Could Former Cy Young Candidate With Triple-A Worcester Aid Red Sox?

It was an under-the-radar signing when the Boston Red Sox picked up Dinelson Lamet in late June.

But that move could prove to be beneficial soon for the Red Sox, especially with Boston in desperate need of pitching help with three starters injured and using two openers every five days.

Lamet was a Cy Young Award candidate with the San Diego Padres in 2020, finishing fourth in National League voting. He flamed out after that, though, falling out of favor with the Padres and then struggled so mightily with the Rockies this season -- Lamet owned a 11.57 ERA in 16 appearances -- that Colorado designated him for assignment.

Now with Triple-A Worcester, the 31-year-old seems to have captured at least a small fraction of his form that once made him a top-end starting pitcher in the big leagues. Going into Thursday night's start, Lamet made five appearances for the WooSox -- four of which were starts -- and posted a 1.72 ERA while allowing just nine hits and striking out 15 batters in 15 2/3 innings.

Lamet's strong outings didn't exactly carry over to his fifth start against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, but he was still solid. He tossed 4 1/3 innings, letting up three runs on five hits to go along with four strikeouts and one walk.

The Red Sox had a clear plan for Lamet once he joined the organization, but with the way he has pitched, he could aid Boston in the near future. Lamet has experience both as a starter and reliever, and that type of flexibility only helps his cause to get to the big leagues faster.

Boston should get some relief help very soon with a return from the injured list for John Schreiber appearing to be imminent. The Red Sox have a surplus of lefties in the bullpen at the moment -- Joe Jacques, Chris Murphy, Joely Rodríguez, Brandon Walter, Richard Bleier and Brennan Bernardino -- and if they want more balance plus someone who can chew up innings even if it's just in a mop up role, they could opt for Lamet to replace one of the southpaws.

Lamet is not on Boston's 40-man roster, which is a small hurdle the Red Sox would have to overcome if they decided to call him up. But if he can continue to have success at Triple-A, it could be worth giving him another shot in the majors to see if he can harness his talent one more time.