The Red Sox released six minor leaguers on Thursday, including one of their former top international signings.
As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Andrew Parker, Boston cut ties with 21-year-old infielder Fraymi De Leon, who received the largest bonus ($1.2 million) of the club’s 2022 international signing class.
At the time of his signing in January 2022, De Leon was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 50 international prospect in his class. As an amateur, the Dominican native drew rave reviews for his defense, arm strength, and speed, but he was never able to put it all together at the plate as a member of the Red Sox organization.
After spending his first two professional seasons in the rookie-level Dominican Summer and Florida Complex Leagues, De Leon made stops at Low-A Salem, High-A Greenville, and Double-A Portland in each of the last two campaigns. In a career-high 88 games between the three affiliates last year, the switch-hitter batted just .190/.255/.245 with 10 doubles, one triple, one home run, 27 RBIs, 38 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 85 strikeouts over 307 plate appearances.
Overall, De Leon is a lifetime .210/.310/.264 hitter with 21 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 76 RBIs, 127 runs scored, 74 stolen bases, 91 walks, and 246 strikeouts in 253 career minor league games (903 plate appearances) across five levels. Defensively, the versatile 5-foot-10, 155-pounder (listed height and weight) has seen playing time at every position besides catcher and first base. Last season alone, he made 33 starts at second base, 24 starts at third base, 22 starts at shortstop, and four starts in left field.
Though he was never viewed among Boston’s premier prospects, SoxProspects.com does take note of the fact that the organization appeared to have respected De Leon’s “defensive skills enough to regularly call him up to cover for injured players at higher levels.”
It will now be interesting to see if De Leon, who does not turn 22 until September, can potentially latch on with another team before the 2026 season begins in the coming weeks. An organization that values his defensive versatility enough may be willing to give him another chance.
In addition to De Leon, the Red Sox also released infielders Tyler Miller and Efren Teran, outfielders Yan Cruz and Jesus Lugo, and left-hander Noah Dean on Thursday.
(Picture of Fraymi De Leon: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
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