Justin Slaten is knocking on the door of a big league return. The Red Sox reliever made another rehab appearance on Wednesday, this time for Triple-A Worcester, and it could very well be his last tune-up before rejoining the team.

Facing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees' affiliate), Slaten worked a clean inning, striking out two—including Oswaldo Cabrera—while allowing just one hit and one walk. He also retired Anthony Volpe, who has been struggling in Triple-A after a rough calendar year. Even more encouraging: Slaten's fastball touched 96 mph, a strong sign that his arm is ready for the majors.

Unfortunately for the WooSox, the rest of the night didn't go as smoothly. Worcester fell 9-7 in 10 innings after Scranton scored two runs in both the ninth and tenth frames. Reliever Wyatt Olds, who had pitched well through the eighth, couldn't record an out in the tenth, handing the ball to Tommy Kahnle to close out the loss. The WooSox launched three home runs in the first five innings—courtesy of Nate Eaton, Nathan Hickey, and Mickey Gasper—but couldn't muster any late-inning heroics.

Meanwhile, down in the minors, the Sea Dogs and Fisher Cats are set for a doubleheader this afternoon. Portland is also promoting a Jhostynxon Garcia bobblehead night, a curious decision given that "The Password" struggled with Pittsburgh's Triple-A club before landing on the injured list. Still, the promo is a nod to his impressive stint with Portland last season.

Over in High-A, Greenville had a wild night. Despite scoring 12 runs and hitting seven home runs—including two apiece from catcher Ronny Hernandez and Nathanael Yuten, plus a blast from Yoelin Cespedes—the Drive still lost on a walk-off. Starter Kyson Witherspoon battled through four innings, allowing three runs on just two hits, but Greensboro (Pirates affiliate) exploded for eight runs in the seventh inning to complete the comeback.