September has arrived and so has the exhaustion that comes with it. The Boston Red Sox had to delay Sonny Gray's September 1 start to keep him in the best possible shape for the rest of the season, so top prospect Jedixson Paez started in his stead.
His outing didn't go well. The Mariners rocked Paez for eight runs on 10 hits, including two home runs, over 3.2 innings. He fanned three batters and walked two.
Paez's Boston debut was not his MLB debut, as he had a winding path to his first start at Fenway Park. During the offseason, the Chicago White Sox selected the 22-year-old righty in the Rule 5 Draft and immediately added him to their 40-man roster, per the rules. Paez made three relief appearances for Chicago without ever reaching Double-A and it showed in his performance — he allowed six runs on four hits with three walks and no strikeouts over three innings.
The Red Sox made a game of Paez's ugly start thanks to a late two-run homer from Jahmai Jones, but the game was a lost cause by the fourth inning. The loss was necessary, though, as Gray, 36, needs the extra rest to get through the season and into the playoffs.
Red Sox to option rookie starter Jedixson Paez after Mariners outing, recall Raymond Burgos for fourth time in August
Paez isn't long for the big leagues this season after his rough outing. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Red Sox will option the rookie to bring up a bullpen arm before their series finale against Seattle.
Cotillo reports that the most likely bullpen reinforcement will be Raymond Burgos, who will serve as a long reliever. It will be the fourth time Burgos is called up this month. The lefty has allowed eight runs on 11 hits, including two homers, seven strikeouts and one walk over 12.1 innings with Boston this season.
Tyler Samaniego has been in Worcester since June 4 and seemingly won't get the call back this time. The rookie clocked a 2.66 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 20.1 innings with the Red Sox before his demotion and a 4.22 ERA and 1.53 ERA across 32 frames with the WooSox since.
September call-ups usually last more than one outing, but Boston has used its extra roster space differently. Hopefully, Gray feels rested enough after his delayed start to keep dominating throughout September and into October because Paez isn't ready to stick in the big leagues just yet.
Add us as a preferred source on Google