Top Boston Red Sox Prospects Who Could Contribute in 2026
These five Boston Red Sox prospects are poised to make an impact at the MLB level at some point during the 2026 season.
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After the Boston Red Sox’s “Big Four” prospects entering 2025 all graduated or were traded, new names quickly established themselves in the farm system. By the season’s end, Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects list had five Red Sox farmhands.
While two of these players, No. 43 Luis Perales and No. 74 Jhostynxon Garcia, were traded during the offseason, what remains is still an older farm system, ready to fight for a spot on the major-league roster.
At the end of last season, No. 29 Connelly Early and No. 33 Payton Tolle received their MLB callups, with Early starting Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Yankees.
Looking forward to 2026, the Red Sox have a few positions of need. First is the infield, with the second base and third base jobs up for grabs.
Secondly, the Sox’s rotation likely has four spots locked down after the signing of Ranger Suarez. That fifth spot, however, will likely come down to a battle between a gaggle of young arms, with several others potentially filling up the bullpen.
Connelly Early (LHP, Just Baseball No. 29)
If there is one current prospect that seems most capable of joining the rotation on Opening Day, it is without a doubt Connelly Early. The 23-year-old made an impact from his very first start down the stretch in 2025, with five scoreless frames and 11 strikeouts against the A’s.
It also showed a lot of faith in the young starter when Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave him the nod for Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. While part of this was certainly a result of injuries to Lucas Giolito, Early had an impressive stint in just four starts with the Sox.
Fans don’t remember that postseason result fondly, but much of Early’s struggles in that start were a result of shaky defense and soft-contact hits.
Looking forward to his 2026 rotation chances, what separates Early is a wide arsenal of pitches. He has six unique pitches, including a four-seam fastball, sinker, and four off-speed offerings. This kitchen sink of pitch types allows Early to pitch in reverse to many hitters.
While the competition for the fifth rotation spot will be a battle between Early, Tolle, and Johan Oviedo, among others, it’s hard to deny Early as the, well, “early” favorite. And if he does lose the spot to Oviedo, Early will likely be the first call-up in the case of injury.
Payton Tolle (LHP, Just Baseball No. 33)
In just over a year, Payton Tolle rose from a second-round draft pick to a top prospect holding his own against Paul Skenes.
After that first start against Pittsburgh, however, Tolle faltered down the stretch, making three starts and four appearances out of the pen to the tune of a 6.06 ERA. What separates Tolle from a guy like Early, however, is his higher ceiling.
Tolle’s fastball averaged 96.7 mph in this short MLB sample, with the capability of hitting triple digits. However, with Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey’s tendency to decrease the fastball rates of his starters, don’t be surprised if Tolle’s arsenal sees a slight revamp in 2026 to reduce the 64.1% usage rate on his four-seam fastball.
The truth with Tolle, though, is that his development was rushed last season. The southpaw pitched just 27 innings in Double-A and 15 in Triple-A before his call-up, making the late-season struggles a bit more contextualized.
When it comes to how Tolle fits into Boston’s puzzle in 2026, there are two ways his case could go.
Option A sees him start the season in Triple-A Worcester, get the reps he missed out on last season, and build up his stamina for a full season’s workload. Option B has Tolle starting in the bullpen, which would allow his elite stuff to shine, before transitioning to a starting role either late in 2026 or by 2027.
While there is a world where Tolle is in the Opening Day rotation or becomes an early fill-in should injuries arise, this just doesn’t seem like the most likely solution. Tolle needs additional time to develop, an invaluable piece to a promising young arm.
David Sandlin (RHP)
Sandlin poses a fascinating conundrum for the Red Sox. On one hand, Sandlin was excellent in Double-A last season, posting a 3.61 ERA and 9.4 K/9 across 82.1 innings. After transitioning to the bullpen in Triple-A, though, Sandlin wasn’t the same, struggling to a 7.61 ERA with his K-BB ratio dropping from 3.19 to 1.62.
Is Sandlin a fit to join the Sox rotation in 2026? Likely not. But if he can manage to reduce his heightened 4.9 BB/9 ratio from 23.2 Triple-A frames, Sandlin could be a legitimate bullpen candidate in Boston.
A late bloomer who didn’t play varsity baseball until his senior year, the 24-year-old Sandlin has long been overlooked across baseball rosters. After the Red Sox drafted him in the 12th round in 2022, Sandlin took a turn in the minors. His fastball now sits in the high 90s, and he began touching triple digits ahead of the 2024 season.
Sandlin also boasts four off-speed pitches, although some argue his slider appears closer to a cutter. Regardless, should Sandlin find a better way to locate his fastball and work in these off-speed tools as additional putaway pitches, there’s a strong chance he could join the major-league bullpen in 2026.
Jake Bennett (LHP)
In a one-for-one prospect swap with the Nationals, the Red Sox acquired Jake Bennett for Luis Perales. Just Baseball readers may be confused at that trade after seeing Perales at No. 43 and Bennett off the list entirely. Although, it’s undeniable that Bennett fits the archetype of pitcher that Craig Breslow has targeted all offseason.
Bennett stands at 6-foot-6, 243 pounds. While my immediate instinct was that someone with Bennett’s frame would be a powerballer, his 50-grade fastball pales in comparison to his 60-grade changeup.
After injury troubles slowed the progression of the 2022 second rounder, Bennett had a real coming-out party in 2025, posting a 2.39 ERA in 75.1 innings across three levels.
While Bennett has yet to reach Triple-A, likely leaving him in the minors to start the season, his fast progression last season makes him poised to become a breakout candidate in 2026. His innings were limited last season, so look for him to get stretched out more this season.
However, with an incredibly crowded Red Sox rotation, Bennett falls in a similar place as David Sandlin. Both are arms with the potential to become future starters, but who likely project as bullpen arms in the short term. That being said, don’t be surprised if Bennett is given some high-leverage innings down the stretch.
Mikey Romero (INF)
Romero is another guy who isn’t likely to compete for an Opening Day job but could be an impactful midseason callup. With Boston’s variety of options at second base and third base, a job is open for Romero should he have the skills to take it.
Last week, I offered several solutions for the third base job, but left Romero off the list due to his youth. Since then, Boston traded third baseman Tristan Gray, who I saw as a dark-horse third base candidate with legitimate potential, clearing out some competition for Romero.
In terms of Opening Day, Boston’s infield is likely to include some combination of Marcelo Mayer, Romy González, Kristian Campbell, Nate Eaton, and Nick Sogard. But should Romero boost his Triple-A numbers (.232/.276/.469 across 45 games), he could be joining the starting lineup by the end of the season.
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Gabe Shumway is a prospect writer for Just Baseball. He is a student at Northwestern University studying Journalism and Environmental Policy, and can be seen or…