Despite playing in just 67 games this season, Red Sox catching/first base prospect Ronny Hernandez established himself as one of the organization’s most productive hitters.
Acquired from the White Sox for left-hander Chris Murphy last November, Hernandez enjoyed a power surge in his first season in the Red Sox system, more than doubling his career home run total during his time with High-A Greenville.
Due to a right quadriceps strain suffered late in camp, Hernandez stayed behind in Fort Myers for extended spring training before being activated from the injured list by Greenville on May 5. The 21-year-old made his organizational debut against Greensboro the following morning and had a day to remember, going 4-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk.
From there, Hernandez continued to produce. In 67 games for the Drive overall, the left-handed hitter batted a stout .304/.407/.548 with 11 doubles, a career-high 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, 50 runs scored, and as many walks as strikeouts (40) over 275 plate appearances. He slashed .308/.408/.593 in 218 plate appearances against righties and .292/.404/.375 in 57 plate appearances against lefties.
Among the 100 hitters in the South Atlantic League who logged at least 250 plate appearances in 2026, Hernandez ranked second in strikeout rate (14.5%), fourth in OPS (.955), fifth in wOBA (.421), sixth in batting average and wRC+ (141), ninth in on-base percentage, 10th in slugging percentage, 14th in swinging-strike rate (8.9%), 17th in isolated power (.243) and walk rate (14.5%), and 24th in line-drive rate (25%), according to FanGraphs.
Defensively, Hernandez split his playing time with Greenville between catcher and first base. In 22 starts behind the plate, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder allowed one passed ball and threw out just four of 79 would-be base stealers. In 34 starts at first base, he committed just one error in 221 chances. He also made 11 starts at DH.
Hernandez originally signed with the White Sox for $30,000 as an international free agent in June 2022. The Venezuelan native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League shortly thereafter before arriving stateside in 2023, when he was named an Arizona Complex League All-Star. He then spent the next two seasons with Chicago’s Low-A affiliate ahead of last November’s trade to Boston.
The Red Sox, as The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier noted back in May, “acquired Hernandez believing he made good swing decisions with strong bat-to-ball skills, with a chance for offensive impact if he could add bat speed.”
Greenville hitting coach Jarrett Pico echoed that sentiment in a separate conversation with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith earlier this summer.
“He’s always been a pretty good hitter in the minor leagues,” Pico said, “and he’s kind of been able to tap into some more power this year, which has been really awesome — and obviously something I think we identified could be some low-hanging fruit for him moving into this year.
“It wasn’t too much (bat) path or anything,” added Pico, noting that the Red Sox did not need to overhaul Hernandez’s swing. “I think it was more of an approach mindset for him. In January, when he got to Fort Myers, it was like, ‘This swing looks pretty good. It’s going to play.’ And I think it was more just of an approach mindset for him, and kind of shifting that mindset in terms of he’s obviously a guy who makes a lot of contact and makes a lot of good decisions and just kind of trying to do a little bit more damage.”
Hernandez, who turns 22 next month, is not currently ranked among Boston’s top prospects by publications such as Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, or SoxProspects.com. He can become Rule-5 eligible for the first time this winter if he is not added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster by the upcoming protection deadline, though the looming threat of a lockout clouds the situation.
Regardless, the likelihood of Hernandez being protected appears low given that he has yet to play above the High-A level. If he remains in the organization through the winter, SoxProspects.com projects Hernandez to make the jump to Double-A Portland to begin the 2027 season.
(Picture of Ronny Hernandez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
