Both starters began a fresh chapter with respective affiliates Saturday night in their continued development — still in the American League East.
Eyanson got the ball for Double-A Chesapeake in the Baysox’s 5-2 win over Harrisburg at Prince George’s Stadium. The right-hander impressed with the fourth-most whiffs at Double-A on the night (16) with nine strikeouts in five innings. He allowed just four hits and two earned runs on a pair of solo homers. Eyanson’s ability to miss bats came through again in his introduction to a new fanbase.
“Don’t want to give up homers, tired of giving up homers,” Eyanson said after his start. “Overall, pretty good. Just put a pretty big emphasis on competing and going after them. I executed that and want to just keep getting better.”
He clearly didn’t miss a beat from a previously dominant year in the Red Sox system between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland with a 1.32 ERA in 68 1/3 innings. Eyanson has transitioned well from his last collegiate stop at LSU, where he logged 152 strikeouts in 108 innings in 2025, after which Boston selected the right-hander in the third round of last summer’s Draft. He’s off and running in pro ball with a pair of plus-or-better pitches (60-grade fastball, 65-grade slider) in his arsenal to attack hitters.
“I’m really excited,” Eyanson said. “I’m just very blessed and grateful for the opportunity. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and really excited for these new beginnings. I’ve hit it off right away with everybody in the pitching development, the guys here and everyone around the clubhouse. It’s just been great overall and I’m just really excited to keep on going.”
COMPLETE ORIOLES PROSPECT COVERAGE
Witherspoon allowed just one unearned run in 4 1/3 innings in High-A Frederick’s 3-1 win over Jersey Shore at BayCare Ballpark. While he generated 13 swings-and-misses in the outing, the righty struggled with his control and walked five hitters with three strikeouts. The 2025 first-rounder from Oklahoma amassed a 4.78 ERA in 17 starts with High-A Greenville before the trade with a 2.3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He previously finished his collegiate career strong with a 2.65 ERA in 16 starts at Oklahoma in 2025.
“It’s really cool to have someone you went through the Red Sox with now being here,” Eyanson said of Witherspoon. “If we have any questions or want to ask about the similarities or differences, we pretty much have the same knowledge about it. It makes it really cool.”
Both pitchers retook the mound five days after a rapid transition from one organization to another. Now, they settle into the Orioles’ system to pick up where they left off in strong runs on the mound.
“Pretty hectic,” Eyanson said of the past week. “I was on Fortnite when I found out I was getting traded. [Red Sox senior director of player development] Brian Abraham called. I just looked at it for a little bit and said, ‘Yup, probably heading out somewhere.’ I had seen some posts about the big trade. You can’t control everything. The only thing I can control is how I approach it.”
