Nick John

Talk Sox's top prospect rankings have reached their latter half, now focusing on the Boston Red Sox's top 10 prospects heading into the 2026 season. Be sure to check out our previous rankings here: Part 1 (Nos. 16-20) Part 2 (Nos. 11-15) Part 3 (No. 10) Part 4 (No. 9) Part 5 (No. 8) Boston Red Sox Top Prospects: No. 7 Justin Gonzales Saying that Justin Gonzales is a physical specimen is an understatement. Entering spring training this season, Gonzales was measured at 6-foot-6 and 277 pounds. That was after being last measured at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. While the previous weight may have been outdated, it’s still fascinating to see the 19-year-old continue to grow, even stating that his goal is “to be like Aaron Judge”. Gonzales was part of the team’s 2024 international free agent class and in his first professional season at the Dominican Summer League he put on a show offensively by hitting .320/.391/.517 with four doubles, five triples, five home runs and 29 RBIs in 47 games. He would come stateside for 2025 where after just one game in the Florida Complex League he would be promoted to Low-A Salem and play in 81 games. He would go on to hit .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 27 RBIs in that stretch before finishing the season with 11 games in Greenville. Offensively there is no doubt that Gonzales is one of the organization’s best prospects. He has a quick bat and has solid barrel control for his size. His 90th percentile exit velocity was 107 mph and his highest was 113 mph. Thanks to an advanced approach at the plate, he’s able to let a pitch come in to him deep and send it the other way to right field instead of just trying to pull everything. With a good understanding of the strike zone, he doesn’t strike out too much but will struggle to recognize secondary pitches. Despite being just 19-years-old, he's already impressing in spring training. On March 2, he was called up to play in a Red Sox spring training game and had a single with an exit velocity of 117.3 mph. It would have been the 12th-hardest Max exit velocity in major league baseball in 2025. His power is really impressive as it’s viewed as being above average for his raw power. With his size and swing he generates easy power as the baseball jumps off his bat and he can drive the ball to all parts of the field. Unfortunately, he doesn’t take full advantage of it due to a 57% groundball rate. If Gonzales can improve his bat path and get the ball into the air more often, he could really tap into his power and become an offensive beast. Defensively Gonzales has spent time at first base and all three outfield positions. In 2025 he spent the entire season split between the three outfield positions though due to his size will likely play either first base or a corner outfield position as he continues to advance through the minor leagues. He showcased good range in the outfield but struggled when it came to his jumps and routes. Despite that, his arm is considered above average and would play well at either corner outfield position. Gonzales’ speed is also below average but moves well for someone his size. While he won’t steal many bases, he won’t clog up the bases and should be able to go from first to third or second to home on outfield hits. Gonzales will look to continue his impressive start to his professional career in 2026. He’ll be entering his first full season (having only played 93 games in 2025) and it’ll be a good chance to see how he holds up across an entire season. Should Gonzales continue to develop as he has, there’s a chance he could be up with Boston by 2028. His bat alone would be enough to get him to Boston so long as it develops. Unfortunately, for as many possibilities of being an All-Star slugger, there’s just as many of him being a high-contact hitter who struggles to hit for power. Gonzales will open the season with High-A Greenville after appearing in just 11 games there last season. The Red Sox have been aggressive the past few seasons with promoting players and should Gonzales avoid any prolonged struggles should be able to make it to Double-A Portland before the end of the season. View full article

Ceddanne Rafaela had an impressive 2025 that was filled with ups and downs as the phenomenal defender won his first of what should be many Gold Gloves. However, there were times that let fans rather upset with the inconsistency at the plate. With the loss of Alex Bregman, Rafaela is expected to pick up some of the offense as he looks to build off of his 2025 season. Though, just how much should the fanbase look towards him for an offensive output? There is no denying that Rafaela is a very streaky hitter when it comes to his offensive capabilities, an effect of his sometimes overly aggressive approach at the plate. While able to cut back on the strikeouts from his rookie season into his sophomore year, Rafaela also managed to increase his walks even if it was only from 15 to 28 free passes. Rafaela is one of the freest swingers in all of baseball, putting up a chase rate of 42.2% last season, putting him in the second percentile in all of baseball. If Rafaela wants to swing, he’s going to and in some at-bats it will frustrate fans as he’ll sometimes put himself into a hole. Despite that, Rafaela was one of the best hitters for Boston in June and July as he had 12 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and 29 RBIs across 49 games. The offensive spark helped keep the offense afloat as they dealt with an injury to Alex Bregman and the surprise Father’s Day trade of Rafael Devers. Unfortunately, this was the peak of his offensive season as he appeared to tire down the stretch. In 28 games in August, he hit just .208/.266/.317 with eight doubles, one home run and seven RBIs. Realistically it might not be best to expect the production Rafaela supplied in June and July for the full season due to the defensive production he provides. Last season it was reported that during the season Rafaela was struggling to keep weight on which could have been a cause of his August drop off. Should he be able to avoid a similar situation in 2026, the Red Sox centerfielder could possibly be in line for his first 20-20 season in his young career. Fans shouldn’t expect much more on the offensive end than a 20-20 season for Rafaela primarily due to his streaky tendencies and high chase rate at this point in his career. While Rafaela could run into huge hot streaks, he has the odds of going on just as long cold spells as showcased across his first two seasons. Should he cut back on his chase rate and continue to improve his walk rate, perhaps those numbers could increase even more. Defensively is a different story. Fans should expect nothing less than Rafaela’s usual defensive capabilities. The outfielder is just entering his prime as this will be his age-25 season after posting 22 Outs Above Average and a 22 Fielding Run Value, the former being in the 99th percentile. Everything about Rafaela is a positive when it comes to his glove, being near the top of the league in defensive metrics. Fans should expect the same defensive highlights from him manning center field as his defense will help save games. Rafaela still has some growth to go through, but right now he’s in a good situation of being able to bat near the bottom of the order and provide the team with a streaky yet serviceable bat. This is due to his game altering defense as the defensive runs he saves makes up for his cold spells at the plate. Fans should expect to see more of the same from Rafaela as he showed in both 2024 and 2025 with the hope that he improves upon the marginal chase rate improvement (46.4% to 42.2%). Though, there’s no denying that Rafaela is a clutch hitter for the Red Sox as he delivered key hits down the stretch for the Red Sox. Overall, Rafaela should continue to be a highlight reel in centerfield while going on both hot and cold streaks on offense. He’ll be a joy to watch as he helps the pitching staff out on both sides of the baseball and could make a run for an All-Star appearance if he goes on an impressive hot streak at the right time. View full article

Talk Sox's top prospect rankings continue into the latter half, focusing on the Boston Red Sox's top 10 prospects. Be sure to check out our previous rankings here: Part 1 (Nos. 16-20) Part 2 (Nos. 11-15) Part 3 (No. 10): Anthony Eyanson Boston Red Sox Top Prospects: No. 9 Marcus Phillips The Red Sox had a plan in mind when they entered the 2025 draft, and that was showcased by taking three talented pitchers within their first four picks. Phillips, who was selected by the team with their Competitive Balance pick that was acquired in the Quinn Priester deal, follows the blueprint of pitchers that Craig Breslow is after. Thanks to his size, power and athleticism, along with an aptitude that allowed him to improve significantly in college, Phillips has a chance to be something special with help from the Red Sox pitching lab. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 245 pounds, Marcus Phillips also has great extension, which currently reaches 6.43 feet. His delivery also ends in a very low release height that, when paired with his stuff and extension, should lead to positive results on the mound. The right-hander pitched his sophomore and junior seasons for Tennessee; in the latter year, he made 17 starts as the team’s Saturday starter. He finished the season going 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA in 83 innings along with 98 strikeouts and 34 walks. Phillips works with three pitches: a fastball, slider and changeup. All three are rated positively by scouts, with most suggesting each should at least by average by the time he reaches the majors. The fastball averaged 96-99 mph in college and would occasionally reach 101 mph. Unfortunately, it plays below its velocity at times and his control is still a work in progress. The slider averaged between 84-88 mph in college, having more horizontal shape with a high spin rate. It's perhaps his most consistent pitch in terms of missing bats. His changeup is his weakest pitch but will be necessary to develop if he hopes to remain in the rotation. The pitch was thrown in the low-90s in college and can generate the most whiffs, but also is the one he struggles to control the most. Beyond that control, another area he may look to work on is adding a fourth pitch to his repertoire such as a cutter (a pitch the Red Sox have worked with many young pitchers on). Phillips could very well be a boom-or-bust prospect based on how his feel develops over the next few years. His delivery and inability to consistently throw strikes has made scouts wonder if the bullpen is where he is best suited, thanks to a fastball that could end up averaging 100 mph in shorter stints. Should Phillips reach his potential and improve upon his strike-throwing ability, he could end up as a middle-of-the-rotation arm. Where Phillips opens the 2026 season is up in the air. While it’s likely he could begin the season with High-A Greenville, there’s also the possibility that the organization chooses to send him to Low-A Salem to work on a few things before getting a May promotion to the next level. Though, with his stuff, there’s a chance he finishes the season at Double-A regardless of where he opens the year. View full article

