Tag: mariners

Red Sox sign former Mariners pitching prospect Jorge Benitez to minor-league deal

The Red Sox have signed free agent left-hander Jorge Benitez to a minor-league contract, per MiLB Central on X/Twitter. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.

Benitez, 24, was originally selected by the Mariners in the ninth round of the 2017 amateur draft out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. The San Juan native signed with Seattle for $150,000 and made his professional debut in the rookie-level Arizona League that June.

After splitting the 2022 campaign between Low-A Modesto and High-A Everett, Benitez earned All-Star honors in the Arizona Fall League while forging a 2.08 ERA in nine appearances (13 innings) for the Peoria Javelinas. The lefty then broke camp with Everett this past spring before receiving a promotion to Double-A Arkansas in late April.

With the Travelers, Benitez posted a 2.14 ERA and 4.24 FIP with 74 strikeouts to 39 walks across 40 outings (59 innings) out of the bullpen. He also converted his lone save opportunity on the year while holding opposing hitters to a miniscule .190 batting average against.

Among the 92 Texas League pitchers who accrued 50 or more innings this season, Benitez ranked 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (11.29), 21st in strikeout rate (28.6 percent), fifth in opponents’ batting average, first in line-drive rate (14.4 percent), 16th in groundball rate (47 percent), 20th in swinging-strike rate (14.4 percent), third in ERA, and 29th in FIP, per FanGraphs.

While the punchout numbers and the like are certainly encouraging, Benitez also ranked 86th in walks per nine innings (5.95), 86th in walk rate (15.1 percent), and 59th in xFIP (4.92) when using those same parameters. That in itself suggests that the southpaw has had some issues when it comes to his command of the strike zone.

As Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser noted back in March, Benitez “annihilates left-handed batters with a 90-93 mph fastball from a low arm slot and a high-spin curveball in the mid 70s.” The 6-foot-2 hurler’s “tough angle also plays against righties and gives him a chance to be a low-leverage reliever.”

Benitez, who does not turn 25 until next June, is the second notable young lefty to sign a minors pact with the Red Sox this month, joining ex-Rockies prospect Helcris Olivarez. Like Olivarez, Benitez figures to provide Boston with high-upside pitching depth from the left side at Triple-A Worcester in 2024.

In the meantime, Benitez has been pitching for the Criollos de Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League this winter. Coming into play on Friday, he had yet to allow a run through his first six appearances (7 2/3 innings) of the season for the club.

(Picture of Jorge Benitez: John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

Red Sox pound out 16 hits, take series from Mariners with 12-3 win

The Red Sox capped off a six-game homestand by scoring early and often in a series-clinching win over the Mariners on Wednesday night. Boston throttled Seattle by a final score of 12-3 at Fenway Park to improve to 24-20 on the season.

Nine of the 12 runs the Red Sox scored came within the first two innings of Wednesday’s contest. With Marco Gonzales starting for the Mariners, Justin Turner and Rob Refsnyder hit back-to-back one-out singles in the bottom of the first. Rafael Devers then opened the scoring by driving in Turner with a base hit of his own.

After Masataka Yoshida drew a five-pitch walk off Gonzales to fill the bases, newcomer Pablo Reyes came up to the plate with two outs and extended Boston’s lead to 3-0 by plating both Refsnyder and Devers on a two-run double off the Green Monster.

An inning later, Alex Verdugo reached base on a one-out double and Turner followed by crushing a 358-foot two-run shot over the Green Monster for his fifth home run of the season and his second in as many nights. Refsynder then drew a walk and advanced to third on a two-out single from Yoshida that was aided by a J.P. Crawford throwing error. Enrique Hernandez kept the line moving and knocked Gonzales out of the game by ripping an RBI single through the right side of the infield.

Following a Seattle pitching change that saw Trevor Gott take over for Gonzales, Reyes greeted the new reliever with his second two-run double of the night. Jarren Duran capped off the six-run frame by singling in Reyes, thus giving Boston a commanding 9-0 advantage.

Brayan Bello, meanwhile, was in the midst of his sixth start of the season for the Red Sox. Celebrating his 24th birthday on Wednesday, the right-hander surrendered just one earned run on three hits and five walks to go along with seven strikeouts over five innings of work.

Though command was somewhat of an issue, Bello took a no-hit bid into the fourth inning before giving up a leadoff double to Cal Raleigh. He retired the next two batters he faced, but allowed Raleigh to score on a two-out single off the bat of Jose Caballero. In the fifth, he escaped a bases-loaded jam to end his night on a positive note.

