The Boston Red Sox will be represented at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
USA Baseball announced its Olympic roster Friday, and a pair of Red Sox prospects made the cut: infielder Triston Casas and outfielder Jack Lopez.
Interestingly, Jarren Duran -- considered the top outfield prospect in the Red Sox organization -- did not make the list even after an impressive showing for Team USA at the Olympic qualifiers.
MLB Pipeline ranks Casas as the top prospect in the organization. The 21-year-old sweet-swinging first baseman has put his power on full display at times this season at Double-A Portland. He also handled himself quite well playing for the U.S. in the qualifying tournament. Power is the name of the game for the 2018 first-round pick, who has 24 home runs and 104 RBIs in 158 professional games.
Lopez making the team is a bit of a surprise. He's a 28-year-old utilityman who isn't much of a prospect and has yet to make his big league debut after almost a decade in professional ball. This is his first year in the Red Sox organization after he was signed as a minor league free agent in January. The Royals took him out of high school in the 16th round of the 2011 draft. He's quietly having a nice season with Triple-A Worcester, where he's hitting .348 with a pair of home runs and seven stolen bases. He probably will be a depth option for the Americans, as he can play shortstop, third base and second base and even has played a little bit of outfield over the course of his professional career.
As for Duran, his absence certainly raises eyebrows. He went 7-for-19 with a double, triple and three runs scored in the four games at the qualifying tournament, so it's not like his performance was an issue. This certainly will lead to many questions about whether a call-up to the big leagues could be coming soon for the 24-year-old. He's having a fantastic season at Worcester, hitting 15 home runs in just 39 games so far.
UPDATE (1:15 p.m. ET): The Boston Globe's Alex Speier has a little more information on why Jarren Duran didn't make the roster.
