Tag: 2024 season

How did Red Sox relief prospect Isaac Stebens fare in 2024?

Despite dealing with his fair share of command and control issues throughout the year, Red Sox pitching prospect Isaac Stebens still turned in a solid 2024 season.

Stebens, who just turned 23 last month, was selected by the Red Sox in the 16th round of the 2023 draft out of Oklahoma State. The Stillwater native received an at-slot $150,000 signing bonus that July but did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate after putting pen to paper. He instead had to wait until last April to make his professional debut.

Stebens opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem but was not there long. The right-hander allowed just three runs (one earned) on seven hits, four walks, and 14 strikeouts in six relief appearances (11 innings) before receiving a promotion to High-A Greenville on April 25.

In 29 outings for Greenville, Stebens posted a 3.68 ERA (3.77 FIP) with 73 strikeouts to 31 walks over 51 1/3 innings of relief in which opposing hitters batted .228 against him. That includes a 0.53 ERA (2.62 FIP) in his final 12 appearances (17 innings) of the season dating back to July 14.

Altogether, Stebens forged a 3.18 ERA (3.58 FIP) with 87 strikeouts to 35 walks in 35 total relief appearances (62 1/3 innings) between Salem and Greenville last year. Among 39 Red Sox minor-leaguers who threw at least 60 innings, Stebens ranked third in strikeout rate (31.3 percent), fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (12.56), 11th in FIP, 12th in ERA, 14th in xFIP (3.79), and 17th in batting average against (.220). On the opposite end of the spectrum, he ranked 33rd in walk rate (12.6 percent) and 34th in walks per nine innings (2.49), per FanGraphs.

Listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, Stebens featured four pitches last season, per his SoxProspects.com scouting report. Throwing from a low three-quarters arm slot, the righty sat between 92-94 mph and topped out at 95 mph with his fastball while also mixing in an 83-84 mph slider, a 78-80 mph curveball, and an 84-86 mph changeup.

As he recently explained to hosts Andrew Parker and Chris Henrique on Beyond The Monster’s ‘To the Show We Go’ podcast, Stebens implemented three new pitches into his arsenal last year after primarily relying on his fastball at Oklahoma State. Because of that, the 2024 season served as somewhat of an adjustment period for him.

“I wouldn’t say it was seamless. It was definitely a grind,” Stebens said. “There was no backlash on my part. I was all about it. I knew it was what needed to be done. But going from throwing one pitch that’s pretty good to adding three more, it definitely increased my walk rate just because I didn’t know how to control those yet. So we’re still learning those. Hopefully, having a long career, I’m going to nail some of those things down.

“I was able to strike out more in less innings than I did at OSU [in 2023], so a lot of good things,” he continued. “But it was definitely a grind learning those new pitches, just utilizing them more than anything. I had three of the four I have now going into the year but the usage rate went from 85 percent fastball and 10 percent slider and five percent changeup to about 40-20-20, so it was a big difference to split up that 80 percent.”

Stebens is not currently regarded by publications such as Baseball America or MLB Pipeline as one of the top pitching prospects in Boston’s farm system. SoxProspects.com projects him to return to Greenville for the start of the upcoming season, though he made clear in his conversation with Parker and Henrique that he, at the very least, wants to make it to Double-A Portland before the end of 2025.

(Picture of Isaac Stebens: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Who is Yosander Asencio? Switch-hitting Red Sox OF prospect posted .834 OPS in 2024 Florida Complex League

When searching for under-the-radar Red Sox prospects who could break out to some degree in 2025, infielder-turned-outfielder Yosander Asencio is one name that may be worth monitoring.

Not to be confused with Vladimir Asencio, Boston’s top international signing last winter, Yosander originally signed with the Red Sox for $85,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in January 2022. The Bajos de Haina native spent the first two seasons of his professional career in the Dominican Summer League, where he slashed .295/.458/.415 over 78 total games (308 plate appearances), before making his stateside debut in 2024.

