From year to year, it’s always interesting to see what players get called up and contribute in their major league debuts. Last year, the Boston Red Sox had one of the best rookie classes in a while. This includes Rookie of the Year finalist Roman Anthony, Hunter Dobbins, and Carlos Narvaez, among others. This season, however, it’s time for a whole new class to be recognized. And they’re making an impact in a different spot.
While last year’s made an all-around impact, the rookies in the first few weeks of the season have worked well on the mound. These five pitchers are just making a name for themselves at the Major League level. Here they are, ranked based on their contributions thus far.
5. Ryan Watson
Ryan Watson was an interesting pickup. After going undrafted in 2020, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles but never made it past Triple-A. He then got traded to the San Francisco Giants in ‘24, then a year later, was offered up in the Rule Five Draft. The Athletics would go on and draft him before trading him to the Red Sox. At the major league level, he has struggled a bit, putting up an ERA of 7.36 through the first three weeks of the season.
There have been bad performances, such as his recent one against the Minnesota Twins, where he let up four runs. Then there’s the good outings, like when he didn’t allow a run in his Major League debut. There’s plenty of time for him to turn it around, but the inconsistencies have to put him in last place for right now.
4. Tyler Uberstine
Tyler Uberstine was brought up to fill the open roster spot due to the Johan Oviedo injury. However, it turns out he himself is on the injured list as of yesterday, per Chris Cotillo. The right-hander was drafted by the Red Sox in 2021 and actually started the opening game of Spring Training against Northeastern University. Uberstine only pitched one game, against the San Diego Padres on April 5th. He did decent in that game, letting up one run in 2 ⅔ innings pitched. With the amount of depth there is in possible starters being pushed to the bullpen, Uberstine might stick around in Triple-A. But time will tell.
3. Jack Anderson
The most recent of the five to make his debut, Jack Anderson had a great debut out of the bullpen. Against the Twins in a game that was a bit of a blowout, he came in after the damage was done. Other than giving up a home run to a red-hot Byron Buxton, his debut was one to remember. The 2021 draft pick struck out the first four batters he faced in his three-inning stint. Anderson was one of the many Red Sox players who appeared in the World Baseball Classic this year, pitching for Great Britain. On the 40-man roster currently, if he sticks around as a regular, he’s definitely a pitcher to keep around.
2. Tyler Samaniego
Tyler Samaniego was another pitcher that was acquired this offseason. Coming over to Boston in the Oviedo trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since coming to Boston, there’s an argument to be had that he’s been one of the best arms this season. In a little over five innings in spring training, he only let up one hit, as well as throwing 58% of his pitches for strikes.
He then came up to the majors, replacing Justin Slaten, who went down with an injury. So far in his Major League career, he’s pitched 3.2 innings and hasn’t allowed a single hit. It’s a small sample size, but if his 0.818 WHIP tells anything, it’s that he could be a very good pitcher in this organization. He unfortunately got sent down to Worcester to make room for Anderson to come up. However, with the performance he put on, there’s no doubt that he could be appearing in a Red Sox uniform again soon.
1. Connelly Early
Connelly Early has had the most experience of all of these guys at the MLB level by far. But as he came into 2026 ranking third on the Sox’s prospect list, he’s still technically under rookie qualifications. Last season, he made a playoff start for Boston, appearing in the Wild Card Series against New York. The southpaw got a spot on the Opening Day roster a couple of days before the season started. And since then, he hasn’t looked back. His walk rate is a bit high at 11.9%, but aside from that, he’s looking like the next great pitcher in the Sox system. His ERA is at 2.29, his OBA is just as good at .211, and he (roughly) strikes out a batter an inning. If he hones in on walking fewer batters, he could be in the running for American League Rookie of the Year.
Thus far into the season, it’s a good rookie class. Guys like Samaniego and Anderson could certainly make more appearances. If a batter like Franklin Arias breaks out and comes out, it’ll show the depth of the system well.
Main Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
