Nick John

With the preamble to spring training officially underway, the Boston Red Sox have finally returned to the diamond after a long offseason. During this period, less heralded players often have a great chance of breaking out. Sometimes, it allows them to force their way onto the opening day roster, just as Kristian Campbell did last season. Thanks to the World Baseball Classic occurring this year, many Red Sox players will be disembarking from major-league camp and playing for their countries in the pursuit of winning the entire tournament. Because of this, the Red Sox have invited quite a few minor leaguers to spring training, including some notable prospects fans should get familiar with. Below we’ll breakdown three prospects that fans should keep an eye on during spring training this season. 3 Red Sox prospects most likely to break out at spring camp Jeremy Wu-Yelland Wu-Yelland is someone who hasn’t had the easiest professional career. After a promising professional debut in 2021 that saw him make 23 starts between Salem and Greenville (3.91 ERA in 76 innings pitched), he’s had to deal with multiple injuries. His 2022 campaign was lost due to Tommy John surgery, 2023 was cut short after three rehab appearances due to an injury, he started 2024 on the injured list, and 2025 saw him miss just around a month due to lower back stiffness. Despite that, he has some potential as a left-handed reliever. Following 2023, Wu-Yelland has been pitching strictly out of the bullpen and in 2025 he managed to flash potential of the weapon he could be in the bullpen. Now with an emphasis on throwing his cutter to get ahead, Wu-Yelland was able to dominate with his fastball and finish the season with 71 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings, good for 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings. Currently, the Red Sox need left-handed reliever help in the bullpen, and should Wu-Yelland remain healthy and build off of the foundation he built in 2025, there’s a chance he could be given an opportunity at some point in 2026. He throws four pitches with his cutter averaging between 90-92 mph; he improved his command with the pitch last year, which has allowed him to take a step forward. Along with the cutter is his fastball that tops out at 97 mph and can get on hitters quickly while also being good at missing bats. Add to it a sweeper with a high spin rate and batters will continue to have a hard time figuring out which pitch could be coming. And while he also has a changeup, Wu-Yelland has rarely thrown it since moving to the bullpen. A good spring training could see the young southpaw begin the season with Worcester. At that point, all it takes is a good month or two for him to potentially be knocking on the door of the majors, especially given the current state of the Red Sox's righty-heavy bullpen. Mikey Romero Romero is entering his first major league spring training as a non-roster invite after putting together a strong 2025 season. Splitting the year between Double-A and Triple-A, the former first-round pick played in a career high 111 games. In that span, he hit a combined .245/.300/.452 with 33 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs, and 76 RBIs while also transitioning off of shortstop. Since around May, the infielder had instead played mainly second base and third base over his original position. Romero did spend time playing in Red Sox spring training games in 2025 (though without a non-roster invite) and already impressed manager Alex Cora. Last spring training, when asked which prospect stood out to him other than Boston’s Big Three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell, the manager responded with Romero. “Yeah, he’s a good player. A really good player. Just a baseball player. Good at-bats. Good defender. Mikey Romero is a good player,” Cora stated. For Romero, this is a chance for him to get at-bats against others competing for a roster spot. While he is likely to open the season in Worcester barring a combination of trades and injuries, the young infielder can shoot his way up the depth chart with a good showing this spring. Red Sox fans should know him by now considering he was the team’s first-round pick back in 2022 before injuries slowed him in 2023 and caused him to miss time to open 2024. Now, the infielder is finally completely healthy and has a chance to showcase his true potential. While the Red Sox infield seems set thanks to the Caleb Durbin trade, the team could always use impact players, especially someone like Romero who has shown an increase in power since getting healthy. Over the past two seasons, the infielder has averaged 28 doubles and 16 home runs, a display of power the major-league team would love if it carried over to the highest level of competition. Noah Song There is no way Song breaks camp with the Red Sox, but seeing him finally make it to a major-league spring training with