Red Sox Add Hunter Dobbins and Jhostynxon Garcia to 40-Man Roster

Just before the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, the Boston Red Sox selected pitcher Hunter Dobbins and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia. In corresponding moves to open spots for them, the team designated right-handed pitchers Bryan Mata and Isaiah Campbell for assignment. Both Dobbins and Garcia were a part of Talk Sox’s offseason prospect rankings. Dobbins was voted as the 18th-best prospect in the system while Garcia made it to 10th.

Dobbins, a former eighth-round pick in the 2021 draft, split time between Portland and Worcester this past season. The right-hander went 125 2/3 innings over 25 starts. he finished with eight wins and five losses to go along with a 3.08 ERA. Dobbins has the potential to be a back-of-the-rotation starter and will be viewed as depth for the rotation should a spot starter be needed entering the 2025 season.

Garcia was an international free agent signing with the Red Sox in July of 2019. An outfielder, Garcia has the ceiling of an everyday player and his 2024 season showcased that. Garcia started the season with low-A Salem and managed to make it all the way up to Portland before the end of the season. Still only 21 years old, he can still grow as a player, and between his power and fielding he could become an impact player with the Red Sox down the road. In 2024 he finished the season slashing .286/.356/.536 across 107 games split between Salem, Greenville, and Portland.

To make room, the Red Sox designated Mata and Campbell, a couple of pitchers previously viewed as candidates for the bullpen in 2024, though neither managed to make a major impact. Mata spent the entire season on the injured list, making 11 rehab appearances between injuries. This had been a constant trend for Mata during his time in Boston, as he missed some time in every season since 2017. He finishes his seven years in the Boston system with 29 wins and 27 losses across 108 games and a 3.46 era in 447 2/3 innings.

Campbell was acquired from the Seattle Mariners for Luis Urías in November of 2023 and was viewed as an addition to the bullpen. The right-hander struggled in Boston however, losing a single game across eight appearances. He pitched to a 16.20 ERA in 6 2/3 innings and had a couple stints on the injured list. Campbell would make 14 appearances for triple-A Worcester, losing a single game and running an era of 2.20 in 16 1/3 innings.

Dobbins and Garcia both look to be promising additions to the roster with the former likely to help at some point in 2025 and the latter possibly making an impact in 2026, if not sooner.

Interested in learning more about the Boston Red Sox's top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!