Red Sox: Darwinzon Hernandez has a real shot of making the roster

Darwinzon Hernandez has impressed this spring, and with a thinner Red Sox bullpen than last year, the lefty has a genuine chance of making the roster.

With opening day less than two weeks away, Alex Cora will have pretty much already decided who’ll be on the active roster to start the season. The Boston Red Sox begin their title defense in Seattle on Thursday, March 28, as they start an eleven-game road trip. With little changes over the course of the offseason, we’ll see a very similar team that won held the Commissioners Trophy aloft, back in October. The only area that might see any significant change, both to start and down the stretch, is the bullpen.

With a couple of notable faces leaving Boston over the winter, there are plenty of spots in the pen to be filled. One contender for these spots has come as a bit of a surprise, 22-year-old Darwinzon Hernandez, who has made his mark over spring training.

Hernandez has been affiliated with the Red Sox organisation since 2014. The left-handed pitcher appeared in the Dominican Summer League in 2014 and 2015, representing the Red Sox and performing phenomenally in his second year. Hernandez boasted 1.10 ERA over 65.1 innings pitched in the 2015 DOSL.

Since breaking in with the Lowell Spinners team in 2016, Hernandez has worked his way up through Boston’s farm system. In 2018, he spent time in both Portland and Salem, remaining with the latter for the majority of the year, where he went 9-5 with a 1.386 WHIP and 11.0 K/9.

The youngster’s addition to the Red Sox’s spring training roster came at a time where there was plenty of opportunities to impress for relievers. With Joe Kelly signing with the Dodgers and Craig Kimbrel not returning, there are roles to be filled, and it’d be best if this was to be done with pitchers from within the organization. Hernandez is a prime competitor to potentially take one of these roster spots. He’s a player who’s worked hard to get better over the years and has been promoted through the Sox system as a result.

More from Red Sox News

• Red Sox finally get validation after Andrew Benintendi-White Sox contract
• Red Sox fans’ concern about Justin Turner signing speaks volumes
• Latest Red Sox-Rafael Devers contract update might be final straw for fans
• Is Jean Segura the solution to Red Sox’ Trevor Story concerns?
• Xander Bogaerts issues emotional farewell to Red Sox on Instagram

Thing spring, Hernandez has appeared in five games for the Sox, producing 0.90 ERA and not really putting a foot wrong. Where he pitches to begin 2019 remains a question but he certainly hasn’t damaged any chances of a potential call up. While there seems to be less talent than there was last campaign, there are plenty of capable pitchers in Boston’s farm system that have the ability to pitch at a major league level.

Hernandez has plenty of time left at his young age, but he looks pretty solid right now and his stuff has major league potential for sure. With a fastball that tops out at 97 mph, Hernandez could cause major league hitters a real problem. His arsenal also consists of a changeup and slider. There’ll be room for improvement in many areas for Hernandez, but perhaps this could come in Boston, as he’s looked ready for the majors at times.

Whether or not we see Hernandez making an impact early on in the season or not, he remains a significant weapon for Cora to consider throughout the season. The 22-year-old will have plenty of time to perform at the highest level if he continues to throw as well as he has been. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hernandez on the roster at anytime soon. He has the potential to make a real impact and put his print on this Red Sox bullpen.