As the Red Sox scrambled to find a pathway into the playoffs in what was a trying month of September thanks to a raft of injuries to the team’s starting pitching rotation, one possibility that cropped up was the addition of prospect Luis Perales to the mix. Rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early had already had eye-opening late-season debuts with the big-league team, and the notion was that perhaps Perales could join them.
Of all the Red Sox’ pitching prospects, Perales probably remains the most enticing. He struck out 115 batters in 89.2 innings in Single A in 2023, then was on his way to showing more refinement as a pitcher in 2024 (nine starts, 33.2 innings, 56 strikeouts) at Single A and Double A when he injured his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery.
He was back on the mound this year. And team chief baseball honcho Craig Breslow even pointed to the possibility of Perales earning a late-year call-up.
As he said: “We’ll balance his recovery from Tommy John with the possibility that he can help us. He’s a really, really exciting young arm and before he got hurt, I think we saw a little bit of that upside with a fastball that’s (hitting) triple-digits and a dominant cutter and split.”
Luis Perales Hits 101 MPH in Fall League
Ultimately, Perales did not make the jump, but the good news for the Red Sox is this: He is in the fall league and continuing to show why he might be the team’s top pitching prospect, better even than Tolle and Early.
Perales threw 1.1 innings in the Arizona Fall League this week, and while the three walks and a hit are a concern, the big number was 101. That’s the speed his fastball hit, according to MLB.com. Perales was consistently around 99 mph, but topped triple digits up to 101.
“It just felt good being out there competing and just kind of building off of that,” Perales said, via an interpreter. “I felt good, felt strong. The cutter is one of my better secondaries, so just seeing it perform today felt good. It also was just kind of a testament to the hard work I put in during the rehab and on to right now.”
Red Sox See a Front-End Starter
MLB Pipeline ranks Perales as the No. 9 prospect in the Red Sox farm system, and as the team has tried to build up its pitching depth in the minors, he’s been surpassed by other arms. Tolle is the No. 2 overall prospect, and Early is No. 6. June 2025 first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon is No. 4 on the list and No. 5 is Brandon Clarke, the 6-foot-4 22-year old who was the team’s fifth-round pick in 2024.
At 6-foot-1, 160, it’s fair to question whether Perales can physically hold up to be a top-end starter. But the Red Sox think he can.
Writes Pipeline in its scouting report: “Perales makes up for a lack of physicality with lightning-quick arm speed that generates four-seam fastballs that sit at 95-98 mph and touch 99 with a flat approach angle and huge carry up in the strike zone. …
“While Perales is athletic and gets down the mound well to create extension, he’s also small for a starter and throws with some effort. … The Red Sox still are convinced that he can become a frontline starter, though he’ll miss the 2025 season and other clubs think it’s more likely he’ll become a closer.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Red Sox’s ‘Lightning’ Prospect Delivers Good News in Injury Comeback appeared first on Heavy Sports.