Yhoiker Fajardo

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Boston Red Sox #9 prospect in 2026
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Average
  
  Adjusted Grade: 40
  
  Track Record: Fajardo signed with the White Sox for $400,000 out of Venezuela in 2024. He pounded the strike zone with a low-90s sinker and gyro slider in his 2024 pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, finishing the year with a 3.91 ERA, 30% strikeout rate and 4% walk rate that was one of the lowest in the league. The Red Sox acquired Fajardo from Chicago for reliever Cam Booser in December 2024, and Fajardo made a jump while splitting 2025 between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem. He posted a 2.25 ERA and 29% strikeout rate between the levels and was one of four minor league pitchers to throw at least 70 innings without yielding a home run.
  
  Scouting report: Fajardo has a repeatable, athletic delivery without a lot of deception, but he throws strikes and avoids barrels by using different shapes to get to different areas of the strike zone. After his fastball sat 92 mph with the White Sox in 2024, he typically pitched at 94 with both a four-seamer and sinker in 2025 while topping out at 96. Fajardo has room to add muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame and turn that top-end velocity into a baseline. He actually threw his high-80s slider slightly more than his fastball in 2025, and he also liberally employed his changeup against lefthanded hitters. Fajardo’s control allows him to spread the zone. For now, he lacks an above-average offering, but he’s young enough to believe he could develop one.
  
  The Future: Fajardo should compete for a spot in the High-A Greenville rotation as a 19-year-old in 2026. He lacks the ceiling of other pitchers in the top system but has a clearer path to being a back-end starter than most, with a big league ETA of 2027 or 2028.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55.