Every year, a handful of players ranked outside the top 10 in their respective farm systems take meaningful steps forward to improve their stock and vault up prospect rankings. Part of the fun is trying to identify those breakouts before it happens. So today, we’re identifying Red Sox prospects who have the potential to make a jump in 2026.

To qualify, a player must rank outside the organization’s preseason Top 10 prospects. All scouting reports are from Baseball America’s 2026 Prospect handbook, which you can purchase here.

You can find Top 30 prospect rankings for all teams here and all breakout candidates here.

Breakout Prospects

Enddy Azocar, OF

BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
Adjusted Grade: 40

Track Record: As an amateur infielder, Azocar intrigued Red Sox evaluators with his contact skills and the projection in his tall, gangly frame. He mustered just three extra-base hits while moving to the outfield in the Dominican Summer League in 2024, but Azocar added 25 pounds of muscle in the offseason and made huge gains in his quality of contact in 2025. He dominated in the Florida Complex League to earn a rapid promotion, then struggled in Low-A.

Scouting Report: Azocar stands balanced and upright, remaining quiet through his load before creating considerable whip with his well-synced hips and hands to make loud contact. His 90th percentile exit velocities jumped from 98 mph in 2024 to 105 mph in 2025, maxing out at 110.6 mph, suggesting above-average or plus power potential if he can cut down his 44% groundball rate. Doing so could come with risk to his hit tool. He showed excellent bat-to-ball skills on pitches in the zone with an 84% contact rate, but whiffed about half the time when he chased, a combination that creates a lot of variance in his eventual hit tool. Evaluators were divided on his defense. Some saw him as a quality corner and others believed he can be at least above-average in center or right field thanks to strong jumps, above-average speed and routes.

The Future: After putting himself on the prospect map with promising five-tool indicators in 2025, Azocar’s 2026 campaign will be closely watched. If he builds on his gains from last year, he could push for a 2028 big league arrival.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50

Harold Rivas, OF

BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
Adjusted Grade: 35

Track Record: The Red Sox signed Rivas out of Venezuela for $950,000 in 2025 based on his spectacular athleticism, speed, defensive ability and well-coordinated swing. In his Dominican Summer League pro debut that summer, he looked like an elite defensive center fielder with a well-rounded game and slashed .258/.393/.384 with as many walks (35) as strikeouts.

Scouting Report: At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Rivas is lean with plenty of room to fill out, and he moves in both the batter’s box and in the field with a loose, rhythmic grace. For now, his flat bat path helped generate an above-average 90th percentile exit velocity, chase rate and in-zone whiff rate for his level in 2025. Most of his contact, however, resulted in groundballs and liners. That said, it’s not hard to envision added strength and experience allowing Rivas to tap into at least modest power. Defensively, he looks elite, with one evaluator suggesting gold glove potential based on his jumps and plus speed, and he ran 6.5-second 60-yard dashes as an amateur.

The Future: Rivas’s defense and speed permit an unusually high floor for a player who has yet to make his stateside debut. He could grow into power and emerge as a standout everyday type outfielder in his early 20s.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Field: 70 | Arm: 60

Hector Ramos, SS

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
Adjusted Grade: 30

Track Record: When the Red Sox signed Ramos to a $500,000 bonus in 2025 out of the Dominican Republic as part of a loaded international class, he showed glimpses of a shortstop’s actions with power as an amateur. That unusual offensive potential for a middle infielder surfaced in his Dominican Summer League debut that year when he hit .254/.384/.443 with four homers over 36 games.

Scouting Report: Ramos attacks the ball with an aggressive yet smooth stride, which allows him to swing hard and still maintain an atypically advanced feel for the strike zone, as well as the pitches he can attack. In 2025, he produced high in-zone contact rates, attacked the ball at good angles and had a top-end exit velocity of 107.7 mph, which is an impressive figure for a 17-year-old with remaining physical projection. In a small sample, early platoon splits surfaced. The switch-hitter struck out seven times compared with zero walks in 21 plate appearances against lefties, compared to 23 walks and 26 strikeouts against righties. He didn’t appear out of his element at shortstop, but it’s possible he’ll eventually be better suited for second base, particularly as he adds size.

The Future: Ramos has a chance to emerge as a two-way impact player in the middle infield by 2029.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55