the team that drafted him back in 2019 is a great storyline. Everyone who has followed Song knows that he lost nearly four years of development between the cancellation of minor league baseball in 2020, being denied a waiver request to transfer his service to the Navy Reserve, being taken by the Phillies in the Rule 5 Draft and then spending most of the year on the injured list before being returned to the Red Sox, and then undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. Song may not be the same pitcher he was originally viewed as, but now he has a chance to continue his dream. His first steps back on that path were taken in 2025, when he pitched at every minor league level. He’ll get chances to pitch during the spring exhibition slate, and in turn chances for the Red Sox to see what kind of pitcher they drafted over a half-decade ago. It’ll be hard for anyone to not find interest in his performance and even harder not to root for his success. Should he do well enough in spring training. he could put his name in the conversation for one of the first names called upon should injury or inconsistency hit the Red Sox's bullpen. Currently, Song tosses four pitches. A fastball that tops out at 97 mph and is still working to regain the feel he had for it prior to his military service, a slider that is his most comfortable pitch at the moment, a changeup that averages 86-88 mph, and a curveball that has a 12-to-6 break to it. View full article

The Boston Red Sox infield depth may have already taken a hit, as it was revealed by Alex Cora during the first media interview of spring training that Romy González injured his shoulder in the final series of the regular season and that the injury has bothered him throughout the offseason, as reported by the Boston Globe's Tim Healey. While unknown at the time, the injury could have played a role in González’s postseason struggles especially against left-handed starters Max Fried and Carlos Rodón after crushing left-handed pitching all season. Currently, there is no concrete knowledge regarding the current state of the injury, but the team and González will know more once he arrives to camp. However, the feeling right now is that he’s behind schedule. Should González miss time in spring training, his playing time will likely go to Nick Sogard, Mikey Romero and new acquisitions Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler. González said that his left shoulder originally got better but then he suffered a setback in January when he started hitting. He also received a PCP shot on January 23 and still plans to be ready for Opening Day, though things could change. For the Red Sox, they hope González can avoid missing significant time and will be able to catch up and be ready for the regular season. View full rumor

The Boston Red Sox continue to add to their infield depth, as they signed Brendan Rodgers to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Rodgers is the second veteran infielder that Craig Breslow has brought into the organization in the past 24 hours, previously signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year contract. Rodgers, who won a Gold Glove in 2022, will compete for a roster spot in spring training. The veteran infielder spent most of his career for the Colorado Rockies where he played in 452 games from 2019 until 2024. In that time, he hit .266/.316/.409 with 92 doubles, eight triples, 45 home runs and 197 RBIs. Rogers spent the 2025 season with Houston where he appeared in 43 games and struggled offensively. Overall, he slashed .191/.266/.278 with four doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs. Offensively, Rodgers has a lot of swing and miss in his game and doesn’t walk enough to make up for it. In his short run with the Astros, Rodgers put up career highs in both walk percentage and strikeout rate at 8.6% and 35.9%, respectively. In 2025, his approach changed slightly as he began to pull the ball more in the air than he previously did in his career. The Red Sox are no strangers to bringing in veteran players on minor-league deals and getting production out of them. Amidst a gaggle of veterans competing for time at second base, Rodgers could emerge as a key contributor in 2026. View full rumor

