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BOSTON — Red Sox rookie Eduardo Rivera had the 2026 World Baseball Classic logo tattooed onto his left arm after pitching for Puerto Rico.
“I think the exposure in the World Baseball Classic was key for me to be on the Red Sox’ radar sooner rather than later,” Rivera said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez.
Rivera, who turned 23 on June 13, wasn’t one of the three left-handed pitchers who the Red Sox invited to 2026 big league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee.
But when the 6-foot-7, 275-pound left-hander struck out five, reached 97.4 mph with his fastball and allowed just one hit in 4 ⅓ innings in a WBC start against Panama on March 7, the Red Sox knew they needed to call him up from minor league camp to pitch in a Grapefruit League game when he returned.
“Hopefully after the tournament, we can bring him here, face a few lefties and pitch here for us so people can see him,” then-manager Alex Cora said during the WBC.
The Red Sox did bring up Rivera to pitch in a big league spring training game against the Rays on March 20. He threw a scoreless inning. He made his MLB debut just over a month later.
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“I thought I was going to be able to make it to the majors by the end of the year. Not so fast,” Rivera said. “But I think they realized the arm that I had and the talent that I had (in the WBC).”
He said that’s one of the reasons he got the tattoo.
“I feel like it was a very good showcase for me,” he said. “And it was very important for me and my family and for my country. I’m proud to be part of that team and represent Puerto Rico.”
Rivera began the regular season in Double-A but quickly earned a promotion to Triple-A Worcester on April 21. The Sox then promoted him to Boston the next day. He tossed 3 ⅓ scoreless innings and allowed just one hit against the Yankees in his major league debut April 22.
Inside the the WBC logo, he had the No. 99 tattooed onto his arm.
“That’s the jersey number I wore with Puerto Rico, also here,” he said. “I felt like, why leave the middle circle empty if I can have something in there?”
Baseball America ranks Rivera the No. 18 prospect in Boston’s system. He entered the season unranked.
He has spent most of the season with Worcester, where he posted a 2.84 ERA and .189 opponents’ batting average in 20 outings (two starts).
He was optioned back to Worcester on April 23, the day after his MLB debut. He didn’t return to pitch for Boston until two days before the All-Star break when he threw 3 ⅔ scoreless innings against the Mets in a start at Citi Field.
Two years ago, he was completely off the radar after the Athletics released him May 21, 2024.
The A’s initially drafted him in the 11th round in 2021. He struggled with control in their system, posting a 12.9% walk percentage from 2021-24.
He began the 2024 season with Oakland’s High-A affiliate, Lansing, where he walked 10 batters and allowed 11 hits in 8 ⅓ innings across four outings (two starts). The A’s demoted him to Low-A affiliate, Stockton, where he pitched 2 ⅔ scoreless innings over four relief appearances before his release.
He returned home to Puerto Rico and then signed with the Red Sox on June 12, 2024, one day before his 21st birthday.
“At that moment, we were only talking to two teams,” Rivera said. “The Red Sox were the team that showed more interest.”
He wouldn’t reveal the other team.
“The role that I was in, it wasn’t the one I was looking for, the one they talked to me (about),” Rivera said. “I asked for my release. They granted my release. And when I went home, I kept working and that’s when the Red Sox called.”
He has thrived in the Red Sox organization, posting a 1.99 ERA and .175 opponents’ batting average in six outings (four starts) at Low-A Salem to close out the 2024 season.
He has held opponents to a .189 batting average or lower at every stop in the Red Sox minor league system beginning with Salem.
He takes nothing for granted. He arrived to Fenway Park for his first day in the majors 2 ½ hours before the Red Sox told him to get there.
“The coaches I’ve been working with since I got here, everybody has been key in being in the zone more and also playing in Puerto Rico in the winter league has helped me a lot with that,” Rivera said.
Red Sox minor league home run leaders
Luke Heyman belted a home run for Greenville on Sunday, his 16th. Meanwhile, Brooks Brannon belted his 16th home run for Double-A Portland on Tuesday.
Heyman and Brannon are now tied with Greenville’s Yoeilin Cespedes for the second-most home runs in the Red Sox system.
Boston acquired Heyman from the Mariners on Nov. 18 for minor-league pitcher Alex Hoppe.
Heyman’s homer went off the apartment complex beyond left-center field at Greenville’s Fluor Field.
| Red Sox minor league home run leaders | Homers | Games | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Arias | 18 | 73 | Portland |
| Luke Heyman | 16 | 73 | Salem/Greenville |
| Yoeilin Cespedes | 16 | 75 | Greenville |
| Brooks Brannon | 16 | 58 | Portland |
| Mason White | 14 | 70 | Greenville/Portland |
| Jack Winnay | 14 | 76 | Greenville/Portland |
| Isaiah Jackson | 13 | 71 | Greenville |
| Enddy Azocar | 13 | 76 | Salem/Greenville |
| Yophery Rodriguez | 13 | 69 | Greenville |
| Johanfran Garcia | 12 | 54 | Portland |
| Justin Gonzales | 12 | 72 | Greenville |
Winnay batting .342 with Portland
Jack Winnay went 2 for 4 with a home run in Double-A Portland’s 4-3 win over Binghamton on Tuesday.
Winnay has 14 home runs combined between High-A Greenville and Portland.
Since his promotion to Portland, the 23-year-old is batting .342 with a .398 on-base percentage, .526 slugging percentage, .924 OPS, three home runs and five doubles in 20 games (83 plate appearances).
Winnay — a Belmont Hill School graduate from Newton — is a 2025 13th-round draft pick out of Wake Forest.
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