Red Sox calling up pitcher straight from Double-A in latest round of roster moves
BOSTON — With their pitching depth decimated, the Red Sox are turning to a young arm who will be making the jump straight from Double-A to the big leagues when he debuts. Boston will call up left-handed pitching prospect Eduardo Rivera ahead of Wednesday’s game, sources confirmed late Tuesday. Righty Jack Anderson will be optioned to Triple-A Worcester to clear a spot on the active roster.
The Red Sox will also need to clear a 40-man roster to select Rivera and can do so by moving an injured player (like Triston Casas or Kutter Crawford) to the 60-day injured list. It’s unclear whether Rivera will start or relieve in the majors. The 22-year-old dominated in two starts for Double-A Portland to start the year (1 earned run and 16 strikeouts in 10 innings) and was promoted to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday but didn’t pitch.
He last threw Thursday in Altoona, striking out nine in 5 ⅔ innings. The Red Sox are in something of a fire drill when it comes to their pitching staff just three-plus weeks into the season. With Sonny Gray (hamstring strain) on the injured list, the club will need someone to make a start in the coming days.
For now, Ranger Suárez (Wednesday) and Brayan Bello (Thursday) are set to start the next two games with Gray’s spot set to come around Saturday in Baltimore. Pitching prospect Payton Tolle seems like the most likely candidate to take Gray’s rotation spot but has not pitched in nine days. The pool of depth starters is limited with Johan Oviedo (flexor strain) and Tyler Uberstine (shoulder inflammation) sidelined and Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval both shut down after recent setbacks while on rehab assignments .
The Red Sox signed Rivera, 22, as a minor league free agent in 2024 . He’s a former Athletics prospect who was a 10th-round pick in 2021 and released three years later. SoxProspects ranks Rivera as the No.