Jason Groome’s 2017 season is off to a shaky start.
Groome, the Boston Red Sox’s top pick (12th overall) in the 2016 draft, left his season debut with Single-A Greenville on Monday after just 1 1/3 innings. The 18-year-old left-hander got knocked around during his brief start, which he exited after 53 pitches (29 strikes) due to what a team official described as mild lat soreness, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
Groome allowed nine earned runs on seven hits (including a grand slam) and three walks before departing. He struck out one and faced 13 batters total.
Groome, who turns 19 in August, began the season as the No. 3 prospect in the Red Sox system and the No. 39 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. The hard-throwing lefty made two appearances in the Gulf Coast League and one with Low-A Lowell last season after signing with the Sox. This is his first full professional season in the organization.
The Red Sox obviously have high hopes for Groome, who ranks behind only Andrew Benintendi (currently in the majors) and Rafael Devers among Red Sox prospects. It’s unclear at this point whether the injury will sideline Groome (and for how long), but expect the club to be careful with the 6-foot-6 southpaw, who’s still very early in his development having been drafted out of high school.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
