That’s impressive, but it’s nothing new for the Romero family.
Romero’s two older sisters, 31-year-old Sierra and 28-year-old Sydney, are stars in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League that debuted last year. The league, which is backed by Major League Baseball, has expanded to six teams that will play 25-game schedules starting in June.
Maya Brady, Tom Brady’s niece and a former All-American at UCLA, was the first pick of the expansion draft in December. Former Marlins general manager and MLB executive Kim Ng is the league’s commissioner.
Sierra Romero was a four-time All-America at Michigan and considered one of the greatest college softball players in history. She hit .441 for the Wolverines with 82 home runs and 305 RBIs in 252 games. She now plays for the Texas Volts.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Sydney Romero was a two-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma who was the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2019 and a finalist for national player of the year. She is an assistant coach at Oregon in addition to playing for the Oklahoma City Spark in the AUSL.
A third sister, 20-year-old Sophia, is a redshirt sophomore outfielder at Boise State.
“I like to say my little sister could be the best one,” Mikey Romero said. “She got all the little stuff that we all picked up over the years.”
Sierra and Sydney hit into a small net growing up in California. But by the time Mikey got serious about improving, there was a full batting cage in the back yard of the family home.
“With the similarities of baseball and softball, it was easy for me to want to play baseball after seeing my sisters play,” he said. “Being around them kind of pushed me. It seemed like my family always had a game to go to when I was growing up.”
Mikey’s sisters saw his potential early on.
“We set the foundation for him a little bit,” Sierra said. “I like to think we showed him the determination that it took because he was there watching us. The early mornings, the practices, he saw it all firsthand. He became a great player himself.”
Sierra described herself as the intense one of the bunch, with Sydney being quieter.
“Mikey is a typical pro player. He does it every day and works hard and is on the quiet side, too,” Sierra said. “Sophia, she is fiery. We’re all different but I think we all take a lot of pride in our hitting.
“It’s strange for me to see Mikey as a pro. I used to take him to hitting lessons and I remember coming back from college and seeing his travel ball games. It makes me super proud to see the little Mikey that I saw growing up become a man living out his dreams.”
Romero faced challenges. A back injury limited him to 53 games in his first two seasons in the minors. He then posted an .821 OPS in 2024, and last year appeared in 111 games between Double A Portland and Worcester and had 54 extra-base hits and a .752 OPS at only 21.
“I was finally healthy and ready to go in 2024,” Romero said. “I just got comfortable. I showed I was picked where I was supposed to be.”
Romero is up to 210 pounds and had gained considerable strength in the last two years. His bat speed has improved as a result. The focus this offseason has been improving arm strength, lateral quickness, and overall athleticism.
Mikey Romero has played shortstop (99 games), second base (62), and third (47) in the minors.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Romero attended Trevor Story’s camp in Texas with Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Marcelo Mayer, and Connor Wong, then was in Boston for the Red Sox’ rookie development program.
“Trying to do everything I can to put myself in position to be a big leaguer,” said Romero, who lives in Arizona with his wife, Christa.
Senior director of player development Brian Abraham said Romero’s improved consistency had him on the depth chart to be able to help the major league team.
“We’ve talked a lot to him about the importance of just being healthy. He’s gotten over the hump,” Abraham said.
The Romero family faced its biggest challenge last February when Michael Romero passed away at 50 after a long fight with cancer. He lived long enough to see his daughters earn college scholarships and his son become a first-round pick.
“I look back to when I was drafted and having him there when it happened,” Romero said. “I know he’s watching me now and I’m playing for him.”
Melissa Romero has talked to her daughters about dropping everything if Mikey is called up so they can all see his first game together.
“My mom is so excited about it,” Sierra said. “Hopefully we can all be there. My parents sacrificed so much for us. Mikey getting to the big leagues would be something special for our family.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
Bregman’s departure raises questions
Alex Bregman joined Adrian Beltré, Orlando Cepeda, Rickey Henderson, Juan Marichal, and Justin Turner among the All-Stars who spent only one full season with the Red Sox.
