THE APEX TIMES
St. Louis landed a 23-year-old southpaw prospect who made his MLB debut at Fenway Park in 2026, completing the trade for a Dominican Summer League Cardinals right-hander.
The St. Louis Cardinals announced Tuesday that they have acquired left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rivera from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league pitcher Juan Carlos García.
Rivera, 23, is listed at 6-foot-7 and 237 pounds and is from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He originally signed with Oakland in the 2021 MLB Draft as an 11th-round selection before later being acquired by Boston as a minor league free agent in June 2024.
Rivera reached Boston’s majors in 2026, making his debut on April 22 at Fenway Park against the New York Yankees. Through four major league appearances that year (including three starts), he went 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA while averaging about one strikeout per inning over 10.0 innings.
Against left-handed batters, the Cardinals’ new southpaw profile includes run-prevention indicators from Boston and the minors. In 2026 with Boston, Rivera allowed one hit in 15 at-bats (.067 batting average) to left-handed batters, and the team also noted he has not surrendered a home run in his minor league career while facing 355 left-handed hitters.
In the minors during 2026, Rivera posted a 7-2 record with a 2.59 ERA across 26 appearances and five starts between Portland (AA) and Worcester (AAA). Over 267.2 minor league innings, he has averaged 11 strikeouts per 9 innings, and ranked him the No. 18 prospect in the Red Sox organization entering 2026.
García, the player moving to Boston, is an 18-year-old right-hander from Montemorelos, Mexico. Boston received García after he pitched the last two seasons for the Dominican Summer League Cardinals, going 6-6 with a 3.87 ERA in 23 games.