Finishing with a career-high 107 pitches (67 strikes), Bello induced 19 swings-and-misses, tying Braves ace Spencer Strider for the most in baseball on Wednesday. The young righty picked up the winning decision to improve to 3-1 and also lowered his ERA on the year to 4.45.

Shortly after Bello faced his final batter, the Red Sox lineup got back to work in the latter half of the fifth. With Turner and Refsnyder both singling off Gabe Speier, Devers drove in the former with an RBI double. Yoshida then plated Refsnyder on an RBI groundout before Hernandez pushed across Devers with a sacrifice fly to make it a 12-1 game.

The Mariners got two of those runs back off Joely Rodriguez in the top of the sixth. Rodriguez, making his Red Sox debut after missing the first seven weeks of the season due to a right oblique strain, filled the bases on two walks and a single with one out. The lefty then got Julio Rodriguez to hit a groundball to Hernandez at shortstop.

In an attempt to start an inning-ending double play, Hernandez made an underhanded flip to get the force out at second, but Reyes’ throw to Turner at first bounced in the dirt and went out of play, allowing two runs to score. Rodriguez, though, was only charged with one of those runs as Seattle cut the deficit to nine at 12-3.

From there, Chris Martin, Ryan Sherriff, and Justin Garza combined for three scoreless innings of relief to put the finishing touches on a rather convincing victory.

All told, the Red Sox tallied 16 hits as a team to tie a season-high in that category. Turner led the way with three hits while Refsnyder, Devers, Hernandez, and Reyes each had two.

Verdugo exits with groin tightness

Verdugo, who went 1-for-2 out of the leadoff spot, came out of the game in the third inning and was replaced in right field by Raimel Tapia. The Red Sox later described Verdugo’s departure “as a precaution due to left groin tightness.” He is expected to be available when they next play.

Next up: A long road trip out west

Coming off a 2-4 home swing, the Red Sox will enjoy an off day on Thursday before embarking upon a three-city, nine-game West Coast road trip that includes stops in San Diego, Anaheim, and Phoenix.

After Thursday’s off day, the Sox will open a three-game weekend set against Xander Bogaerts’ Padres on Friday night. James Paxton is slated to get the start for Boston in the series opener. San Diego will counter with fellow left-hander Blake Snell.

First pitch from Petco Park on Friday is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Pablo Reyes: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Tanner Houck sputters after strong start as Red Sox drop fourth straight in 10-1 loss to Mariners

Coming off an ugly weekend, the Red Sox were unable to reverse their fortunes in a series-opening loss to the Mariners on Monday night. Boston fell to Seattle by a final score of 10-1 for its fourth straight loss and the sixth in its last seven games as the club dropped to 22-20 on the season.

Tanner Houck, making his eighth start of the year for the Sox, was impressive out of the gate. The right-hander retired the first 12 batters he faced and took a perfect game bid into the fourth inning before giving up a two-out double to Julio Rodriguez. Though he stranded Rodriguez at second to get through four scoreless frames, Houck ran into some serious trouble in the fifth.

After surrendering a leadoff single to Eugenio Suarez, Houck served up a 438-foot two-run shot to Cal Raleigh to put Boston in a 2-0 hole. An inning later, Ty France led off with a line-drive double down the right field and moved up to third on an Alex Verdugo throwing error. Rodriguez then drew a five-pitch walk to put runners on the corners with no outs.

While he had thrown just 75 pitches (50 strikes) to that point in the contest, Houck was given the hook from Red Sox manager Alex Cora in favor of lefty Brennan Bernardino. Bernardino, in turn, allowed both inherited runners to score on a a Jarred Kelenic RBI groundout and Raleigh’s second two-run homer of the night.

That sequence of events gave the Mariners a 5-0 lead and closed the book on Houck, who was charged with four of those five runs. The 28-year-old gave up five hits and one walk to go along with five strikeouts over five-plus innings of work. He was hit with the losing decision as his ERA on the season rose to 5.48.

Trailing by five runs going into the bottom of the sixth, the Red Sox lineup finally got to Mariners starter George Kirby. Jarren Duran led off with a line-drive double and Rafael Devers drove him in with a two-base hit of his own to cut the deficit to four. They had a chance to pull even closer in the seventh, but Alex Verdugo lined out with the bases loaded for the final out of the inning.

Seattle then began to break this one open in the top of the eighth. With Richard Bleier in the game for Boston, Suarez crushed a two-run home run and A.J. Pollock and France each drove in runs to give the Mariners a commanding 9-1 advantage.