The Boston Red Sox pulled off one of their more questionable trades of the offseason, where they managed to move Jordan Hicks to the Chicago White Sox. Going with Hicks to Chicago was David Sandlin, two players to be named later and $8 million. Returning to Boston was pitcher Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later. Ziehl, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 draft by the New York Yankees, is now with his third organization in three years after being traded to the White Sox for Austin Slater. The right-hander appeared in 22 games, making 21 starts as he split time between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. He tossed 107 innings while striking out 90 batters and walking just 19. Ziehl doesn’t follow the typical profile that Craig Breslow tends to target in pitching as he stands just six feet tall and doesn't possess elite extension, but he has been described as “compact but strong and durable”. The right-hander holds a deep arsenal, featuring a cutter, sweeper, slider, four-seam fastball, changeup, and curveball all thrown with a repeatable high three-quarters delivery. Doing so has allowed him to locate his pitches with precision. Of all his pitches, the changeup stands out as his premier offering. In 2025, batters whiffed on 24% of his changeups, with the pitch generating a 34% strikeout rate. Batters also only managed an average exit velocity of 81 mph. Despite that, the pitch was only thrown eight percent of the time, a number that should see an increase under Boston’s pitching development program. While Ziehl may not be overpowering (his fastball averaged just 92.2 mph last season), he showed an ability to throw strikes (67.7 strike percent) while limiting walks (4.2% rate), two traits that will allow him to move through the minors quickly. Dependent on contact management, Ziehl relies on his assortment of secondary offerings to help generate weak contact. His Baseball America scouting report states that his fastball was “tweaked to generate more cut in 2025." It also suggests that he won't be able to add a ton of velocity down the line, though that may not matter since “Ziehl relies on his mid-80s sweeper and 89 mph cutter, throwing those two pitches nearly 70% of the time with near-even distribution. His sweeper has above-average spin rates and is his best swing-and-miss offering." Unless Ziehl’s secondaries can make a leap in quality, he’s likely destined as an up-and-down starter or long-relief reliever at best. At worst, he would provide organizational depth for the upper minors and be an emergency call-up. After a strong campaign in 2025, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him open the 2026 season with Double-A Portland. View full article

Former Red Sox pitcher (and current White Sox pitcher) David Sandlin joins Talk Sox to discuss what he was doing when the trade sending him to Chicago went down, why Revenge Of The Sith is the best Star Wars movie, and how being traded from Kansas City to Boston back in 2024 felt. View full video

When it comes to building out a 26-man active roster, typically, the bench takes into account the thought of potential platoons, defensive versatility, pinch running, along with overall experience and track record of a player. The Boston Red Sox have done an excellent job of building a bench in previous seasons with the likes of Rob Refsnyder and Romy González proving to be versatile in the field while filling a niche at the plate. Now, the Red Sox are faced with possibly building an entirely new bench with the departure of Refsnyder as a free agent to the Seattle Mariners and the possibility of González entering a platoon with Marcelo Mayer somewhere in the infield. Currently, their bench is likely to feature Connor Wong and David Hamilton, pending any further offseason moves. Wong will be the backup catcher along with a right-handed bat off the bench, while Hamilton could play either second base or shortstop while also being a late-game, pinch-runner option for manager Alex Cora thanks to his speed. Depending on how Cora builds his lineup with the current players on his roster, Masataka Yoshida seems like another option to be on the bench. While dealing with his shoulder issue and rehab during the previous two seasons, Yoshida should be completely healthy now. While his defensive versatility is limited to left field and he lacks game-changing speed, he is a great bat when it comes to putting the ball in play. Should he not be in the starting lineup, he could likely be the first bat off the bench against a right-handed pitcher. Assuming Mayer is at third base and Gonzalez is at second on any given day, that then leaves a single spot left for the bench between two players who both deserve it after their contributions in 2025: Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton. Based off of just minor-league options that remain between the duo, Sogard would appear to have the leg up on Eaton. Entering 2026, Sogard is out of options while Eaton has one remaining. It would allow the Red Sox to stash Eaton in Triple-A Worcester and shuttle him between Boston and Worcester as needed. Sogard, on the other hand, would need to pass through waivers to make it to Worcester, but there’s a good chance a team would take a flier on him based on his profile. During his Red Sox tenure, Sogard has been used as a super-utility player as he’s made appearances at second base, shortstop, third base, first base, and right field. He’s played in 61 regular season games and two playoff games, getting the starts in the first two games of last year’s wild card