Asencio, who turned 20 in November, enjoyed a solid season offensively in the Florida Complex League. The switch-hitter batted .271/.393/.441 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs (the first three of his pro career), 27 RBIs, 23 runs scored, six stolen bases, 25 walks, and 48 strikeouts in 43 games (145 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox. That includes a .255/.377/.434 line from the left side of the plate and a .417/.533/.500 line from the right side.

Among the 82 FCL hitters who made at least 140 trips to the plate last year, Asencio ranked 14th in isolated power (.169), 17th in walk rate (17.2 percent), 20th in slugging percentage, 21st in OPS (.834), 22nd in wOBA (.403) and wRC+ (128), 25th in speed score (7.5), 28th in on-base percentage, and 33rd in batting average. Conversely, he posted the fifth-highest swinging-strike rate (21.8 percent) and ninth-highest strikeout rate (33.1 percent), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Asencio saw playing time at all three outfield positions with Boston’s FCL affiliate. The 5-foot-11, 160-pounder (listed height and weight) logged a team-leading 116 2/3 innings in left, 90 1/3 innings in right, and 35 innings in center. He recorded three outfield assists without committing a single error in 53 total chances.

Asencio is not currently regarded by publications such as Baseball America or MLB Pipeline as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. However, SoxProspects.com projects him to open the 2025 season at Low-A Salem, which would represent an opportunity for him to get his name out there more if he continues to produce the way he has been.

(Picture of Yosander Asencio: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Why Juan Valera took the biggest leap of any Red Sox pitching prospect in 2024

The case can be made that Juan Valera took the biggest leap of any Red Sox pitching prospect in 2024.

Originally signed for $45,000 as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in April 2023, Valera posted a 5.93 ERA (4.67 FIP) over 27 1/3 innings as part of his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year. As such, the young right-hander came into the 2024 season with very little fanfare.

Transitioning from the Dominican Summer League to the Florida Complex League, Valera impressed out of the gate in his stateside debut. The 18-year-old forged a 1.79 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 11 outings (nine starts) spanning 40 1/3 innings for the FCL Red Sox. He held opposing hitters to a .128 batting average and leveraged his performance into a promotion to Low-A Salem in late July.

The trade deadline passed shortly thereafter, but not before Valera saw three teammates (fellow teenage righties Gilberto Batista, Ovis Portes, and Yeferson Vargas) get moved elsewhere. The Red Sox, however, elected to hold onto Valera, who proceeded to post a 2.35 ERA (3.54 FIP) with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in seven starts (23 innings) for Salem to close out the year. Opposing hitters in the Carolina League batted just .120 against him in that stretch.

Altogether, Valera pitched to a 1.99 ERA (3.36 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to 28 walks in 18 appearances (16 starts) spanning 63 1/3 innings between the FCL and Salem this past season. Among the 39 Red Sox minor-leaguers who threw at least 60 innings in 2024, Valera ranked first in ERA, batting average against (.125), WHIP (0.85), line-drive rate (10.3 percent), and groundball rate (56.6 percent), fifth in swinging-strike rate (15.9 percent), eighth in FIP, 12th in strikeout rate (27.9 percent), and 13th in xFIP (3.76), per FanGraphs.

As far as post-season accolades are concerned, Valera was recognized as a 2024 Florida Complex League All-Star by Minor League Baseball. He was also named a 2024 SoxProspects.com All-Star and the 2024 SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Year.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and around 225 pounds, Valera throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and utilizes a side-step delivery. This past season, the projectable hurler operated with a four-pitch mix that consisted of a 93-96 mph fastball that reached 99 mph, an 85-88 mph slider that featured 10-to-4 break, an 82-85 mph sweeper, and an 89-92 mph changeup that is still viewed as a work progress.

Lauded by club officials for his strong work ethic and teachability, Valera is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks ninth among pitchers in the organization. MLB Pipeline has the righty ranked 20th on its top 30 Red Sox prospects list while Baseball America has him unranked, though that will likely change soon.

“We’re super high on this kid,” Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard said of Valera when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Sarah Barber back in August. “He’s starting to get to some pretty cool shapes from a pitch-design standpoint. We’re very excited about this kid, and he’s only continued to go out there and kind of hammer the things that he needs to for his long-term development as well.”

