Underrated Red Sox pitching prospect promoted to Triple-A following strikeout surge

The Boston Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect John Holobetz to Triple-A, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.

Holobetz came over to the organization in an interesting way. He was part of the return from the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Quinn Priester, but not immediately. At first, the Red Sox received outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, cash considerations, a compensation pick, and a Player to be Named Later. Holobetz turned out ot be that PTBNL.

He started the 2025 season in Single-A with Milwaukee, but was immediately bumped up to High-A upon arriving in the Boston organization. Holobetz didn’t spend too long in High-A before being promoted to Double-A. He finished out the year there and started 2026 with Portland. Now he’s moving up again.

When the Red Sox first acquired Holobetz, it was admittedly a bit of a shock. He was a better prospect than you’d expect from a Player to be Named Later. Still, fans weren’t going to get overly hyped for what many consider the throw-in part of a deal.

Red Sox promote former Player to be Named Later to Triple-A

It didn’t take long for Holobetz to win fans over thanks to his proclivity to eat innings and throw strikes, though. He didn’t strike out many batters in 2025 (120 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings), but that has changed in 2026.

The right-handed pitcher posted a 4.33 ERA, .236 BAA, and 1.22 WHIP in 17 games (15 starts) in Double-A this season. He struck out 93 batters and walked 25 over 79 innings.

In 2025, Holobetz had an 8.66 K/9. His K/9 has jumped to 10.59 in 2026. That’s pretty significant movement. In his most recent start, Holobetz allowed three hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out 10 batters (his second start this season with double-digit strikeouts) without walking anyone.

Holobetz possesses a low-to-mid 90s fastball with good movement and a number of decent secondaries that include a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. His control is his biggest weapon as he doesn’t really have any devastating pitches, but his ability to place them helps him get by so well.

Holobetz has flown under the radar in the public eye but feels like someone who could make waves in Worcester and absolutely contribute on the big league team thanks to his strike-throwing. 

The 23-year-old (turns 24 on July 31) now gets to celebrate his birthday in Worcester. Okay, technically in Norfolk, Virginia, because that’s where the WooSox play this week, but that’s not as good of a line to end the article on.

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