round. For his career, Sogard, a switch-hitter, has slashed .266/.321/.335 with an OPS of .656. He’s hit 12 doubles and driven in 17 runs while walking just 12 times to 49 strikeouts. Despite seeing more time against right-handed pitching, Sogard has put up better numbers against left-handed pitching with a stat line of .333/.352/.431 in 54 plate appearances. He may not be a perfect player, but he knows how to serve his role perfectly. Defensively, he will provide rest for one of the starters while also providing Cora with a late-game substitution option. There’s no denying he gained Cora’s trust down the stretch as he earned the two starts in the playoffs. His lack of power may hold him back though, and yet the Red Sox may not want to risk losing him. A number of teams would be likely to scoop him up should he fail to make the Opening Day roster. As aforementioned, Eaton is able to be sent to Worcester. The outfielder was a key player down the stretch for Boston and also played in two games in the postseason. Across 2025, Eaton appeared in 41 games hitting a career best .296/.348/.383 with a .731 OPS. He had four doubles, a home run, and four RBIs along with nine stolen bases. He also walked six times against 19 strikeouts. Eaton doesn’t provide as much defensive versatility but has played all three outfield positions and third base for the Red Sox. In the minors, he also played a little second base across his career (41 games across six seasons), though that would most likely only be as an emergency should he make Boston’s roster. Offensively, he doesn’t have much power like Sogard and relies on putting the ball in play and using his speed. While he has hit better against left-handed pitching across his career (.256/.310/.356 in 101 plate appearances) he actually performed better against right-handed pitching with the Red Sox. Regardless, his best skill is his speed. You can never have too many potential base stealers on the bench in a close game and that was on display in September with both Hamilton and Eaton on the active roster. Yet, that may be seen as redundant with Hamilton likely to be on the bench come Opening Day. It's hardly the most important narrative surrounding the team, but the Sogard v. Eaton bench battle may end up being one of the storylines that defines the Red Sox's roster in spring training. View full article

The international free agent signing period kicked off last week, and the Boston Red Sox have remained busy during the beginning period. Already to this point, the Red Sox have signed 18 international players. For the franchise, the international market has been huge for them the past few seasons when it comes to adding talent to the farm system. And while the only international free agent prospect who has made the majors for the Red Sox since 2020 was Jhostynxon Garcia, their current top prospect list is filled with such players. Franklin Arias, Juan Valera, Justin Gonzales, Dorian Soto, Miguel Bleis, and Enddy Azocar are just a few top prospects the team has signed through the international free agent signing period. Now, the team has added to their depth by signing 18 prospects, including two that were ranked within the Top 50 of the 2026 class. Let's dive into some of the top prospects the Red Sox signed in this international class. Garielvin Silverio was the highest-ranked player the team signed, placing 32nd in the class according to Baseball America. Silverio, who will turn 18 in October, is a left-handed hitting outfielder from the Dominican Republic and was one of the top offensive threats in the class. Thanks to fast bat speed that is paired with a strong, broad-shouldered build, he’s able to produce some of the best raw power of any hitter out of the Dominican Republic this year. He was praised for his hitting ability that includes an advanced feel for squaring up breaking pitches. Due to his limited athleticism, he is destined for a corner outfield spot as he’s a below-average runner with an average arm. The Red Sox are hoping his hitting develops and can carry him through the minor leagues. The second-best player signed by the Red Sox was shortstop Dawvris Brito out of the Dominican Republic, ranked 37th by Baseball America. Like Silverio, Brito won’t turn 18 until the end of the season in mid-September. When it comes to athleticism, Brito is the opposite of Silverio in every way, as he’s an above-average runner who moves around the field well. Thanks to his quickness, range, and consistent ability to make routine plays, he handles shortstop well and has a good chance of sticking at the position despite having an average arm. Brito uses his athletic explosiveness while batting to generate solid bat speed. Due to his rawness at the plate, he’s looking to be a power-over-hit player; if he fully develops, he would give the Red Sox a shortstop prospect with power and speed. Joskairo Ramirez follows the Red Sox's trend of signing