Red Sox Top Prospect Exits After Sudden Elbow Scare
The Boston Red Sox have a question mark around their No. 5 prospect right now.
Boston Red Sox logo The Boston Red Sox didn't play a game on Thursday, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything to watch for fans of the organization. High-A Greenville had a game with No. 5 prospect Juan Valera on the mound.
Any time you have a 19-year-old top prospect on the mound who can throw 101. 7 miles per hour , it's appointment viewing, if possible. Juan Valera topped out at 101.
7 mph with his fastball last week 👀 The @RedSoxPlayerDev righthander threw five innings, striking out nine on 56 pitches. He’s one of the latest additions to our Top 100 🔥 (🎥 @RedSoxPlayerDev ) pic. twitter.
com/puCHoWeJKh — Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 14, 2026 Unfortunately, though, Valera was forced to exit the game early on Thursday for Greenville. MassLive. com's Chris Cotillo reported that the reason why Valera was forced out of the game was due to "elbow inflammation.