The Boston Red Sox's COVID-19 outbreak has led them to Connor Seabold.
Thrust into the rotation to fill the hole left by Nick Pivetta, who is on the COVID-19 related injured list, Seabold will make his first Major League Baseball appearance on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox.
Seabold, who joined the team in the trade that brought Nick Pivetta over from the Philadelphia Phillies in August 2020, has made eight starts with Triple-A Worcester this season after the start of his campaign was delayed due to injury. The No. 12 prospect in the organization according to Baseball America, Seabold has a 3.67 ERA and held opponents to a .201 batting average.
Most recently, he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning on Sept. 4.
Cora praised Seabold's all-around velocity as well as his changeup, and he sounded convinced that the 25-year-old was the best option to temporarily take the place of Pivetta.
"I've been watching video," Cora said. "He's throwing the ball well. Just like Kutter (Crawford) the other day, just give us as many outs as possible. We're in good shape bullpen-wise. We know that if we go some places with his stuff we should be OK. Obviously it's a tough lineup. It's your big-league debut. But we're confident that he can give us plenty of outs and get us to the next level."
We'll see how things go Saturday.
