Red Sox Reportedly Adding MLB Veteran To 40-Man Roster For Spot Start

The Red Sox are getting creative.

Boston has seen its pitching staff take quite the hit in recent weeks, with a litany of factors influencing the aforementioned creativity. Chris Sale is back on the injured list while ex-starting pitchers Nick Pivetta and Corey Kluber have established themselves in bullpen roles, leaving the Red Sox without a starter for Thursday’s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.

That was until Wednesday night.

The Red Sox reportedly are calling up Matt Dermody from Triple-A Worcester to make a spot start against Cleveland, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com, confirming a report from Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe from earlier in the day.

Dermody is a veteran of four Major League Baseball seasons, making 30 relief appearances across stints with the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs. The 32-year-old has a 5.60 ERA across 27 1/3 innings pitched in the bigs, eventually signing a minor-league contract with the Red Sox ahead of the 2023 season.

Boston’s decision to start Dermody comes down to semantics. The veteran has never started a game at the big-league level, but will be added to their 40-man roster and designated back for assignment without much risk, influencing the Red Sox’s initial plan. He has a 4.50 ERA in eight starts for the WooSox this season, striking out 47 batters in 44 innings pitched.

You can watch Dermody make his Red Sox debut on NESN, with first pitch against the Guardians scheduled for 7:10p.m. ET on Thursday night following an hour of pregame coverage.