It’s been a long and hard road for Mikey Romero since being a first-round pick by the Red Sox back in 2022. The infielder, who was drafted as a shortstop, only got to play in 19 games after getting drafted, finishing red hot for the Salem Red Sox with a .349/.364/.581 stat line along with four doubles, three triples and 11 RBIs.

The 2023 season wouldn’t go as well for the infielder, as he suffered a back injury heading into spring training that would end up becoming a stress fracture and cost him nearly the entire season. In total, he would only appear in 34 games between the Florida Complex League, Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville, where he hit a combined .214/.294/.286 with five doubles, two triples and 13 RBIs.

Then, 2024 began in much the same fashion, with Romero opening the year on the injured list before beginning to look like a first-round prospect. He hit .271/.312/.509 in 78 games between the Complex League, High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. He also finally showcased his power potential with 24 doubles and 16 home runs.

Now, after a 2025 season that saw Romero appear in a career-high 111 games where he hit a combined .245/.300/.452 between Portland and Worcester, he is knocking on the door of the majors.

Offensively, Romero is an aggressive swinger who tries to hunt fastballs early in the count while also occasionally chasing secondary pitches. He needs to work on limiting his chase rate. However, he’s been able to make solid contact despite his aggressive approach, especially against right-handed pitching. His hit tool could improve with a better approach, but he'll likely never be an annual .300 hitter.

Power wise, Romero had been described as having “sneaky power," though after back-to-back seasons of 16 and 17 home runs (all while playing no more than 111 games), that “sneaky” title may need to be removed from the description of his game. The strength he added prior to 2025 also helped him tap into his power as he hit a career-high 33 doubles. He can really drive the ball when he manages to pull it; a larger focus on ideal launch angles and elevation will be key for him to jump into the 20-homer tier of prospect.

Defensively, Romero has not had the cleanest of developments in the minor leagues. While drafted as a shortstop, due to his average hands and fringy range along with a barely average arm, he was moved off of shortstop while with Portland. Since then, he’s split time at second base and third base, with they keystone being his most likely final destination due to his arm being more passable there. It also doesn't help that his speed is below average, but he can get around it due to his great baserunning instincts.

With this being his first non-roster invite to spring training, Romero will have plenty of time to make an impact with the major-league coaching staff, especially with a large portion of the major league team having left for the World Baseball Classic. However, as has been shown with many talented players, the issue will be if Romero can stay on the field for large portions of the season. Already he’s missed time in spring training due to back tightness, but he returned to game action as of March 8. Romero may not be the player many envisioned when he was drafted, but the talent is still there for him to be a bat-first second baseman who can give you double digit home runs on an annual basis. He just needs to remain healthy.

Romero, barring a string of injuries to the major-league roster, will open the season with Triple-A Worcester. He'll get plenty of playing time between second base and third base, and unless he's traded, will likely make his major-league debut at some point this season. Romero provides the team with quality infield depth that they'll be able to call upon when either an injury or poor performance strikes the major-league team.