Back in December, the Rule 5 Draft meant the Boston Red Sox were going to get some new additions to the organization. However, they would also lose a few prospects. One prospect taken from them was right-handed pitcher Jedixson Paez.
At the time, Paez seemed like an unlikely selection. He’s a fantastic pitching prospect who could become a legitimate arm in the majors, but he had 84 innings in High-A over the last two seasons and has yet to appear in Double-A.
Throwing a 22-year-old pitcher who missed most of last season with an injury last year and hasn’t pitched above High-A into the majors feels like a wild move, even for the Chicago White Sox, the team that selected him.
Selecting Paez felt like the White Sox taking a chance that he would impress them this spring and make it worth taking the risk of having him on the Opening Day roster. But the righty has struggled this spring.
Former Red Sox prospect Jedixson Paez could return to the team following spring struggles
In 6.1 innings, Paez has done what you’d expect in terms of strikeouts (eight) and limiting walks (two). That’s where the big positives end in the box score. He’s allowed six runs on eight hits (one home run).
There are two important things to remember here. First, that’s an incredibly small sample size. We shouldn’t judge anyone too harshly for a few rough innings of work. Second, this is just box score watching. For all we know, the White Sox love what they’ve seen under the hood. Maybe they are impressed with his pitches, how he’s handled himself, improvements he’s made in camp, or any number of other potential sways.
What we have, though, are the numbers. And right now, it’s nearly impossible to see the White Sox justifying placing Paez on their Opening Day roster. That would mean he would have to be offered back to the Red Sox (which they would obviously accept).
Boston already has phenomenal pitching prospects all throughout its minor league system. Adding Paez back into the mix certainly wouldn’t hurt, though. Watching his elite control is always a treat. That control is likely what led to the White Sox taking a shot on him and seeing if he could fight his way onto the Opening Day roster despite never even pitching in Double-A.
Who knows, maybe the White Sox will shock everyone and give Paez a spot. Maybe Paez dices up opponents for the next few weeks and earns a spot. Or maybe Chicago gets hit with a ridiculous injury bug, and it needs to give Paez a spot. As of right now, though? Boston fans should feel pretty confident that Paez will be back in the organization to start the year.