Today's September 1st, which means the MLB rosters expand by two players, opening up a spot for one batter and one pitcher each. The Red Sox already made an addition yesterday, calling Mickey Gasper , who had been sent down on Sunday , back to the roster as Willson Contreras goes to the injured list. There have been two more additions today, one old face in Isiah Kiner-Falefa and one new one in Jedixson Paez looking to help the Red Sox down the stretch, and in the pitcher's case, very soon.
Since the time that Kiner-Falefa signed with the Red Sox , he's been a pretty reliable player. He's hitting .277 for them this season and his glove has been pretty consistent as a plus defender all around the infield. He joins the group of guys like Andruw Monasterio and Nick Sogard who are versatile among their positions.
Worcester's Isiah Kiner-Falefa fields a ground ball at Polar Park Aug. 25 during a game against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Main Photo: USA TODAY via Reuters ConnectIs
However, with this return, the group of middle infielders splitting playing time just got bigger than before, especially with fellow infielder Trevor Story making his return on Sunday, as well as getting two clutch hits in last night's game against the Seattle Mariners . Not to mention the eventual return of Curtis Mead , who was acquired just prior to the Trade Deadline.
It will be hard finding playing time, but for a guy who had a slash line of .277/.344/.361, it's hard to not keep him in, with the hopes that he can contribute and continue to provide some veteran experience to this young squad.
Paez is an interesting call-up who was put in the middle of a tricky situation. Today, Sonny Gray was supposed to get the ball to go. But prior to the start of this series, manager Chad Tracy scratched his start and pushed him to start on Saturday versus the Baltimore Orioles (subscription required). Since they did a bullpen game last Saturday, and has arguably overworked them the past few days, the clear option was to call someone up.
And sure, the top end of the pitching prospects for Boston had been severely depleted post Adley Rutschman trade , as well as Juan Valera 's injury , but Triple A Worcester had some options for them, such as John Holobetz and Blake Wehunt , the latter of which was a candidate to be seen as the guy brought up. So why Paez?
He's got a strong five pitch mix, including a four seamer, cutter (strongest secondary, with a range between 86-88), changeup, slider, and curveball. His pitch speeds are a little light (specifically fastball and curve) but he has been seen to have very good command of his pitches.
Despite his 2-4 record across Portland and Worcester, as well as an unfortunate few games with the Chicago White Sox , a stint that happened due to the Rule Five Draft before being sent back to the Boston system, he has pitched decently. He's managed a 2.92 ERA at the Triple-A level as well as a 38.3% K Rate (96th-percentile). Compare that to a 4.3% walk rate (90th-percentile) and that's a pretty deadly combination for a pitcher. Oh, and batters hit .159 against him in Worcester.
The Red Sox seem to be pretty confident in their additions made for the final stretch. And they should be. Kiner-Falefa is a very consistent veteran that can fit in at any infield position and come up big whenever he's needed. And as for Paez, based on his Worcester numbers, there's a lot to be excited about.
However, he is going against a dangerous Mariners lineup that features names such as Julio Rodriguez , Randy Arozarena , and the reigning runner-up in AL MVP in Cal Raleigh . Despite the Mariners having an off year, these guys can catch fire anytime. Arozarena proved that on Monday against a dominant Payton Tolle . Can Paez shut them down? That question will be answered tonight.
Main Photo: USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
