Top Red Sox prospect Miguel Bleis to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

Top Red Sox outfield prospect Miguel Bleis has a left shoulder subluxation that will require him to undergo season-ending surgery, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. Chris Henrique of the Boston Sports Journal was first to report his news.

Bleis strained his left shoulder while swinging at a pitch in the eighth inning of Low-A Salem’s 3-2 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans back on May 30. He was immediately taken out of the contest and has not appeared in an affiliated game since.

Instead, Bleis was placed on the minor-league injured list on June 1 and was sent to Fort Myers, Fla. to rehab. In a recent conversation with The Athletic’s Chad Jennings, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham indicated that Bleis was “focusing on building strength rather than baseball at the moment.”

Bleis, 19, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 86 prospect in the sport. The Red Sox originally signed the Dominican Republic native for $1.5 million in January 2021, making him the highest-paid member of the club’s international signing class that year.

After a solid pro debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2021, Bleis really burst onto the scene last season. The right-handed hitter broke out to the tune of a .301/.353/.543 slash line with five home runs, 27 RBIs, 28 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases in 40 Florida Complex League games. He also led Boston’s rookie-level affiliate in outfield assists with five.

On the heels of such an impressive campaign, Bleis was tabbed by MLB Pipeline as the Red Sox’ best international prospect since Rafael Devers. He entered the 2023 season as a consensus top-100 prospect and made some waves during spring training by singling off Alek Manoah and throwing out Brandon Belt at home plate in a Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays on March 13.

Bleis broke camp with Salem in April and had gotten off to a relatively slow start, batting just .230/.282/.325 with three doubles, three triples, one home run, 16 RBIs, 18 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 10 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 31 games (142 plate appearances) in his first exposure to full-season ball.

On the other side of the ball, Bleis saw playing time in center and right field for Salem. The 6-foot, 170-pounder logged 92 innings at the former and 110 innings at the latter while racking up four outfield assists and committing just one error in 47 defensive chances between the two positions.

Though it is still too early to determine a recovery timetable for Bleis — who does not turn 20 until next March — it’s certainly possible that this forthcoming surgery will alter his developmental timeline to at least some degree.