Red Sox catching/first base prospect Brooks Brannon recently underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand, as noted by WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford.
Brannon injured the hand on a swing during spring workouts, according to a team source. It is unclear exactly how much time the 21-year-old will miss, though he will undoubtedly be sidelined for at least the first several weeks of the 2026 season.
Brannon, who turns 22 in May, is currently ranked as Boston’s No. 46 prospect by SoxProspects.com. The Randleman (N.C.) High School product was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round (279th overall) of the 2022 draft. He forwent his commitment to North Carolina by signing for a well-over-slot $712,500, but has struggled to stay on the field consistently since going pro.
Due to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, for instance, Brannon was limited to just 62 games with Low-A Salem in 2024. He did, however, end that year on a high note, as he made up for lost time by earning All-Star honors in the Arizona Fall League. Following a healthy offseason and spring, he broke camp with High-A Greenville last April.
Brannon overcame a slow start to his 2025 campaign and batted .270/.313/.398 with eight doubles, two triples, five home runs, 31 RBIs, 32 runs scored, three stolen bases, 12 walks, and 63 strikeouts in 55 games (224 plate appearances) for Greenville before being promoted to Double-A Portland in late June. The right-handed-hitting slugger struggled out of the gate following the move, but settled in by slashing .224/.302/.385 with eight doubles, five home runs, 16 RBIs, 20 runs scored, one stolen base, 15 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 38 games (159 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.
Altogether, Brannon hit .251/.308/.393 with 16 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, 52 runs scored, four stolen bases, 27 walks, and 117 strikeouts in a career-high 93 games (383 plate appearances) between Greenville and Portland. That includes a .200/.210/.275 line against lefties and a far more favorable .266/.334/.427 line against righties.
Among 30 Red Sox minor leaguers who, regardless of level, made at least 350 trips to the plate last year, Brannon ranked eighth in line-drive rate (25.7%), 12th in batting average and slugging percentage, 13th in isolated power (.141), and 15th in wRC+ (102). At the same time, he ranked 27th in strikeout rate (30.5%) and walk rate (7%) and 28th in swinging-strike rate (16.3%), per FanGraphs.
Defensively, Brannon saw playing time at both catcher and first base at his stops in Greenville and Portland. In 49 starts behind the plate, the hulking 5-foot-11, 210-pound (listed weight, appears to have bulked up over the winter) backstop allowed five passed balls and threw out 21 of 120 possible base stealers. In 17 starts at first, he committed just two errors in 132 chances. He also made 27 starts at DH.
Brannon was projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2026 season, but will now likely head to the injured list in the coming days or weeks. With an uncertain immediate future, it feels worth mentioning that Brannon can become Rule 5-eligible for the first time in his career this winter if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the November protection deadline.
(Picture of Brooks Brannon: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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