May 22, 2018; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A general view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves laying in the dugout at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Red Sox Already Moving On From $1 Million Prospect

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Nov 12, 2025 11:16 AM ET

It's been a busy offseason already for the Boston Red Sox.

It's still early and we haven't even seen any big additions come to town yet. But, we have seen some subtractions from the organization. Most of the headlines you will see stem from decisions made at the big league level, like turning down Liam Hendriks' mutual option or Alex Bregman opting out of his deal with the organization and heading to free agency.

But, a lot is being done in the minors right now as well. Brendan Campbell of SoxProspects.com pointed out that the Red Sox released 18-year-old prospect Vladimir Asencio despite the fact that he was the team's most expensive international free agent in 2024.

"The Red Sox have released 18-year-old Dominican outfielder Vladimir Asencio, who received the highest signing bonus ($1 million) of any international free agent the club signed in 2024," Campbell said.

This move is reflected on Asencio's official MiLB page as well.

The Red Sox released the young outfielder

Asencio played in 69 professional games in the Red Sox organization over the last two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He slashed .189/.296/.217 with 23 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and four doubles over that span.

In July, he was placed on the restricted list, but it hasn't been announced why that was the case. He was activated off the list on Nov. 7th, the same day that the transaction log reflects his release from the Boston organization.

When the Red Sox signed Asencio, he was ranked as the No. 34 overall international prospect in the 2024 class. Clearly, the Red Sox saw something in him, which is why he was the organization's most expensive international prospect that year.

Throughout the offseason, we are going to see chatter about big-name players and how they fit with Boston. This is a decision that won't get as much buzz, but it is still interesting. Seeing Boston cut an 18-year-old prospect after investing $1 million in 2024 is somewhat surprising. But, at this time, more information hasn't been provided.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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