Red Sox Farm System Updates: Newcomers Galore In Latest Top-20 Prospect Ranking After Deadline and Draft

Following the MLB Draft and trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox's farm system looks completely different. While a new draft class has joined the organization, the front office also shipped out quite a few high-ranking prospects in their pursuit of Adley Rutschman. With things having settled down, a new top-20 has been voted upon by both contributors and readers of the site. This new list looks very different from where things were prior to the deadline. Let’s jump into it below.

Boston Red Sox Top-20 Prospect List (August 2026)

1. Franklin Arias SS AAA (previously #1)
2. Justin Gonzales OF/1B A+ (previously #5)
3. Franklin Primera C A- (previously #14)
4. Henry Godbout 2B/SS AA (previously #6)
5. Juan Valera RHP A+ (previously #9)
6. Sadbiel Delzine RHP A- (previously #12)
7. Yoeilin Cespedes 2B/SS AA (previously #10)
8. John Holobetz RHP AAA (previously #20)
9. Marcus Phillips RHP A+ (previously #8)
10. Jake Schaffner SS A+ (previously #16)
11. Dorian Soto SS/2B FCL (previously #11)
12. Johanfran Garcia C AA (previously #15)
13. Blake Wehunt RHP AAA (previously unranked)
14. Owen Hull OF A+ (previously #19)
15. Mikey Romero 2B/3B AAA (previously #13)
16. Hayden Mullins LHP AA (previously unranked)
17. Jack Winnay 3B/1B AA (previously unranked)
18. Gerardo Rodriguez C A+ (previously unranked)
19. Yophery Rodriguez OF A+ (previously #17)
20. Luke Heyman C A+ (previously unranked)

The list is vastly different from when the month of August began. First off, top prospects Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar and Tyler Uberstine are off the list due to their trades to the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves, respectively. Along with them, Jake Bennett graduated from prospect status and was removed from the list. To fill their vacated spots, pitchers Blake Wehunt and Hayden Mullins joined the ranks at Nos. 13 and 16, respectively. The latter rejoins the list after previously falling out of the top 20 altogether. Catchers Gerardo Rodriguez and Luke Heyman make their debuts on the top 20 at ranks 18 and 20, respectively, while infielder Jack Winnay also makes his debut at rank 17.

The biggest ranked improvements belonged to John Holobetz and Franklin Primera as they jumped 12 and 11 spots, respectively. Sadbiel Delzine also saw a significant rise as he went from the 12th-ranked prospect all the way up to sixth. Along with them, Justin Gonzales, Henry Godbout, Juan Valera and Jake Schaffner were a few players that saw their rank improve, the latter going from 16th all the way to 10th.

The biggest decrease in ranks belonged to Mikey Romero and Yophery Rodriguez, both of whom dropped two spots respectively. Romero went from being the 13th-ranked prospect down to 15th as his tough season continues. Despite a strong month of June, Romero suffered a rough July. In a small sample size in August, though, he’s looking better, with the highlight being the first-ever six-hit game in Worcester history. For Rodriguez, after a hot start, he fell off with tough months of May and June before a resurgence was seen in July. The outfielder’s biggest area to work on is his consistency as he will go on hot stretches only to fall into longer cold streaks.

The rankings this time around are dominated differently than in the past. Whereas pitching was typically near the top of the rankings (headlined by Eyanson and Witherspoon), this time around the top four spots belong to position players and of the top 10, six of them are hitters. Overall, the top-20 list contains certainly favors that type; 14 of the players present are of the position-playing variety. More specifically, middle infield makes up six of those 14, while four catchers are also present on the list. It shows the organization’s focus on developing catchers after not having much minor-league depth at the position last season.

One area that the list has remained the same is that Greenville continues to dominate. The High-A organization has eight representatives on the list. Portland is second with five representatives including a couple that were recently promoted from Greenville in Godbout and Cespedes. Worcester has four representatives, while Salem follows behind them with two and the FCL has just one player on the list.

Let's wrap things up with our newest additions.

Jake Schaffner, SS (High-A Greenville): No. 10

Schaffner is an infielder who played shortstop for North Carolina in 2026 after spending his first two collegiate seasons at NDSU. He's carried over an impressively similar level of production in 2026 against much stiffer opposition. Schaffner hits from the left side. It's an offensive profile predicated on exceptional bat-to-ball skills. His overall contact rate in 2026 sits at ~88%, with a 94% rate in zone. There's some pop in the profile, with six home runs and 42 extra-base hits.

All of this is backed up by a strong approach, as Schaffner doesn't chase much and has walked over 13% of the time in 2026. He is a good up-the-middle defender. There's an average arm in there, and while he may move off shortstop eventually, he should be able to stick on the dirt, most likely at second base. Throw in above-average speed and savvy as a baserunner (25 stolen bases in 2026), and there's a promising infield utility profile.

Blake Wehunt, RHP (Triple-A Worcester): No. 13

Wehunt has increased his prospect stock this season after showing that his struggles from last season were mostly injury related. Having made just 17 appearances in 2025, Wehunt put up numbers that were inflated from a few bad appearances, namely a 5.68 ERA in just 63 1/3 innings.

