After the trade deadline deal with the Baltimore Orioles to acquire All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, the Boston Red Sox farm system fell from the top 10 in baseball to the bottom 10. While the system is certainly much thinner than it was heading into the season, it’s not totally devoid of talent. Among the system’s newest top prospects is the second-ranked prospect in the system, 19-year-old outfielder  Justin Gonzales, who, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, will be heading to the Dominican Republic to continue his 2026 season in the Dominican Winter League. 

The 19-year-old corner outfielder signed with the Red Sox organization out of the Dominican Republic for $250,000 as part of the 2024 international free agent class. After spending the 2024 season in the Dominican Summer League, he made his United States debut in 2025. In 93 games from the Florida Complex League to High-A, Gonzales hit .281/.363/.390/.753 with only four home runs. 

After struggling at High-A to end the 2025 season, Gonzales was reassigned to the level in 2026. In 89 games for the Drive in 2026, Gonzales hit .271/.391/.463/.854 with a career-high 17 home runs and 58 RBI while stealing 11 bases. After dominating High-A in a more extended look at the level, the 19-year-old was promoted to Double-A Portland on Aug. 17. Despite being the third-youngest player at the level, Gonzales performed well in Portland, hitting .239/.353/.380/.733 with two home runs, two doubles, driving in 11 runs. 

Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 210 pounds, Gonzales has massive power potential because of his size. However, a 57.4 percent ground-ball rate in 2025 kept him from tapping into that potential, as shown by hitting just four home runs in 93 games. However, in 2026, Gonzales elevated the ball more, cutting his ground-ball rate by 10.8 percent to 46.6 percent in High-A. 

While his 46.6 percent ground-ball rate still ranked in the 32nd percentile among all High-A hitters, it was a major adjustment that allowed for his big-time power to become more prevalent. 

According to Speier, Gonzales will join Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League.

The Dominican Winter League consists of six teams that play a 50-game regular season schedule, which began on Friday, Oct. 16. After the regular season, the top four teams play an 18-game round-robin tournament, with the top two advancing to a seven-game series to determine the champion. 

Gonzales' team, Toros del Este, opened their season with an 11-0 loss on Friday night, but the 19-year-old slugger didn't play. 

The LIDOM regular season runs from Oct. 16 to Dec. 22. 

Looking for more on the Red Sox needs heading into the offseason? Zach Coe and David Azer are back on the 'Entering Kenmore' Podcast discussing how close Boston is to winning a World Series, whether the 2026 season was a success, and whether fans should have faith in Craig Breslow's ability to build a World Series contender. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts, or in the YouTube player below: