MassLive identified seven Red Sox prospects as candidates to make their major league debut in 2026 in an article published at the beginning of the offseason.
One of those seven prospects no longer is a member of the organization. Hard-throwing righty Luis Perales, who headlined the list, was traded to the Nationals in mid-December.
Below is an updated version that includes 10 players. Perales was removed but the updated list includes four new prospects who Boston acquired via trades in November and December.
Four additions to the list:
1. Ryan Watson, RHP: The Red Sox acquired the 28-year-old righty soon after the Athletics selected him in the Rule 5 Draft. He’s subject to the same Rule 5 Draft guidelines, meaning he must remain on Boston’s 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season (barring an IL stint) or be placed on waivers.
Watson topped out at 97 mph with his fastball last year for Triple-A Sacramento and has a “deep mix,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. His Baseball Savant pitch logs show he throws a slider and curveball in addition to a four-seam fastball.
“A big guy with good extension and good strike-throwing ability, that should translate to success in the big leagues,” Breslow said in December.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 46 outings (50 ⅔ innings) at Triple-A Sacramento last year. He averaged 11.4 strikeouts and 2.8 walks per nine innings.
The Red Sox view him as a bulk reliever who potentially could also match up against certain hitters in higher leverage situations.
The Dodgers drafted him in the 39th round (1,181st overall) out of high school in 2016. He instead kept his commitment to Auburn University and went undrafted his senior year in 2020 when the COVID pandemic reduced the draft to five rounds. He signed a minor league contract with the Orioles in June 2020.
2. Tyler Samaniego: LHP: The Red Sox acquired the 26-year-old lefty, starting pitcher Johan Oviedo and catching prospect Adonys Guzman in a five-player trade with the Pirates on Dec. 4.
He will compete for an Opening Day roster spot but most likely will begin the 2026 season in Triple-A Worcester’s bullpen.
His injury history is a bit concerning. He missed the final two and a half months in 2024 due to an elbow injury that required an internal brace procedure. He returned in mid-May 2025 and pitched well for Double-A Altoona down the stretch. He posted a 3.08 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 30 strikeouts and six walks while holding opponents to a .189 batting average in 20 outings (26 ⅓ innings) for the Curve.
Baseball America wrote, “He has a deeper arsenal for a lefty reliever, attacking hitters with two mid-90s fastballs, a two-plane mid-80s slider and a mid-to-upper-80s changeup. Samaniego’s entire arsenal is aided by a lower release slot and above-average extension.”
The Pirates selected him to their 40-man roster in November to protect him from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. He has all his minor league options remaining, providing flexibility for several seasons.
3. Braiden Ward, OF: The Red Sox acquired the outfielder, who turns 27 later this month, from the Rockies for reliever Brennan Bernardino on Nov. 18.
Ward is a speedster who successfully converted on 57 of 64 stolen base attempts in 97 games for Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque in 2025. David Hamilton and Nate Eaton have received opportunities in part because of their elite speed, and Ward might benefit the same way.
Being a left-handed hitter works against him because the Red Sox already have a surplus of left-handed hitting outfielders. But he certainly provides non-40-man roster depth at Triple-A Worcester. SoxProspects.com projects him to be the WooSox’ starting center fielder.
Ward, listed at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, batted .290 with a .395 on-base percentage, .391 slugging percentage, .786 OPS, two home runs, 17 doubles, four triples, 37 RBIs and 74 runs in 368 plate appearances over his 97 games combined between Double A and Triple A last season. He posted a .331/.440/.466/.906 line in 44 Triple-A games (163 plate appearances).
In his five minor league seasons, he has started 190 games in center field, 73 games in left field, 18 games in right field, 46 games at second base and two games at third base.
4. Jake Bennett, LHP: Boston acquired the 25-year-old pitching prospect from the Nationals in exchange for pitching prospect Luis Perales on Dec. 15.
The 2022 Nationals’ second-round pick out of Oklahoma missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned strongly in ‘25 to post a 2.27 ERA in 19 outings (18 starts) across Low A, High A and Double A. He finished the season at Double-A Harrisburg, recording a 2.56 ERA in 10 outings (nine starts).
Baseball America ranks Bennett, who stands at 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Boston’s No. 6 prospect. Both BA and MLB Pipeline grade his changeup 60 (plus) on the 20-80 grading scale.
His Baseball America scouting report notes, “Bennett is around the zone with six different pitches he can use to attack both sides of the plate. His four-seam fastball velocity was a tick higher in 2025 than it had been during his pro debut and averaged 92-93 mph and topped out near 96. His low three-quarters arm slot adds deception. He mixes in sinkers and occasional cutters to vary his fastball looks. Bennett’s carrying secondary pitch is his mid-80s changeup that fades to his arm side and flummoxes minor league righthanded batters, who hit .210 with no home runs against him in 2025. He has good touch on an average low-to-mid-80s slider and high-70s curveball, both of which he can spot for strikes and elicit some chases.”
