Red Sox Promote Pitching Prospect to Majors Before Triple-A Debut

On Tuesday, Boston Red Sox left-handed pitching prospect Eduardo Rivera made the jump from the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs to the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. Now, one day later, the southpaw is getting called up to the big leagues before he even threw a single pitch in Triple-A.

Rivera, Boston's No. 26 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, was added to the Red Sox's active roster on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the Red Sox optioned right-handed pitcher Jack Anderson to Triple-A after the reliever threw two innings in Boston's 4-0 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

This would seem to suggest that Rivera could be joining the Red Sox as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. Regardless of how he's used, though, the 22-year-old is poised to make his MLB debut after just two Double-A starts this year.

Eduardo Rivera might not be the only left-handed pitching prospect set to join the Red Sox

Mar 14, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Puerto Rico pitcher Eduardo Rivera (99) delivers a pitch during the second inning against Italy during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

So far in 2026, Rivera has produced impressive numbers in a small sample size. The young southpaw has a 0.90 ERA in two starts for Double-A Portland, giving up one run in 10 innings while striking out 16 batters and only walking three. So, while it's possible Rivera could be used out of the bullpen for Boston, he's also a potential candidate to earn a start, especially following the injury to Sonny Gray.

The Red Sox currently don't have a starter named for Thursday's game against the Yankees after Brayan Bello was pushed back to Friday, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. That seemingly opens the door for one of Boston's other lefty pitching prospects, Payton Tolle, to be in the running to get called up to the majors.

Triple-A Worcester manager Chad Tracy told MassLive.com's Katie Morrison-O'Day on Tuesday that there's a "pretty good likelihood" Tolle could join the Red Sox at some point this week. It'd make a ton of sense for the hard-throwing southpaw to get the start on Thursday, especially since he's already pitched in the majors, unlike Rivera.

But either way, with Rivera officially on Boston's roster now, many Red Sox fans will be curious to see if he gets to make his MLB debut in a game against the team's biggest rival.

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