players out of the Dominican Republic. Ramirez, an outfielder, was ranked 64th in the class by Baseball America. He is another left-handed outfielder, but unlike Silverio, is currently slated for center field thanks to his ability to get great reads off the bat along with taking clean routes to cover ground in the outfield. Despite being just 5-foot-10, Ramirez is considered rather strong and has been viewed as having great hand-eye coordination that results in great bat-to-ball skills. His power also appears to be mostly gap-to-gap at the time of signing. The final player ranked by Baseball America in the Top 100 is right-handed pitcher Claudio Pereira at 91 out of Brazil. Pereira was the top prospect out of Brazil in the 2026 class and has been compared to Eury Perez, as he’s a skinny 6-foot-6 pitcher who weighs 190 pounds at the age of 17. Currently his fastball touches 90 mph, but his frame shows a projection that he should be able to add significant velocity upon gaining weight. Along with the fastball, he has a changeup that he has a good feel for, along with a curveball. While not in the Top 100, shortstop Isaac Velasquez was signed out of Colombia and could be an interesting prospect. Currently standing at 6-foot, 185 pounds, he stands out mostly for what he does at the plate. Velazquez doesn’t chase much and manages to manipulate the barrel of his bat to make frequent contact that is then mixed with good bat speed, making him an excellent pull-side hitter. Velasquez is an offensive-focused shortstop and could eventually be moved elsewhere in the infield, but should he gain some quickness in the field and become more efficient with his arm, he could stick at the position. Another outfielder, Freyerson Vasquez out of Venezuela, is someone who had scouts interested even when he was an extremely thin player at 130 pounds thanks to a high-contact bat from the left side of the plate. He’s since grown, now standing at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, and has maintained the bat control that originally impressed scouts. Currently, he’s projected for a corner outfield spot thanks to a plus arm. Other prospects the team signed include: Infielder Esterlin Casanova out of the Dominican Republic Infielder Anderber Urbina out of Venezuela Infielder Wilneyker Bruce out of Venezuela Pitcher Yeider Pineda out of Venezuela Outfielder Eber Miranda out of Colombia Catcher Edgardo Gutierrez out of Venezuela Shortstop Anderson Gonzalez out of Venezuela Infielder Axell Herrera out of the Dominican Republic Pitcher Harry Canedo out of Colombia Pitcher Isaac Brujan out of the Dominican Republic Pitcher Luis Cayama out of Venezuela Pitcher Angel Roa out of Venezuela Grabbing four of the top 100 prospects in the class should help rebuild the lower levels of the farm system, as the team will now look to develop these players in the Dominican Summer League during the 2026 season. Some will see competition in the Florida Complex League by 2027, while others may take longer or may not even make it to the next level. Prospects are always a gamble, and the Red Sox are hoping they pay off in the long run. View full article

In need of opening a 40-man roster spot to complete the signing of Ranger Suárez, the Boston Red Sox authored a trade with the Minnesota Twins per MassLive's Chris Cotillo and the Boston Globe's Alex Speier. Being shipped from Boston to Minnesota was Tristan Gray, the utility infielder having previously been acquired in a trade on November 18. Gray, who has played 47 career major-league games, was viewed as potential utility depth by the organization thanks in part to his ability to play all infield positions. In return, the Red Sox received minor-league catcher Nate Baez. Baez, a former 12th-round pick back in 2022 will turn 25 in mid-May. The young catcher made it to Double-A last season where he played in 51 games and hit .237/.297/.400 with eight doubles, four triples, five home runs, and 31 RBIs. Baez is the sixth minor-league catcher that Craig Breslow had added to the organization as the team has overhauled their catching depth. Fortunately for both Gray and Baez, neither will have many issues dealing with finding new housing for spring training, as both the Red Sox and Twins have their complexes in Fort Myers. View full rumor

