Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Release 19-Year-Old Pitcher Who Received $300K Signing Bonus

A tough setback for a promising young arm
Jackson Roberts|
May 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove rests on the railing by the dugout prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
May 18, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove rests on the railing by the dugout prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

Finding quality pitching is a never-ending battle, and sometimes, you have to admit defeat on a young prospect. That's what the Boston Red Sox opted to do on Thursday.

As teams are looking to create minor league roster spots for their recent draft picks and post-draft amateur signings, expendable players in all farm systems are being cut loose. But one of the players the Red Sox chose to part ways with came into the organization with reasonably high expectations.

Chansol Lee, a 19-year-old right-handed pitcher from South Korea, was officially released on Thursday, according to the Minor League Baseball transactions log.

Lee made his Red Sox organizational debut in 2024, but only pitched two games in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, totaling 1 2/3 innings and two earned runs. He suffered a shoulder injury that limited his participation in spring training and landed him on the 60-day injured list for the entire 2025 season.

Lee signed with the Red Sox straight out of high school on his 18th birthday, Jul. 24, 2023. He received a $300,000 signing bonus to forgo professional baseball in his home country, per journalist Daniel Kim. Now, a week before his 20th birthday, he's facing his first major setback as a professional.

Korean-born players who forgo the Korean Baseball Organization draft in favor of signing with a Major League Baseball team have to wait two years after being released by their organization before they can return to the KBO.

Lee now faces a tough road ahead to reach his goals in professional baseball. But he showed enough talent as an amateur to entice the Red Sox, so if he can get healthy, there's always a path forward for pitchers who can miss bats.

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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