The Boston Red Sox have been looking good recently, sitting in the top Wildcard slot with a little over a month left in the regular season. Although, there’s a couple things the team should do to guarantee their spot in the playoffs.
One of them is to make sure their pitching staff is all in order and at the top of their game. With the trade deadline passed, they can’t make any outside moves, but they can internally.
Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo believes there will be a move, and expects the Sox to call up their No. 10 overall prospect David Sandlin, a righty pitcher who can bring the heat.
“I think there is a great chance we’ll see right-hander David Sandlin at some point in September. Boston’s No. 10 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline was recently promoted to Triple-A and after one successful start was shifted from the rotation to the bullpen in preparation for a possible big league call-up,” Cerullo wrote.
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Cerullo continued, pointing out that Sandlin was the most ready prospect to make a difference in the bullpen, and could have a couple tricks up his sleeve. Also, he’s already on the 40-man roster, so moving him up a little early wouldn’t be too bad.
“Sandlin is uniquely well suited for the role because while he’s been effective as a starter, his high-90s fastball and hard slider combo could really play out of the bullpen. He’s also a lock to be added to the 40-man roster this winter ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, so there wouldn’t be any harm in adding him two months early,” Cerullo noted.
Hopefully he gets promoted, as the bullpen needs help. Stars such as All-Star Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock are being overworked due to poor outings by low-pressure relievers, so some new blood could be the answer.
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