After playing a key role in winning a Dominican Summer League championship and being named the organization’s 2024 Latin Program Position Player of the Year in his professional debut, Red Sox outfield prospect Justin Gonzales took another step forward in 2025.
Gonzales, originally signed for $250,000 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in January 2024, arrived in Fort Myers for his first spring training in the United States last March. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, the then-18-year-old quite literally stood out on the backfields of the Fenway South complex.
Though he did not see any action in the Grapefruit League as a big league call-up, Gonzales suited up for the Red Sox in both the Spring Breakout and Futures at Fenway South prospect showcases on March 13 and 14, respectively. In the latter, the young slugger put his power on full display by crushing a no-doubt home run that left his bat at 110.4 mph over the faux Green Monster at JetBlue Park.
In the weeks that followed, Gonzales remained in Fort Myers for extended spring training and technically began his season in the rookie-level Florida Complex League. After just one game with the FCL Red Sox (in which he went 0-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts), Gonzales was promoted to Low-A Salem on May 6 and immediately became one of the youngest players in the Carolina League.
Given his youth, it should come as little surprise that Gonzales initially struggled while transitioning to full-season ball. Despite those early difficulties, the right-handed hitter broke through and emerged as one of Salem’s top offensive performers. He earned Carolina League All-Star honors as a result of batting .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 27 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 81 games (357 plate appearances) for Boston’s Low-A affiliate before being promoted to High-A Greenville in late August.
From there, Gonzales closed out his season by going 8-for-43 (.186) in an 11-game cameo with the Drive. Overall, he slashed .281/.363/.390 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 32 RBIs, 50 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 39 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 93 total games (410 plate appearances) between the FCL, Salem, and Greenville. That includes a .309/.420/.500 line against lefties and a .275/.350/.364 line against righties.
Among 19 Red Sox minor leaguers who made at least 400 trips to the plate in 2025, Gonzales (the youngest to reach that threshold) ranked second in batting average, wOBA (.370), and wRC+ (118), third in on-base percentage and strikeout rate (15.9%), fifth in OPS (.753), eighth in slugging percentage and walk rate (9.5%), and ninth in swinging-strike rate (11.7%), per FanGraphs. On the flip side, however, he posted the highest groundball rate (57.4%) in the group.
Defensively, Gonzales saw playing time at all three outfield spots between his stops in the FCL, Salem, and Greenville last season. The hulking outfielder logged 265 1/3 innings in right, 233 1/3 innings in center, and 145 2/3 innings in left, committing four errors and recording two assists in 151 total chances. He also made 16 starts at DH and has prior experience at first base.
Gonzales, who turned 19 in December, is ranked as the Red Sox’ No. 7 prospect by Baseball America and No. 5 by MLB Pipeline. Both outlets consider his power (55-60 on the 20-80 scouting scale) and outfield arm strength (60-70) among the best-graded tools in Boston’s farm system.
As highlighted in his Baseball America scouting report, Gonzales frequently generated exit velocities exceeding 100 mph last season, but nearly 60% of his contact came on the ground. If he can tweak his bat path to lift the ball more consistently — thereby tapping into his elite power potential — he could become “a monster” at the plate moving forward.
On that note, Gonzales is expected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2026 season. Such swing adjustments would likely work in his favor in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League.
(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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