The Boston Red Sox are promoting left-handed pitching prospect Eduardo Rivera to the major league roster, according to Tyler Milliken of 98.5 The Sports Hub, reported late on Tuesday night. To open a roster spot, the Red Sox optioned recently-debuted reliever Jack Anderson back to the minor leagues.
Rivera was brought in after the Athletics released him from his minor league contract in 2024. As a 20-year-old, he made only four appearances with Single-A Stockton before he was released. The Red Sox had a project on their hands, and Rivera immediately flourished in their system.
The 6’7” lefty really came into his own in 2025, dominating in High-A and putting up solid numbers in Double-A (although he struggled with walks at the level). He took another step forward this offseason. Rivera pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. During the tournament, he managed to have a couple of signature moments.
Rivera took that momentum into the regular season. In his first start of the season, the Puerto Rican star allowed one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out seven batters and only walked one. In his next start, Rivera tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and two walks while picking up nine strikeouts.
Red Sox's surprise promotion of pitching prospect Eduardo Rivera raises multiple questions
Those two starts in Double-A led to a promotion to Triple-A on Tuesday. Later on Tuesday, Rivera was promoted to the majors without ever throwing a pitch for the WooSox.
Eduardo Rivera will skip Triple-A entirely before his MLB debut, which is not unheard of. There are some big names who have done this (including Ken Griffey Jr. and Justin Verlander).
It’s unclear what Rivera’s role will be and how long he’ll be with Boston. Could he be used out of the bullpen? Or given a spot start? Will he even pitch before the team promotes someone else (like Payton Tolle)?
Those questions need to be asked because there are a few pitchers in Triple-A that would make sense to call up. It’s not that Rivera hasn’t been fantastic, but Worcester holds Jake Bennett and Tolle (who pitched in the majors last year) already on the 40-man roster. Tyler Uberstine, who made his MLB debut on April 5, would be an option under normal circumstances but he was recently placed on the injured list with shoulder soreness.
With those options, what made the team decide to add Rivera to the 40-man roster and promote him to the majors with no Triple-A experience? That question will likely have an interesting answer. Rivera’s talented, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him thrive in the majors, but his feels like a short stint in the minor leagues for such a drastic move.
Eduardo Rivera's promotion is is incredibly exciting. He’s a massive lefty with a high-90s fastball and a very good changeup. But his significant jump from Double-A to the major leagues has fans wondering how such a promotion will pan out.
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