“It was somewhat of a surprise,” Hayden Mullins said as he thought back to the day he was drafted. “My agents called me a couple picks before I got picked.” Mullins, who was the Boston Red Sox's 12th-round pick in 2022, has dealt with injuries since his senior year of high school. At one point thinking of entering the draft as a teenager, an injury his senior season saw his chances of being picked crater. Thus, he instead chose to play baseball at Alabama. Unfortunately, things did not get much better on the health front. Mullins' freshman season was cut short due to COVID-19 canceling the college baseball season. He appeared in five games in relief. His sophomore season was also cut short, as he made just seven appearances before another injury ended his season. Finally, it seemed like his junior season was the mark of a new dawn. Making 11 appearances, including eight starts after getting moved to the rotation, Mullins pitched 34 2/3 innings and struck out 43 batters. Then, injury struck once more as he required Tommy John surgery. By the time he went under the knife and had the surgery, his college baseball career was over; by the time he would be able to get back on the mound, his senior season would have ended. And so he chose to enter the draft. “I didn’t get surgery until July 14 and I tore my elbow on April 29. I was trying to rehab it and get back to pitch for the postseason. I realized I would not get to pitch my senior year and that weighed into the decision,” Mullins explained. Despite the surgery, the southpaw was still taken by the Red Sox as the team decided to gamble on his raw talent. “It was awesome. I’m sitting there in an elbow brace, three days out of surgery. So I’m sitting there hoping a team takes a chance, and I’m grateful it was the Red Sox,” Mullins continued when asked about his draft experience. Unfortunately for the left-hander, he was unable to get into any games until the tail end of the 2023 season. At that point, he made four appearances, tossing a combined 6 1/3 innings between the Complex League and Low-A Salem. It was the 2024 season when he started to really showcase his talents, as shown by his 118 strikeouts in 89 innings with High-A Greenville. Mullins credits the bump in strikeouts to the organization's extensive planning with each pitcher. “You’re receiving reports, this is what you do well. This is what you don’t do so well. These are the things we’re going to work on. Once you go into a game, you’re not really thinking about it, but it just plays a part in a lot of success." Some significant changes have also been seen in his arsenal, the left-hander having tweaked his pitch repertoire since being drafted. “I’ve always thrown fastball, slider, changeup for most of my life. Now, the grips, we can alter them to make the ball move a little bit more downward or horizontal. Adding the sweeper was a big step — I added it in the offseason of ’23. This past season I added a cutter. And I think those will be two really good drivers of success because they’re two different shapes and one is a little bit harder and the other is softer." Much like Blake Wehunt, who we interviewed earlier in the offseason, Mullins felt that the addition of a cutter will play nicely against his natural, arm-side-run four-seamer. Mullins dominated in 2025, going 8-2 in 22 appearances (21 starts) and tossing 101 2/3 innings with an ERA of 2.21. In that span, he struck out 123 batters, splitting his time between Greenville and Portland. He spent most of the season in Portland's rotation and would finish the season as the Sea Dogs' Pitcher of the Year. In all likelihood, the 25-year-old will open the 2026 campaign in Triple-A Worcester, though with their currently loaded rotation, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see him work out of the bullpen (especially since the major-league team is in need of potential left-handed options out of the bullpen). With his ability to rack up strikeouts, Mullins could be a potential late-game option down the road if he can stay healthy. The left-hander has talent to succeed at every level of the sport, and it should be just a matter of time before he makes his major-league debut. View full article

With Alex Bregman signing a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox are now in an unenviable situation. The third base position is completely unsettled, just one year after it appeared the team had two franchise-caliber options (Bregman and Rafael Devers) at the position. Now, they'll likely have to entrust the future to an unproven youngster. That latter qualification is especially applicable when it comes to their former top prospect, Marcelo Mayer. Mayer, who was originally drafted as a shortstop and viewed as the heir apparent to the position, has been blocked there due to a combination of Trevor Story along with his own health issues. Making his major-league debut in 2025, Mayer played the majority of his games at third base when Bregman was out with a quad injury. In total, Mayer appeared in 44 games with the Boston Red Sox in his rookie season, 39 of them involving an appearance at third base. And despite playing the position just six times prior to the promotion, Mayer played well enough defensively to hold down the position until Bregman’s eventual return from the injured list — he made only made one error in 68 opportunities. Add to it that his fielding run value was 2.0 while his total defensive run value was 3.0, and you have some concrete proof that Mayer took to the position rather well. There is no denying that losing