Red Sox Pitching Prospect Could Be X-Factor During Playoff Push

The Boston Red Sox already bolstered their pitching staff at the MLB Trade Deadline, trading for Steven Matz and Dustin May at the end of July. However, more reinforcements could be on the way when rosters expand in September.

One potential candidate is left-hander Payton Tolle, the organization’s top pitching prospect (No. 3 overall) per MLB Pipeline. He was promoted to Triple-A Worcester earlier this month and could be ready for the Major Leagues by September.

The Red Sox also may consider bringing up right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales. According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the club hasn’t ruled out promoting him before the end of the season.

Perales, 22, is Boston’s No. 4 pitching prospect and No. 8 overall. He hasn’t pitched in a game this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, but he’s been throwing bullpens and is expected to throw live batting practice by the end of the month.

According to @alexspeier RHP Luis Perales (22yrs old) could be a potential X-factor for the Red Sox down the stretch:

Perales had Tommy John surgery over a year ago, and is on track to start throwing live batting practice at the end of the month. Given his potential for a… pic.twitter.com/owPhtsuIcS

— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) August 11, 2025

While he’s yet to appear above Double-A (and only pitched two games there), Perales could be an option out of the bullpen with his high velocity and nasty secondary pitches.

“If everything goes according to schedule, and that’s always an if, there’s a high velocity arm with multiple spin pitches and a splitter that we’re pretty excited about,” Director of Pitching Justin Willard told Speier.

While Perales’ skills and potential are impressive, throwing such an unproven arm into the heat of a playoff race could be risky. Not only is he coming back from Tommy John surgery, but he’s also inexperienced. He hasn’t seen game action in over a year and has thrown only 7 1/3 innings at Double-A.

Rushing him to the Major Leagues would be a big jump for him, and he may not be ready for it. With the Red Sox fighting for playoff positioning, they can’t afford to let Perales learn on the fly, especially with so many other young players already on the roster.

They’re probably better off letting him gain more experience and work his way back from injury in the minors, then calling him up next year if he’s ready. But right now, there’s too much uncertainty around how he’ll perform to trust him during such a critical point in the season.