After trading three top-10 organization prospects to land All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, the Boston Red Sox put a lot of pressure on their 2026 MLB Draft class to fill the void left by those trades. Six of the 17 players who signed with Boston after the draft already received their first minor league assignments, joining both Single-A Salem and High-A Greenville, including the top two selections, Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull. 

After the Single-A season concluded on Sept. 6, here’s what you need to know about how the 2026 Draftees performed: 

The Red Sox raised some eyebrows across the league in selecting the former University of North Carolina Tar Heel with the 20th overall pick. The 21-year-old shortstop signed with Boston for a significantly discounted $2 million bonus. 

After going through organizational orientation at the team facilities in Ft. Myers, Schaffner was assigned to Greenville for his first taste of professional action on Aug. 1. In 23 games, Schaffner flashed the strong bat-to-ball skills that made him a first-round selection, hitting .315/.362/.435/.797, with an impressive zone contact rate of 91.6 percent, ranking in the 96th percentile among High-A hitters. However, he struggled to hit the ball in the air, posting a 55.2 percent ground ball rate, which greatly limited his power output. 

Still, Schaffner flashed abilities that are much harder to teach, including limiting swing-and-miss, as his whiff rate of 16.8 percent ranked in the 96th percentile, which in part contributed to his impressive strikeout rate of 18.1 percent. 

Schaffner is currently ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Boston organization per SoxProspects.com.

The Red Sox selected Schaffner’s former teammate and roommate at UNC, outfielder Owen Hull, with the No. 67 overall pick, signing him for just over $1.2 million, just underslot value. Hull, like Schaffner,r was assigned to Greenville on Aug. 1 and posted an equally impressive slash line of .337/.436/.531/.967 with three home runs, 20 RBI, and 10 doubles while walking nearly as many times as he struck out (16 BB:17 K). 

However. Like Schaffner, Hull struggled to elevate the baseball, posting a ground ball rate of 57.9 percent, making his numbers all the more impressive. 

Hull is currently ranked the No. 7 prospect in the Red Sox organization, according to SoxProspects. 

The 18-year-old power-hitting outfielder is one of the most intriguing prospects in Boston’s entire draft class. After being selected with the Red Sox' ninth-round selection, Shelar signed for a record-setting $1.5-million signing bonus to forgo his commitment to Mississippi State. 

In a somewhat aggressive move, the Red Sox assigned Shelar to Single-A Salem on Aug. 18. The 18-year-old struggled in his first taste of professional baseball, hitting just .189/.283/.302/.585 with one home run, three doubles, and seven RBI. He struggled particularly with swing-and-miss, posting a 27.4 percent chase rate and a 31.1 percent whiff rate, which led to a 31.7 percent strikeout rate. 

However, despite his struggles, Shelar joining an affiliate after being drafted out of high school should be seen as a strong sign of how highly the organization views him. 

He is currently ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the organization. 

The 21-year-old shortstop was the Red Sox' 11th-round selection out of Georgia State and signed an over-slot deal worth $250,000. Maginnis joined Salem on Aug. 11. In 17 games with the RidgeYaks, Maginnis struggled mightily at the plate, hitting just .153/.358/.200/.558 with one home run, one double, and three RBI. 

Maginnis has an odd but intriguing profile: his 15 percent whiff rate and 16 percent chase rate led to an impressive 14:11 BB:K ratio. He also posted a solid zone contact rate of 89.9 percent. However, he was overly selective in what he was swinging at, posting a swing rate of just 33.58, ranking in the fourth percentile of all Single-A hitters. 

Maginnis is unranked in the SoxProspects organizational top 60. 

The 21-year-old shortstop was selected in the 16th round out of Louisiana Tech University, signing for a slot value deal of $150,000. Coates, like Maginnis, joined Salem on Aug. 11. In 16 games as a RidgeYak, Coates hit .258/.365/.339/.704 with three doubles, one triple, and nine RBI, posting an impressive 10:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

Coates is unranked in the SoxProspects organizational top 60. 

The 21-year-old, 17th round selection out of Vanderbilt. Kranzler is the only pitcher the Red Sox drafted who joined an affiliate in 2026. The 6’3” right-hander, who signed a slot value deal of $150,000, joined Salem on Aug. 19. Kranzler made four relief appearances spanning seven innings, in which he allowed five earned runs on eight hits, striking out nine and walking three. 

Kranzler is unranked in the SoxProspects organizational top 60. 

After a series-opening 4-2 win, the Red Sox will look to win the series against the Tampa Bay Rays in game two of three at Tropicana Field on Saturday afternoon. Brayan Bello (6-7, 4.74 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite Freddy Peralta (9-11, 4.67 ERA) will start for Tampa. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. ET.