BOSTON Manager Alex Cora admitted to being concerned about theRed Soxstarting pitching depth last Saturday, five days before the trade deadline.
Obviously we re one pitch away from somebody (else) getting hurt, Cora said back then. That’s just the way the business operates. The more we have, of course, the better. We’re much shorter than that bunch than we were at spring training.
The Red Sox added only one starting pitcher at the deadline,acquiring 27-year-old righty Dustin May from the Dodgersfor outfield prospects James Tibbs III andZach Ehrhard.
What is Cora’s current opinion of the depth?
“I feel fine,” Cora remarked. Obviously, Fitzy (Richard Fitts) is down there, (Kyle) Harrison is down there (at Worcester). Other men might or might not help, but we’ve improved in that area over the past week.
Fitts, Harrison andCooper Criswell (who s making a spot start Friday)are the three top depth options atTriple-A Worcester.
Worcester manager Chad Tracy said Tuesday that he s seen flashes from Harrison,the 23-year-old lefty who the Red Sox acquired in the Rafael Devers trade.
Tracy said it s hard to say how close Harrison (4.78 ERA in six starts at Worcester) is to being able to contribute in Boston. He was sharp July 22 at St. Paul, allowing just one earned run, three hits and one walk while striking out five in 6 innings. He then lasted just 3 innings in his July 27 start (also at St. Paul), giving up two runs, four hits and six walks while striking out four.
Two starts ago, it was electric, Tracy said. It was the best I ve seen him by far. The Tuesday game in St. Paul. Completely in control of the outing from start to finish. Sixty-two out of 86 pitches for strikes. Everything in the zone. Backdoor slider … throwing the fastball in the zone at the top. Swing and miss. Like, it was awesome. It was like, Wow. That s a major league starter right there. And then on Sunday, stuff still looked good, but just a little bit more erratic. He walked five or six, was underneath the ball a little bit, losing it armside. So the outing wasn t as crisp.
May will make his first start for Boston on Wednesday against the Royals. He ll join a rotation that includesGarrett Crochet, Lucas Giolito,Brayan BelloandWalker Buehler.
Crochet (141 innings) is just 4 innings shy of his career-high (146 in 2024).The Red Sox already are mindful of the ace s workload, pushing him back to give him a few days extra rest this turn through the rotation. He last pitched Sunday.
May, meanwhile, has thrown a career-high 104 innings, well beyond his previous career-high when he threw 66 innings combined between the regular season and postseason in 2020.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said May feels good and he said the Red Sox will not have any restrictions on his usage.That said, May has a well-documented history of injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2021 and another elbow surgery in 2023.
My hope is that with the current rotation and also some of the younger guys who have recently gotten to Triple A or likely to get to get to Triple A here pretty soon, that we ll also be able to draw from some of our internal depth, Breslow said.
Boston recently promoted both pitching prospectsConnelly EarlyandDavid Sandlinto Worcester.Payton Tolle, the No. 1 pitching prospect in the organization, likely isn t too far behind them at Double-A Portland.
The Red Sox starting pitching depth has thinned out quickly.
Kutter Crawford (wrist surgery) and Hunter Dobbins (ACL tear) are out for the rest of the season. Tanner Houck has been on the IL since May 14 with a right flexor pronator strain and it s doubtful he ll return.
On whether he still has hope Houck will contribute again in 2025, Cora said, It s becoming harder and harder. He s been out for a while. It s August 1.