In the ninth, Pablo Reyes took over on the mound after spending the previous eight innings manning shortstop. Making the second relief appearance of his big-league career, Reyes featured a pitch mix that consisted of 13 eephus curveballs that sat between 34-47 mph and eight fastballs that hovered between 61-75 mph. He allowed one run on two hits and two walks.

Reyes followed that performance by singling with one out in the latter half of the ninth, but his hit was quickly nullified as Enmanuel Valdez grounded into a game-ending double play.

Schreiber exits with lat injury

Reliever John Schreiber entered with one out in the seventh and struck out the first batter he faced in France. The righty then threw a 2-1, 93.3 mph sinker to Rodriguez and began flexing his throwing arm after the fact. That prompted Cora and head athletic trainer Brandon Henry to quickly emerge from the Red Sox dugout.

After a lengthy conference on the mound, Schreiber was taken out of the game and replaced by Bleier. The team later said that Schreiber left with “right lat tightness.” Cora then told reporters that the 29-year-old will likely land on the injured list because of it.

Raleigh makes history with power display

With his two home runs on Monday, Raleigh made some history. The switch-hitter homered from the left side of the plate in in the fifth inning and from the right side in the sixth. In doing so, he became the first catcher ever to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in a game in Fenway Park’s 112-year history, according to the Mariners’ Alex Mayer.

Next up: Pivetta vs. Castillo

The Red Sox will look to put an end to this four-game losing streak as they send Nick Pivetta to the mound on Tuesday night. The Mariners will counter with fellow righty Luis Castillo.

First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox among ‘most serious suitors’ for Mitch Haniger, per report

The Red Sox are among the most serious suitors for free agent outfielder Mitch Haniger, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported on Thursday.

Haniger, who turns 32 later this month, hit the open market for the first time earlier this winter after spending the last six years with the Mariners. The right-handed hitter was limited to just 57 games this past season due to a high right ankle sprain he sustained in late April. All told, he batted .246/.308/.429 with eight doubles, 11 home runs, 34 RBIs, 31 runs scored, 20 walks, and 65 strikeouts across 247 trips to the plate in 2022.

The Mariners did not extend a qualifying offer to Haniger in November, meaning the Red Sox could sign him without forfeiting their second- and fifth-highest picks in next year’s draft. The California native is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive a three-year deal in the range of $39 million this offseason.

A former first-round pick of the Brewers out of Cal Poly in 2012, Haniger was dealt to the Diamondbacks as part of a package for fellow outfielder Gerardo Parra at the 2014 trade deadline. Haniger broke in with Arizona in August 2016, but was then traded to Seattle with left-hander Zac Curtis and infielder Jean Segura for Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker three months later.

Haniger’s time with the Mariners was marred by injuries. He appeared in just 96 games in 2017 due to a strained right oblique and facial laceration. In 2019, he was limited to 63 games because of a ruptured testicle. He missed the entirety of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign after undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy surgery on his lower back that February.

When healthy, though, Haniger has proven to be a capable big-league outfielder. He was named an All-Star for the first time and finished 11th in American League MVP voting in 2018 after clubbing 26 homers and collecting 93 RBIs over a career-high 157 games. Last year, he matched that total while mashing 39 home runs and reaching the century mark in runs driven in.

Per Baseball Savant, balls left Haniger’s bat at an average exit velocity of 91.9 mph in 2022. His 47.2 percent hard-hit rate would have ranked 38th among qualified hitters this year while his 11.8 percent barrel rate would have ranked 42nd.

Defensively, Haniger was used exclusively as a right fielder by the Mariners this season. The 6-foot-2, 214-pounder logged 396 innings at the position and posted three defensive runs saved and two outs above average. He also has past experience in left and center field and could almost certainly be used as designated hitter when needed.

After trading Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers last December, the Red Sox received minimal power production from their outfield group in 2022. Boston outfielders this year ranked 13th in the American League in home runs (44), 10th in isolated power (.135), and ninth in slugging percentage (.381), according to FanGraphs.

Haniger would provide the Sox with a power threat from the right side of the plate who could play both corner outfield spots and DH. That role — for the most part — belonged to J.D. Martinez (also a free agent) in recent years, but it does not appear as though chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. are all that interested in a reunion with the veteran slugger.