Following an impressive 2024 season that saw Matt Duffy dominate in Salem during his first full professional season, the Boston Red Sox expected for the young pitcher to take the next step forward last year as a pitching prospect. Instead, an injury occurred that derailed his entire season. Duffy, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, made 22 appearances for Low-A Salem. In that span, he tossed 98 2/3 innings with a 2.83 ERA while striking out 100 batters. The right-hander also managed to limit walks, allowing only 27 free passes throughout the entire season. The thought of playing in 2025 was quickly wiped away when he tore his UCL in February, requiring elbow surgery. “Before I got hurt I was slated to go to Greenville. But I know when I finish my rehab I’ll go back to Salem for probably one or two starts,” Duffy explained when asked about the plan for 2026. “But I don’t really know what the plan is cause it’s kind of far away from now.” Duffy is one of many young Red Sox pitchers working his way back from injury. While he may not be the highest on the depth chart or prospect lists, as a command-oriented pitcher who has seen his velocity increase from the high-80s to around 93 or 94 mph is an interesting arm to keep an eye on. Should he continue to increase the velocity on his fastball once healthy, he could become another success story for the Red Sox's pitching lab down the road. Along with Duffy, Conrad Cason has been working his way back from injury. Drafted in 2024, the two-way player didn’t get a chance to play much in his first professional season as he appeared in just three games, one as a pitcher and the other two on the positional side. In total, Cason tossed two innings and struck out five batters while offensively he went one-for-four with an RBI. Cason’s season would be cut short when he underwent Tommy John surgery much like Duffy, only his came in August. In an offseason interview with Cason, the two-way player stated that he was doing well in his rehab and that the next step was seeing how his arm would respond during the beginning of spring training. In the first week of spring training, he appeared to be doing well, playing long toss to test out his arm along with taking batting practice like everyone else. The most encouraging sign for his arm was the fact Cason was taking infield grounders with other minor-league players at both shortstop and second base. After fielding, he would throw across the diamond showing no issues with his arm. Cason himself said that he felt great and that his arm felt great after throwing, but he would not be pitching in 2026 because of the surgery. He will be playing as a positional player, getting a chance to develop on that side of baseball while he waits for his return to the mound. Despite losing a year of pitching, the team isn’t ready to give up on having him throw off a mound and will look to 2027 to see if he’ll continue as a two-way player or focus on just one aspect of baseball instead. These two young players will continue to work their way back onto a baseball field as they look to move onto the next step of their careers. While things haven’t gone as planned for either of them, their resilience and talent portends a bright future for both Duffy and Cason. View full article

Talk Sox's top prospect rankings have reached their latter half, now focusing on the Boston Red Sox's top 10 prospects heading into the 2026 season. Be sure to check out our previous rankings here: Part 1 (Nos. 16-20) Part 2 (Nos. 11-15) Boston Red Sox Top Prospects: No. 10 Anthony Eyanson Selected in the third round of the 2025 draft out of Louisiana State University, Anthony Eyanson may end up being one of the biggest steals for the Boston Red Sox in recent years. Eyanson completed his junior season at LSU by winning the national championship, ultimately garnering attention as a top-50 draft prospect. As the Saturday starter for LSU, Eyanson made 20 appearances, 18 of them starts, and went 12-2 with two saves across 108 innings. He was dominant on the mound, allowing just 36 earned runs. Things would not work out perfectly for Eyanson, however, as the right-hander slid to the third round, where the Red Sox selected him at the 87th pick. Eyanson is a very intriguing pitching prospect, one who continues to fit in with Craig Breslow’s desire to acquire pitchers who are big (he stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds) and have good extension (6.41 feet). The right-hander has a polished arsenal made up of a fastball, slider, curveball and changeup, and he's got strong control of each of those offerings. His fastball routinely sat between 92 and 94 mph in college, occasionally topping out at around 97 mph. However, in his first week of spring training, the right-hander managed to get it up to 98 mph. His slider has more vertical break to it instead of horizontal (i.e., more traditional power slider than a modern sweeper) and despite a lower spin rate, it can miss bats. It also manages to generate a high chase rate despite not landing in the zone all that often. In college, the slider managed to produce a 52% whiff rate and could become his main "out pitch" in professional baseball. Eyanson’s curveball is thrown competitively, but despite a good amount of vertical depth, it fails to miss as many bats as would be expected. It is used more often against left-handed batters. Finally, his changeup may be his weakest pitch, as he fails to consistently land it in the strike zone, and he may need to adjust the low-80s offering as he graduates various levels in the system. In college, Eyanson showed an ability to rack up strikeouts, finishing the 2025 season with 152 in just 108 innings. There is no reason to believe that should change once he gets his first taste of minor league baseball thanks to his fastball, slider and curveball. Early on in spring training, he has looked good on the backfields while throwing live at-bats. One of Eyanson’s best traits is his ability to limit free passes. While his strikeouts were well documented (33.9% rate), he managed to walk just 36 batters with LSU, good for an 8.0% walk rate. Thanks to this, Eyanson already has a high floor and comes with little reliever risk. Should he manage to maintain the increased velocity he’s showing with his fastball across the entire season, he would project as a mid-rotation arm. Eyanson is likely to open the year in High-A Greenville, but thanks to his strike-throwing ability along with his already-polished arsenal of pitches, he could be promoted to the upper levels of the organization quickly. The right-hander is confident in his own abilities and is entering 2026 with a determination to prove he should have been taken within the first two rounds of the draft. He’ll be an interesting pitcher to watch, especially if he can find an arm-side pitch to throw to left-handed hitters. View full article

The Boston Red Sox saw quite a few top prospects make their way to the majors last season, including the number one prospect in all of baseball, Roman Anthony. Despite the graduations for Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell, the team still boasts a farm system that is currently ranked near the middle of the league but with some breakouts this year could rise once more. Between players taking a leap from the 2025 season and new acquisitions from last year’s draft there are some names to look at heading into the season. Let’s take a look at the first installment of TalkSox’s Top 20 prospects as we dive into the prospects ranked 16-20 as voted on by the TalkSox writers. No. 20: John Holobetz (Greenville Drive/Portland Seadogs) Holobetz was the player to be named later in the Quinn Priester trade and immediately made an impact on the Red Sox minor league pitching depth as the team had him begin with High-A Greenville. Making 12 appearances there, Holobetz showcased an ability to keep walks limited as he allowed only 10 free passes in 63 innings of work. He also managed to strike out 62 batters in that same span. He would end up being promoted to Double-A Portland where he would finish the season appearing in six games and tossing 37 2/3 innings to a 2.39 ERA. During that same span Holobetz looked even better, walking just five batters and allowing just one home run. His strikeouts did drop to just 27, however. Holobetz starts on the first base side of the rubber and appears to have a deceptive delivery as he manages to hide the ball well. His repertoire is a fastball that can top out at 96 mph and has shown bat-missing ability and he’s comfortable using it at the top of the strike zone. Along with the fastball he has a slider that is his weakest pitch due to an inconsistent feel for it. Entering