Despite the early struggles, the Boston Red Sox's pitching staff has looked like one of the league's best, anchored by a tremendous bullpen unit.
They currently rank second in reliever ERA with a 2.98 mark despite being without key arms Justin Slaten and Johan Oviedo for much of the year. But additional help is on the way, as Boston is calling up right-handed flamethrower Tayron Guerrero from Triple-A to make his first MLB appearance since 2019. First on the news was Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com.
Guerrero, 35, has been dominant for the Worcester Red Sox this season, posting a 0.92 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 15 appearances (19.1 innings pitched). On Wednesday, the 6-foot-8 hurler's fastball topped out at 102.2 mph as he twirled two shutout innings.
Guerrero's last MLB game came in 2019 when he was a member of the Miami Marlins. In two seasons with Miami, Guerrero appeared in 112 games and held an ERA of 5.85. Since then, the hard-throwing right-hander has made stops in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan and the Mexican League, as well as stints with the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Angels minor league affiliates.
Signing with the Red Sox on January 9th, Guerrero has made all the necessary strides to earn a big-league comeback. While the front-end of Boston's bullpen has been impressive, there are still concerns about the lower leverage arms, especially the right-handers.
28-year-old Ryan Watson has been disappointing with a 5.86 ERA in 17 appearances, but his Rule 5 status has made it a more challenging decision than just simply sending him down to the minors. Greg Weissert has also had his struggles, but flashes of his tremendous stuff when operating on proper rest has been enough to keep him around as well.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox chose to option right-hander Zack Kelly to Worcester according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. Kelly has been solid as of late with a 1.64 ERA and 11 strikeouts in his last 11 innings, but early-season struggles with command and walks has limited trust in him performing in higher leverage spots.
With Brayan Bello (7.16 ERA) scheduled to pitch on Saturday and lefty Danny Coulombe potentially available to return this weekend, Guerrero's call-up likely signals Boston's return to using an opener for Bello after he struggled mightily in his first start after two solid bulk outings.