That being said, the Red Sox are not alone in their apparent pursuit of Haniger. Morosi reports that the Rangers have also been linked with the one-time All-Star while the Angels, Dodgers, and Giants have already checked in with his representatives from Apex Baseball. As the Winter Meetings get underway in San Diego on Sunday, Haniger’s market could heat up.

(Picture of Mitch Haniger: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Red Sox open roster spot by trading Easton McGee to Mariners for cash considerations

The Red Sox have traded right-hander Easton McGee to the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations, the club announced earlier Wednesday afternoon.

McGee, who turns 25 next month, was claimed off waivers from the Rays on the final day of the regular season. The 24-year-old righty had just made his major-league debut against the Astros on October 2, but was designated for assignment the following day.

In his lone big-league relief appearance of the year, McGee allowed one unearned run on four hits and zero walks to go along with one strikeout over three innings of work in a losing effort at Minute Maid Park. He threw 46 pitches (31 strikes) while mixing in 19 sliders, 15 sinkers, six cutters, three changeups, two curveballs, and one 91.5 mph four-seam fastball, per Baseball Savant.

The Rays originally selected McGee in the fourth round of the 2016 amateur draft out of Hopkinsville High School in Kentucky. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound hurler posted a 5.43 ERA and 5.72 FIP with 82 strikeouts to 20 walks across 27 appearances (22 starts) and 107 2/3 innings pitched at Triple-A Durham this season. His 4.3 percent walk rate ranked second among International League pitchers who threw at least 100 innings this year and he was recognized by Triple-A managers for having the best control in that league as a result.

In McGee, the Mariners acquire a controllable pitcher who is not arbitration-eligible until 2026 and has three minor-league options remaining. By trading McGee away to Seattle, the Red Sox have cleared a spot on their 40-man roster, which now sits at 32 players officially.

Tommy Pham, who reportedly had his mutual option declined on Monday, still counts towards that total. If you take him away, Boston has 31 players on its 40-man roster. That does not include the five players (Tanner Houck, James Paxton, Chris Sale, Josh Taylor, and Franchy Cordero) who are currently listed on the 60-day injured list.

The Red Sox have until next Tuesday to activate these players, at which point they will count against the 40-man roster. November 15 is also the deadline for clubs to protect eligible minor-leaguers from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man.

In theory, the Sox could create additional space on their 40-man roster by exploring more trades. They also have the option of not tendering contracts to certain arbitration and pre-arbitration eligible players by next Friday’s non-tender deadline. Those players would then become free agents and would therefore not count against Boston’s big-league roster.

To put it simply, the Red Sox have some interesting decisions to make in the coming days and weeks. Dealing McGee to the Mariners could just be the tip of the iceberg in that regard.

(Picture of Easton McGee: Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Red Sox lose Phillips Valdez on waivers to Mariners

The Red Sox lost reliever Phillips Valdez on waivers to the Mariners over the weekend. Seattle claimed Valdez on Friday and promptly optioned him to its Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, Wash.

Boston had designated Valdez for assignment three days prior in order to create space for Josh Winckowski, who did not count against the club’s 40-man roster while he was out on the COVID-19 related injured list.

Valdez, 30, was originally claimed by the Red Sox off waivers from the Mariners in February 2020. The right-hander made Boston’s Opening Day roster that summer and impressed during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign by posting a 3.26 ERA with 30 strikeouts to 16 walks over a career-high 24 relief appearances (30 1/3 innings pitched).

After producing a 5.85 ERA in 2021, Valdez had spent much of the 2022 campaign with the Red Sox being shuttled between Boston and Triple-A Worcester. With the big-league club, the Dominican-born hurler pitched to a 4.41 ERA (3.92 FIP) with 13 punchouts to seven walks across 13 outings spanning 16 1/3 innings of work. With the WooSox, he yielded a 3.06 ERA to go along with 19 strikeouts to 14 walks over 17 2/3 innings of relief.

Equipped with a changeup, sinker, and slider, Valdez has but one option year remaining, meaning the Mariners could stash him away at Triple-A for the rest of the season if they so choose.

That being said, Valdez made his Rainiers debut on Sunday, pitching a scoreless eighth inning in an 8-3 win over the El Paso Chihuahuas. He was followed by another former Red Sox reliever in Fernando Abad, who worked a shutout ninth inning to preserve the victory.

(Picture of Phillips Valdez: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Former Red Sox prospect Marcus Wilson makes MLB debut with Mariners

A former Red Sox prospect made his major-league debut on Wednesday afternoon.

Marcus Wilson, who Boston acquired from the Diamondbacks for Blake Swihart in April 2019, had his contract selected by the Mariners ahead of their series finale against the Orioles in Seattle.