spring training in 2026 he’s tweaked it to become more of a bullet slider. A bullet slider is where the pitch is supposed to spin gyroscopically making it more difficult to pick up and finger pressure from the index-finger is key in creating movement. Holobetz also has a curveball that he struggles to land in the strike zone consistently and a changeup that has some two-seamer action to it. Both pitches are viewed as being potentially below-average pitches. Holobetz will begin 2026 back with Portland but should he do well to open the season and the Red Sox are forced to call up their starting pitching depth from Worcester, he could see a promotion to Triple-A before the middle of the season. Despite a decent fastball and an improved slider, Holobetz’s ceiling is likely that of a middle reliever unless he can develop a third average offering. No. 19: Conrad Cason (Florida Complex League) Cason was a highly touted prospect when drafted back in 2024 thanks in part to his potential as a Two-Way player. Coming out of high school his fastball was already capable of hitting the high-90s and in the field he showed an ability to be an athletic defender along with the potential to develop power at the plate as he continued to grow. Unfortunately for Cason, his first experience playing professional baseball was mixed. While he managed to make appear in three games (one as a pitcher and two as a hitter), that was all he managed to do get into before an injury shut him down for the season. On August 14, 2025, he underwent Tommy John surgery and will cost him his 2026 season as a pitcher. His lone appearance as a pitcher was impressive, however, tossing two innings of hitless baseball and striking out five batters while walking just one. Cason has been working out as a fielder since arriving at spring training, taking ground balls with other minor league infielders at shortstop and tossing it across the diamond to first base. He’s stated that his arm feels good, and it seems like once he gets back into action he’ll play either second base or shortstop to see how his arm is. From a pitching standpoint he has a fastball that has topped out at 98 mph and is arguably his best pitch. Along with it he also has a breaking ball that is inconsistent as it can look like either a curveball or a slider due to his need to find a feel for spin. His final pitch is a changeup that currently sits in the low-80s. Offensively he has quick hands and a solid understanding of the strike zone but needs to work on recognizing pitches. Has average power but it should increase as he continues to grow physically and his speed is viewed as being above average. Defensively he’s an athletic fielder that should he be unable to stick at shortstop or second base, could easily move to center field while also having a great arm. Despite being a two-way player, he’s viewed as being better as a pitcher and should he struggle hitting the team could transition him full time as a pitcher once his arm has fully recovered from the surgery. Due to his age and the lost experience in 2025, Cason will likely open the season in the Florida Complex League, and the team will likely take it slow with him. Playing in his age-19 season, we’ll likely see him make it to Salem before the end of the season so long as he suffers no setbacks. No. 18: Nelly Taylor (Greenville Drive) Taylor, who was drafted in the 11th round of the 2023 draft, enters camp after playing in the Arizona Fall League over the offseason. Taylor very much has most of his value thanks to his speed and defense as his bat is currently his weakest aspect of his game. Taylor got into 108 games with Greenville in 2025 where he managed to hit .216/.355/.349 with 24 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 41 RBIs. He also managed to steal 29 bases and walked 81 times. Offensively he has a quick bat, but his swing can get long at times and can often miss pitches in the zone. He struggles against off-speed and breaking pitches but manages to see a lot of pitches per at-bat. Due to his struggles against left-handed pitching at the lower minor league levels, he’s very likely to be a platoon bat at his best. His power is viewed as being potentially league average especially when he pulls the ball and against right-handed pitchers, but it will all be determined by how he develops as an overall hitter. His speed is a huge quality of his and he has great baserunning instincts that allow him to put pressure on the defense when he’s on base. Defensively he has good instincts and above-average range in the outfield and is likely to stick in center field long term thanks to his athleticism while his arm is viewed as being above-average. Despite that, he doesn’t make the best throws all the time, but when he does the ball will move fast. With the need to continue working on his offensive game Taylor will likely begin the season in Greenville and could spend most of the season there dependent on his development at the plate. Should he be a league-average hitter with Greenville in 2026, he could see a promotion to Portland some time near the end of July or early August depending on how the trade deadline goes. There’s also the possibility that he puts everything together and the team promotes him earlier than that, though it’s less likely at this point in time. No. 17: Tyler Uberstine (Portland Seadogs/Worcester Red Sox) Uberstine is an interesting prospect based on his career path so far. Drafted in the 19th round of the 2021 draft, Uberstine would make 26 appearances for the organization across the Florida Complex League, Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville from 2021 to 2022 before missing all of the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2023. He would also miss most of 2024, appearing in just three games and tossing 4 2/3 innings. Despite that, Uberstine put together an excellent season in his first taste of Double-A and Triple-A in 2025 as a 26-year-old. After just six starts and 29 2/3 innings with Portland, Uberstine was promoted to Worcester where he was a consistent in the ever-changing pitching staff. Making 19 appearances, Uberstine tossed 91 innings and struck out 102 batters while having a 3.56 ERA. In what may have been a surprise for many, Uberstine was added to the 40-man roster over the offseason following his performance in Triple-A. With Worcester he had a 26.9% strikeout rate and walked batters at a 9.5% rate. As a pitcher, Uberstine starts on the first base side of the rubber and does a good job of repeating his mechanics while hiding the ball well. His pitches include a fastball that tops out at 95 mph. His velocity is pretty much the same as it was prior to the surgery and the pitch has shown an ability to miss bats. It has some arm-side run. He also has a sinker that has shown good sink down in the zone. His other pitches include a slider that sits in the mid-80s and should he manage to land it in the zone it could be an average pitch. His changeup sits in the low to mid-80s that has shown drop. His cutter has been an effective pitch against lefties and a curveball that he has rarely thrown since 2024. Uberstine will open the year in Triple-A while serving as an up-and-down arm for the Red Sox either in the rotation or bullpen depending on what the team needs. Should his secondary pitches fail to become league average offerings he could end up in the bullpen full time due to his fastball and cutter. No. 16: Yophery Rodriguez (Greenville Drive) Rodriguez was one of the key pieces in the Quinn Priester trade back in April of 2025 and at 19-years-old was assigned to Greenville. His season had its ups and downs offensively as he went through hot streaks and cold streaks as shown by a May that saw him hit .155/.276/.262 with 21 strikeouts in 22 games after hitting .257/.409/.414 in April while split between the Red Sox and Brewers organizations. Offensively Rodriguez has average bat speed and a short, choppy swing while struggling with velocity up in the zone. Due to his swing, he can get underneath the ball and will make weak contact. Despite that, he makes contact on pitches in the zone and will use all fields making his hit tool potentially average should he make better contact. His power is viewed as below-average as he produces below-average exit velocities and lacks loft in his swing to be able to tap into his raw power. He also is viewed as having at-best average speed and is not viewed as a stolen base threat. He also lacks instincts on the base path to make up for his speed. Defensively he’s likely to end up in a corner outfield position due to inconsistent routes to the ball and not great instincts while in center field. His range is considered average and is not a standout defender at any of the outfield positions. He could end up being average as a defender in left field but is viewed as a below-average defender in center field. He also has average arm strength that plays best in left field. Rodriguez currently profiles to be a solid upper-minors depth piece with the ceiling of a emergency major league outfielder due to the lack of a carrying tool. Should his hit tool develop and improve defensively as a corner outfielder he could be a fourth or fifth outfielder for a major league team. Rodriguez’s starting location for 2026 could be a tossup between Portland or Greenville depending on the team’s feelings towards him. If they want to get other players more reps in Greenville he could open in Portland as right now they could use a corner outfielder. If they think he isn’t ready for Double-A pitching he could start in Greenville but should he open the season well enough he could be moved up to Portland. What stands out from the 16-20 in this list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! View full article

Phillips is the Nick Yorke of the group from the previous Big Four (Yorke, Teel, Mayer, Anthony) where he's the biggest risk of the four. With it, I wanted to do a parallel of the four from 2024 with a new quartet entering 2026 but remaining with just arms.

