Red Sox Announce Decision on Future of 22-Year-Old Top-15 Prospect

August 13, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

The Red Sox announced a decision affecting the future of a 22-year-old Top-15 prospect regarded as one of the organization’s promising arms. GettyJedixson Paez, then of the Chicago White Sox, pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning during his MLB debut on Opening Day at American Family Field on March 26, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Getty

The Boston Red Sox announced a decision affecting the future of a 22-year-old Top-15 prospect who has emerged as one of the organization’s most promising young pitchers.

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Known for his ability to consistently throw strikes, the right-hander has climbed Boston’s prospect rankings, making the Red Sox’s latest decision an important development in his path toward the major leagues.

The move sends Jedixson Paez from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester just eight months after Boston left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, watched the Chicago White Sox scoop him up, then got him back in early April.

GettyJedixson Paez, then of the Chicago White Sox, pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers in the sixth inning during his MLB debut on Opening Day at American Family Field on March 26, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Jedixson Paez’s Path to Triple-A Worcester

Boston’s official transactions log confirmed the assignment Wednesday, moving Paez up a level after a strong run through Double-A. He signed with the Red Sox out of Tinaquillo, Venezuela, landing an international free agent bonus of $450,000 in January 2021, one of the larger bonuses the club handed a pitcher during that signing period. He earned the organization’s Latin Program Pitcher of the Year honor after his 2021 debut season in the Dominican Summer League.

Paez stands 6-foot-1 and throws from a low three-quarters slot that helps him hide the ball, a delivery SoxProspects.com describes as loose and athletic despite some effort and a noticeable head whack. His fastball sits 89-92 mph and tops out around 94, modest for a starting pitching prospect, but he pairs it with an above-average changeup, a chase-inducing slider and a curveball with tight, late rotation.

Over 307 2/3 career minor league innings, Paez has posted a 3.22 ERA backed by elite control numbers. A severe right calf strain cost him more than three months of the 2025 season at High-A Greenville, but he returned healthy and dominant, then carried that form into this year at Portland, where he worked 49 innings, struck out 56 batters and walked only five. MLB Pipeline lists him as Boston’s No. 15 overall prospect, and Paez has cited former Seattle Mariners ace FÃ©lix HernÃ¡ndez as the pitcher he idolized growing up in Venezuela.

Red Sox Rule 5 Draft Fallout

The Red Sox left Paez off their 40-man roster last November, exposing him to the Rule 5 Draft. The White Sox took him with the second overall pick that December and carried him onto their Opening Day roster, a decision that quickly backfired. Paez made three appearances for Chicago, allowing six earned runs and two home runs without recording a single strikeout across three innings, a stretch that produced an 18.00 ERA. Chicago designated him for assignment in early April, he cleared waivers, and Boston paid a $50,000 return fee to get him back, a formality required under Rule 5 procedure once a player goes unclaimed.

That White Sox flop hasn’t dimmed Boston’s outlook on Paez. FanGraphs ranked him the No. 20 prospect in a deep Red Sox farm system rankings published in May, assigning him a 40 Future Value grade and crediting his rare blend of control and secondary-pitch feel. Analysts Brendan Gawlowski and Eric Longenhagen wrote that his command projects toward elite territory even as limited fastball velocity caps his likely ceiling at a back-end starter or valuable multi-inning relief piece, with an estimated big league timeline of mid-2027.

Worcester now becomes the proving ground. If Paez keeps missing bats without missing the strike zone, the Rule 5 fiasco could end up looking like nothing more than an early speed bump on the road back to the majors.