Boston Red Sox Minor League Pitchers of the Month: May 2026

Despite their offensive shortcomings, the Boston Red Sox have developed one of the league's best pitching staffs while also seeing notable progress from several prospects in the lower levels of the organization. Below, I'll highlight a recent call-up and a pair of veteran minor leaguers who are making strong cases for promotions of their own.

Pitching prospects can often climb the minor league ladder much faster than hitters. If the stuff plays and they consistently throw strikes, there are fewer adjustments required at each level. We saw that last season with Payton Tolle, who rose from High-A all the way to the major leagues, where he even dueled with Paul Skenes. I have a feeling we'll see my No. 1 player from this month's edition join the big league club by the fall. Without further ado, let's dive in.

Ranking Red Sox's Best Minor-League Pitchers in May

#3 Blake Wehunt (Double-A Portland)

Wehunt has spent the past two seasons at Double-A Portland, struggling at times to find consistent success. Last year, he posted a 5.68 ERA for the Sea Dogs while striking out 76 batters in 63.1 innings.

This May, however, Wehunt looked like a completely different pitcher. Armed with a plus fastball and sweeper, he dominated opposing hitters throughout the month. His best outing came against the Reading Fightin Phils, when he struck out 11 over five innings, tying Jake Bennett for the most strikeouts by a Red Sox minor-league pitcher in a single game this season.

Wehunt finished May with a 2.08 ERA, a 40.6% strikeout rate, a minuscule 7.2% walk rate, and held opponents to a .525 OPS. His 40.6% strikeout rate ranked in the 98th percentile among Double-A pitchers during the month.

Standing 6-foot-7, Wehunt fits the mold of a classic Craig Breslow pitching acquisition. While Statcast data is unavailable at his level, it's reasonable to assume his extension ranks among the best in professional baseball. He also led Portland pitchers in both innings pitched and strikeouts during the month.

At 25 years old, Wehunt still has time to impact the major-league club, and a month like this is exactly the type of performance that can put a former ninth-round pick back on the organization's radar.

#2 Hayden Mullins (Double-A Portland)

Above are Hayden Mullins' percentile rankings for the month of May. The results are nothing short of dominant when it comes to generating swings and misses. Mullins ranked in the 100th percentile in swinging strike rate, CSW% (called strikes plus whiffs), whiff rate, and strikeout rate. He also ranked in the 99th percentile in zone contact rate allowed and opposing wOBA.

Mullins recorded at least five innings in all three of his May starts, striking out seven, eight, and 10 batters, respectively. Opposing hitters managed just a .148 batting average against him during that stretch and drew only five walks total.

The 26-year-old had struggled with command earlier in the season, including two April starts in which he issued five walks. Seeing that number come down in May is an encouraging sign as he continues to develop. The underlying metrics support the improvement as well, with his FIP currently sitting at 2.97.

Mullins has been part of the Red Sox organization since 2022 but missed his entire first season due to injury. His best pitch is a slider that FanGraphs grades as a present 55 with future 60 potential on the 20-80 scouting scale. While his fastball generally sits between 93 and 94 mph, his extension allows the pitch to play up against opposing hitters.

If Mullins can continue building on his May performance while further refining his control, he has a chance to establish himself as a legitimate prospect. It's been an encouraging start to the season for a pitcher who is beginning to generate real buzz within the system.

Anthony Eyanson #1 (Double-A Portland)

One trend you may have noticed is that all three pitchers featured this month are members of the Portland Sea Dogs. Eyanson earned his promotion after a dominant High-A start on May 1, when he struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings.

The first-year prospect out of LSU more than earned his rapid rise through the system. Across 20.1 innings at High-A, Eyanson allowed just one run while striking out 34 hitters. He simply overwhelmed the competition, leaving the Red Sox little reason to keep him at that level.

The success has continued in Double-A. Since arriving in Portland, Eyanson has posted a 2.77 ERA with a 34% strikeout rate while holding opponents to a .146 batting average. His performance has already pushed him into updated Top 50 prospect rankings from Baseball America and The Athletic, and it's easy to envision his stock continuing to rise. He has quickly become one of the most exciting pitching prospects in baseball.

All four of Eyanson's pitches grade as above-average to plus offerings according to FanGraphs. His curveball, slider, and changeup each carry future 60 grades, while his fastball has reportedly touched 100.2 mph during spring training. According to SoxProspects, he generally operates in the 95-98 mph range.

Eyanson's rapid ascent has generated significant excitement throughout the prospect world. Watching it unfold evokes memories of Payton Tolle's rise last season, when he went from High-A to the major leagues in a single summer. Eyanson still has hurdles to clear at both Double-A and Triple-A, but thus far he has shown little indication that either level will slow him down.