Former Boston Red Sox prospect Matthew Lugo got the call to the majors by the Los Angeles Angels on May 9 and is having a historic start to his career. Through his first 11 games, he's slashing .273/.294/.667 with two doubles, a triple and three homers. He's seen time in both left and center for the Halos.
Drafted in the second round in 2019, Lugo was dealt with three other prospects for reliever Luis Garcia at last year's trade deadline. The 24-year-old righty was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft at the end of 2024. The Sox would have needed to add him to the 40-man roster to protect him from being stolen. Instead, they dealt him, allowing the Angels to add him to their 40-man roster.
Lugo never truly had a spot with the big league team. The outfield was already crammed, and other prospects around him made his shot at a place in Boston unlikely. It was smart business by Craig Breslow to deal him last season, especially as he had been hitting well in the minors. In 43 games with Portland, he hit .315 with an OPS over 1.000. In Triple-A, he still hit well in 35 games, sporting a .250 average and a .792 OPS.
Lugo was drafted as a shortstop and spent time at third in the minors before being moved to the outfield. He will be a versatile piece for the Angels as they look to continuously retool around Mike Trout.
Former Red Sox prospect Matthew Lugo's success will remind fans of failed 2024 trade deadline
Of course, Lugo will now always be connected to Luis Garcia in Sox fans' minds, and in turn, the failed 2024 trade deadline. At the time of the trade, Garcia looked like a solid back-end of the bullpen piece, but he ultimately failed in his time in Boston. In his 15 games, he allowed 14 runs and had an 8.22 ERA. He allowed at least one run in six of his first seven Red Sox appearances.
When Boston made the trade on July 30, 2024, they sat five games over .500 and just 2.5 games back in the division. Fans were clamoring for Breslow to make a big move and upgrade the pitching staff significantly. Instead, he made moves around the margins, acquiring Garcia and Lucas Sims to add to the bullpen depth instead of leverage, and backup catcher Danny Jansen. Sox fans were upset, and to add insult to injury, they ended up missing the playoffs altogether.
Now, Lugo is having a great start to his career. Though Sox fans probably don't miss him too much, as the outfield log jam still exists, seeing a former prospect tee off his career red hot never feels great.