Red Sox Officially Give Up On Phenom Prospect

The Boston Red Sox make a tough decision to cut ties with promising outfielder Natanael Yuten after a series of lows at the plate.

The Red Sox have moved on from Natanael Yuten.

Boston released the 21-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic this weekend, ending a run that once carried real promise but never quite turned into the kind of production the organization was hoping for.

Yuten had been one of the club’s longer-term development bets when the Red Sox signed him as a teenager. At the time, he was listed at 6-foot-3 and 143 pounds, a frame that suggested room to add strength while still keeping the kind of speed and athleticism that can play in the outfield.

He got off to a strong start in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, hitting .307 in 50 games at age 17. The next year brought more of the same at the lower levels, as he batted .336 in Rookie-ball before struggling after a jump to Single-A Salem, where he hit .197.

Boston kept him at Salem for both 2024 and 2025, and there was at least some progress last season. Yuten hit .270 with a .724 OPS in 2025, enough to earn another look at a higher level.

That chance came in 2026 at High-A Greenville, but the results went the wrong way fast. In 30 games, Yuten hit just .165 and struck out 39 times while drawing only three walks.

After that stretch, the Red Sox decided they had invested enough development time without getting enough return, and Yuten is now out of the organization.

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