Bregman will be a big blow to the team, from both a leadership standpoint along with his bat. However, Mayer should be able to handle picking up the slack on the defensive end. He had always been viewed as an above-average defender and that much was shown in 2025. Where the team will be asking for Mayer to truly step up will be on the offensive end. The infielder will be entering his age-23 season and what will likely be his first full season in the majors. What will be a detriment for Mayer will be his injury history that limited his development in the minors. Since being drafted in 2021, Mayer appeared in 315 games across five minor league seasons, including a career-high 91 games in 2022. Besides a rough stretch in 2023 with Portland where he slashed .189/.254/.355, which was due in part to trying to play through an injury, Mayer has looked good at the plate. However, his missed development time was on display while facing major-league pitching while with Boston. In his time with the Red Sox last season, Mayer slashed .228/.272/.402 with eight doubles, a triple, four home runs and 10 RBIs. He also struck out 41 times while walking just eight times; overall Mayer walked at a 5.9% rate while striking out in 30.1% of his plate appearances. Taking his age into consideration, Mayer has plenty of room to improve upon those numbers. And for the Red Sox to play well, he’ll have to. Of course, it could be argued that once Mayer was finally getting used to the quality of pitching in the majors, his injury occurred. In the month of July, he was beginning to heat up, as he slashed .244/.277/.333 with four doubles and three RBIs. The Red Sox will need Mayer to step up into a prominent role this year, perhaps more than anyone thought at the onset of the offseason. But after losing Bregman, the team may look to hand the long-term keys to the hot corner to their budding young star. Mayer, who has performed well at every stop in his minor-league career and has rebounded from struggles, will need to build off of his shortened rookie season and make a leap at the plate. Defensively, he has shown he is more than capable, but now it’s time for his offensive potential to be consistent. It's a lot to ask of a player with such limited time in the pros, but losing two franchise superstars at one position in such a short time is almost impossible to recover from. Mayer is the Red Sox's best chance at somehow escaping that debacle unscathed. View full article

After two-and-a-half months, the Boston Red Sox have finally signed a free agent. They improved upon their already strong rotation by bringing in Ranger Suárez on a five-year, $130 million contract. Suárez, who made his major league debut back in 2018 with the Philadelphia Phillies, will slot right into the rotation as the number two to ace Garrett Crochet. Suárez originally signed with the Phillies as an international free agent out of Venezuela back in 2012 as a 16-year-old. The left-handed pitcher worked his way through the system and by 2018, made his Double-A, Triple-A, and major-league debut. In his short sample in the majors, Suárez made four appearances, three of them starts as he tossed 15 innings, had a 5.40 ERA and struck out 11 while walking six. The 2019 campaign saw Suárez opening the year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, ranking as the team’s number 10 prospect at the time. Suárez wound up making a couple brief call-ups in June before receiving his final promotion on June 20. Unlike in 2018, Suárez was used exclusively out of the bullpen as he made 37 appearances. The then-23-year-old wound up tossing 48 2/3 innings as he struck out 42 batters while walking 12. Thanks to his strong performance out of the bullpen, there was belief he would contend for a rotation spot in 2020, but his season was derailed from testing positive for COVID-19 right before Opening Day. By the time he was allowed to leave quarantine and begin rehabbing, it was already late August. In order to get him back sooner, the team moved him to the bullpen where he would make just three appearances, though he struggled mightily. In four innings, Suárez allowed nine earned runs and four walks compared to just one strikeout. The 2021 season was more of the same for Suárez. The Phillies decided to have him open the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he didn’t make a single appearance before being recalled to the Phillies. His role changed across the season, originally serving as a multi-inning reliever. Suárez was eventually asked to fill in as the closer after the Phillies attempted to use two other relievers and they both struggled. Fortunately for the Phillies and Suárez, the team acquired Ian Kennedy at the trade deadline to become the closer while Suárez was moved once more, now into the rotation. Upon that transition back to starting, Suárez was dominant. The left-hander made 12 starts and tossed 65 2/3 innings where