The Red Sox acquired four players from the Giants when they traded Rafael Devers to the West Coast.
One of those players has already been traded away. Another one has a 6.23 ERA in 14 appearances out of Boston’s bullpen. And one is still in rookie ball.
There is still hope for the fourth to make a positive contribution in 2025.
That player would be Kyle Harrison, the left-handed starting pitcher who on Wednesday completed his sixth consecutive start allowing two or fewer runs for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox.
Facing the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa on Wednesday, Harrison pitched five shutout innings, allowing just one hit with eight strikeouts and four walks in what was eventually a 1-0 loss for Worcester.
It was the latest outing in what’s been a strong turnaround following a rocky start with Worcester. After the cross-country trade, Harrison allowed 11 earned runs in 13 innings over his first three starts with the WooSox, giving him a 7.62 ERA. That came after Harrison posted a 3.46 ERA in six Triple-A starts for Sacramento this year.
Since then, though, Harrison has allowed just five earned runs over 28 1/3 innings, good for a clean 1.59 ERA over those six starts.
Harrison, who had a 4.56 ERA in eight appearances (four starts) at the major league level this season with San Francisco, is now 4-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 15 starts in Triple-A this year. He has not had tremendous length, averaging a bit more than 4 1/3 innings pitched per start in the minors. He’s also struggled a bit with command, issuing six walks in one outing on July 27 and averaging 2.7 walks per start with Worcester.
But his recent effectiveness at keeping runs off the board could make him an option for the Red Sox to consider down the stretch in August and September.
“If needed, we believe he can do it here,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said prior to Wednesday night’s loss in Houston, 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.”
Despite being without Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and even Hunter Dobbins, Cora is able to have a reliable rotation at the moment. With Garrett Crochet as the clear-cut No. 1 and Brayan Bello as the No. 2, the Red Sox are currently riding Lucas Giolito, Walker Buehler and the recently acquired Dustin May to round out the rotation.
Yet with Buehler — who took the loss on Wednesday after allowing four runs over six innings — having a very up-and-down season, and with May already doubling his career-high in innings pitched this season, the Red Sox may very well need a few starts out of somewhere else in some high-stakes games down the stretch. While Cooper Criswell may get the first call, Harrison has made some significant strides to earning that chance with Boston.
