The Boston Red Sox have parted ways with catcher Juan Montero just before the MLB offseason, via the MiLB transaction log. The Triple-A Worcester affiliate released the 24-year-old this week, ending a six-year run in the organization that never quite gained traction.
Boston’s postseason ended earlier than hoped. The Red Sox fell to the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Series in late September.
The Yankees then exited in the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, leaving the Guardians and Rays to battle for the AL pennant while Boston shifted fully into offseason mode.
Roster housekeeping at the lower levels is routine once a club is eliminated, and Montero’s release fits that pattern.
Montero joined the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent on June 29, 2020, signing a minor-league contract for a $20,000 bonus out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in Gurabo.
Born June 10, 2002, in Ponce, he is a right-handed-hitting, right-handed-throwing catcher listed at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds.
He made his professional debut the following year in the Florida Complex League and spent the bulk of his career climbing slowly through the lower levels of the system.
Injuries and repeated stints on the development list limited his playing time.
Across 138 games in the minors, he posted a .209/.337/.302 slash line with two home runs, 38 RBI, and 122 strikeouts in 446 plate appearances.
He finally reached Triple-A Worcester this season but appeared in only five games, collecting one hit in limited at-bats.
Earlier stops included Salem, Greenville, and a brief look at Double-A Portland, none of which produced sustained production at the plate.
The move clears a roster spot and signals that Montero was no longer viewed as part of the organization’s catching depth plans.
Boston has focused its major-league catching attention elsewhere in recent years, and a player with Montero’s profile—solid defensive reputation tempered by limited offense and availability—often becomes expendable once the calendar turns to October.
For Montero, the release opens the door to free agency and a chance to catch on with another club before spring training. At 24, he remains young enough to reestablish himself if he can stay healthy and show more consistent contact.
For the Red Sox, it is one of the quieter pieces of business that accompany the end of another season.
