Red Sox Top Prospect Suspended For Season Following Horrible Accusations

Boston has lost a key prospect for the season and possibly beyond

Scott Neville | Feb 28, 2024

Red Sox Top Prospect Suspended For Season Following Horrible Accusations /

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have spent the last few years attempting to completely rebuild the farm system in hopes of building a sustainable contender in the near future.

In doing so, the organization racked up a slew of position players and appeared to have a type -- middle infielders. As it stands now, 10 of the Red Sox's top 30 prospects are listed at either shortstop or second base, not including Ceddanne Rafaela, who is expected to play center field but has the versatility to play just about anywhere.

One of those players reportedly will not be suiting up for the 2024 season due to some serious allegations.

"Red Sox prospect Brainer Bonaci has been suspended for the season for a violation of the minor league domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy, according to an industry source," The Boston Globe's Alex Speier wrote Wednesday. "Bonaci had been placed on the restricted list in October, resulting in his departure from the Arizona Fall League."

The 21-year-old is listed as the Red Sox's No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The reason for his disappearance last season has been uncovered.

Bonaci hit .297 with 30 extra-base hits including 11 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .818 OPS in 79 games between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland last season.

It was going to be difficult to find Bonaci a path to Boston given the loaded position group but his ability alone likely would have been enough to either find him a role or trade him somewhere he could have thrived.

Now he'll be sitting out for the entirety of the 2024 season and his future with the organization is in serious jeopardy.

More MLB: Free Agent Ace Reportedly Is Seeking Deal In Red Sox's Preferred Contract Length

Published Feb 28, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu