As the Triple-A regular season comes to an end this weekend, the Boston Red Sox need a plan in place to keep as many players as possible ready for emergency big-league duties.
Boston has eight games left in the major league regular season entering Saturday. It sorely hopes the playoffs are still to come thereafter, and at any point, an unexpected injury or even a major slump could create an opening that needs to quickly be filled.
So, at the conclusion of the weekend, the Red Sox are preparing to send just about every Triple-A player on the 40-man roster to the team’s complex in Fort Myers to “stay ready,” according to a report from MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
According to Cotillo, the confirmed players heading to Fort Myers include position players Kristian Campbell and Jhostynxon Garcia, plus pitchers Isiah Campbell, Jovani Morán, Cooper Criswell, Luis Guerrero, and Luis Perales, who made his Triple-A debut on Wednesday in just his second outing since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Triple-A Worcester manager Chad Tracy sounded off on the purpose of this makeshift reserve squad, any of whom could theoretically be pressed into duty if something goes haywire in Boston.
“Mostly, you’re dealing with all the guys that are on the 40-man here, pitchers and hitters that are going to just go down there and be able to get reps and stay ready,” said Tracy, per Cotillo. “If you’re on the 40-man roster, you’re receptive to that and know you’re still a part of potentially helping up there.”
Another player will be added to the group whenever outfielder Wilyer Abreu is activated from the injured list. Abreu traveled to Tampa to join the Red Sox on their road trip in advance of Saturday’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays, but his availability to play has not yet been confirmed.
Campbell is an obvious candidate to rejoin the roster, as he spent nearly three months in the majors as a rookie this spring. But the most intriguing name on the list is Perales, a 22-year-old right-handed fireballer who profiles as a future starter in Boston, but could hypothetically be an impact arm out of the bullpen at any time.
It’s possible we see none of these players in the majors the rest of the way, and Perales may be the least likely of the bunch. But as long as they’re still working hard, they never know when their name might get called.
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