FORT MYERS, Fla. – Red Sox pitching prospect Tyler Uberstine will start Friday’s annual exhibition game against Northeastern University, manager Alex Cora announced Wednesday.
In making his announcement, Cora described the right-hander as “intriguing.”
“Different arm angle,” the manager said, “throws a lot of strikes.”
The Red Sox selected Uberstine, now 26, in the 19th round of the 2019 draft. He split last season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, both previously unattained levels, and posted a 3.95 ERA over 25 total games (21 starts) with 137 strikeouts in 120 2/3 innings.
Last November the Red Sox added Uberstine to the 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he participated in January’s Rookie Development Program at Fenway Park. SoxProspects.com ranks him the No. 13 prospect in the Red Sox organization, while MLB Pipeline ranks him No. 29 out of Boston’s Top 30.
The annual contest against the Northeastern Huskies kicks off the Red Sox spring training slate. The Red Sox begin their Grapefruit League play on the road Saturday at the Minnesota Twins, their Fort Myers neighbors and competition for the Chairman’s Cup.
The Red Sox preseason home opener at JetBlue Park is Sunday, against the Tampa Bay Rays.
All three games this weekend are at 1:05 p.m. ET and available on NESN and NESN 360. Listeners can also tune into WEEI for radio broadcasts Saturday and Sunday.
