Red Sox Pitching Prospect Brilliant In Triple-A Worcester Debut

When veteran catcher Jorge Alfaro triggered the opt-out clause in his contract with the Boston Red Sox, the club had 48 hours to either call the 29-year-old up to the Major Leagues or allow him to pursue other options.

On Saturday, the Red Sox granted Alfaro his release, and according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, the now-free agent is not believed to have another team lined up but is free to explore other deals.

With a roster spot open in Worcester, Rio Gomez was promoted from Double-A Portland and made his pitching debut with the WooSox on Saturday night. In 10 games with the Sea Dogs, Gomez pitched 19-plus innings with 25 strikeouts and a 6.41 ERA. Gomez has been a mainstay out of the Portland bullpen the past two seasons making 50 appearances with 91 strikeouts in more than 72 innings of work. 

In his Triple-A debut, the 28-year-old southpaw dazzled in his debut throwing 64.3 % of his pitches for strikes (47 of 73 pitches), allowing one run on three hits. Gomez struck out three of the 18 batters he faced in 4 1/3 innings pitched and walked three. Worcester defeated the Louisville Bats 14-1 in Gomez's debut.