Much has been made of Chris Sale’s rehab outing with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, which took place in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday. But that’s overshadowing what might be the most exciting moment of the afternoon — an absolutely electric grab from WooSox centerfielder Tate Matheny.
Sale ended the afternoon with one earned run in five innings, but things could have been much worse. Before he allowed back-to-back doubles to the Buffalo Bisons in the fourth, Sale let Kevin Smith take one deep toward the wall — but Matheny was there to make the grab.
The 27-year-old, who is the son of Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny, also launched a two-run rocket in the bottom of that inning that put the WooSox up 3-1. They eventually came away with the 4-2 victory.
Matheny isn’t ranked among the top prospects in the Red Sox system by MLB.com or SoxProspects.com, but he’s been working his way through the organization since he was drafted out of Missouri State in the fourth round in 2015.
Sale is expecting to make another start with Worcester on Thursday. So while you’re watching for that, don’t forget to keep your eye on center field, too.
