2026 Boston Red Sox MLB Draft Day 2 Thread

The 2026 MLB Draft will again feature just 20 rounds. The final 16 rounds (from Rounds 5-20) will happen later today, beginning at 11:30am EST. You can catch it live on MLB Network and MLB.com.

After selecting three players during the first day of the draft, the Red Sox will make 16 picks on Sunday:

156th overall (Round 5)

185th overall (Round 6)

215th overall (Round 7)

Following Round 5, the Red Sox will pick 20th in every round for the remainder of the draft. Thus, their draft position is as follows: 185, 215, 245, 275, etc.

Baseball is incredibly unique in the ways that address draft picks. Each team has its bonus pool which is assigned by MLB in the spring based off of league-wide revenue the previous season. Along with that, each draft pick is assigned its own slot value, which is essentially the expected cost to sign a player at that spot. Teams don't have to follow that number exactly, which is why you see teams sign players or over or under slot values. 

For example, in last years draft, the Los Angeles Angles had the 2nd overall selection which was valued at $10,252,700 but ultimately ended up signing their selection Tyler Bremner for only $7,689,525, nearly $3 million below the projected value of the selection. Teams can then use the money they save at the top half of the draft to lure better players with more bonus money later on in the draft.

The Red Sox have $8,219,200 to play with in this year's draft, the eighth-lowest pool, with the slot value of their 20th overall pick coming in at $4,373,900. 

Another note regarding slot money from Baseball America: "In the MLB draft, each pick inside the first 10 rounds comes with assigned slot values. The sum of those slot values creates each team’s bonus pool. From rounds 11-20, players can sign for up to $150,000 without counting towards the bonus pool. Anything beyond that value does count towards the pool. Teams are free to sign players for more than an assigned slot value or less than an assigned slot value, though going over a bonus pool comes with penalties."

It's also worth noting that with the CBA expiring this offseason and the MLB's proposal to change the draft format, this likely the last time we see the draft in the format we see it in today. 

Here's a brief recap of yesterday's draft picks with hyperlinks to our articles breaking down the selections in greater depth:

20th overall: Jake Schaffner SS, UNC

The Red Sox's first selection in the 2026 draft in Schaffner was an under-slot, defense-and-contact-first shortstop out of the University of North Carolina. Schaffner was ranked 69 in our mock draft consensus board but provides some exciting bat-to-ball skills that play well above his age. 

The Red Sox's Amateur Scouting Director said of Schaffner to Alex Speier: "His offensive skillset aligns very well with our player development group. We’re confident he’ll be able to thrive in our system while playing strong defense at shortstop."

To that point, Schaffner was the lowest-ranked prospect selected, so we should assume the Red Sox plan on spending that saved money elsewhere, though that remains to be seen.

67th overall: Owen Hull OF, UNC

With the next selection, they went out and selected Schaffner's teammate and best friend Owen Hull. Standing at 6'4, 215, Hull provides some needed pop within the current iteration of the Red Sox farm system. Hull was ranked 71st in our mock draft consensus board and according to our Jamie Cameron, Hull "has a chance to stick in center with plus speed".

96th overall: Jace Mataczynski SS, Hudson High School (WI)

The Red Sox's final selection on Day One was 18-year-old Jace Mataczynski. By all accounts, Mataczynski is much more of a development project than the first two selections in Schaffner and Hull. He's ranked 108th in our mock draft consensus board. Mataczynski possesses some exciting tools as an athlete which elevate his ceiling but according to Jamie Cameron his swing leaves something to be desired saying, "At the plate, it’s a right-handed swing that could still stand to add a touch more refinement." Mataczynski is currently committed to Auburn so the Red Sox will need to get him enough of a signing bonus to justify choosing professional baseball.

We here at Talk Sox will continue to feature the Red Sox Draft Tracker, which will be kept up-to-date, not just as the draft happens, but also as we learn about the signing bonuses for each draft pick throughout the signing period. Thanks for joining us during one of the most exciting times of the season and keep coming back for updates!

Check out our 2026 mock draft board, updated regularly, and with detailed player write-ups!