The team’s refusal to grant Bregman a full no-trade clause and a more favorable schedule of deferred pay led him to sign with the Cubs. It was a surprise within the industry. Bregman checked all the boxes for the Sox on and off the field, and they lost him over side issues?
During his introductory press conference in Chicago, Bregman made it a point to say how much no-trade rights meant to him.
“A place that showed how much they cared about what was important to me was super-important to myself and my family,” he said.
As ESPN’s Buster Olney pointed out, the Sox gave Ranger Suarez a straight-up five years for $130 million. That was more present-day value than the heavily deferred $165 million they offered Bregman.
You also have to wonder what intangible value, if any, the analytically driven Sox front office assigns to a player like Bregman.
The third baseman made himself available as a resource to teammates who wanted advice on improving their games. As one Red Sox coach mentioned, Bregman was committed to the success of the entire organization, not just himself.
The loss of Bregman must be amusing to Rafael Devers. The Sox angered Devers by signing Bregman and moving him to DH. Devers overcame his snit and posted a .905 OPS before he was traded to the Giants after refusing to play first base.
The only way trading Devers made sense was if the Sox repurposed some of the money they saved into retaining Bregman. Now the closest thing the Sox have to an everyday third baseman is Marcelo Mayer, who started 28 games there last season as a rookie.
A few other observations on the Red Sox:
▪ Suárez is a classic “crafty lefty” in that he doesn’t throw hard — his four-seam fastball averaged 91.3 m.p.h. last season — and has five other pitches.
Suárez wins by avoiding walks and home runs and giving up soft contact. Opponents have a .380 slugging percentage against him in his career, and that’s with playing half his games at Philadelphia’s cozy Citizens Bank Park.
As one scout said, “He’s not afraid to throw strikes. His command is excellent.”
Fenway Park should be of no concern to Ranger Suarez after pitching for eight seasons at the Phillies’ cozy confines.Derik Hamilton/Associated Press
Suárez works the edges of the strike zone and is able to throw all of his pitches in any count, although he leans heavily on his sinker against lefties. His precise command and unpredictability are a big challenge for hitters.
Give Suárez credit. The son of a Venezuelan farmer, he signed for $25,000 in 2012 and spent three years at the Phillies’ academy there before finally getting to the Gulf Coast League.
▪ Willson Contreras met the Boston media via Zoom on Wednesday. It was refreshing to hear him say he would fill in as catcher for a few days if needed.
“I’m a team player first,” he said.
Conteras also spoke to the work he did to learn playing first base.
“I took it as a challenge,” he said. “I did my best last year to learn about the position. I asked a lot of questions and talked to a few guys who played there before. … Every day is a new opportunity to keep getting better. If you don’t want to get better, I think you need to go away from the game. It’s a game of challenge. You have to deal with failure. I’m here for that. I’m here for challenges.”
▪ The Red Sox could just take a direct route and sign Eugenio Suárez to play third base and live with his weaknesses. But the Sox would seem to have enough depth to make another trade.
A package of outfielder Jarren Duran and one of the spare starting pitchers should be enough to bring back a second baseman or third baseman. Ideally, you’d want a righthanded hitter with some power and good glove but that might not be possible at this stage.
Isaac Parades is seeking $9.95 million in arbitration, with the Astros countering at $8.75. Duran is under contract for $7.75 million. Maybe Houston would take a little payroll savings and get a pitcher as part of the deal?
The Sox also need lefthanded relievers. Outside of closer Aroldis Chapman, the only lefty on the 40-man roster with much relief experience is Jovani Moran, who has appeared in two games since 2024 because of Tommy John surgery.
▪ Roman Anthony agreed to a $130 million contract extension last season. The outfielder’s big purchase so far?
“Got a new car. Nothing crazy, though,” he said. “I didn’t go insane. Got some good Christmas gifts for my brother and sister and for my family. That’s the fun part.”
BE ON THE LOOKOUT
Puffer hopes to buy back championship ring
Brandon Puffer is asking for your help.
