Following the conclusion of Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft, the Red Sox swung a trade with the Athletics for a pitcher who had just heard his name called.
In exchange for right-hander Ryan Watson, whom the Athletics took from the Giants system with the eighth overall pick in the major league phase, the Red Sox sent infield/outfield prospect Justin Riemer and cash considerations to the A’s.
MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo was the first to report news of the trade.
Riemer, who turns 24 in February, was not ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com. The Virginia native was originally selected by the Red Sox out of Wright State with the 133rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, which the club received as compensation for losing Nathan Eovaldi to the Rangers in free agency the previous winter. He received an above-slot $500,000 signing bonus but was recovering from a torn ACL at that time, which pushed his professional debut back until last July.
After splitting the remainder of the 2024 season between the Florida Complex League and High-A Greenville, Riemer spent the majority of 2025 with the latter affiliate. Though he was sidelined from April 16 to May 15 with a shoulder injury, the right-handed hitter batted .232/.423/.275 with six doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs, 33 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 64 walks, and 55 strikeouts in 76 games (279 plate appearances) for the Drive. He appeared in six games (August 23-24, September 10-14) across two separate stints with Double-A Portland as well, going 4-for-18 (.222) with one double, two RBIs, five runs scored, five walks, and five strikeouts.
Overall, Riemer slashed .231/.421/.276 with seven doubles, one home run, 18 RBIs, 38 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 69 walks, and 60 strikeouts in 82 total games (303 plate appearances) between Greenville and Portland this past season. Among 36 Red Sox minor leaguers who made at least 300 trips to the plate, Riemer ranked first in walk rate (22.8 percent), on-base percentage, and swinging-strike rate (3.2 percent), fourth in wRC+ (123), seventh in wOBA (.360), and ninth in strikeout rate (19.8 percent), per FanGraphs.
On the other side of the ball, Riemer saw playing time at five different positions between his stops in Greenville and Portland this year. The versatile 5-foot-10, 170-pounder logged 309 innings at second base, 179 innings at third base, 108 innings in left field, 40 innings in right field, and 14 innings at shortstop, committing eight errors in 299 total defensive chances. He also made three starts at DH.
Though he has yet to hit for much power to this point in his career, Riemer has drawn praise for his advanced approach, pitch recognition, and bat-to-ball skills. Those traits, among others, must have stood out to the Athletics when putting together this one-for-one swap with the Red Sox.
With that being said, Riemer — barring another move — seems likely to open the 2026 season with either the Athletics’ High-A or Double-A affiliate. It is worth noting that he is in line to become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time next winter.
(Picture of Justin Riemer: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
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