Red Sox’s Kyle Harrison Impresses Again With WooSox: Call-up Coming?

Kyle Harrison stated his case for joining the Boston Red Sox rotation by throwing another gem Wednesday for Triple-A Worcester.

Harrison, acquired from the San Francisco Giants in June’s blockbuster Rafael Devers trade, pitched five shutout innings against the Iowa Cubs, giving up just one base hit and striking out eight.

The left-hander struggled a bit with location, giving up four walks and hitting one batter. Of the 94 pitches Harrison threw, only 52 were strikes.

Nevertheless, Harrison lowered his ERA with the WooSox to 3.48 in nine starts following his trade. Before the 24-year-old took the mound Wednesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked about the pitcher’s development.

“Work in progress, right? If needed, we believe he can do it here,” Cora said, according to the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey. “But right now, where we’re at, we feel comfortable with the guys that we have here.

“But he’s an option. … We’re deeper than people think. He’s part of it,” Cora added.

Harrison made eight appearances this season for the Giants, including four starts. He went 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA.

The left-hander, who made his MLB debut in 2023 with San Francisco, figures to be a key depth piece for the Red Sox should they have an opening in the starting rotation or the need for a multi-inning reliever down the stretch.

Boston’s pitching staff has taken a bit of a beating this year, with Hunter Dobbins (torn ACL) and Tanner Houck (Tommy John surgery) both out for the season.

The Red Sox acquired Harrison along with right-hander Jordan Hicks and prospects James Tibbs III and Jose Bello in the Devers deal. Tibbs briefly was ranked as Boston’s No. 5 prospect before chief baseball officer Craig Breslow traded the infielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Dustin May deal.