Three Red Sox prospects to watch in 2026

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BOSTON -- Not only was 2025 a year of rejuvenation for the Red Sox at the Major League level, as evidenced by the club’s first postseason appearance in four years, but it was one of pride for the farm system.

The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell all made their debuts and graduated from prospect status.

Anthony, in particular, looked like a star in the making. He produced a bWAR of 3.1 in just 71 games before his season ended abruptly with a left oblique injury on Sept. 2.

For Mayer and Campbell, there were flashes, but not the same consistency that Anthony displayed. Mayer’s defense was strong at third base and second base but durability was again an issue as his season ended on July 23 after 44 games with a right wrist injury that required surgery. As for Campbell, he was the story of the start of the season, winning American League Rookie of the Month in April but slumping after that and getting optioned to Triple-A on June 20.

While that trio will still occupy some of the spotlight heading into next season, there is also room for a new wave of prospects to become a more focal part of the mix in ’26.

Here are three to watch:

LHP Payton Tolle
MLB Pipeline prospect rankings: Red Sox No. 2, overall No. 28
The power lefty took the mound with great fanfare for his Major League debut on Aug. 29 versus young Pirates superstar Paul Skenes. Showing flashes of brilliance early, Tolle wore down later in the outing -- an eventual 4-2 loss. But the performance left Red Sox fans thirsting for more in the coming years. Tolle made just two more starts the rest of the season for a team that was fighting throughout September for a postseason berth.

But he also got his feet wet in a bullpen role late in the regular season and retired the only batter he faced in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.

Without question, the Sox still see Tolle as a starter. He is just 15 months removed from being drafted out of TCU. However, if Tolle is to win a spot in the rotation during Spring Training, he will need to gain better command of his secondary stuff. His fastball hit 100 mph multiple times during his first taste of MLB life. But even the hardest throwers can’t get by on just a heater.

OF Jhostynxon Garcia
MLB Pipeline rankings: Red Sox No. 3, overall No. 85
Playfully nicknamed “The Password” due to the spelling of his first name, Garcia found brief entry to the Major Leagues when some injuries to the outfield led to his callup on Aug. 21. The right-handed hitter known for his power and defense got three starts during his first week in the Majors and went 1-for-7. That small sample size did nothing to diminish the excitement for Garcia, who was the organization’s Offensive Player of the Year.

With Rob Refsnyder, Boston’s resident right-handed masher in the outfield against lefty starters, up for free agency, it will be interesting to see if the Sox wind up giving Garcia a chance to take over that job. Garcia could get the chance to prove he’s a player who can also play against righties.

The 22-year-old will be a player to watch in Spring Training. The level of his opportunity could depend on if a trade lifts some of the logjam in the Boston outfield. Following his promotion to Triple-A Worcester, Garcia belted 18 homers in 317 at-bats.

LHP Connelly Early
MLB Pipeline ranking: Red Sox No. 6
Early should stay warm in the winter thinking about how he went toe-to-toe with Cam Schlittler for the first three innings of a winner-take-all Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium. Though a pair of defensive malfunctions by the Red Sox led to Early’s exit with the fourth inning still in progress, his show of poise while making just his fifth MLB start was impressive.

In this age of velocity, Early is more of a true pitcher, averaging 94 mph on his fastball. But his arsenal of six pitches allows him to miss bats. Early punched out 11 in his debut in West Sacramento and had 29 strikeouts over 19 1/3 innings in four regular-season starts. Against the Yankees in the postseason start, six of the 11 outs Early accumulated were on strikeouts. The key for Early this winter will be to continue getting strong enough to withstand the rigors of a full Major League season.