Phillies Top 30 Prospects No. 24: Flamethrowing Yoniel Curet

This is the seventh in a series of stories breaking down the Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 30 prospects heading into 2026.

The Phillies acquired 23-year-old right-hander Yoniel Curet from the Rays in a December 2025 trade. Tampa Bay designated him for assignment and Philadelphia snapped Curet up, trading right-hander Tommy McCollum to dodge the waiver process.

Curet hails from the Dominican Republic and made it to Triple-A Durham last season, posting a 6.03 ERA over 31.1 innings after a shoulder issue kept him out for much of the first three months. When he’s struggled — injury-shortened season aside — it’s typically because of control issues. Curet is a flamethrower in every sense of the word, his fastball dotting as high as 98 miles per hour, and he also boasts a lively 60-grade cutter that misses bats and has a near-identical release point to his other offerings, helping him deceiver batters. He struggles to find the strike zone, however, walking 5.04 batters per nine innings in 2025 and 5.31 across his professional career.

Curet almost always served as a starter during his time in the Rays’ organization but struggled to extend outings. He averaged less than five innings in 2024, his best season, and might fit best as a reliever if he isn’t able to develop a better feel for the zone: watch to see if the Phillies keep him on the same course or try to move him to the bullpen.

Another factor to monitor is Curet’s changeup, which he threw ten percent of the time in a tracked game on Aug. 29, 2025. Developing that offering could help Curet raise his big league ceiling — he should make his debut at some point this year — from a lightning-rod reliever to a potential starter.