Tracking the Red Sox’ selections in the 2026 MLB Draft
The Red Sox made their first three selections of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, taking two shortstops — one out of high school — and a center fielder.
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They have 16 selections for Sunday’s draft, which begins at 11:30 a.m. on MLB.com and will feature Rounds five through 20.
Follow along with Red Sox picks as they happen below.
2026 Red Sox draft picks
Boston’s picks with assigned slot values for Rounds 1-20, per soxprospects.com.
No. 20, first round ($4,373,900)
Jake Schaffner, SS, UNC
Schaffner played two years at North Dakota State before transferring to UNC for his junior year. He hit .356/.467/.552 with 6 homers, 33 extra-base hits, and 26 steals in 68 games for Carolina, helping the Tar Heels reach the championship series of the College World Series, where they fell to Oklahoma.
The 21-year-old excelled in the areas that are most difficult to train, showing elite contact skills and outstanding strike zone awareness, contributing to a walk rate (13 percent) that surpassed his strikeout rate (9).
His selection in the first round was a bit of a surprise, but Sox amateur scouting director Jake Bruml viewed Schaffner as far more talented than his public projections, and by selecting him in the first round, could likely sign him for less than his $4.37 million slot-recommended bonus, thus freeing more money to pursue additional high-end talent as the draft progressed.
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His limited college power and questions about whether he has the arm strength to stick at short hovered over his projected draft position. However, the Sox believe they can help players who make contact and good swing decisions tap into more power through bat speed training. And arm strength is likewise something that can be trained in pro ball.
No. 67, competitive balance B ($1,317,300)
Owen Hull, CF, UNC
Hull, Schaffner’s roommate at UNC, this year hit .393/.500./615 with nine homers and 18 steals in 2026 with both a walk and strikeout rate of 15 percent. He transferred to Chapel Hill from George Mason. The 6-foot-4-inch lefthanded hitter has the speed and range to stay in center as well as strong bat-to-ball skills and makes hard contact – albeit with a high ground-ball rate. The Sox are hopeful they can help him hit fewer ground balls to emerge as an everyday player with a balanced skill set.
No. 96, third round ($815,700)
Jace Mataczynski, SS, Hudson High School, Wisconsin
The 6-4 righthanded hitter was one of the best high school defenders in the draft.
Mataczynski has size, strength, and room to fill out, but a somewhat jumpy swing. Though raw, if he proves capable of holding his own offensively in pro ball, his strong glove, arm, and speed could make the Auburn commit (expected to sign for an above-slot bonus) a middle-of-the-field player with significant upside.
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Sox scouts compared his glove to Marcelo Mayer’s when Mayer was in high school
No. 156, fifth round ($454,100)
No. 185, sixth round ($352,900)
No. 214, seventh round ($278,700)
No. 244, eighth round ($227,200)
No. 274, ninth round ($205,400)
No. 304, 10th round ($194,000)
No. 334, 11th round ($150,000)
No. 364, 12th round ($150,000)
No. 394, 13th round ($150,000)
No. 424, 14th round ($150,000)
No. 454, 15th round ($150,000)
No. 484, 16th round ($150,000)
No. 514, 17th round ($150,000)
No. 544, 18th round ($150,000)
No. 574, 19th round ($150,000)
No. 604, 20th round ($150,000)
Information from previous Globe stories was used in this report.
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