Red Sox Rumors: Relief Pitcher Claimed By National League Rival

The bullpen carousel never stops spinning.

On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals claimed Jorge Alcala off waivers after the Boston Red Sox designated him for assignment.

Alcala threw 16 1/3 innings for the Red Sox and registered a 3.31 ERA. He started his Red Sox tenure strong, surrendering just one earned run in his first 13 appearances.

After that, things went off the rails for Alcala. In his next six games, he only managed to get through four innings and allowed five runs in the process. On multiple occasions, he forced Alex Cora to turn to high-leverage arms in games that the Red Sox appeared to have locked up.

Alcala has stuff. That’s why the Cardinals are willing to take a flier on him. His fastball gets up to 100 mph, while his breaking balls miss bats.

Command is an issue for Alcala, who sometimes struggles to find the zone. Sometimes, one small tweak is all it takes to unlock a reliever, though. If the Cardinals find it, they’ll have a solid pitcher on their hands.

The Red Sox called up Isaiah Campbell to replace Alcala. Campbell struggled in his first appearance since being promoted, surrendering three hits and one run in two innings against the Kansas City Royals.