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‘Really strong’ Red Sox prospect has gained approximately 27 pounds since signing top bonus
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- ‘Really strong’ Red Sox prospect has gained approximately 27 pounds since signing top bonus
Dorian Soto has gained approximately 27 pounds in strength-building weight since the Red Sox signed him out of the Dominican Republic on Jan. 15, 2025.
He was listed at 6 foot 2, 180 pounds as a 16-year-old shortstop when he received the highest bonus ($1.4 million) of anyone in Boston ’s 2025 international signing class.
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Now 18, Soto is 207 pounds after 15 months working with the Sox’ strength and conditioning team.
“So far he’s made a lot of tremendous progress both on the physical front and on the fundamental front,” assistant general manager Eddie Romero said.
Baseball America ranks Soto the Red Sox ’ No. 8 overall prospect. Last summer as a 17-year-old, he batted .307 with a .362 on-base percentage, .428 slugging percentage and 14 extra-base hits in 47 games (186 plate appearances) in the Dominican Summer League.
He’s at extended spring training in Fort Myers and likely will join the Florida Complex League Red Sox when they open their season May 2.
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“He’s gotten really strong,” Romero said. “He’s still 18 years old and so really learning how to use his body. And I think that’s one of like the biggest parts. He’s done a good job of adding the weight. Now it’s having it kind of like transfer and keeping his agility and range over at shortstop.”
Scouting reports dating back to before he signed have said he might eventually need to move off shortstop as he continues to grow. Baseball America’s projected 2029 Red Sox lineup has him at third base, Franklin Arias at shortstop and Marcelo Mayer at second base.
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The switch-hitter has above-average power and an advanced approach for his age that helped him keep his strikeout percentage to 15% in the DSL. He’s better from the left side right now but “exhibits good baseline traits from both sides and the aptitude to hone his swings and improve,” according to his Baseball America scouting report.
“He’s done a lot of work in the cage,” Romero said. “He’s got a really strong two-strike adjustment that he makes in his swing.”
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During spring training, Baseball America prospect writer Ian Cundall posted a video on X showing Soto’s two-strike adjustment. He widens his base and shortens up:
“Basically it’s just getting some innings under his belt. He just needs to see some live pitch and get into game activity and get those at-bats under his belt,” Romero said. “But it’s been good progress so far.”
The Red Sox were impressed with his approach and ability to drive the ball during his live batting practice and in-game at-bats during minor league spring training camp.
“He’s got a long ways to go on the developmental curve but we’re obviously excited about him,” Romero said.
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His Baseball America scouting report noted that “he produced explosive contact” as an amateur and the “significant strength and size since signing” creates “formidable offensive potential.” BA added, “He generates plenty of bat speed with a whippy—and sometimes long—swing, resulting in a 90th percentile exit velocity of 102 mph. He’s aggressive on pitches in the zone but has strong bat-to-ball traits."
Arias bashes another home run
The Red Sox asked 20-year-old Franklin Arias to add weight in the offseason and he put on approximately 10 pounds .
The development staff also has worked with him to improve his point of contact, getting a bit further out in front as a way to more consistently hit the ball in the air.
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The results have shown so far. Arias, who Baseball America ranks Boston’s No. 2 prospect, belted his fourth home run in 11 games for Double-A Portland on Tuesday. He had just eight home runs in 116 games last year.
He hit a 440-foot, 106 mph blast last week.
He’s gone 16 for 35 (.457) with a .545 on-base percentage, .857 slugging percentage and six extra-base hits.
His four home runs leads all Red Sox minor leaguers, and he has more walks (five) than strikeouts (four).
Two promotions in two days for Rivera
Hard-throwing lefty Eduardo Rivera was promoted from Portland to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. Having never pitched at the Triple-A level, the Red Sox will promote the 6-foot-7 Puerto Rican to Boston on Wednesday .
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The 22-year-old allowed just one run, six hits and three walks while striking out 16 in 10 innings over two starts with Portland.
He has held opponents to a .175 batting average in 28 outings (21 starts) at Low-A, High-A and Double-A since Boston signed him in June 2024 after the Athletics surprisingly released him. The Red Sox targeted him quickly.
“Age, physicality, velo, left-handed,” director of professional scouting Harrison Slutsky said last season . “Let’s not overthink this one. We wanted to get him in our program.”
He throws a heavy dose of four-seam fastballs while also mixing in a sinker, slider and changeup.
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Guerrero averaging 98.3 mph
Tayron Guerrero has thrown 65 four-seam fastballs for Worcester, averaging 98.3 mph with a perceived velocity of 99.4 mph.
Guerrero has allowed just one run, four hits and one walk while striking out eight in 6 ⅓ innings.
The most promising stat — the one walk.
The 35-year-old, who signed a minor league deal in the offseason, has had trouble with control in his career, averaging 5.7 walks per nine innings in 427 outings between the minors and majors.
Romero’s underlying stats
Red Sox infield prospect Mikey Romero’s stats with Worcester don’t jump off the page so far.
He’s 19 for 78 (.244) with a .322 on-base percentage, .359 slugging percentage and seven extra-base hits (one homer, six doubles) in 20 games.
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But he has the hardest average exit velocity for balls in play ( 95.5 mph ) among WooSox hitters. He also has the highest hard hit percentage (58.9%) on the team.
Cheng has .944 OPS
Infielder Tsung-Che Cheng , a 24-year-old who Boston claimed off waivers from the Nationals on Feb. 6 , is 15 for 56 (.268) with a .408 on-base percentage, .536 slugging percentage, .944 OPS, three home runs, two doubles and two triples in 17 games for the WooSox.
The left-handed hitter has the second best hard hit percentage (45.9%) and fourth highest average exit velocity (91.1 mph) among WooSox players.
He’s known for being a contact hitter and strong defender.
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