The Red Sox announced Tuesday their official 25-man roster for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
All appears to the be the same as it was for the ALCS, but a closer look will reveal that Drew Pomeranz somehow found his way onto this roster.
It was reported yesterday that the club expected to add knuckleballer Steven Wright to the roster and either Brandon Workman or Heath Hembree, who was Wright’s replacement, were going to be swapped out in order for that to happen.
Instead, Wright gets left out, probably because of lingering knee issues, and Pomeranz is in, much to the surprise of just about everyone.
In his second full season with Boston, the 29-year-old posted a 6.31 ERA over 51.1 innings pitched as a starter before he was demoted to the bullpen in early August, where he posted a slightly less unsightly 5.56 ERA over 22.2 innings pitched and 15 appearances as a reliever.
Heading into the winter as a free agent, I can’t imagine this is how Pomeranz expected his 2018 campaign to go after a solid 2017, but if given the opportunity, he’ll have the chance to up his value heading into the offseason.
As for what role the Tennessee native will have in the Red Sox bullpen, well, I would have to imagine it’s more of a lefty specialist than anything. Come into the game, get someone like Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, or Joc Pederson out, and make way for someone else.
With this move, Alex Cora and the Red Sox now add another left-handed option out of the bullpen to go along with Eduardo Rodriguez.
It should be interesting to see how much usage Pomeranz gets come 8:09 PM tonight.
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