Red Sox recall pitcher Brandon Walter and infielder Enmanuel Valdez
Red Sox
Walter last appeared in a major league game in late July; Valdez has been in Worcester since early June.
Enmanuel Valdez and Brandon Walter were both called up to the Red Sox on Friday. (AP Photo/Brandon Sloter)
The Red Sox have called up left-handed pitcher Brandon Walter and infielder Enmanuel Valdez to their major league roster ahead of their three-game streak against the Royals.
Walter last appeared in a game for Boston in late July before joining Triple-A Worcester last month. Since rejoining the WooSox on Aug. 11, the 26-year-old has had a 1.42 ERA over 25 ⅓ innings.
The left-hander is likely to come out of the Red Sox’s bullpen as he will be just one of two healthy southpaws alongside Joe Jacques. Walter was used as a starter in Worcester’s rotation, though he didn’t appear as a backup player for the Red Sox until 2023.
Left substitute Brennan Bernardino was placed on the 15-day COVID-19 injured list on Aug. 27.
Boston chose to recall Walter’s arm over other pitchers currently on his 40-man roster, such as Kyle BarracloughJustin Garza, Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy, Nick Robertson and newcomer Zack Weiss.
Valdez is recalled compared to the likes of David Hamilton and Bobby Dalbec. The 24-year-old youngster last appeared in a game for Boston in early June and played mostly second base in 2023. He has twice been on Worcester’s injury list since his option.
Valdez is .249/.364/.491 in Triple-A this season. He hit 10 home runs, drove 38 runs and had 31 walks in 51 games. He has played 44 games at second base for Worcester this year and committed just two errors at that position all season.
Those two September call-ups expand the team’s squad to 28 players, a limit imposed on clubs from 2020. In previous years, MLB teams were allowed to call up anyone from their 40-man roster for the month of September, with a two-player cap on those callups. The rules also only allow clubs to promote a maximum of 14 pitchers in September.
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