Boston Red Sox prospect Connor Seabold only threw one inning of action for Triple-A Worcester on Friday night — signaling a possibility the 26-year-old could be in line to start in the majors.
Garrett Whitlock is not expected to return from the 15-day injured list and will not start against the Toronto Blue Jays early next week. The Red Sox are reportedly keeping their options open as WooSox manager Chad Tracy explained why Seabold only went one inning in his start against the Charlotte Knights.
“I just was told that he’s an option, and they might need a starter and I was just told to limit him to one inning,” Tracy said, per MassLive’s Katie Morrison. “So for now, that’s what we know. So we’ll see what happens.”
The WooSox bullpen pulled through for the 10-2 win at Polar Park.
The Red Sox have not named a starter for the opening game of the Blue Jays series. Seabold, if called up by Boston, will likely get the start on Monday or Tuesday. Seabold is vaccinated against COVID-19, so he would be allowed to travel with the team to Toronto, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
The Red Sox acquired Seabold with Nick Pivetta from the Phillies for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree in Aug. 2020.
The right hander, who is ranked No. 11 on SoxProspects, was called up for a spot start in a bullpen game on Sep. 11, 2021 against the Chicago White Sox. He went three innings and gave up two earned runs.
Since then, Seabold has impressed in Triple-A Worcester, and it appears his stellar play could earn him another shot in the major leagues sooner rather than later.