The 25-year-old outfielder pinch-hit for Sam Haggerty in the eighth inning and drew a leadoff walk off a tough reliever in Jorge Lopez. He then recorded his first putout in right field on a 309-foot fly ball off the bat of Trey Mancini for the penultimate out of the ninth inning.

Originally selected by the D-backs in the second round of the 2014 amateur draft, Wilson spent parts of three seasons in the Red Sox organization after coming over in that aforementioned Swihart trade. The California native was added to Boston’s 40-man roster in November 2019 in order to receive protection from the Rule 5 Draft.

While the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson did spend some time at Boston’s alternate training site in Pawtucket that summer. The following spring, he broke camp with Triple-A Worcester.

In addition to clubbing the first home run in Polar Park history, Wilson batted .242/.370/.452 with 10 total homers and 30 RBIs over 64 games (265 plate appearances) with the WooSox. Despite those solid numbers, the right-handed hitter was designated for assignment ahead of last July’s trade deadline.

Three days after losing his spot on Boston’s 40-man roster, Wilson was claimed off waivers by Seattle. He would spend the rest of the 2021 campaign with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate before being designated for assignment again in October.

This time around, however, Wilson cleared waivers and remained in the Mariners organization. He spent part of his spring at big-league camp in Peoria, Ariz and had spent the entirety of the 2022 season with the Tacoma Rainiers leading up to Wednesday’s lineup.

With the Rainiers this season, Wilson has slashed .209/.336/.469 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs over 59 games (238 plate appearances) while seeing playing time at both corner outfield spots.

Because Wilson, who turns 26 in August, has one minor-league option year remaining, the Mariners can shuttle him between Seattle and Tacoma for the rest of the season if they elect to keep him on their 40-man roster moving forward.

(Picture of Marcus Wilson: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Red Sox agree to one-year, $10 million deal with left-hander James Paxton, per report; contract includes two-year club option

The Red Sox are in agreement with free agent left-hander James Paxton on a one-year, $10 million contract for the 2022 season, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a two-year club option and was first reported by Sportsnet 650’s Chad Dey.

Per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the total value of Paxton’s contract could reach $35 million if the Red Sox were to pick up his two-year option for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Paxton, 33, underwent Tommy John surgery this past April after making just one start for the Mariners in which he allowed one earned run in 1 1/3 innings against the White Sox at T-Mobile Park.

The Canadian-born southpaw was originally selected by Seattle in the fourth round of the 2010 amateur draft out of the University of Kentucky and later made his major-league debut for the Mariners in September 2013.

After spending the first six years of his big-league career with the M’s, however, Paxton was dealt to the Yankees in exchange for three players at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign.

While donning the pinstripes, Paxton enjoyed a solid inaugural season with the Yankees in 2019, posting a 3.82 ERA and 3.86 FIP to go along with 186 strikeouts to 55 walks over 29 starts spanning 150 2/3 innings of work.

The following year was a different story, though, as Paxton managed to make just six starts for New York before his season prematurely came to a close in late August due to a left flexor strain.

Despite signing a one-year deal to return to Seattle in February, the same discomfort Paxton experienced in his left elbow in 2020 clearly carried over into 2021 since it ultimately required season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Having undergone the elbow reconstruction procedure on April 14, Paxton likely won’t be able to return to in-game action until the later stages of the 2022 season at the earliest

Still, perhaps following a similar timeline they used with Chris Sale this year, the Sox elected to take a chance on Paxton. The veteran lefty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, cutter, curveball, and changeup.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, Paxton — a native of British Columbia — is represented by the Boras Corporation and does not turn 34 until next November.

He also becomes the second significant starting pitching-related addition Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Co. have made via free agency in the last week. Over the weekend, the club announced that they had signed veteran right-hander Michael Wacha to a one-year, $7 million deal for 2022.

Once he passes his physical and his signing is made official, Paxton will bring the size of Boston’s 40-man roster up to 38 players.

(Picture of James Paxton: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Ex-Red Sox prospect Jhonathan Diaz has chance to help former team in second career start for Angels Saturday night

Former Red Sox prospect Jhonathan Diaz will be making his second career start for the Angels on Saturday night, and he has the opportunity to help out his old team in the process of doing so.

Diaz will get the ball for the Halos as they go up against the Mariners in the second game of a pivotal three-game set at T-Mobile Park with plenty of Wild Card implications at stake.

