One former Boston Red Sox top prospect reportedly is attempting a Major League Baseball comeback at 29 years old.

On Tuesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported that former Boston elite prospect Darwinzon Hernandez is attempting a return to the majors after pitching for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Nippon Professional Baseball since 2023.

"Familiar name alert: Left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez, who improved his control and has excelled in NPB over the last four years (2.46 ERA, 31 percent strikeout rate, 8 percent walk rate), is looking to return to MLB. He turns 30 in December," Speier wrote.

The Former Boston Flamethrower Wants Back In

Hernandez began his professional career in the Red Sox's organization as a 17-year-old back in 2014. He worked his way up through the Boston farm system and eventually made his big league debut in 2019. That season, the big lefty was the Red Sox's No. 4 overall prospect and he made an impact in the majors. In 2019, Hernandez made 29 appearances in the majors and logged a 4.45 ERA in 30 1/3 innings of action. In 2020, he made seven appearances in the majors and logged a 2.16 ERA. Then, he had the best season of his major league career to this point in 2021 when he logged a 3.38 ERA in a career-high 48 appearances.

Unfortunately, struggles hit in 2022 and he hasn't been in the majors since.

While this is the case, he's someone a big league team should absolutely take a chance on this winter — and maybe even the Red Sox. He's somehow still just 29 years old. In 2026, he logged a 1.41 ERA in 47 total appearances with SoftBank in 44 2/3 innings of action. In 2025, he had a 2.98 ERA in 47 total outings. Over the last few years, we've seen a handful of players across the league find success back in the majors after leaving and heading overseas. One example is Erick Fedde who pitched in the KBO League and came back to the majors in 2024.

Hernandez still has a big fastball and Speier pointed out that he now has improved control. At this point, it likely would only take a minor league deal, or a cheap big league contract to bring him back to the majors. Boston should oblige as another bullpen option. He was the club's No. 4 overall prospect back in 2019 for a reason. In Japan, he started to unlock that potential.