Valera, who turns 19 in May, is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Salem for the start of the 2025 minor-league season. He should, however, have the opportunity to advance to High-A Greenville before the end of the summer depending on how aggressive the Red Sox are willing to be.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Craig Breslow on trade addition Carlos Narvaez: ‘He’s a guy that we’re really excited about’

The Red Sox did not pluck a player from the Yankees organization in the major- or minor-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft earlier this month, but they did swing a rare trade with their division rivals on the final day of the Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas.

In exchange for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez and $250,000 in international bonus pool space, Boston acquired catcher Carlos Narvaez from New York on December 11. The move came just hours after the Red Sox included top catching prospect Kyle Teel in the five-player trade that netted them frontline starter Garrett Crochet from the White Sox.

Narvaez, who turned 26 late last month, comes to the Red Sox with just six games of major-league experience under his belt. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Yankees for $50,000 as an international free agent coming out of Maracay in July 2015. He made his professional debut the following June and — in the process of working up the minor-league ladder — was added to New York’s 40-man roster for Rule 5 protection in November 2023.

Narvaez opened the 2024 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was not called up for his big-league debut until mid-July. The right-handed hitter appeared in six games for the Yankees from July 20 through August 10, going 3-for-13 (.231) with three singles, two walks, and six strikeouts. From behind the plate, he threw out one of two possible base stealers before being optioned on August 13.

Narvaez would close out the year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, finishing with a .254/.370/.412 slash line with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 58 RBIs, 54 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 56 walks, and 105 strikeouts in 96 games (403 plate appearances) for the RailRiders. Defensively, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound backstop gunned down 15 of 83 would-be base stealers. He also logged 114 innings at first base and three innings at third base.

Equipped with a strong arm and solid framing and receiving skills, Narvaez has spent his winter with the Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan Winter League (LVBP). Despite dealing with visa issues that resulted in him being away from the team for a bit, Narvaez still batted a stout .357/.456/.662 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 23 regular-season games (90 plate appearances) for the Cardenales, who are now in the LVBP playoffs.

Having said that, it is worth noting that Venezuelan journalist Carlos V. Rodriguez reported on Monday that — regardless of how far the Cardenales advance in the playoffs — Narvaez will only play until January 7 because the Red Sox want him back in the United States to take part in team activities. That tracks with Narvaez being among the players expected to attend the first-ever Fenway Fest fan event in Boston on January 11.

Barring any other catching additions in the coming days or weeks, Narvaez will likely enter his first spring training with the Red Sox as the club’s top backup option behind Connor Wong. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged as much when speaking with reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) via Zoom earlier Monday afternoon.

“He’s a guy that we’re really excited about,” Breslow said of Narvaez. “What we saw out of him in winter ball I think only enhances or reinforces that we think he’s a great complement to Connor. That doesn’t mean that we’ll stop looking but I think we brought Narvy in because of what he brings offensively but also more specifically in terms of pitch framing and receiving. We feel really good about that.”

(Picture of Carlos Narvaez: Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

Red Sox trade lefty reliever Cam Booser to White Sox for pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo

The Red Sox simultaneously created a 40-man roster spot and added a young pitching prospect to the organizational pipeline by connecting on their second trade in as many weeks with the White Sox on Saturday evening.

In exchange for left-handed reliever Cam Booser, who forged a 3.38 ERA in 43 relief appearances (42 2/3 innings) as a 32-year-old rookie this past season, Boston acquired right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo from Chicago.

Fajardo, 18, made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League this year after signing with the White Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in February. The Villa de Cura native earned DSL Mid-Season All-Star honors en route to posting a 3.91 ERA (2.50 FIP) with 64 strikeouts to eight walks in 13 starts (50 2/3 innings) for Chicago’s rookie-level affiliate. Opposing hitters batted .260 against him.

