We still don’t know how the Red Sox will manage their bullpen behind opener Brennan Bernardino for Wednesday’s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians. But it now appears young lefty Kyle Harrison won’t be part of the mix.
Harrison, Boston’s top acquisition in the Rafael Devers trade, had been floated as a candidate to follow Bernadino. But a Wednesday morning BlueSky post from The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier indicated the Red Sox instead will piece things together with pitchers already on the roster.
“This could change, but as of this morning, the Red Sox were not planning to call up a pitcher (such as Kyle Harrison) for today’s game,” Speier wrote. “With Bernardino starting and (Dustin) May (and others such as Zack Kelly who can give multiple innings) available, they feel covered.”
Harrison is a tricky player to get a read on.
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Once one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, Harrison saw mixed results across parts of three seasons with the Giants after debuting in 2023. Before being traded to the Red Sox, Harrison posted a 4.56 ERA and 1.268 WHIP in eight appearances (four starts) with the Giants this season.
Harrison still is just 24 years old, and many experts believe he still can become a mid-rotation starter in the big leagues. However, Boston has worked on overhauling Harrison’s pitching arsenal since acquiring him, and the results have been predictably uneven: 3.65 ERA and 1.561 WHIP in 11 starts.
Harrison isn’t a finished product. And with so much work left to do, the Red Sox might want to avoid promoting him until they absolutely have to.
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