So far in 2026, though, it’s been a different story. Wehunt has shown an ability to generate strikeouts thanks in part to a four-pitch arsenal made up of a fastball, cutter, sweeper and splitter. Through 17 starts this season, he’s tossed 68 2/3 innings while striking out 82 batters.

Pitching from the first base side of the rubber, he throws from a three-quarters arm slot. There is some effort in his delivery but despite that, he seems to repeat it more often than not. He also has plus extension, giving his high-90s fastball a little extra life at the top of the zone.

Owen Hull, OF (High-A Greenville): No. 14

Owen Hull is a sharp riser on the college side of the draft after an impressive postseason run as part of North Carolina’s CWS squad. After spending his first two collegiate seasons at George Mason, the 6’4 outfielder made the transition to the ACC look seamless, and set himself up as a day-one pick.

Hull hits from the left side, and has a bit of an unorthodox looking swing. There is some swing and miss in the profile, but the damage on contact is impressive. He controls his at-bats well and takes plenty of walks, rarely expanding the zone in collegiate ball. He has a chance to stick in center field with plus speed. It’s a fringe-average arm, but the range and glove will play in center, at least during the onset of his professional career. Hull hit .393/.500/.615 with nine home runs (38 extra-base hits), a 14.8 BB%, a 15.1 K%, and a 146 wRC+ in 2026.

Hayden Mullins, LHP (Double-A Portland): No. 16

Entering the Rule 5 Draft, there was a lot of concern that Mullins could be selected after his 2025 season, especially as many felt that his stuff could play well out of the bullpen a role. Instead, he was not selected and returned to the Boston organization for the 2026 season, and he’s looked rather good so far including being part of a no-hitter on April 26. Through 19 appearances (including a Triple-A debut), Mullins has tossed 73 innings and struck out 107 batters. Unfortunately, his control has been an issue as he’s walked 48.

Mullins throws from a three-quarters slot and starts on the third base side of the rubber. His motion tends to involve a high leg kick and rotates his hips. He’s also viewed as having good extension, which we all know Craig Breslow loves. He has a five-pitch arsenal that is made up of a four-seam fastball, slider, sweeper, changeup and cutter.

Jack Winnay, 3B/1B (Double-A Portland): No. 17

The team’s 13th-round pick in 2025, Winnay was viewed as a corner infielder with power after hitting 35 home runs for Wake Forest in his last two years. A native of Newton, Massachusetts, it seemed to make a nice story. However, he’s broken out in 2026 faster than people may have expected. After 56 games with Greenville where he hit .255/.434/.457 and had more walks than strikeouts (53 to 51), he was promoted to Portland. Overall on the season, he’s hitting .259/.408/.439 with 12 doubles, 15 home runs, 42 RBIs and 70 walks to 83 strikeouts in 93 games.

Winnay as a hitter starts with his hands high and likes to extend his arms and pull the ball, especially in the air. The style of hitting he does fits with the model that Craig Breslow wants. So far, he’s showcased solid contact skills and can recognize pitches including secondary offerings. There is some concern when it comes to velocity.

His power is where most of his value comes from thanks to above-average raw power to the pull side. Since joining the organization, he’s put it on display in Greenville and then showed no decline when he got promoted to Portland

When it comes to defense, he mainly played first base and outfield in college but the Red Sox have been using him at third base since the start of the season with some occasional time at the cold corner. His average arm strength allows him to move back and forth between the corner infield positions.

Gerardo Rodriguez, C (High-A Greenville): No. 18

Signed as an international free agent in 2023, Rodriguez played well enough as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League to be brought stateside as an 18-year-old. That season, he mainly played in the Florida Complex League before a late season promotion to end the year with Salem. The 2025 campaign was more of the same, as he split time with Salem and the FCL where he hit a combined .285/.344/.421 with 20 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 43 RBIs in 69 games.

The 2026 season has been his breakout year, as he’s played a career high 76 games for High-A Greenville and has hit .254/.332/.363 with 10 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 35 RBIs while mainly playing catcher and some first base.

Offensively he has solid bat speed that goes with a shorter swing path that has allowed for good contact ability. Currently, he’s more of a gap hitter but has shown some power for someone of his size.

Defense is Rodriguez’s carrying tool. as he’s shown to be a capable receiver and is good at blocking pitches. He moves well behind the plate and with a strong arm has been able to control the run game thanks to a quick release and great pop times.

Luke Heyman, C (High-A Greenville): No. 20

Acquired in an offseason trade with the Seattle Mariners, Heyman is an intriguing prospect due to his bat alone. So far, he’s split the season between Salem and Greenville, appearing in 88 games and hitting .228/.357/.431 with 13 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. He’s also shown an ability to walk, with 61 of them on the season. The real question for him is whether he will remain at catcher or be moved to a different position down the road.

Offensively, he has above-average bat speed and when he swings he gets his whole body into it. He improved as a hitter across his college career and continued that improvement into professional ball. Most of his value comes from his power, which will be key if he winds up at first base down the road.

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!