Red Sox round out 40-man roster with two top prospects

BOSTON -- The Red Sox added two of their Top 30 prospects -- outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and righty Hunter Dobbins -- to the 40-man roster on Tuesday, thus protecting them for the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

Garcia, Boston’s No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, led Red Sox Minor Leaguers with 23 home runs in 2024.

The 21-year-old hit .286 with an .892 OPS while stealing 17 bases over 107 games split between Single-A Salem, High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland this year.

The right-handed hitter from Venezuela made 61 starts in center field, 28 in right field and 16 at DH. He signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent on July 2, 2019.

Dobbins, Boston’s No. 21 prospect, was recognized as the organization’s Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year after a season in which he went 8-5 with a 3.08 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 125 2/3 innings over 25 starts -- 21 of them for Portland and four with Triple-A Worcester.

He ranked third in the Minor Leagues (minimum of 100 innings) in home runs allowed per nine innings (0.14), giving up just two on the season. The Sox selected Dobbins in the eighth round of the 2021 Draft out of Texas Tech.

To make room for Dobbins and Garcia on the roster, the Sox designated right-handers Isaiah Campbell and Bryan Mata for assignment.

Mata was once one of the club’s top prospects, but a barrage of injuries prevented him from making his Major League debut.

The 25-year-old was out of options in 2024 but missed the entire season after being placed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain on March 25. He also ran into several arm issues. The Sox signed Mata as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January 2016. He posted a 3.46 ERA in 108 Minor League games -- 101 of them starts.

Campbell was acquired from the Mariners for infielder Luis Urías on Nov. 17, 2023, as the first trade made by Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

The big righty pitched in just eight games for the Red Sox, allowing 13 runs (12 earned) in 6 2/3 innings.

The 27-year-old has a 5.35 ERA over 35 career outings in the Majors.

Here is how Boston's 40-man roster looks after the moves.

Pitchers (24): Brayan Bello, Brennan Bernardino, Cam Booser, Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Lucas Giolito, Wikelman Gonzalez, Luis Guerrero, Liam Hendriks, Bailey Horn, Tanner Houck, Zack Kelly, Chris Murphy, Zach Penrod, Luis Perales, Quinn Priester, Chase Shugart, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Wilson, Josh Winckowski

Catchers (1): Connor Wong

Infielders (6): Triston Casas, Rafael Devers, Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Trevor Story, Enmanuel Valdez

Outfielders (5): Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Jhostynxon Garcia, Rob Refsnyder, Masataka Yoshida

Infielder/Outfielders (4): Mickey Gasper, Romy Gonzalez, Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Sogard