The Boston Red Sox have promoted prospect Isaiah Jackson to Double-A for the final week of Portland’s season. For those who might think Jackson’s name sounds familiar but can’t quite put their finger on why, the 2025 eighth-round pick is who Boston got in return for Vaughn Grissom from the Los Angeles Angels this offseason.
Jackson wasn’t the only move made on Tuesday, but certainly the biggest. Moving up to Double-A with him were right-handed pitchers Griffin Kilander and Aaron Nixon. Meanwhile, utility player Tyler McDonough is heading back to Triple-A. The flurry of moves on Tuesday corresponded with the end of the Single-A and High-A seasons.
Aaron Nixon is a 25-year-old righty who has 24 innings in High-A between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox organizations this season. Meanwhile, Griffin Kilander is a 23-year-old righty who has had a slight taste of Double-A before (1 1/3 innings) and has been solid in High-A.
Red Sox promote intriguing outfielder Isiah Jackson to Double-A and useful utility player Tyler McDonough to Triple-A
Per source: The Boston Red Sox have promoted outfielder Isaiah Jackson to Double-A.
— Hunter Noll (@Hunter_Noll) September 8, 2026
The left-handed hitter finished with 21 home runs in High-A and is an elite defender.
McDonough was in Triple-A earlier this year, but was sent back to Double-A simply due to the numbers game. He was putting up genuinely huge numbers at the level (.310/.425/.621 slash line in 31 games), but the Red Sox needed major league depth in Worcester at the time.
The switch-hitter can play all over the field and do it well. He’s had a tough year in terms of not getting the respect he deserves, but the 27-year-old has a career-high with 19 home runs (previous best was nine), as well as bests in RBI (65), runs (65), and steals (26).
Then there’s Jackson. The 22-year-old is a left-handed-hitting outfielder known for his defense, which has (somehow) been better than advertised. It’s safe to call him elite out there. That gives Jackson a fantastic floor as a prospect. Elite defense can always carry you at least to Triple-A and make you an intriguing big league depth option.
What about the bat, though? Jackson was said to have some pop when he was coming into the organization. That seemed to be a bit of an understatement.
The Arizona State University star slashed .243/.340/.465 with 18 doubles, two triples, and (a Greenville-leading) 21 home runs. He also led the team with 69 RBI and was tied for the team lead in runs scored (68). Jackson even managed 10 steals. While that won’t be a major part of his game, he should be able to swipe a few.
Grissom was never going to get any serious playing time in Boston. That marriage just simply didn’t work out. He’s had an okay year for the Angels, but the Red Sox have better options in all their infield spots.
They accepted that the Chris Sale trade simply did not work in their favor. It happens. Sale went to the Atlanta Braves and got healthy. Meanwhile, Grissom’s time in Boston seemed to be cursed. He arrived, immediately got sick and lost a ton of weight, got injured, and things never really recovered.
The Red Sox got an exciting young outfield prospect with a legitimate floor and an ever-growing ceiling. He can become good depth thanks to that elite defense, or more than that if the bat continues to grow. Maybe he’s simply a good trade chip in a year. Whatever it is, Isaiah Jackson has proven he was worth the investment.
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