It seems that the Red Sox's infield depth has already taken a massive blow before the season has even begun. On Wednesday morning, it was revealed by Romy Gonzalez that the infielder will likely not be ready for Opening Day, a revelation many were not surprised by, considering the infielder's current situation. Dealing with a shoulder he aggravated back in January after originally injuring it near the end of the 2025 season, González has yet to get into any regimen during spring training. González had previously undergone a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injection in late January, but things have not progressed to the point he had hoped. Per MassLive’ Christopher Smith, González said on Wednesday morning “at this point, I think the ramp-up would be a little too quick and it’d be a disservice I feel like to myself and the team if I’m not ready to roll and have a good build up.” González will have an evaluation done by the training staff next Friday, but the infielder feels he won’t be able to begin hitting by then. With González likely headed to the injured list to begin the season, a battle for the utility infield spot on the roster is likely to come down between Nick Sogard and Andruw Monasterio, with the latter having earned praise from manager Alex Cora. View full rumor

Prior to the 2024 season, the Boston Red Sox were marketing the future through a collective group of prospects that had the public excited. Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer, and Nick Yorke (with Kristian Campbell replacing him during the season) were being advertised as the “core four”; in a sense, being seen as the future of the organization. Fast forward two seasons, and while they aren’t being marketed in the same vein, the Red Sox may have their next quartet, but this time from a pitching standpoint instead of hitters. Since taking over, Craig Breslow has revamped the Red Sox pitching development system and, through the drafts, has focused on pitching as 28 of his draft selections have been pitchers. The team has used the influx of pitchers to completely overhaul its depth, and the surplus of pitching has allowed it to move multiple pitchers to improve its major league roster. Despite that, both Breslow and the Red Sox have decided upon four pitchers that are seemingly high on their list. Of the four, three of them were taken in last year’s draft. Kyson Witherspoon, Anthony Eyanson, and Marcus Phillips were taken with three of the first four Red Sox picks. The final member of the quartet, Juan Valera, was signed as an international free agent back in 2023. Together, these four have the potential to become the team’s next “Big Four” once Payton Tolle and Connelly Early graduate from prospect status. Though that’s not to say they haven’t already been making headlines for themselves within the first week of spring training. Kyson Witherspoon Witherspoon, viewed highly by the organization, has already turned heads since the offseason began, thanks in part to his work ethic. Having spent time with Driveline over the winter, Witherspoon was able to learn a sweeper to add to his arsenal. What makes his new sweeper fascinating is that he was able to get 20” of horizontal break on it, something that no other Red Sox prospect was able to do in 2025. Along with that, there were fewer than 10 pitchers in all of minor league baseball who had a sweeper with at least 20” of horizontal movement. Add to it a fastball that averages in the mid to upper 90s, and Witherspoon could fly through the minors in a way similar to Tolle. So far in spring training, Witherspoon has thrown live at-bats twice, getting his fastball up to 97 mph in the first session back on February 13 and hitting 98 mph on February 20. In the latter, he pitched against Roman Anthony, getting him to ground out. Now, spring training is still young, and it makes sense for pitchers to be ahead of hitters, but the Red Sox are high on him. As reported by Alex Speier, there’s a real possibility that Witherspoon could start the season in Double-A instead of High-A like most first-round picks with the Red Sox. Witherspoon is viewed as a Top 100 prospect for several publications, and his work ethic and growth in just under a year with the organization are remarkable. Juan Valera Joining Witherspoon in conversations about dominant, intriguing, young pitchers is Valera. Valera, who won’t turn 20 until the middle of May, has been viewed as one of the better Red Sox pitching prospects since 2024, when he made his stateside debut in the Florida Complex League. After throwing 40 1/3 innings with a 1.79 ERA, he was promoted to Salem, where his dominance continued with 28 strikeouts in 23 innings. The team was impressed with his performance across the two levels and was slated to open 2025 with Greenville. Unfortunately, Valera struggled at times to pitch deep into games, making it into the fifth inning only three times. Despite that, he was dominant at times and only allowed more than two earned runs twice. The hard-throwing right-hander missed most of the season after dealing with elbow soreness in May. Despite that, Valera showed up to spring training ready to show what he could do. Backed with one of the hardest sweepers in all of minor league baseball (thanks to it having a spin rate over 2,700 rpm and a fastball that can top out at 100 mph, Valera has two deadly pitches to work with. Much like Witherspoon, Valera has also cracked some Top 100 prospect lists, ranking 90th in ESPN’s selections. Valera is a prospect whose value will be tied to his health. Through his first three professional seasons, the right-hander’s max number of innings thrown was 63 1/3 in 2024. How he handles a full season’s workload will help tell what kind of pitcher he could end up becoming. Currently, though, it’s one with extreme talent, as backed by Anthony. Much like with Witherspoon, Valera faced Anthony in a live at-bat. In it, Valera attempted to attack Anthony, and while the outfielder managed to make contact and foul a pitch off, he would eventually be struck out while looking at strike three. After the at-bat, he asked SoxProspects’ Andrew Parker what level Valera was at, eventually saying, “This kid is really good”. For him to reach his potential, however, it’ll be about going deeper into games. Already, he’s shown an ability to strike batters out and generate whiffs, but he needs to learn how to get batters to hit for soft contact instead of attempting to strike everyone out. Marcus Phillips The third member of the quartet may be the biggest boom-or-bust prospect of the group, as Phillips has a high ceiling thanks to his size and athleticism paired with his fastball’s velocity. Drafted with the pick acquired in the Quinn Priester trade, Phillips already topped out at close to 101 mph in college. The right-hander demonstrated two potentially above-average pitches in college with his fastball and slider, while his changeup could potentially be an average pitch. Unfortunately for Phillips, the biggest issue with his delivery that could see him become a bullpen arm is his ability to throw strikes. Despite those concerns, Phillips had a walk rate of 9% in his first season as a starter in 2025, and his build alone will lead the Red Sox to begin his development in the starting rotation. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 245 pounds, he is another big and strong pitcher that Breslow has craved since overhauling the organizational pitching development. 2026 will be huge for Phillips to determine the path the Red Sox decide to take with him. Phillips very likely could be the equivalent of Nick Yorke in this scenario and end up traded due to others passing him on the organizational depth chart, or he could end up being the best of the four pitchers. Anthony Eyanson The final member, Eyanson, could end up being the best because teams overlooked him at the draft. Taken by the Red Sox in the third round, there’s no debate that Eyanson could have been a first-round pick with his potential, especially after finishing third in Division I in strikeouts and previously being a consensus top 50 prospect before falling to the Red Sox in the third round. While it can be argued that Eyanson could very well be a high-floor, low-ceiling pitcher, his attitude to improve and his chip on his shoulder after falling in the draft could lead him to push past those projections. Last week, Eyanson threw a live at-bat on Friday, February 20, and in that session, he was told he topped out at 98.4 mph. When he was in college, he was averaging 92-94 mph, already showing improvement in his velocity. From a visual standpoint, he also looks stronger, having put on muscle since being drafted, as he aims to prove all the doubters wrong. His pitch arsenal alone seems to have three potentially above-average pitches in his fastball, slider, and curveball, while his changeup could end up being an average pitch at the major league level. Eyanson is likely to stick in the rotation thanks to his athletic frame, strong makeup, and his tendency to be a hard worker. The Red Sox have managed to surround their lower levels of the minors with intriguing pitchers who could very well help the major league team as soon as the 2027 season, depending on their development. Over the last few years, fans were able to watch minor league hitters with excitement, and now it’s flipped to the pitching side as the team very likely has its new Big Four. It’ll be a fun season watching these four pitchers develop and move through the minor leagues, as fans can’t help but visualize a pitching staff featuring them. View full article

