Boston Red Sox top pitching prospect Luis Perales will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. The young right-hander will also miss the remainder of the season and likely much of 2025. Perales impressed the Red Sox enough to get a 40-man roster spot in November.
Perales is ranked as Boston’s ninth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Luis Perales to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Perales had to leave a start at Double-A Portland earlier this month with an elbow injury. The 21-year-old went for subsequent testing, which revealed the bad news. It was just Perales’ second-ever start with Portland. He began the year at High-A Greenville, pitching to a 3.42 ERA in seven starts.
Perales took a step forward last year, splitting his time between the Complex League and Single-A. He tossed 89 2/3 innings over 21 starts with a 3.91 ERA and 29.3 percent strikeout rate. His 12.7 percent walk rate was on the high side, which is fair for a developing pitcher who missed time due to injuries. Things went well for Perales in 2024, thanks to his strong performance at High-A. He had struck out 38.9 percent of batters while dropping his walk rate to 8.3 percent, leading to a 2.84 ERA.
Pearles Was Moving Along Nicely
It’s always frustrating when a prospect like Pearles requires Tommy John surgery. It’s even more difficult for Perales, who has missed so much time but was on a good track over the last year. Since he was added to the 40-man roster, he’s in the first of his three option years. He will have one option year left by the end of 2025. However, teams are often granted a fourth option when a player misses significant time due to injury.
