The Boston Red Sox have the best farm system and roster depth in baseball. You know what that means:
Next man up.
There are arguably five outstanding talents in their AAA Worcester affiliate who are willing to make an impact on the major league roster. There are two spots to fill, presumably one hitter and one pitcher. Who will be able to make their mark? That's where we come in, going over every player that has a smidge of a chance at making the call-ups this season.
1. Vaughn Grissom, SS
Vaughn Grissom has been shut out of the Red Sox's plans and has been sitting in AAA Worcester for over a full season now. He was acquired in the Chris Sale trade and has only had a cup of coffee with the Red Sox since. In 2024, he was batting .190, with six RBIs, three doubles, 20 hits, and a .465 OPS in 31 games. He posted a -0.2 WAR in that time.
In Worcester, however, he's blown up big time, recording 13 home runs on the season while batting .270 with 48 RBIs and an OPS of .783. He's more than deserved a call-up, but his maturity issues, especially with his recent comments about the organization, are to be questioned. Does that ruin the sanctity of the locker room? It's a key decision for Breslow, but it's suggested that he'd stay down there until next year.
2. Kyle Harrison, LHP
Acquired from the Rafael Devers trade, Kyle Harrison was immediately put in AAA Worcester to work on his mechanics and his secondary pitches. He had trouble in his first two games, relying too much on his fastball. "I’m a fastball main event guy, and I think that’s what they recognized.", he said when he was acquired in mid-June. He's right, his fastball is amazing, but that was the only pitch he had.
Since then, the Sox have added a new pitch to his arsenal (cutter), along with a different grip on his changeup, and he's been gradually improving since. In total, he's struck out 74 batters in 62.1 innings pitched with a 3.75 ERA. He has a 4-2 record with that as well.
With everything working and clicking into place for Harrison, they would love to try him out as soon as September for the playoff push. We'll have to wait with their decision on that.
3. Brennan Bernardino, RP
Brennan Bernardino is a crafty lefty out of the bullpen who was just recently demoted to AAA because of the newly acquired LHP Steven Matz from St. Louis at the deadline. Many would argue that Chris Murphy should've been sent down, and that should've been the move.
But, he was on a roll with the team at the time, and the Red Sox believed that demoting him wouldn't be the most ideal option and took the chance on the kid who had just come back from Tommy John Surgery.
Bernie had a career season ERA-wise at 3.09. He's also 4-2 with 36 strikeouts in 2025 with a HR/9 of just 0.2. His career totals with Boston speak for themselves, with a 3.47 ERA, 150 strikeouts, and giving up only 11 home runs in 3 seasons (159 games total). He's due for a call-up as well, and could be a player swap with him and Murphy. Or even with the newly called up Jovani Moran if he doesn't pan out.
4. Cooper Criswell, SP
Cooper Criswell is one of those pitchers who'll be excellent as a short-term starter, not a full-timer. It showed in 2024, where he had a 4.08 ERA in 18 starts with the club. He had a 9.3 H/9 (hits per nine innings) with only a K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings) of 6.6.
While he does have great stuff to his pitches, with an amazing sweeper that dazzles hitters, he's wild with it. He walked 31 batters in that small sample size. If not for the 103 hits in 99.1 innings, there was a good chance that he would've given up more walks than he did.
Despite all of that, we're still Cooper Criswell believers. But he'll be a depth option that will come out for long relief over anything else. That's even IF he is called up.
5. Nate Eaton, RF
It's been a great year for Nate Eaton. He made his debut with the Red Sox, playing 14 games while recording 6 hits while maintaining a .250 batting average in 14 games. Small sample size? Yes. But is he fit for the majors? Probably not.
The problem with Eaton is, and has always been, his hitting at the major league level. The 28-year-old is merely there for speed and defense. He's still been hitting well in the minors with ten home runs, driving in 47, with a .279 batting average and an .813 OPS. But again, he's in the minor leagues for a reason. Abraham Toro took his spot in the corner infield spots, and he couldn't outmatch him.
If he can still get on base and steal bases, he'd be a good second David Hamilton on the roster. Speed matters on teams, and Eaton would be a good asset to have as a bench bat.
6. Richard Fitts, SP
Richard Fitts has been up and down the system all season. In his 10 starts with Boston, he had a 4.74 ERA with 41 hits, 24 runs, and 10 home runs given up. He wasn't the best in the majors, and isn't much better in the minors.
But his upside is immense. His best season was last year, with a 1.74 ERA and 9 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched. If anything is evident, the Red Sox love this guy (for some reason), and they're willing to put him in a roster spot at any time. So with that being considered, he's on this list. That's the only true reason why.
7. Kristian Campbell, 2B
Now it's time to get more serious when it comes to these players. Kristian Campbell is one of the many players who deserve a shot back to where he belongs: The Boston Red Sox.
He made the Opening Day Roster this season and did exceptionally well for rookie standards. Over his first full month or so in the majors (April), he was hitting .301 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 31 hits in 103 at-bats in 29 games. During this time, he (along with Garrett Crochet) signed an extension for 8 years, worth $60 million.
