Red Sox re-sign LHP prospect Michael Sansone to minor league contract

In addition to Eduardo Rivera and Reidis Sena, the Red Sox have re-signed left-hander Michael Sansone to a minor league contract, according to Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Like Rivera and Sena, Sansone was slated to reach free agency next month but is now in line to return to the Red Sox organization in 2026. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is not currently ranked among the system’s top pitching prospects.

A Connecticut native, Sansone went undrafted as a senior coming out of Fairfield in 2022 and signed his first professional contract with the Rays that summer. He spent part of the next two seasons in Tampa Bay’s farm system before being released in July 2023.

Last March, Sansone signed with the Yolo High Wheelers of the independent Pioneer League, only for his contract to be purchased by the Red Sox a few weeks later. The lefty then spent all of 2024 with Low-A Salem, compiling a 3.11 ERA (3.25 FIP) with 68 strikeouts to nine walks over 20 appearances (three starts) spanning 72 1/3 innings.

Sansone returned to Salem for the start of the 2025 season and put up a 2.75 ERA (2.81 FIP) with 22 strikeouts to one walk in 10 relief appearances (19 2/3 innings) before being promoted to High-A Greenville in late May. In 16 outings (seven starts) for the Drive, he posted a 3.84 ERA (4.18 FIP) with 50 strikeouts to 13 walks over 65 2/3 innings. He received another promotion to Double-A Portland on September 9 and made the most of his lone outing for the Sea Dogs five days later by striking out a pair in three scoreless, one-hit frames of relief.

Though Sansone was elevated yet again to Triple-A Worcester on September 16, he was subsequently placed on the development list to end his season. So, altogether, he forged a 3.46 ERA (3.80 FIP) with 74 strikeouts to 14 walks across 27 appearances (seven starts) totaling 88 1/3 innings between Salem, Greenville, and Portland in 2025. Opposing hitters batted .249 against him.

Among the 14 Red Sox minor leaguers who, regardless of level, threw at least 85 innings this year, Sansone notably ranked second in walks per nine innings (1.43) and walk rate (3.9 percent), fifth in swinging-strike rate (13.8 percent) and WHIP (1.11), and seventh in ERA (3.46), per FanGraphs.

Standing at 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, Sansone throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates some deception into his repeatable delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the compact southpaw features an 86-88 mph fastball while also mixing in a 75-78 mph changeup, an 81-83 mph slider, and a 74-76 mph curveball.

Assuming his name does not come up in either phase of December’s Rule 5 Draft or any other transaction this winter, Sansone is projected by SoxProspects.com to return to Portland as a member of the Sea Dogs’ bullpen to begin the 2026 campaign.