The Boston Red Sox dropped a 6-4 decision to the worst team in the American League on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Angels. The loss meant that Boston lost two of three to the Angels and fell to 4 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card race.
Boston sends the major league leader in wins to the mound, Sonny Gray with 17, as the Kansas City Royals visit Fenway Park for a three-game set opening Friday.
Before the Royals game, the Red Sox made an announcement about a pitcher described in one scouting report as throwing “one of the best curveballs” in the Red Sox system.
The Red Sox announced that they had activated pitching prospect Yordanny Monegro from the 60-day injured list back to Double-A Portland, capping a comeback that began with a rehab assignment in August.
The move was officially posted on the minor league transaction ledger Friday.
The move caps a grinding return from Tommy John surgery that cost Monegro the back half of a breakout 2025 season and knocked him down Boston’s crowded pitching prospect rankings.
Yordanny Monegro’s Long Road Back From Tommy John Surgery
Portland first flagged Monegro with elbow inflammation on June 14, 2025, a day after he lasted just 1 1/3 innings in a June 13 start. Testing revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament, and surgery followed that August, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
At the time of the injury, Monegro was 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 49 strikeouts against eight walks in 33 2/3 innings, a strikeout rate ranked third-highest among minor league pitchers with at least 30 innings. Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard had praised his progress weeks earlier.
“This is the best version of Monegro we have seen from his work and preparation to the execution of his plan,” Willard said, as quoted by the Globe. “It’s always been fun to watch him compete, but now he is doing the other things to take the next step.”
The elbow wasn’t Monegro’s first physical setback. He also missed the start of 2024 with right shoulder weakness that spring and didn’t break camp with an affiliate that year.
Monegro finally got back on a mound Aug. 28 with High-A Greenville, throwing 31 pitches over 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and three walks. A second rehab start produced two innings, two runs and four strikeouts before Boston cleared him for Double-A.
| BOSTON RED SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Sonny Gray (RHP) • 17-4, 2.69 ERA | ||||
| September 11, 2026 • Fenway Park, Boston, MA • 7:10 PM EDT • Royals at Red Sox | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Roman Anthony | LF | .236 | .382 |
| 2 | Mickey Gasper | DH | .264 | .479 |
| 3 | Adley Rutschman | C | .237 | .424 |
| 4 | Wilyer Abreu | RF | .256 | .465 |
| 5 | Trevor Story | SS | .233 | .335 |
| 6 | Nick Sogard | 1B | .266 | .402 |
| 7 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | .248 | .379 |
| 8 | Jarren Duran | CF | .207 | .367 |
| 9 | Isiah Kiner-Falefa | 2B | .269 | .351 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats shown (AVG / SLG). | ||||
Yordanny Monegro’s Rise Through the Red Sox Farm System
Boston signed Monegro as an international free agent on Feb. 20, 2020, for a relatively meager signing bonus of $35,000. Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the 6-foot-4 right-hander debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 before a rough 2022 in the Florida Complex League.
His stuff took off in 2023, posting a 2.06 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings across three levels and earning SoxProspects Pitcher of the Year honors. A 2024 season interrupted by the shoulder issue still produced a 2.73 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 66 innings at Greenville. That climb ranked him as high as No. 17 on Baseball America’s system list entering 2025, before the injury dropped him to No. 30 on MLB Pipeline’s rankings and a matching No. 30 spot on a May prospect list from FanGraphs.
Monegro leans on a short slider in the high 80s as his primary weapon, backed by an upper-70s curveball scouts rate among the system’s best. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, touching 97, though it plays down due to flat shape, with a splitter that is still inconsistent.
Evaluators are split on his long-term role. MLB Pipeline sees enough pitches to start him, while a bullpen shift could let his velocity climb. SoxProspects projects a multi-inning relief future unless the fastball and changeup improve. Boston left him off the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 deadline, meaning he could be claimed by any team in the December Rule 5 draft. But with an ETA of mid-2028, the Red Sox still see a path to Fenway Park.
| KANSAS CITY ROYALS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Seth Lugo (RHP) • 6-8, 5.04 ERA | ||||
| September 11, 2026 • Fenway Park, Boston, MA • 7:10 PM EDT • Royals at Red Sox | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Carter Jensen | C | .229 | .443 |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | .282 | .454 |
| 3 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B | .240 | .385 |
| 4 | Salvador Perez | DH | .228 | .383 |
| 5 | Michael Massey | 2B | .278 | .439 |
| 6 | John Rave | RF | .233 | .456 |
| 7 | Nick Loftin | 3B | .235 | .381 |
| 8 | Kyle Isbel | CF | .226 | .337 |
| 9 | Isaac Collins | LF | .221 | .336 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats shown (AVG / SLG). | ||||
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