FORT MYERS, Fla. — When the Red Sox acquired Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees prior to the 2025 season, it was quickly seen as a huge win for Boston. In just a matter of weeks Narvaez seized the starting catcher job for himself and from there blossomed into one of the best catchers in baseball.

But as it turned out, the Red Sox gave up a pretty good player in the deal too.

Since joining the Yankees, Elmer Rodriguez has developed into one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. The 22-year-old right-hander posted a 2.58 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 150 innings last season, rising from High-A to Triple-A in the process, and he now enters 2026 ranked as the No. 59 prospect in MLB according to Baseball America.

He was also selected to Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team, and Tuesday night he got the start against his former club.

“It feels good,” Rodriguez said. “It’s where I started so it felt good to be here and to compete against some old friends.”

Rodriguez performed well, allowing one hit over three scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts in Puerto Rico’s tune-up for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Rodriguez said it has been a dream to represent his home island since he was a kid, and getting the opportunity to play in the tournament was a huge honor.

As far as playing against the Red Sox, he downplayed the notion that beating his former team would be extra meaningful, though he conceded that he didn’t see the trade coming at the time.

“I was shocked when it happened but at the same time it’s a business, it’s part of it,” Rodriguez said. “So you move on and I was excited to go to the Yankees and I was excited to be there.”

If Narvaez hadn’t been scratched from the lineup with a tight back, Rodriguez likely would have gotten to face off against the player he was dealt for. Rodriguez said that would have been cool, but he predicted the two will have plenty of battles in the years to come.

“Yeah it would have been fun,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t see that often, we play against each other like that and it will probably be my first time facing him, but we’ll probably face each other in the long end.”