When the Boston Red Sox completed their trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, Caleb Durbin was the centerpiece. In return for a young, controllable pitcher like Kyle Harrison, a young, intriguing arm like Shane Drohan, and a speedy infielder in David Hamilton, the Red Sox acquired someone who should make an immediate impact at second or third base in 2026. However, they acquired more than just Durbin, as both Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler along with a Competitive Balance Round B pick were sent to Boston to complete the trade. Durbin's place on this team has been discussed previously by our @Jack Lindsay, and now the remainder of the trade is going to be looked at to see how they might fit into the roster. When the pick was first announced, the exact spot in the draft was unknown. However, that has since changed. With the Arizona Diamondbacks bringing back Zac Gallen, it locks the pick in at No. 67 overall. This pick reasonably replaces the team’s second-round selection they lost for signing Ranger Suárez. In the 2025 draft, the value for the 67th pick was $1.28 million. For comparison, the Red Sox held the 75 overall pick last year and the team took Henry Godbout. The infielder signed for the slot value of just under $1.1 million. This pick brings the Red Sox to three picks in the top 100 after previously only having selections at Nos. 20 and 96. As for actual players, the team acquired two utility infielders in Monasterio and Seigler, one seemingly more valuable than the other. Monasterio, who won’t turn 29 until the end of May, played parts of three seasons with Milwaukee. Appearing in a total of 219 games, the infielder hit .250/.321/.351 with 28 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, and 59 RBIs. Monasterio has hit lefties rather well for his career, slashing .255/.352/.375 with 10 doubles, four home runs, and 24 RBIs in 109 games. With Romy González likely to open the season on the injured list after it was revealed there’s a slight tear in his injured shoulder, Monasterio should have a good chance at getting the first crack at handling his duties as a utility man/lefty masher. The original plan was to have González platoon with Marcelo Mayer. This would allow the young infielder to be protected against left-handed pitching and allow González the opportunity to continue his great hitting against southpaws. Now, it might be Monasterio who fills that role while González is out of commission. While his numbers against left-handed pitching are not as good as González’s, the utility infielder has shown himself to be capable against them. Add to it his ability to play multiple positions (appearing at every infield position at least eight times in 2025) and he seems destined for a utility role, even if his stay in Boston is only temporary. Monasterio has taken the opportunity for reps during spring training with the group that consists of starters and those likely to crack the Opening Day roster, as he’s caught the eye of Alex Cora early on in camp. The Red Sox manager has described him as a “great athlete” and has said “you see him from afar, whatever. But then you see him here, it’s like oh shoot he can move, he’s versatile, he can hit lefties, he’s got some pop,” according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. The final piece to come over from the Brewers, Seigler, seems to be the least impactful and will likely be in Triple-A as an emergency depth option. Drafted by the New York Yankees back in 2018, Seigler never made it to Triple-A with the Yankees and would join the Brewers organization in 2025. The infielder did have an impressive season with Triple-A Nashville, hitting .285/.414/.478 with 16 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, and 39 RBIs. He also displayed a great understanding of the strike zone, walking 52 times compared to striking out in 59 at-bats. That led to his MLB debut in Milwaukee, but he struggled badly in his cup of coffee; in 34 games, the infielder hit .194/.292/.210 with one double, and five RBIs. Seigler can play multiple positions, having been drafted as a catcher before being moved to second base in 2024. While with the Brewers organization, he appeared at second base, third base and catcher while in Triple-A but only at third base (excluding one inning at catcher and one inning as a pitcher) upon being called up. Even while playing winter ball. he split time at second base and third base. During the first week of spring training, the infielder did not work with catchers but remained with the infielders. Specifically with the second group, or the non-roster invites, as he took reps at second base and third base. With the team having someone like Nick Sogard on the 40-man already and someone like Brendan Rodgers in camp, Seigler is unlikely to crack the Opening Day roster. Likewise, due to the previously mentioned players, it would not come as a surprise if he were to be designated for assignment at some point (though the team would likely DFA Mickey Gasper or Tsung-Che Cheng first) if they needed a roster spot. For now, Seigler serves his role within the organization: A player who, if needed, could be called up and provide defensive versatility while the team awaits a starter to return from an injury. His bat at the major-league level has not proven capable of handling the best pitchers in he world. If that changes, Seigler's outlook will as well. Overall, the Red Sox did rather well in the trade. On top of Durbin, they were able to get another pick within the top 100 along with a serviceable infielder and a quality depth option, and all they really gave up was a starter who had no path to the rotation in Boston. View full article

Baseball action is finally back, and the Boston Red Sox's roster looks largely complete. However, when you take a look at the bullpen, it's clear the team still has some moves to make prior to Opening Day. If the season were to start today, the only guaranteed left-handed reliever would be Aroldis Chapman. With Chapman slotted to be the closer once more after a historically great season in 2025, that would leave the Red Sox without a left-handed option for earlier in the game. Jovani Morán is a likely case to break camp with the team as he is out of minor-league options, though necessity doesn't always equal preference. It seems that the team would want a second left-handed option to pair with Morán for the middle innings. Earlier in the offseason, you could argue that the Red Sox had plenty of left-handed options in Brennan Bernardino and Chris Murphy also on the 40-man roster, but they were both traded. Shane Drohan could have been another option to be a reliever for the team but he too was shipped off. Thus, the team must turn to a dark horse candidate. Drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2019 Draft, T.J. Sikkema has spent a lot of time in the minor leagues since. After making four starts in 2019, he would not pitch again until 2022, where he would be part of a package by the Yankees sent to the Kansas City Royals for Andrew Benintendi. Sikkema would become a minor-league free agent after the 2023 season and would find himself pitching in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization; in 2025, he finally managed to make it to Triple-A. While it was only five appearances, he still garnered decent results, tossing 23 1/3 innings while walking just eight batters and striking out 16. Most impressively, he only allowed opposing batters to barrel up his pitches 1.4% of the time. For good measure, he walked batters at a reasonable 8.1% rate. Sikkema doesn’t come without his own issues, however. He isn’t a big strikeout guy, nor does he generate a ton of chases or whiffs. Again, it was during a small sample, but it demonstrated that Sikkema has never really been someone who overpowers or tricks batters. And yet, Sikkema threw a live bullpen in Sox camp on February 18, going up against Roman Anthony, Caleb Durbin, Nate Eaton, Masataka Yoshida and Tsung-Che Cheng. Of the five hitters, Sikkema managed to get Anthony out twice on weakly hit balls including a broken bat and struck out Yoshida. While spring is still early, it’s a positive sign of a pitcher who may just force his name into the bullpen conversation. Sikkema relies on a fastball-slider combination, though the slider is the better of the two pitches. Sikkema isn’t the hardest thrower as his fastball averages 88 to 91 mph, but he has managed to get it into the mid-90s on occasion. With an offseason of working in the Red Sox's pitching lab, it's not unreasonable to suggest that he could add some more punch to his heater, which would make him a far more intriguing candidate for the bullpen. At this point, whoever the Red Sox bring in as a left-handed reliever will lead to divisiveness, but the options are what they are. Sikkema may never reach the majors with Boston, but there's a reason the team signed him with a non-roster invite attached. He may be a longshot, but opportunity has come knocking. View full article

