 On July 3, he tied a Wilmington franchise record by stealing four bases in a game.After batting .299 with 25 steals in 61 games and being named to the 2006 Carolina League All-Star team, Ellsbury was promoted to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League on July 12, 2006.Soon after his promotion to Portland, Ellsbury was named Eastern League Player of the Week for August 6–13.