If you've been waiting to see Jay Groome pitch to big league hitters, your opportunity will come Saturday afternoon.
The 2016 first-round pick is on the schedule to pitch in Saturday's Grapefruit League game between the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves, Sox manager Alex Cora announced. This will be the first time Groome has ever appeared in a Major League spring training game.
It's been a long road for Groom, who the Sox took 12th overall in the 2016 draft. The 6-foot-6 southpaw missed all of the 2018 season with Tommy John Surgery, then didn't see any game action in 2020 with the minor league seasons cancelled -- though he did pitch at Boston's alternate site. He was added to the 40-man roster in November 2020 ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.
In 2019, after returning from Tommy John rehab, he made three appearances between Rookie ball and Class A short season, posting a 2.25 ERA in three combined appearances (all starts). In those four innings, he allowed five hits with one walk, one earned run and five strikeouts.
MLB Pipeline has the 22-year-old as the Red Sox's No. 8 prospect.
First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will air on NESN+. Martin Perez is scheduled to start for the Sox, with Groome, John Schreiber, Phillips Valdez, Darwinzon Hernandez and Austin Brice also penciled in to pitch Saturday.