“I was just going to church with my fiancé and my parents. Was on the way home from lunch and saw [Craig] Breslow’s name pop up on the screen,” David Sandlin explained in regard to the day he was traded. “Kind of had an idea that was why he was calling. Cause why else would he be calling on a random Sunday?” Sandlin, who had been acquired by the Boston Red Sox back during spring training in 2024, developed into a legitimate prospect in this organization, making his way up the minor-league ranks to the point that the team added him to their 40-man roster back in November. The team viewed him as a depth piece for the 2026 season — a legitimate rotation arm with the potential to crack the big-league roster sooner or later. Instead, he wound up traded to the Chicago White Sox at the start of February. The deal was more of a salary dump for the Red Sox, as they had been trying to move Jordan Hicks and the remaining $24 million on his contract. The White Sox agreed to take on most of the contract, though Sandlin was needed to get the deal across the finish line. Not only did the Red Sox lose a valuable arm, but Sandlin was traded away from a close-knit group that had formed within the organization. Besides Sandlin, there were a group of pitchers who all had ties to Oklahoma, either from living there or playing for Oklahoma State while in college. “It made it pretty fun in the offseason,” Sandlin replied when asked about his relationship with his teammates. “It made it easy to navigate the season. Especially getting to play with guys like Payton [Tolle], or [Isaac] Stebens. I was looking forward to meeting [Kyson] Witherspoon, hadn’t really got to meet him yet. Wishing him all the best. And was looking forward to getting that year in with Jake [Bennett] after playing with him in 2022.” Despite being traded so late in the offseason, there are no hard feelings. Sandlin knows it’s part of the business after being traded once before. “At that point, I was only one year into pro ball and had only played half a season due to injury,” the right-hander recalled. “Never in my mind did I think I was a trade candidate. Then it happened. That was kind my first step in learning how the business side of baseball works.” Despite the disappointment of not getting to spend more time with his fellow Oklahoma pitchers, Sandlin is excited for his tenure with in Chicago. The exciting young core the team has built through the draft portends a bright future for the Pale Hose, and it doesn't hurt that several players on the roster are former teammates. “I’m excited, especially since I know some of the guys over there like [Kyle] Teel, [Chase] Meidroth, Wicky, those guys. So, kind of excited to get back to throwing to Teel again. That’s one of the guys I reached out to when I found out about the news," Sandlin will now have a chance to fight for a spot in the White Sox's rotation during spring training, something that would have been near impossible for him in Boston unless several injuries were to occur. The right-hander expressed gratitude for his old organization, though he hopes to make a legacy for himself as he changes his socks from red to white. View full article

The Boston Red Sox entered the offseason with an abundance of starting pitching depth. Following the trade to acquire infielder Caleb Durbin, the Red Sox have seen that depth shrink considerably. As our @Brandon Glick explored prior to the Durbin trade, the front office has made a habit of trading young pitchers. Since November, the team has seen Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins, David Sandlin, Kyle Harrison, and Shane Drohan all get sent packing. And despite trading those players and more from their starting pitching depth, the Red Sox are still 10 deep. While in today’s major leagues the chance of injury for a pitcher is higher, the Red Sox are still in a good position when it comes to insurance policies. Currently, the rotation is comprised of Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello and Johan Oviedo. That’s with both Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval not being included despite being decent pitchers in their last fully healthy seasons. On top of that, both Connelly Early and Payton Tolle who are two of the team’s top-three prospects, are currently projected to open the season in Triple-A. All that could change with injuries — Red Sox saw it first hand last season, as they were forced to open the season with three starters on the injured list (Bello, Crawford, and Lucas Giolito). However, unlike last season, their depth should be of better quality. The team won’t need to open the season using Sean Newcomb the rotation, and they also won’t be sending Walker Buehler out to the mound every fifth day. The Red Sox are taking a gamble with this strategy, especially as only three members of the projected rotation have made it through a full season. Suárez has never started 30 games in any campaign, while Bello has missed time every season since debuting. The Red Sox have to believe they’ll need someone to step up for what could amount to a significant amount of time. And to rest those hopes on Crawford or Sandoval after they both missed all of 2025 is probably a fool's errand. However, that’s where Tolle, Early and fellow minor-league pitcher Tyler Uberstine come into play. That trio is projected to open in Worcester to begin the season but can easily be promoted to Boston as needed. Because of their trust in their young pitchers, the Red Sox felt they could take the risk of trading from their strength. The Sox also have others waiting in the minors ready to step up if needed. Jake Bennet,t who was acquired in a trade this winter, is also on the 40-man roster. While further down the depth chart, he could step in as an emergency should the team go through a number of backup plans. Options off the 40-man roster are also available to the team. Non-roster invites TJ Sikkema and Alec Gamboa stand out as potential short-term solutions to any early season injury problems. While neither seems to instill as much confidence as the players traded away, they’ve shown various levels of success across their respective careers. You can also add the likes of Hayden Mullins, Blake Wehunt and Dalton Rogers to this group, all of whom have been through multiple seasons of development with the Red Sox. Mullins and Rogers have a chance to open the season in Worcester and could make a push to be added to Boston’s major-league roster during the season after dominating in Portland last year. Wehunt is another interesting arm that the team has kept. He moved quickly through the minors in 2024 before an injury in 2025 slowed him a bit in Double-A. Despite that, once healthy, he could quickly make it to Worcester as another depth option for the major-league staff. It's often unwise to trade so many young starting pitchers, especially those who are just about to begin their MLB careers. But the Red Sox have spent years building up exemplary depth. Despite losing so much talent, they remain in a strong position to cover for any injuries or underperformances throughout 2026. View full article

Spring training is officially here as pitchers and catchers have reported to Fort Myers. Along with those on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox have invited quite a few players to their spring training camp as non-roster invites. Every season, teams manage to find key contributors through this process, as many veterans try to catch on with a team by signing a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training. Along with veterans, teams tend to bring prospects into big league camp in similar fashion. Last season the Red Sox saw contributions from a handful of non-roster invitees in the form of Nate Eaton, Abraham Toro, and Sean Newcomb. This season, the team has currently invited 24 players to spring training, though that number could increase in the days leading up to the first days of practice. Here is an overview of the players invited to camp: Red Sox Non-Roster Invitees: Pitchers RHP Osvaldo Berrios Berrios signed with the Red Sox on a minor-league deal back on November 18 while the team was making several trades prior to the Rule 5 protection deadline. Berrios, who was drafted in 2017 by the Athletics had previously been acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals in June of 2024 after playing in the Independent Frontier League. Berrios split the 2025 season between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis where he appeared in a total of 40 games, going 4-4 with a 5.12 ERA in 58 innings. He struck out 62 batters and walked 24. In seven minor league seasons, Berrios has appeared in 155 games with 56 of them being starts. Overall, he’s gone 23-34 with 16 saves and a career 5.44 ERA in 420 1/3 innings pitched. In 2025, the 26-year-old struck out 9.62 batters per nine innings and throws four pitches: a fastball that tops out at 94 mph, a 78 mph curveball, a low to mid-80s changeup and a mid-80s slider. LHP Alec Gamboa Gamboa is a former ninth-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers who played in their organization until getting released in early 2025. The left-handed pitcher mainly appeared out of the bullpen during his time with the Dodgers, making his way up to Triple-A by 2023 and spending parts of three seasons there before finishing 2025 in the Korean Baseball Organization with the Lotte Giants. During his time in Korea, Gamboa moved to the rotation where he pitched rather well in 19 starts. Going 7-8, he tossed 108 innings with a 3.58 ERA and struck out 117 batters. With the Dodgers’ organization, Gamboa appeared in 131 games and made 41 starts going 28-22 with a 4.23 ERA in 359 2/3 innings with 315 strikeouts. Gamboa’s biggest weakness is subpar control which limits his swing-and-miss potential, though he's good at keeping the ball on the ground. RHP Tayron Guerrero Guerrero is one of the older players coming into camp with the Red Sox as a non-roster invitee at the age of 35 years old. The reliever has had some experience in the majors though not with the best results. He made his debut in 2016, pitching one game with the San Diego Padres before being traded to the Miami Marlins near the trade deadline. Guerrero would see himself appear in 112 games between 2018 and 2019 with Miami to less-than-stellar results. During his time with the Marlins, the right-hander tossed 104 innings and struck out 111 batters while walking 67. He finished his time in Miami with a 5.80 ERA before being selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox following the 2019 season. He would not play in the 2020 COVID shortened season and would then spend 2021 at the White Sox’s Triple-A team before heading overseas to play for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2022. Guerrero would return state side in 2023 where he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds’ Triple-A team before finishing the season pitching in the Mexican League. 