Among the 19 Dominican Summer League pitchers who eclipsed the 50-inning mark in 2024, Fajardo ranked first in FIP and xFIP (2.33), third in strikeouts per nine innings (11.37), strikeout rate (30.2 percent), and swinging-strike rate (43.4 percent), and fourth in walks per nine innings (1.42), walk rate (3.8 percent), and groundball rate (55.6 percent), per FanGraphs. He also produced the highest BABIP (.365) of that group, which suggests that luck may not have necessarily been on his side.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 181-185 pounds, Fajardo has been described by Baseball America’s Ben Badler as “a good athlete with an easy delivery that he repeats well from a consistent release point on all of his pitches.” The projectable righty still has plenty of room to grow physically but currently sits between 90-95 mph with his fastball while mixing in a low-80s slider and an occasional hard changeup.

Barring a surprise, Fajardo — who does not turn 19 until next October — will likely open the 2025 season in the Florida Complex League.

(Picture of Cam Booser: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer provides update on lower back injury that cut his 2024 season short

After missing the final two months of the 2024 season with a lumbar strain in his lower back, top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer provided an update on his health in a recent conversation with MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam.

“I’m really good,” Mayer told McAdam. “Lower back’s great. I’ve been cleared for a while now, so I’ve been progressing swinging-wise, doing my stuff and working hard in the weight room, doing whatever I can to get my body in the best position for this upcoming season.”

As noted by McAdam, Mayer has not done much in terms of hitting so far this winter, though that will likely change soon.

“I’m still ramping up,” Mayer said. “But as far as that goes, my swing feels phenomenal right now. It feels like I haven’t missed a beat, which is weird because usually when I take a week off, I feel extremely rusty. But I took like two months off and I feel great right now. I’ll be ready to (be a full-go for the start of spring training).”

Mayer, the No. 10 prospect in Baseball America’s top 100 rankings, saw his season cut short by injury for a second straight year over the summer. The recently-turned 22-year-old was limited to 78 games between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2023 due to a lingering left shoulder impingement that ultimately shut him down that August.

Mayer broke camp with Portland this past spring and was putting together a stellar season at the plate through late July. The left-handed hitter netted 2024 Eastern League Post-Season All-Star honors by batting .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 60 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks, and 66 strikeouts in 77 games (335 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

On the other side of the ball, Mayer drew encouraging reviews for his defensive ability at shortstop, where he started 65 games and committed 10 errors in 212 chances with Portland this year. The 6-foot-3, 188-pound infielder also made exactly one start at third base for the second season in a row.

In the weeks following his second straight trip to the All-Star Futures Game, Mayer hit a snag. He was placed on Portland’s injured list on August 1, two days after leaving a game early with what was initially described as lower back and upper glute muscle soreness. Since the issue was deemed minor, the Red Sox proceeded to activate and then promote Mayer to Triple-A Worcester on August 12 with the expectation that he would quickly find his way into the lineup.

The soreness in Mayer’s back, however, persisted. Further medical evaluation, including an MRI, led to the diagnosis of a lumbar strain. Rather than act aggressively, the Red Sox ended Mayer’s season before he could even notch his first Triple-A at-bat by placing him on Worcester’s injured list on August 20 and sending him to extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla. so he could focus on his rehab.

“Extremely frustrating. As a player, of course you don’t want to get injured,” said Mayer. “I work extremely hard while I play to try to prevent injury. I think I’ve just been unlucky these past couple of years. I don’t think it’s something that happened because I didn’t do that or didn’t do this. I fell (resulting in the shoulder injury), something I can’t control. And the other one, I just had a little back problem.

“It’s obviously not ideal, but that’s the situation I’ve been put in and all I can do now is work my ass off (to rehab),” he continued. “I went down to Florida (in the fall) for a month, worked with the trainers there, did workouts, did some core stuff. They sent me home and I continued that training, and I’m pretty much a full-go right now. I’ll start hitting around the new year, which is more than enough time for me. You don’t need to be hitting all off-season.”

Originally selected by Boston with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Calif.), Mayer — barring a trade or other surprise move — is expected to open the 2025 campaign at Worcester. If he can stay on the field and quell any concerns about his durability, he should be able to put himself in a position to make his major league debut before the season draws to a close.

(Picture of Marcelo Mayer: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

How did Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Wehunt fare in 2024?

Blake Wehunt was the fifth of 11 college pitchers selected by the Red Sox in the 2023 draft. How did the former ninth-rounder out of Kennesaw State fare in his first full professional season this year?

