The Red Sox announced that they have designated the lefty’s contract Alec Gamboa from Triple-A Worcester. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com first reported that Gamboa was on a flight to Detroit and may have been added after exercising the upward movement clause. He takes the place of the partner’s roster Danny Coulombeplaced on the 15-day injured list due to cervical spasms, retroactive to May 2nd. To open the 40-man position, on the left Patrick Sandoval transferred to IL for 60 days.
Gamboa will take the mound as a 29-year-old rookie in his first contact with the game. The Dodgers’ 2019 ninth-rounder spent years climbing the ranks in the LA system but never made it to the majors. The Dodgers let him go on waivers last year to sign with the KBO’s Lotte Giants, and Gamboa ended up making 19 appearances with a 3.58 ERA in 108 innings in the overseas league. He played less than one quarter of his opponents, issued walks at a 10.3% clip and recorded a ground ball rate of 55.2%. Both his ERA and FIP were 20% better than league average in the hitter-friendly South Korean environment.
That showing prompted the Sox to bring Gamboa to a minor league deal. He has pitched just two innings this spring and has thrown 13 innings at Worcester. His 6.23 ERA so far won’t bring much excitement, but Gamboa has a nice 25.4% strikeout rate with a solid 8.5% walk rate and a 57.9% slugging percentage. He hit for a whopping .405 average on balls in play that is sure to drop closer to a .290 league average.
This move will keep the Sox from having a split in their bullpen for now. They were working with four lefties and four righties. Coming to today, southpaws were like that Aroldis Chapman, Jovani Morán, Tyler Samaniego and Coulombe. It is not clear how long Coulombe is expected to be out, but Gamboa will replace him.
Potentially, Gamboa has more options, as this is his first major league call-up. Sometimes, a player coming to North America from overseas will find language in his contract stating that he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent, although it is unlikely that a minor league contract will contain such a provision. Samaniego has options if the Sox need a new arm at some point.
As for Sandoval, he hasn’t pitched in the majors since June of 2024. He had surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament that month and has been on the mend ever since. The Angels did not tender him at the end of that year, leading the Sox to sign him to a two-year contract worth $18.25MM.
Boston knew they probably wouldn’t get much from Sandoval in 2025, but they probably hoped he’d be back on the mound by now. He started a rehab a few weeks ago but was shut down after just two outs due to biceps soreness.
His current timeline is unclear but this transaction rules out any possibility of him returning in the next few weeks. His 60-day count goes back to his 15-day IL season opener but that still means he’s not eligible for reinstatement until the end of May.
Boston’s rotation was supposed to be a strength but injuries really affected them. In addition to Sandoval, they have Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Cutter Crawford, Johan Oviedo again Tanner Houck in IL. Guard Suárez never pitched in the IL but left his most recent start with a pulled hamstring. For now, Suárez is thought to be avoiding IL, surrounded Brian Bello, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early again Jake Bennett in circulation. Bello has a 9.12 ERA and will likely be in the minors if not for all of these injuries. Unless he gets back on track soon, he could be at a disadvantage as guys come out of IL.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
