online.
He finished his round of text messages to friends and then settled in for the 10-hour bus trip back to Maine.
Jordan finally got to Worcester in the early hours of Tuesday morning, enlisting the help of new (and old) roommate Tyler McDonough, who Jordan lived with back in 2021, to find his new home.
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Waiting for him in his new city was a pleasant surprise: his parents, his sister-in-law, and his 15-month-old niece. The family initially planned to visit Jordan in Portland, but the Red Sox' decision to promote the infielder saved them a couple hours in the car as they re-routed to Worcester.
The promotion to Worcester feels like it's been a long time coming for the 22-year-old who was drafted in the third round by the Red Sox in 2020. He spent parts of three seasons in Double A, comparing it to being in college.
He's gone through his share of highs and lows throughout his professional career. He missed four weeks at the end of his first full pro season, revealing a couple years late that he was dealing with severe anxiety and depression and was hospitalized for 4-5 days. He revealed his struggles in 2023 on social media.
'I didn't realize how many people were going [the same things],' Jordan said. 'I felt like I was alone when I was dealing with all that stuff. But it was nice to know that I was able to reach out to other people and [let them] know that they're not alone too.'
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About a month into his first full season in Portland in 2024, he broke his finger sliding into the plate, and missed about a month. In August, the suffered a concussion after being hit in the face by a pitch. He produced in between his IL stints, but not enough to maintain the kind of prospect status expected of a third-round draft pick.
'It was tough. I was going through some tough times for sure, especially not able to be out there with the guys during the injury,' Jordan said. 'And then when I wasn't swinging it well, it was tough. You're like you're thinking to yourself, like, man, can I do this?
'But that's how baseball goes sometimes, ups and downs along the way. And I knew I've always come out of it, and then I just stayed the course and trusted the coaching staff...luckily, stuff started to click.'
Previously ranked as high as Boston's seventh overall prospect by Baseball America in 2022, he slipped to 21st in that same ranking entering 2024, and dropped off the top 30 list altogether entering 2025.
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'I think he's dealt with a lot at a young age,' WooSox bench coach Iggy Suarez, who managed Jordan in Greenville in 2022 and 2023. 'I mean, he jumped onto the scene when he was very young, so I think he's had some practice dealing with a lot of media and pressure....I think he was able to get better and be strong on the mental side during the offseason. I think it's helped him throughout the season and now look where he's at.'
This season, Jordan made the Red Sox' decision to promote him pretty easy. He crushed Double-A pitching, slashing .320/.415/.513 with six homers and 11 doubles in 44 games. Maybe even more impressive was the fact that he logged three more walks (22) than strikeouts (19) this season in Portland.
In his last nine games with the Sea Dogs, Jordan went 15-for-30 with five extra-base hits. He said there were a couple of specific things he was working on this season.
'It was my approach to the plate, just trying to draw more walks and getting the right pitch to the hit,' Jordan said, 'and hitting the ball in the air, because as a corner infielder, that's kind of your job, you know? They want you to hit home runs.'
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Jordan got the start at third in Worcester on Tuesday, batting fifth. He wasted little time getting into the mix, smashing a changeup from Rochester's Cade Cavalli 110 mph down the left field line. He came around the score on a single from Ryan Noda.
WooSox manager Chad Tracy said the plan is for Jordan to play some third, some first, and DH 'here and there.'
WooSox 6, Red Wings 5
Roman Anthony had the biggest swing of the night, tying the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings. Anthony's ninth home run went 428 feet to dead center, leaving the bat at 110 mph.
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But it was Noda who powered the offense all the way through the game, racking up four RBIs. Noda's two-run double driving in Jordan and Vaughn Grissom was all the offense the WooSox could muster until Anthony's game-tying swing in the ninth.
Noda had another huge hit in the bottom of the 10th with the WooSox trailing by a pair, launching a leadoff home run to tie the game again.
Seby Zavala had a tough night behind the plate with a couple of errors, but he got to be the hero of the night, laying down a sacrifice bunt that caused the Red Wings to overthrow third, where Trayce Thompson was barreling in after his fourth hit of the night. The overthrow allowed Thompson to come home, where he picked up Nick Sogard on his back as the WooSox walked off the field victorious.
Robert Stock went six solid innings, allowing three runs but only one of them was earned. Wyatt Olds tossed a scoreless inning and Alex Hoppe bounced back from a tough outing on May 30 with two scoreless frames.
Notes
- There were a number of minor moves on Tuesday for the WooSox. Infielder Karson Simas and outfielder Corey Rosier were transferred to Portland as Jordan was promoted and Nick Sogard was optioned from Boston.
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Catcher Enderso Lira was reinstated from the development list. Pitchers Cooper Criswell and Zack Kelly were recalled to Boston, and in corresponding moves Richard Fitts was optioned to Worcester and Nick Burdi was placed on the injured list.
- Though no official move has been made as of Tuesday evening, it appears veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal is leaning toward retirement, according to Tracy. The two-time All-Star played in 23 games for the WooSox, hitting .256/.372/.397. The 36-year-old was a positive presence in the clubhouse, always engaging with the young players, some 15 years his junior.
'At the moment, it looks like he's probably going to walk away and potentially hang them up,' Tracy said, adding Grandal wasn't at Polar Park on Tuesday. 'We talked [Monday], and I knew he was gonna pack up and go...his response was 'it's time to be dad.''
Tracy added that he didn't expect Grandal, who has 13 MLB seasons on his resume would be in Worcester all season, but enjoyed the time the WooSox had with him.
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'He didn't isolate himself, he was right in the middle of everything teaching young guys,' Tracy said. 'It was great.'
- Old friend Franchy Cordero was in town with Rochester on Tuesday, and while he wasn't in the lineup, he made the rounds greeting WooSox employees and coached first base.
What's Next
The WooSox will have a quick turnaround with an 11 a.m. start on Wednesday with Brian Van Belle getting the start for Worcester.
Read the original article on MassLive.

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