Puffer was on the roster of the 2004 Red Sox for one day and didn’t get in the game before he was sent back down to Triple A Pawtucket. But that was enough to get him a World Series ring.
The righthanded reliever appeared in 85 major league games over the course of his career then fell into hard times. Puffer was arrested for burglary with intent to commit assault in 2008 and sentenced to five years in prison. He was paroled and now works as a youth coach in Texas, having turned his life around with help along the way from Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.
While desperate for money years ago, Puffer sold his World Series ring to a private collector. Last he knew, the ring was sold again to a Red Sox fan from Massachusetts named Mike. That was at least 12 years ago, maybe more. He has no idea who has it now.
“I’m back on my feet financially and I’d love to have the ring back for the sake of my family,” Puffer said. “It’s an heirloom, right? I never played for that team but I was in that clubhouse. It was special to be around those guys.”
Puffer has scoured the internet for information about the ring without success. The ring had his last name and No. 52 on the side.
If you have any information, reach out to the email address at this end of this column.
“It’s a shot in the dark,” Puffer said. “Hopefully somebody out there knows where it is.”
Matt Shaw spent the summer of 2022 with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Brimfield native Matt Shaw could become trade bait with Alex Bregman joining the Cubs. The 2023 first-round pick had a .690 OPS in 126 games as a rookie last season and played strong defense at third base. For now the Cubs are saying they can make it work. “We have a lot of really good, really versatile players, and I think that’s a positive,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “Moving guys around a diamond, it works. It can work really well.” Shaw has minor league experience at second base and played corner outfield on occasion while at the University of Maryland … Kyle Tucker now has the second-largest contract in baseball history [on an average annual basis] behind new teammate Shohei Ohtani with the four-year, $240 million deal he landed with the Dodgers. Tucker is a five-tool player and four-time All-Star outfielder with a World Series ring. But would the average fan recognize him out of uniform? … The Cardinals really wanted to be done with third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was traded to the Diamondbacks for pitching prospect Jack Martinez, an eighth-round draft pick last summer who had a 5.47 ERA as a senior at Arizona State. St. Louis also will pay $31 million of the $42 million remaining on Arenado’s contract. In all, St. Louis will pay $59 million for Arenado, Willson Conteras, and Sonny Gray not to play for the team next season, and with $28 million of that going to the Red Sox … New Rays CEO Ken Babby says the teams intends to open a new ballpark in the Tampa Bay area by April of 2029. A new ballpark in just over three years and the site has yet to be secured? Good luck with that … The Dodgers gave up their second, third, fifth, and sixth highest draft picks for signing qualified Tucker and reliever Edwin Diaz as free agents … Righthander Tyler Beede agreed to a minor league contract with the Cubs. Now 32, Beede was a first-round pick out of Lawrence Academy by the Blue Jays in 2011 and again in 2014 out of Vanderbilt by the Giants. He is 8-16 with a 5.55 ERA over 71 major league games since 2018. The Cubs will be his fifth organization. Beede also has pitched in Japan, Mexico, and for the independent Long Island Ducks … Lefthander Patrick Clemmey is now at Avon Old Farms in Connecticut for a post-grad year after starring for Bishop Hendricken in Rhode Island. He has committed to Georgia after initially choosing Vanderbilt … Northeastern and UConn will be playing in the MLB Desert Invitational from Feb. 13-16 in Arizona. Northeastern will face Grand Canyon, Nebraska, and Iowa. UConn has Nebraska, Kansas State, and Air Force. All the games will be on MLB.com for free and the MLB app. Baseball America named both sets of Huskies as mid-major sleepers to get to the College World Series … Happy birthday to Kyle Martin, who is 35. The tall righthander was a 13th-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2013 and appeared in two major league games in ’17. Martin was granted his release in 2018 so he could sign with the Seibu Lions in Japan. He pitched there for two seasons and is now out of baseball. On the plus side, Martin struck out future World Series MVP Steve Pearce at Fenway Park.
Alex Bregman signing with the Cubs leaves a hole in the Red Sox infield.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.