Red Sox Pitcher Dominating Triple-A, Pushing For Promotion

The Boston Red Sox haven’t been able to solve the bottom of their bullpen this season.

Recently, Jorge Alcala was designated for assignment after a series of blow-up outings forced the team to tax the bullpen further. He was replaced by Isaiah Campbell, who struggled in his first appearance since being recalled.

Prospects David Sandlin and Payton Tolle are both in Triple-A Worcester. Some have questioned whether either prospect could fill a late-season role in the bullpen due to their electric stuff. Neither reliever has major league experience, though, and there are questions about how they’ll be able to handle the next level.

Boston does have one pitcher in Triple-A with multiple years of major league experience in Jovani Moran. Moran was acquired this offseason from the Minnesota Twins. Moran is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, having last pitched in the big leagues in 2023.

This season in Worcester, Moran has been dominant. He’s appeared in 11 games and completed 17 1/3 innings. He has a 2.60 ERA and has struck out an absurd 36.8% of hitters he’s faced.

More important than the results, Moran’s stuff looks similar to how it was in 2023, with some additions to his arsenal. His fastball velocity is down slightly, but he’s only just started throwing in competitive games. His changeup shape is consistent with 2023, when it was his best pitch.

Moran has always had strikeout stuff, but walks have plagued him in the majors. The Red Sox have taken steps to mitigate that by adding pitches to his arsenal. In his limited time in Worcester, he’s added both a cutter and a curveball. He hasn’t thrown either pitch a lot, but he’s been able to throw both in the strike zone, which should help limit free passes.

Moran won’t walk into high-leverage opportunities any time soon, but the Red Sox might be tempted to try him out in a low-leverage role to shore up the bottom of their bullpen.