Signed for an under-slot $100,000 after being drafted with the 268th overall pick, Wehunt marked his pro debut by making one scoreless relief appearance in the Florida Complex League last August. The right-hander then opened the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem and posted a 2.16 ERA (2.77 FIP) with 44 strikeouts to 15 walks in eight starts (33 1/3 innings) before receiving a promotion to High-A Greenville in early June.

Upon making the jump from Salem, Wehunt went through an adjustment period of sorts but still held his own in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League by producing a 4.42 ERA (3.58 FIP) with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks in 13 starts (59 innings) for Greenville. The righty was promoted for a second time to Double-A Portland on September 11 to make one more start before the minor-league season. He allowed five earned runs over five innings as part of an 8-4 loss to Binghamton at Hadlock Field.

Altogether, Wehunt forged a 3.88 ERA and 3.40 FIP with 110 strikeouts to 34 walks in 22 starts spanning 97 1/3 total innings of work between Salem, Greenville, and Portland this past season. Opposing hitters across the three levels he pitched at batted just .207 against him.

Among the 374 minor-leaguers who threw at least 95 innings in 2024, Wehunt ranked 38th in batting average against, 45th in WHIP (1.11), 52nd in xFIP (3.43), 62nd in strikeout rate (27.5 percent) and FIP, 65th in line-drive rate (20.1 percent), 66th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.17), 68th in groundball rate (47.8 percent), 172nd in walks per nine innings (3.14), 179th in ERA, and 180th in walk rate (8.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Wehunt, who turned 24 in November, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 29 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 15th among pitchers. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound Georgia native throws from a three-quarters arm slot and can make for an uncomfortable at-bat given his imposing stature. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Wehunt operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 93-96 mph fastball, an 87-89 mph cutter, an 81-86 mph sweeper, and an 84-86 mph splitter.

Though the possibility remains that he could be moved by the Red Sox as part of a larger trade this winter, Wehunt is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland for the start of the 2025 season in April. If that does end up happening, it should be worthwhile to see how he handles the upper minors after getting a brief taste in September.

(Picture of Blake Wehunt: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Brandon Neely enters MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Red Sox prospects list

After the Red Sox traded Elmer Rodriguez to the Yankees last week, fellow right-hander Brandon Neely entered the club’s Top 30 prospects list on MLB Pipeline.

Neely is now regarded by MLB Pipeline as Boston’s No. 30 prospect, which ranks 17th among pitchers in the organization. The 21-year-old was selected by the Red Sox in the third round (86th overall) of this past summer’s draft out of Florida. He signed for an under-slot $700,000 but has yet to make his professional debut.

A native of Seville, Fla., Neely spent three seasons with the Gators after going undrafted out of high school in 2021. After recording a conference-leading 13 saves and earning First Team All-SEC honors as a sophomore in 2023, the righty worked as both a starter and reliever in his junior season.

In 28 appearances (six starts) for Florida this past spring, Neely posted a 5.13 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 108 strikeouts to 28 walks over a staff-leading 79 innings in which opposing hitters batted .242 against him. He proved to be a stabilizing force for the Gators in their march toward the College World Series and was named to the Stillwater Regional All-Tournament Team as a result.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Neely throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his quick delivery. He currently sits between 92-95 mph and touches 97 mph with his fastball while also mixing in a mid-80s slider and upper-80s changeup, per his MLB Pipeline scouting report.

Neely, who does not turn 22 until next July, is projected by SoxProspects.com to open the 2025 season at High-A Greenville. While the Red Sox will develop him as a starter out of the gate, there is a strong chance that Neely will ultimately move to the bullpen in the long run given his mechanics, repertoire, and competitive nature.

“We see [the] starter upside, with the ability to create a lot of different shapes and velocity,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said of Neely when speaking with reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Sarah Barber) following the draft. “He’s a guy we’re really excited to add to our organization and let our pitching department work with.”

(Picture of Brandon Neely: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Red Sox acquire pitching prospect Joe Vogatsky from Pirates

The Red Sox added to their breadth of pitching prospects on Sunday by swinging a minor trade with the Pirates.