2024 was more of the same this time with the Los Angeles Angels’ Triple-A team before returning to Japan for the 2025 season where he rejoined the Chiba Lotte Marines. Overall, he pitched in 39 games with the Marines' main team and their farm team tossing 39 2/3 innings and striking out 37 batters. RHP Hobie Harris Harris spent the 2025 season in the Red Sox organization after being selected in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft. The 32-year-old made 31 appearances with Triple-A Worcester, and one rehab start in the Florida Complex League despite not being active from the injured list until mid-June. In those 32 appearances, he went 1-3 with a 4.05 ERA across 40 innings where he struck out 45 batters. The right-hander was drafted back in the 31st round of the 2015 draft by the New York Yankees and pitched in their organization through the 2019 season. Starting in 2021, Harris bounced around pitching for the Triple-A teams of Toronto, Milwaukee, Washington and Minnesota before signing with the New York Mets. He never pitched a game for them as the Red Sox took him in the Rule 5 Draft as previously mentioned. Harris has made 16 appearances in the majors, all with the Nationals back in 2023. In those appearances, he tossed 19 1/3 innings and struck out nine. RHP Kyle Keller Keller was one of Boston’s later invites, signing with the team on February 3. The 32-year-old was drafted in the 18th round of the 2015 draft by the Miami Marlins and would make his debut with them in 2019. He would be traded after the season to the Los Angeles Angels though he would only pitch in two games before being purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. For his career, Keller has pitched in 44 games and tossed 46 1/3 innings with a career 5.83 ERA. He also struck out 48 batters while walking 32. Since the end of the 2021 season, Keller has pitched in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants, where he revitalized his career and generated interest by the Red Sox. In those four seasons, Keller was a key bullpen arm as he appeared in 186 games between the farm teams and parent organizations. In that span, he threw 179 1/3 innings with a 2.21 ERA while striking out 206 batters in the pitcher-friendly league. RHP Seth Martinez Martinez may be the pitcher with the best major league track record on the list, as he was once a key arm in Houston’s bullpen. Drafted by the Astros in the Rule 5 Draft back in 2020, Martinez appeared in just three games in 2021 before pitching in 108 games over the next three seasons. For his career with the Astros, he threw 137 1/3 innings with a 3.93 ERA and 122 strikeouts to 54 walks. Following the 2024 season, Martinez bounced around on waivers, being claimed by the Diamondbacks, then the Marlins, Mariners and Marlins once more before the start of the 2025 season. The right-hander spent most of 2025 with Triple-A Jacksonville where he appeared in 41 games and tossed 43 2/3 innings with a 3.71 ERA. He would also make six appearances with the Marlins where he struck out four in 6 2/3 innings. RHP Vinny Nittoli A 35-year-old pitcher who has made a total of 15 appearances across four seasons, Nittoli hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2024 and split the 2025 season between the Triple-A teams of Baltimore and Milwaukee. The Red Sox are now the 12th organization he’s been a part of in his career. In 37 games, Nittoli tossed 39 1/3 innings with a 4.58 ERA. He also struck out 46 batters while walking just 15. In his major league career, he’s tossed 18 2/3 innings with a 2.41 ERA and 13 strikeouts. Nittoli is an addition that continues Craig Breslow’s interest in big extension, as the right-hander’s extension last season was 7-foot-2 and also saw an increase after joining Milwaukee’s organization. The main difference being more usage for his cutter which went from a 35% usage rate all the way up to 53% upon joining Milwaukee. Across the entire 2025 season, the cutter generated a .172 expected batting average and had a 31% whiff rate. RHP Wyatt Olds Olds was drafted by the Red Sox in the seventh round of the 2021 draft and has split the past two seasons between Portland and Worcester, though he spent the majority of 2025 at Triple-A. The 25-year-old dominated in eight appearances early on with Portland, going 4-2 with a 2.50 ERA across 18 innings out of the bullpen. His promotion to Worcester saw some growing pains, as he appeared in 34 games and had an ERA of 5.91 across 53 1/3 innings. Currently, Olds is viewed as organizational depth due to his need to work on his command and control, though his fastball and slider look promising. Olds throws three pitches, the previously mentioned fastball (that tops out at 98 mph), the slider and a changeup that can touch 90 mph. LHP T.J. Sikkema Sikkema, who was a former New York Yankees draft pick, was traded by the team to the Kansas City Royals for Andrew Benintendi back in 2022 before being taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the Rule 5 Draft in 2023. A left-hander, Sikkema made it to Triple-A for the first time last season after 18 appearances at Double-A Chattanooga. Overall the left-hander went 8-4 in 23 appearances, 15 starts as he tossed a career high 86 2/3 innings. For his career, he’s made 100 appearances in the minors and thrown 311 innings with a 4.57 ERA. He doesn’t throw hard, his fastball averaging 88 to 91 mph but can hit mid-90s but not consistently. Along with that, he also throws a slider that is in the low to mid-80s and an average changeup. RHP Noah Song Song has been someone the Red Sox have liked for a long time, but various events have kept him from being able to reach his full potential. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, Song showcased a strong start to his professional career by tossing 17 innings with a 1.06 ERA in 2019 before losing the 2020 season due to it being cancelled from COVID. That was followed by missing both the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to his petition to delay his active service with the Navy being denied. Following the 2022 season, Song was drafted in the Rule 5 Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies and the man who drafted him originally, Dave Dombrowski. He was granted his request to delay his active service time in February 2023 and finally reported to spring training with the Phillies. Back tightness sent him to the injured list in spring training before he made his first appearance in four years on June 28 with Single-A Clearwater. Song was eventually returned to the Red Sox after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers where he would finish the season with Greenville. He would go on to miss the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. 2025 saw him pitch in all five minor league levels (Complex League, Single-A, High-A, Double-A, Triple-A) with his longest stay being 23 appearances with Portland where he tossed 43 innings with a 4.19 ERA and struck out 44 batters. RHP Devin Sweet Sweet has been in professional baseball since 2018 as part of the Seattle Mariners’ organization. The right-hander pitched his way up to majors with Seattle in 2023, making two appearances with them before the Athletics selected him off waivers and he made five more appearances with them. Overall, he pitched in seven games with a 10.38 ERA and struck out six batters in 8 2/3 innings. Since then, Sweet spent the 2024 season with Detroit’s Triple-A team and the 2025 season with Philadelphia’s Triple-A team. Last year, he pitched in 46 games and tossed 51 1/3 innings with a 5.08 ERA. He also struck out 49 batters and walked 27. Sweet throws three pitches: a four-seam fastball, a slider and a changeup. RHP Jacob Webb Webb was drafted by the Red Sox in the 14th round of the 2021 draft. Last season, Webb split the year between Greenville, Portland and Worcester, making a total of 25 appearances. He would end up tossing 40 1/3 innings with a 3.57 ERA (though it was 6.35 in 11 1/3 innings with Worcester) and struck out 46 batters. This is the second consecutive spring training that Webb received an invitation to spring training from the Red Sox, having been invited in 2025 as well. He has a low release point and a high induced vertical break on his fastball. Webb tosses four pitches: a fastball that tops out at 96 mph, a slider that can vary in shape and velocity, a sweeper and a changeup that can touch 90 mph. LHP Jeremy Wu-Yelland Wu-Yelland was drafted back in the fourth round of the 2020 draft by Boston and has had a tough time staying on the field after his debut season in 2021. After making 23 starts between Salem and Greenville, Wu-Yelland would miss 2022 due to needing Tommy John surgery. Upon his return in 2023, he would only make three appearances in the Florida Complex League before another injury would shut him down for the rest of the season. 2024 saw a move to the bullpen for the left-hander but he still opened the season on the injured list due to stiffness. He would make 23 appearances out of the bullpen with a 5.67 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for Greenville. 