The Boston Red Sox released 21-year-old minor league outfielder Natanael Yuten from their High-A affiliate Greenville Drive over the weekend.
The move came after a difficult start to his 2026 campaign and coincided with Boston acquiring infielder Curtis Mead via a trade with the Washington Nationals.
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Yuten, a Dominican Republic native originally signed as a 143-pound teenager, struggled after his promotion to High-A this season.
Across 30 games in 2026, he posted a . 165 batting average with 39 strikeouts and just three walks.
His release ends a developmental path that showed strong potential in the lower minors.
In 2022, Yuten debuted in the Dominican Summer League with a . 307 average in 50 games.
He followed that in 2023 by earning Florida Complex League All-Star honors after leading the league in batting average.
Blogging the Red Sox analyst Brendan Campbell highlighted Yuten's standout 2023 campaign in Fort Myers.
"The left-handed hitting 18-year-old batted a stout . 336/.
396/.
483 with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, 32 RBIs, 28 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 11 walks, and 36 strikeouts in 38 games for the FCL Red Sox," Campbell wrote.
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Campbell noted that Yuten finished inside the top 20 across multiple statistical hitting metrics that year, including OPS, speed score, and isolated power.
After spending both 2024 and 2025 with Single-A Salem, where he improved his average to .