In exchange for infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez, who was designated for assignment on Wednesday following the acquisition of catcher Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees, Boston acquired right-hander Joe Vogatsky from Pittsburgh.

Vogatsky, who turns 23 later this month, was selected by the Pirates in the 19th round of this past July’s draft out of James Madison. The Virginia native signed with the club for $25,000 but did not pitch for one of Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliates, meaning he has yet to make his professional debut.

After compiling a 3.34 ERA in 21 appearances (29 2/3 innings) for James Madison and a 1.42 ERA in four appearances (6 1/3 innings) for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer, Vogatsky was taken by the Blue Jays in the 14th round of the 2023 draft. Rather than go pro then, the righty opted to return to JMU for his senior season. He posted a 3.49 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 48 strikeouts to 23 walks in 27 relief appearances (49 innings) for the Dukes in 2024. Opposing hitters batted .232 against him.

Listed at 6-foot and 215 pounds, Vogatsky “has a reliever delivery with effort and a sidearm slot that creates some deception on all of his pitches,” per his Baseball America scouting report. His pitch mix is highlighted by a fastball that averaged 93 mph and reached 96-97 mph this spring and a low-80s slider that “has solid pure spin rates and modest break.” He has also featured a mid-80s changeup and an upper-70s curveball.

Vogatsky is projected by SoxProspects.com to open the 2025 season in Low-A Salem’s bullpen. It should be interesting to see if he can benefit from the new developmental infrastructure the Red Sox have implemented under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and director of pitching Justin Willard.

(Picture of Joe Vogatsky: James Madison University Athletics)

Red Sox lose former top international signing to Phillies in minor-league phase of Rule 5 Draft

The Red Sox lost four players to other clubs in the minor-league phase of Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft, including their top international signing six years ago.

Eduardo Lopez, a first baseman/outfielder from the Dominican Republic, was selected by the Phillies in the first round (27th overall) of the Triple-A phase on Wednesday. The 22-year-old has been assigned to Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate but will more than likely open the 2025 season at the High-A or Double-A level.

Lopez received the largest bonus ($1.15 million) of any international free agent the Red Sox brought in during the 2018-2019 international signing period. At that time, Dave Dombrowski — who now serves as the Phillies’ president of baseball operations — held that same title with Boston.

After officially putting pen to paper in July 2018, Lopez did not make his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League until the following June. The Tamboril native’s 2020 season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was limited to just 11 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem in 2021 due to an unspecified injury. Injuries were again an issue in 2022 and 2023 to a certain extent.

Lopez returned to and spent the entirety of the 2024 season at High-A Greenville. Serving as bench depth, the switch-hitter batted .232/.343/.425 with 11 doubles, three triples, a career-high six home runs, 23 RBIs, 29 runs scored, four stolen bases, 30 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 56 games (213 plate appearances) for the Drive. That includes a .188/.325/.406 slash line from the right side of the plate and a .242/.347/.430 slash line from the left side.

Among the 131 hitters who made at least 210 trips to the plate in the South Atlantic League this year, Lopez ranked 21st in line-drive rate (25.6 percent), 22nd in walk rate (14.1 percent), 23rd in isolated power (.193), 34th in slugging percentage, 36th in wOBA (.355) and wRC+ (120), 38th in OPS (.768), 39th in speed score (6.9), 47th in on-base percentage, 52nd in strikeout rate (23 percent), and 59th in swinging-strike rate (12.3 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Lopez saw the majority of his playing time with Greenville come at first base after only making one career start there prior to this past season. The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder logged 332 1/3 innings at first, committing two errors in 279 chances. He also started three games in left field (where he recorded three assists), five starts in right field (where he recorded one assist), and seven games at DH.

Despite the large signing bonus and flashes of potential he showed, Lopez never emerged as a premier prospect in his six-plus years with the Red Sox organization. He was left off the club’s 38-player Triple-A reserve list for the second straight year last month, which allowed the Phillies to purchase his contract and add him to their system on Wednesday.

Lopez, who turns 23 in May, is on track to become eligible for minor-league free agency for the first time at the end of the 2025 season.

(Picture of Eduardo Lopez: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)