2025 saw Wu-Yelland miss just under a month with lower back stiffness, but he still made 25 appearances between Greenville and Portland where he threw 45 2/3 innings with a 3.15 ERA and struck out 71 batters. Wu-Yelland throws four pitches: a fastball that tops out at 97 mph, a cutter which is his most thrown pitch, a sweeper that has a very high spin rate and a changeup that sits in the low-80s. Red Sox Non-Roster Invitees: Catchers Nate Baez Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Tristan Gray, Baez split the 2025 season between High-A and Double-A where it was two different stories offensively for the catcher. Overall, he would play in 96 games and hit a combined .278/.371/.423 with 17 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, and 54 RBIs. Though, in Double-A his numbers were .237/.297/.400 with eight doubles, four triples, five home runs, and 31 RBIs. Despite that, Baez showed an ability to put the ball in play last season, striking out just 65 times in 338 at-bats and walking 45 times as well. Defensively, he split time between catcher, first base and designated hitter. While with Double-A, he threw out 23% of potential base stealers while allowing just two passed balls. Jason Delay Signed by Boston to be catching depth, Delay is a former fourth-round pick in 2017 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Delay would go on to make his major league debut in 2022 and would play in the majors with the Pirates from 2022 until a short stint in 2024. In total he played 134 games, hitting .231/.295/.315 with 20 doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 35 RBIs. Offensively, there isn’t much power to his game, and he has a tendency to strike out (94 strikeouts in 337 at-bats) while not walking enough to offset it (26 career walks). 2025 saw Delay split the season between Atlanta’s Double-A and Triple-A teams where he hit a combined .200/.261/.257 in 68 games. He also had 10 doubles, one home run, and 14 RBIs. Ronald Rosario Rosario was signed as an international free agent by the Red Sox in July of 2019 as a 16-year-old, though he missed the 2020 season due to the minor league season being cancelled. The young catcher spent 2021 and 2022 in the Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League respectively before playing for Salem and Greenville in 2023. 2024 saw Rosario begin the year with Greenville, playing 99 games before a promotion to Portland where he was placed on the development list. 2025 saw Rosario play 98 games with Portland where he hit .201/.278/.321 with 10 doubles, 11 home runs, and 56 RBIs. Offensively, he is viewed as having an average hit tool with average power but mostly as a doubles hitter. Defensively, he could be an average catcher depending on how he develops. He doesn’t have soft hands and in 2025 he made six errors and allowed 10 passed balls. Though, he has good, fluid motions and threw out 24% of potential base stealers and was part of seven double plays. Max Stassi Stassi has the most MLB experience out of the listed catchers, having been drafted way back in the fourth round of the 2009 draft by the Athletics. Stassi made it to the majors with the Astros in 2013 and played with them until being traded to the Angels in 2019. Stassi would remain with the Angels until the end of 2022. After not playing in 2023, Stassi has spent the last two seasons in Triple-A with the White Sox organization in 2024 and the Giants organization in 2025. For his career, Stassi played in 403 games at the major league level and hit .212/.295/.361 with 42 doubles, two triples, 41 home runs and 128 RBIs. For his career, he’s thrown out around 20% of potential base stealers and has allowed 31 passed balls. Red Sox Non-Roster Invitees: Infielders Nathan Hickey Originally drafted as a catcher in the 2021 draft, Hickey has primarily played first base or DH since mid-2024 and only appeared in four games as a catcher in 2025 after getting a non-roster invitation to spring training that year. Defensively, he struggled at catcher and was viewed as being below average when it came to receiving while also having trouble with blocking pitches in the dirt. He has looked better at first base than he did behind the plate, having made just four errors in 610 defensive chances. Offensively, Hickey is coming off of a decent season with Worcester, having appeared in 128 games where he hit .234/.325/.408 with 23 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs and 75 RBIs. He does strike out a lot as shown by his 141 punchouts last season. He also knows the strike zone well but often whiffs on pitches in the zone and struggles against left-handed pitching. Vinny Capra Capra is a four-year veteran who made his debut in 2022 after getting drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2018. Prior to 2025, he appeared in just 20 MLB games. Last year, he split the season between Milwaukee and the Chicago White Sox, appearing in a career high 47 games and struggling at the plate. He ended up hitting a combined .125/.157/.177 with two doubles, one home run, and six RBIs. Defensively, Capra has mainly played second base, shortstop and third base during his time in the majors but also has limited experience playing left field in the minors. In the minors, he’s hit well enough to keep getting chances, having played in 511 career minor league games and hitting .270/.355/.397 with 111 doubles, 10 triples, 33 home runs, and 240 RBIs. Max Ferguson Acquired from San Diego as part of the Eric Hosmer trade, Ferguson quickly became organizational depth as he jumped from Greenville all the way to Worcester when the Triple-A team needed bodies at the end of the 2023 season. Since then, he’s been shuttled back and forth between Portland and Worcester the past two seasons depending on which team needed him more. Offensively, there isn’t much to talk about. Little power and a high strikeout rate means Ferguson’s value will come from his glove. Though to at least partially make up for it, he tends to walk a decent amount. Last season, he played a career high 118 games between Portland and Worcester as he hit .205/.323/.313 with 13 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, and 42 RBIs. In 2025 Ferguson, played every position besides catcher and pitcher at least once. The majority of his playing time came between second base and left field, however, moving between positions as needed. Mikey Romero A former first-round pick by the Red Sox in 2022, Romero dealt with injuries early on in his career before finally appearing fully healthy in 2025. Drafted as a shortstop, Romero has mostly played second base and third base since early 2025 and seems likely to have his best fit be at second base due to his arm. Offensively, Romero has put together back-to-back decent seasons showcasing power in his game as he hit 16 home runs in 2024 and followed that up with 17 in 2025. Overall, he wound up hitting .245/.300/.452 in 111 games between Portland and Worcester in 2025. He also had 33 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs and 76 RBIs. Though, he does tend to strike out a lot as shown by 132 strikeouts. Romero impressed during spring training in 2025 and now in 2026 has a chance to showcase his skills even further. Tyler McDonough Drafted in the third round of the 2021 draft, McDonough quickly made his way through the system, making it to Triple-A Worcester by the end of the 2023 season. Since then, he’s split time between Portland and Worcester, as he’s provided upper-minors depth for the organization while playing multiple positions. Last year with Worcester, McDonough appeared in 79 games and hit .254/.328/.369 with 12 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 27 RBIs. He won’t hit for much power and is just average when it comes to zone contact and chasing but has good bat speed. Defensively, the utility player saw time at second base, shortstop, right field, left field and appeared in one game in center field. He’s viewed as an above average, all-around fielder. Red Sox Non-Roster Invitees: Outfielders Allan Castro Signed out of the Dominican Republic back in 2019, Castro was originally signed as an infielder before being moved to the outfield prior to his professional debut. Just 22 years old, Castro spent all of 2025 at Double-A where he played in 92 games and hit .268/.353/.400 with 20 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, and 37 RBIs. Offensively, he improved from his 2024 numbers and showed growth as a hitter, though the switch hitter still has room to grow. While he doesn’t chase and has shown an ability to make contact on pitches in the zone, he still struggles against off-speed pitches and can get too aggressive. Defensively, he split time between all three outfield positions, though the majority of his playing time came in center field where in 150 defensive chances he made just one error. With the Red Sox missing three outfielders due to the World Baseball Classic, Castro should see a lot of playing time early in camp. Braiden Ward Ward was acquired by the Red Sox in a Rule 5 Draft protection deadline trade, as they sent reliever Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies. Ward, who was drafted by the Rockies in 2021, split last season between Double-A and Triple-A where he appeared in 97 games. The utility player slashed .290/.395/.391 with 17 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 37 RBIs and he also stole 57 bases. Offensively, Ward does not have much power as he’s hit just 14 home runs in 414 minor league games, but he puts the ball in play and has shown an ability to earn a walk. He’s at his best when taking advantage of his speed and using it to either stretch a hit or to steal a base. Defensively, he mainly played center field and left field last year but got some action at both second and third base and will likely be used in a utility role. With Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu all leaving camp to join the World Baseball Classic, Ward should see plenty of playing time. View full article