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Ex-Red Sox prospect suspended for gambling signs with surprising team
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- Ex-Red Sox prospect suspended for gambling signs with surprising team
Jay Groome is back.
Almost two years after the former Boston Red Sox prospect was suspended for wagering on baseball while he was under contract to the San Diego Padres , he signed a new contract with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association.
Groome was the 12th overall pick of the 2016 MLB Draft. Going into the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he was a consensus Top-100 prospect in baseball — and an apparent future anchor of the Red Sox starting rotation.
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Groome wasn't the only player who failed to emerge from the minors as the Red Sox were busy winning the 2018 World Series.
By the start of the 2019 season, the top 10 prospects in the organization included Triston Casas , Bobby Dalbec , Tanner Houck , Michael Chavis , Darwinzon Hernández , Antoni Flores, CJ Chatham, Durbin Feltman, and Bryan Mata . Only two of them remain with the Red Sox.
Groome was traded to the Padres in August 2022 in exchange for Eric Hosmer , Max Ferguson and Corey Rosier. Within a month, he was named the Triple-A Pacific Coast League's pitcher of the week.
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But in April 2024, Groome suffered what proved to be a season-ending injury after he made only three abbreviated starts with El Paso. In June of that year, he became one of four players disciplined under MLB's policy that bans active players from betting on baseball.
The Padres non-tendered Groome when he was reinstated in June 2025, making him a free agent. He has not pitched in organized baseball since.
The Monarchs are an unaffiliated minor league team, but give Groome a chance to re-establish his career against high-level competition.
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The post Ex-Red Sox prospect suspended for gambling signs with surprising team appeared first on The Big Lead .
