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The Boston Red Sox made a sudden decision on a once-highly regarded outfield prospect on Wednesday.
The Boston Red Sox in 2019 thought so highly of a 16-year-old Venezuelan center fielder named Juan Chacon that they handed the teenager the highest bonus of any player Boston signed in that international free agent class. The $900,000 they gave to Chacon was $150,000 more than the second-highest bonus the Red Sox paid out under then-president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski that year.
But on Wednesday, six years later, the Red Sox ended Chacon’s hopes of playing in the major leagues. Only one day before the Red Sox open their 2026 season, the club handed the now-23-year-old outfielder his release. More importantly, Chacon saw his dreams suddenly taken away from him less than two weeks ahead of Opening Day for the Red Sox’s Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs. For a player once viewed as one of Boston’s most promising international signings, the move marks a sudden and definitive end to that trajectory.
The underlying reason for the move points to a limitation that had followed Chacon throughout his development. It was the Sea Dogs who confirmed that Chacon had been released on the minor league team’s official transactions page. After being promoted to the Double-A level for the first time midway through last year, Chacon was preparing for his first full season with the Sea Dogs, with hopes that he would convince Red Sox decision-makers to promote him even higher.
What Caused Chacon’s Sudden Release
Chacon’s release was first reported by Hunter Noll, a writer for the analytical Red Sox site Beyond the Monster.
According to a report by The Big Lead, it was Chacon’s inability to develop a power bat that led the Red Sox to give up on him.
“In 2023, Chacon stole 20 bases and reached base at a .353 clip for Class A Salem. However, his power tool never developed despite his tall (6-foot-1), athletic frame,” reported Big Lead analyst J.P. Hoornstra. “Last year at Double-A Portland, Chacon slugged .298 with no home runs in 51 games.”
The Red Sox continued to think highly enough of Chacon to invite him to major league spring training for four straight years. But he was not on the non-roster invitee list this year.
In four previous spring trainings, Chacon played in 12 games with 16 at-bats, recording four hits including a double and a triple for a .732 career OPS. But his lack of home run power appears to have sealed his fate.
Is Chacon’s Career Really Over?
According to Hoornstra’s analysis, however, the release by the Red Sox may not be the end of the line for Chacon after all.
“Chacon might well be picked up by another team,” the analyst wrote. “His stolen base potential and high defensive floor in center field could be assets for a team with an opening on their minor league depth chart.”
A scouting report by SoxProspects.com was not nearly as enthusiastic about Chacon, however.
Chacon “does not have a strong defensive profile, so there is a lot of pressure on his bat to develop, which has not come to fruition to this point. Profiles as mid-minors depth at this stage,” the scouting report read. The SoxProspects.com report also described Chacon’s speed as “fringe-average” and said that the young prospect appeared to be missing the tools to make it as a center fielder.
“Routes and reads need work. Profiles as a corner outfielder, likely left field,” the report said. “Average arm strength. Has the arm for the corner outfield.”
The Red Sox also released infielder Yohander Linarez on Wednesday. Signed for just $10,000 out of Venezuela in 2022, Linarez never rose higher than the Single-A level.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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