Bennett, who’s on the 40-man roster, likely will begin the season in a stacked Worcester starting rotation, although there’s a chance he’ll be optioned to Double-A Portland when spring training ends. He has all his minor league options remaining, providing flexibility for several seasons.
Prospects who appeared on the initial list:
5. David Sandlin, RHP: The 24-year-old worked primarily as a starter in the minor leagues before Boston moved him to the bullpen in early August in hopes that he might be able to help the 2025 club down the stretch with his triple-digit fastball. But Sandlin struggled, posting a 5.55 ERA in 18 relief outings.
The Red Sox added Sandlin to their 40-man roster in November to protect him from being available to other teams in the Rule 5 Draft. He’s likely to begin the 2026 season in Worcester’s starting rotation.
His long-term role is still to be determined but Sandlin experienced uncharacteristic control/command issues as a reliever and he has some work to do this offseason after his strikeout percentage dropped from 33.2% in 2024 to 23.4% in 2025.
6. Tyler Uberstine, RHP: The Red Sox added the 26-year-old to their 40-man roster in November.
The righty has an incredible story. He was not recruited out of high school after pitching just seven innings as a senior. He initially enrolled at USC as a regular student/non-athlete and studied business. But he hit a growth spurt between his freshman and sophomore year of college. He tried to walk on to the USC baseball team his sophomore year but didn’t make it. He eventually transferred to Northwestern where he earned a spot in their starting rotation his first year there in 2020.
The 2021 Red Sox 19th-round draft pick has continued to overcome challenges in pro ball. He missed the entire 2023 season and most of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
He posted a 3.58 ERA in 25 outings (21 starts) in 2025 between Double-A Portland and Worcester combined. Nineteen of those outings came with Worcester.
He throws a mid-90s fastball, a new cutter that he added during his Tommy John surgery rehab, a sweeper and a changeup.
7. Shane Drohan, LHP: The Red Sox added the 26-year-old lefty to their 40-man roster in November. He’s likely to begin the 2026 season in Worcester’s rotation.
He pitched really well in 2025 for Worcester, although staying healthy remains a concern. He missed more than three months with left forearm inflammation in ‘25.
When he was healthy, he posted a 2.27 ERA and 1.01 WHIP while holding opponents to a .185 batting average in 12 outings (11 starts). He recorded an impressive 35.3% strikeout percentage.
Drohan induces a lot of swings-and-misses with a fastball, cutter, changeup, slider and curveball.
8. John Holobetz, RHP: MassLive published a feature Wednesday on the 23-year-old who Boston acquired in May as the player to be named in the Quinn Priester trade that happened in April.
His fastball reaches 97 mph and he also throws a cut fastball, slider and changeup.
Boston promoted him to Double-A Portland on Aug. 6 where he posted a 2.39 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in six outings (five starts). He also held Double-A hitters to a .205 batting average.
Overall, Holobetz posted a 3.03 ERA in 23 outings (19 starts) between Low A, High A and Double A combined in his first pro season. He averaged just 1.4 walks per nine innings and finished with a 4% walk percentage (20 walks, 499 batters faced).
He likely will begin 2026 in Double-A Portland’s starting rotation.
9. Kyson Witherspoon, RHP: The 2025 first-round draft pick makes this list even though he hasn’t thrown a single pitch in pro ball yet.
He could take a similar trajectory to Payton Tolle’s in 2025. Tolle, a 2024 second-round draft pick, had never thrown a pitch in pro ball before beginning ‘25 at High-A Greenville and finishing it with Boston.
Baseball America actually named Witherspoon one of 12 draft prospects who could make his MLB debut in 2026. The 21-year-old righty said his goal is to make it to the majors “as fast as possible.”
Witherspoon is already No. 62 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list. His fastball, which reaches 99 mph, as well as his cutter, curveball and slider are already considered plus pitches.
MassLive named Witherspoon one of five Red Sox prospects who are breakout candidates in 2026.
10. Mikey Romero, IF: The 2022 first-round draft pick spent significant time early in his minor league career on the injured list with a lower back injury. He was limited to 34 games in 2023 and 78 games in 2024.
The left-handed hitter’s 2025 numbers don’t jump off the page. He batted just .232 with a .276 on-base percentage, .469 slugging percentage and .745 OPS in 45 games at Worcester after a promotion there on Aug. 1. He had a .752 OPS in 111 games combined between Double-A Portland and Worcester.
But Romero is still very young as he’ll be 22 years old all next season. He also showed power against Triple-A pitchers during September, belting five home runs and seven doubles while slugging .547 in 18 games. He finished the season with the third most home runs (17) in the Red Sox minor league system behind only Jhostynxon Garcia (21) and Freili Encarnacion (18).
He should participate in his first major league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee in 2026. He’ll be part of the middle infield depth at Worcester, just one call away from the big leagues.
