The Boston Red Sox will recall top pitching prospect Hunter Dobbins on April 18 to start the first game of their second series against the White Sox.
The 25-year-old righty made his MLB debut on April 6 as the 27th man in game two of the doubleheader. He pitched a solid five innings, allowing eight hits, two walks, while striking out five.
The need to recall Dobbins for Friday's game shows just how desperate the Sox are for arms at the moment. Going into the season, there were questions about whether Boston would use a six-man rotation with Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito. That debate was quickly put to bed at the start of camp when it became clear that three of those six (Bello, Crawford, and Giolito) wouldn't be ready for Opening Day.
Those injuries allowed Richard Fitts and Sean Newcomb to crack the rotation to start the season. Dobbins, Quinn Priester, and Michael Fulmer all started the season in Triple-A. The front office felt good enough about their starting pitching depth to deal Quinn Priester to the Milwaukee Brewers on April 7. Less than one week later, Richard Fitts was pulled early from his start and was placed on the 15-day IL with a right pectoral strain. Now, Fulmer has been called up to eat innings and aid a reeling bullpen, leaving Dobbins as the last option.
More pitcher injuries force Red Sox to recall Hunter Dobbins for start against White Sox
Hunter Dobbins tallies 5 K's in his MLB debut in front of the Fenway faithful!@RedSox | @RedSoxPlayerDev | @TTU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/CFqDmWzItm
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 7, 2025
Now, the Red Sox are relying on a pitcher with just six Triple-A appearances to make his second big league start. The trade of Priester just a day after Dobbins made his big league debut was just as much a testament to their belief in his ability as it was an opportunity to maximize the value of an increasingly blocked pitcher, but it's now showing just how quickly pitching depth can thin.
Dobbins likely won't be in the big leagues for long after his coming start. Bello made his final rehab start on April 17 and is expected to debut next week. Giolito isn't far behind, meaning the rotation will soon be back to full health.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, though, and needing to call up a prospect with little Triple-A experience, no matter how good he looked in his first big-league appearance, is desperate. The one silver lining this does show is how well Craig Breslow built pitching depth this offseason.