Former Red Sox First-Round Pick Non-Tendered After Suspension Reinstatement

A former top Boston Red Sox prospect can return to the mound, but he’ll need a new home.

On Thursday, year-long suspensions ended for four players. Jay Groome, Michael Kelly, José Rodríguez, and Andrew Saalfrank are all eligible for reinstatement after serving their bans for betting on baseball games.

However, the San Diego Padres aren’t welcoming back Groome.

According to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders, the Padres plan to non-tender Groome. The 26-year-old is out of minor league options.

Boston drafted Groome with the No. 12 pick in 2016. The 6-foot-6 southpaw entered the 2017 season as a top-50 prospect on MLB.com, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus.

Yet Groome didn’t live up to the lofty hype. He posted a 5.69 ERA in 14 starts that season, issuing 30 walks with four hit batters in 55.1 innings.

In 2022, the Red Sox sent Groome to the Padres for Eric Hosmer, infield prospect Max Ferguson, and minor league outfielder Corey Rosier. Groome allowed 171 hits, 112 walks, and 133 runs (128 earned) in 134 2/3 innings for San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in 2023. He made just one start for the El Paso Chihuahuas before MLB suspended him last year.

While Groome has struck out 10 1/3 batters per nine innings throughout his minor league career, his command continued to falter. He has a 5.54 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 447 career innings.

According to MLB, Groome wagered $453.74 on 30 total baseball bets from July 22, 2020 through July 24, 2021. He placed 24 of them on the Red Sox while pitching in High-A. Groome could have faced a lifetime ban if he were part of the major league club at the time.