The Boston Red Sox on July 29 promoted top pitching prospect David Sandlin to Triple-A Worcester in preparation for a potential role in Boston's bullpen down the stretch. An August 19 update from Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazzette suggests Red Sox fans could see him in action soon.
Cassell tweeted that the WooSox will give Sandlin his first back-to-back appearances out of the bullpen sometime this week. It'll be uncharted territory for the righty in his young professional career, as he was brought up through Boston's system as a starter.
Sandlin hasn't pitched like himself since his promotion to Worcester. The 24-year-old posted a 3.61 ERA with 86 strikeouts and 27 walks in 82.1 innings with Double-A Portland earlier this season. Thirteen of his 17 appearances were starts. Since his full-time transition to the bullpen, Sandlin has allowed seven runs in 5.2 innings.
Sandlin may just need more time to adjust to a relief role before being called up to the big leagues. His first appearance in Worcester was a start, during which he allowed just one run on four hits in five innings. Two of his five appearances out of the bullpen have been scoreless, and the one on August 15 hiked his ERA up drastically. He allowed four runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning, which cost him his first save opportunity.
Red Sox may be nearly ready to promote top pitching prospect David Sandlin to the majors for relief role
Active rosters around MLB expand from 26 to 28 players in September, and if Sandlin can grow used to a relief role by then, he's a clear candidate for promotion. He has three different fastball shapes in his arsenal, and he can touch triple-digits on the radar gun.
Boston also has Justin Slaten nearing his return on a rehab assignment in Triple-A, along with Zack Kelly, Jovani Morán and Isaiah Campbell on the WooSox roster. All of them have experience in the big leagues this year, which could make them preferable to Sandlin in the bullpen. However, Morán is freshly recovered from Tommy John surgery, and those returns to the big leagues rarely go smoothly, and Campbell was demoted on August 20 after a rough stint in Boston's bullpen (6.35 ERA though five appearances in August).
Hopefully, Sandlin can find his footing in the bullpen before September call-ups. His first back-to-back appearances will be quite a test for someone who's trained as a starter, and he'll need to find his command and throw more strikes to pass in such a high pressure environment.