Afterwards was where he spiraled, and not in a 'Tom Brady'-like way. Since the beginning of May, he was one of the worst hitters in baseball. He batted just .159, with only 20 hits and 40 strikeouts in just 38 games. He was demoted to AAA Worcester on June 19th, and was never truly the same again...
Or so we thought...
In his last 17 games, Kristian Campbell has risen back from the darkness of despair to the spotlight of his potential. He's finally slugging with the bat again. In that time period, he's been hitting .367, an on-base percentage of .472, and an OPS of .600 in 72 at-bats. He's also hit four home runs in this time. If he has a strong August, he'll undoubtedly be in the conversation as to where he'll be on the major league roster.
8. Connelly Early, LHP
Now, as the #6 prospect and the #10 lefty pitching prospect in all of baseball, Connelly Early is a name that many have thrown out to quickly progress through the system.
He slowly developed in the past two years, but 2025 was his breakout. He posted a 2.51 ERA in AA Portland with a 7-1 record and struck out 96 batters in 15 games. After this year's trade deadline, he was called up to AAA Worcester where he currently stands as of right now.
He had an 'okay' start in his AAA debut, striking out only two batters in just three innings. But he had a much better outing against the Buffalo Bisons, striking out seven batters in five innings and giving up only two earned runs on three hits. That was the Connelly Early that many loved in Portland, and hopefully, he'll be able to withstand the pressures of the later seasons and possible call-ups. He's a sleeper, but he isn't going to be ruled out of anything.
9. Mikey Romero, 3B
Another sleeper for a possible call-up is also a newly promoted infielder and #9 prospect, Mikey Romero.
While Romero hasn't adapted to the WooSox like most have hoped, he's only played a small sample size of games (10 total). He definitely has time to adjust, but it's still not looking too good. He's batting a mere .152, getting only five hits and two home runs in that time.
That's not writing him off right away; that's foolish. He's just adapting to the new level of pitching. He still hit a multi-home run game, getting his first career AAA HR in the process. Since then, it's been stagnation for him. Since he's struggling and not adapting as well as others, he may be stuck there for the rest of the year.
10. David Sandlin, RHP
David Sandlin was the second starter besides Early, who was brought up to AAA Worcester. He was a starter in AA Portland, posting a 3.61 ERA with a 5-1 record, striking out 86 batters. But after one start, where he struck out 4 batters in 5 innings, they officially moved him to the bullpen.
Since his move to the 'pen, he hasn't been the best. He's still given up only three runs in two games, but because of the small sample size, like the others, it's hard to write him off on just three appearances. He's someone to keep an eye on as things go down this month.
11. Jhostynxon "The Password" Garcia, CF
The Password is begging for a call-up and could very well be the most well-rounded player to be called up for the majors. The problem is that he's in the outfield, and there's a big logjam over there in Boston. So, just like Campbell, Garcia is now figuring out first base, with former first baseman Chad Tracy as his manager, teaching him the ropes.
Garcia has been on a roll this season since his promotion in June. In those 59 games he's played in AAA Worcester, he's batting .303 with 16 home runs and a .951 OPS, with 11 doubles and 49 RBIs. Arguably, besides Campbell, he's the most likely of the bunch to get that call-up in September.
12. Payton Tolle, LHP
Payton Tolle is the immediate fallback for a call-up if David Sandlin isn't improving out of the bullpen. Tolle can easily be used as a long reliever for the team down the stretch, and he'll greatly benefit from that. He's a workhorse, and a likeable personality, and there's nothing more set in stone than having Payton Tolle pitch in Boston before this season is over.
That being said, he soared through the minors in his first season after being drafted out of TCU in 2024. The second-rounder has excelled, posting a 3.31 ERA in three levels in the minors with 119 strikeouts. This rightfully put him at the #3 slot in the Red Sox's top 30 prospect system. His best tenure was with AA Portland, where he had a 1.67 ERA with 37 strikeouts in just 6 games played.
He's improved his fastball, from topping 96 mph out of college to 99 mph. In that time until his recent call-up for AAA Worcester, he had a 23% swinging miss rate (the best in the minors) and a 43% zone miss rate (2nd in the minors). He added a cutter to his arsenal and is improving his slider, curveball, and changeup offerings. He had a rough start in AAA, but he'll be able to improve his stuff gradually as the month goes along. Will it be enough in time to see him in Boston this season? It may be tough to think, but he's talented enough to make it.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not these players end up in Boston (or back in, for some) is to be determined. The most likely players that Breslow would have to be considering are Sandlin, Tolle, Campbell, Garcia, Bernardino, Criswell, Fitts, or Harrison. Any two of these men are qualified to take on a roster spot, especially Bernardino and Criswell.
Will Bres follow the trend of the young guns? Or will he give the more experienced players their reward for paying their dues to this point? Time will tell, but it's a good situation to be in for the Red Sox.