Los Angeles opened their series against Seattle with a tight 2-1 victory on Friday to drop the Mariners to 89-71 and push them one game back of the Red Sox for the second and final American League Wild Card spot coming into play on Saturday.

Jose Suarez picked up the win for the Angels in the opener of the three-game set, and a fellow left-hander in Diaz will look to do the same in the middle contest.

The 25-year-old originally signed with the Red Sox for $600,000 as an international free-agent out of Venezuela back in July 2013 — the same signing class that Boston landed Rafael Devers.

Signed by the likes of Eddie Romero and Angel Escobar at just 16, Diaz made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League the following summer. He did not pitch in 2015 on account of a knee injury, but made it as far as High-A by the time the 2019 minor-league season came to a close.

At that time, Diaz had put together a 2019 campaign in which he posted a 3.86 ERA and 3.98 xFIP with 118 strikeouts and 54 walks over 27 starts spanning 128 1/3 innings of work for Salem.

The Venezuelan southpaw also made eight appearances in the Arizona Fall League and was likely on track to begin the following season with Double-A Portland.

However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 minor-league season was eventually cancelled in June, leaving Diaz — who did not receive an invite to the Red Sox’ alternate training site — on his own.

With his minor-league contract set to expire, Diaz became a free-agent for the first time last fall, but bounced back on his feet quickly by inking a minors pact with the Angels in late November.

In his first season with a new organization, Diaz opened the 2021 season at Double-A Rocket City, pitched for his native Venezuela in Olympic qualifiers, and returned to Double-A before earning a promotion to Triple-A Salt Lake on August 26.

Over the course of three starts for the Bees, the 6-foot, 170 pound hurler put up a 4.11 ERA, a 4.47 FIP, and a 14:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio before having his contract selected and earning his first big-league call-up on September 17.

Making his major-league debut that same day as a starter, Diaz allowed two runs on two hits, four walks, one hit batsman, and two strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings pitched in an eventual 5-4 loss to the Athletics in Anaheim.

Eight days later, Diaz was called upon to work out of the bullpen this time around against the Mariners. From the third inning on, the lefty tossed seven frames of one-run ball while scattering three hits and one walk to go along with four strikeouts en route to picking up his first-ever major-league win in a 14-1 rout of Seattle.

Per Baseball Savant, Diaz operates with a five-pitch mix that consists of a changeup, slider, sinker, curveball, and four-seam fastball. Opposing batters thus far are hitting just .200 off his changeup, .182 off his slider, and .125 off his sinker.

Diaz will be making his first start away from Angel Stadium on Saturday. If he replicates what he did against the Mariners in his last time out, he could be doing the team he began his professional career with a great service.

(Picture of Jhonathan Diaz: John McCoy/Getty Images)

Red Sox lose outfield prospect Marcus Wilson on waivers to Mariners

Red Sox outfield prospect Marcus Wilson has been claimed off waivers by the Mariners, the club announced earlier Monday afternoon.

Wilson, who turns 25 later this month, was initially designated for assignment by the Sox this past Friday so that the team could make room on its 40-man roster for newly-acquired reliever Hansel Robles.

After opening the 2021 campaign with Triple-A Worcester, Wilson slashed .242/.370/.452 (121 wRC+) to go along with 10 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 30 RBI, 34 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 41 walks, and 88 strikeouts over 64 games (265 plate appearances) with the WooSox.

The Red Sox originally acquired the right-handed hitting outfielder from the Diamondbacks in exchange for catcher Blake Swihart back in April 2019.

A former 2014 second-round draft pick of Arizona out of Junipero Serra High School (Gardena, Calif.), Wilson spent the remainder of the 2019 season between Double-A Portland and High-A Salem, as well as with the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League, before being added to Boston’s 40-man roster that November in order to avoid being eligible for that winter’s Rule 5 Draft.

While he was protected from the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, Wilson — listed at 6-foot-2 and 199 pounds — was a late addition to the Sox’ alternate training site roster the following summer and was an early cut from big-league camp this spring.

Taking that into consideration, as well as the fact that he was not a highly-touted prospect in Boston’s farm system (SoxProspects.com’s No. 34 prospect), it becomes clear that Red Sox brass were more than willing to lose Wilson via a waiver claim if it meant creating space on the team’s 40-man roster to accommodate other moves.

With the Mariners, Wilson — who was optioned to the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma — will join a crowded outfield mix that consists of Mitch Haniger, Jarred Kelenic, Kyle Lewis, and Taylor Trammell, among others.

(Picture of Marcus Wilson: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)