Red Sox pitching prospect to make MLB debut vs. White Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
One of the Boston Red Sox‘ top pitching prospects will be thrust into action Saturday.
Right-hander Connor Seabold will start for the Red Sox against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday in his first major league appearance.
The 25-year-old came to Boston from the Phillies’ system along with starter Nick Pivetta in the August 2020 trade that sent Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree to Philadelphia. He owns a 3.67 ERA over eight starts for Triple-A Worcester this season with 44 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.
Seabold’s call-up comes after Chris Sale tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, forcing him to miss Sunday’s start. Pivetta also is on the COVID-related injured list, but the Red Sox are hopeful he’ll be cleared to start in Sunday’s series finale.
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Seabold should be intriguing to watch; he’s the No. 13-ranked prospect in Boston’s organization, per MLB.com, while SoxProspects.com ranks him as the team’s No. 2 pitching prospect behind Brayan Bello. The Cal State Fullerton product thrives on solid control (13 walks in 41.2 innings this season) and a low-80s changeup that MLB.com calls his “money pitch.”
The Red Sox are hoping to get Sale back as soon as possible, but his absence will give Seabold a chance to show his stuff at the big-league level.