he allowed just 11 earned runs. In that span, he struck out 65 batters and walked just 19. On the season as a whole, Suárez appeared in 39 games and threw 106 innings to the tune of a 1.36 ERA. From that point on, he has been in the Phillies' rotation permanently. He made a career-high 29 starts in 2022, and then would go on to make 22, 27, and 26 starts respectively over the next three seasons. Since 2022, however, Suárez has missed time each season due to low back spasms in 2022, a left elbow strain and a right hamstring strain in 2023, lower back soreness in 2024, and lower back stiffness in 2025. Despite the injuries, Suárez is a performer on the mound. As a starter with the Phillies, Suárez made 119 starts, going 42-32 with a 3.45 ERA. In total he tossed 666 innings while striking out 619 batters, also securing an All-Star appearance in 2024. More importantly, he allowed just 60 home runs in that span, showing an ability to keep the ball in the park during his career. While the southpaw's durability is a genuine concern (his career high for innings is 157 1/3, which he set in 2025), the quality of his innings has no debate. And to add to it, he’s performed excellently in the playoffs. To this point in his career, Suárez has appeared in 11 games in the playoffs with a career record of 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA across 42 2/3 innings. He's struck out 44 batters, walked 13 and allowed just three home runs. The veteran pitcher will now slot into the rotation as the number two starter the Red Sox have wanted for more than a year. Whether he pitches after Crochet is unknown, however, as manager Alex Cora may choose to break the pair of lefties up and slot fellow rotation addition Sonny Gray between them. There is no doubt, however, that Suárez will serve as the bona fide No. 2 after Crochet, regardless of the rotation order. Of course, as with all big free-agent contracts, there is a chance that he’ll fall off as the years go by. The fact that he doesn’t throw hard and relies on his sinker along with movement from his secondaries could (and probably will) delay that fact. By the time it does happen (as it invariably does for everyone), it shouldn’t be an issue for him to become the number four or five arm as the Red Sox will (hopefully) be relying on Crochet, Payton Tolle, and Connelly Early to carry the rotation. The Red Sox can expect around 25 to 29 starts from Suárez based on his track record of health. And with those starts, they can expect All-Star worthy outings, as his worst season as a starter came in 2023 when he dealt with two injuries including an elbow strain. When healthy, there’s no denying he can be one of the top pitchers in baseball, as shown by the fact that he is tied for the 14th-highest fWAR since 2023 for starting pitchers. To say he’s expected to take the ball every fifth day with the intent to win is the obvious statement. However, with his presence he will be able to help shoulder the load with Crochet and the younger pitchers. Last season, there were signs that Crochet was tiring down the stretch, but he pushed through as the team needed him. Now, he’ll have someone in the rotation to back him up when the toughest stretch of the season begins. He’ll also be able to provide postseason experience to the pitching staff. Yes, the team made the playoffs last season, but they played in three games. Crochet pitched one, Early pitched one, and Brayan Bello pitched the other. They didn’t get much experience from it, and Suárez can provide that in spades for the entire staff. He’ll be the guy the Red Sox send out in Game 2 hoping to either close out a series or take control of one. Craig Breslow greatly improved the team with this signing. In a world of baseball where a pitcher isn’t needed to go seven innings anymore thanks to analytics and great bullpens, Suárez should be able to give the team great quality and length. The team is stronger and now has arguably one of (if not the) best rotation in the American League when you factor in their depth. Teams won’t want to face the two-headed beast that is Crochet and Suárez in the playoffs and so long as the Red Sox improve their offense, they may emerge as the clear-cut favorite in the Junior Circuit behind their pair of southpaws. View full article

In an exclusive interview with Talk Sox, Hayden Mullins discusses his time in college, where he dealt with injuries leading up to the draft, along with his time in the Red Sox organization. Mullins goes over his pitch repertoire along with how the Rule 5 draft went for him this offseason. View full video

In an exclusive interview with Talk Sox, MassLive’s Chris Cotillo talks about the current state of the Red Sox's free agency and some potential targets the team could pivot to. They also take a look at Bregman’s departure and how the Red Sox could potentially pivot from the shocking loss of their All-Star third baseman. View full video