The Boston Red Sox have made a big move this afternoon, calling up Jeter Downs from the Worcester Red Sox and designating James Norwood for assignment.
As 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth pointed out on Twitter, Boston has now officially called up all three players they received from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade. Right fielder Alex Verdugo and catcher Connor Wong have suited up for the Sox, and now Downs will officially make his big league debut.
Downs has 11 homers, 21 RBI’s, and 11 stolen bases for the Woo Sox this season, and is holding down a .955 fielding percentage through 442 1/3 innings played.
Will the 23-year-old make an impact this season? It’s hard for me to see it. Downs his hitting just .180 this season, and the Sox infield is loaded with talent. I’m interested to see how they use him.
According to BetOnline.ag, the Red Sox have the fourth best odds to win the AL East at +4000. Here’s their list:
AL East Odds to Win
NY Yankees -1000
Toronto Blue Jays +700
Tampa Bay Rays +1400
Boston Red Sox +4000
Baltimore Orioles +100000
The Red Sox are essentially playing for a wild card spot with the Bronx Bombers having a stranglehold on the divison thanks to leading AL MVP candidate Aaron Judge (+100 according to BetOnline.ag).
They are likely to get that wild card spot according to BetOnline, with a -135 chance to make the playoffs. Here’s what I wrote last week about their chances:
Despite just a 31-28 record, Boston is first in the American League in hits (525), batting average (.257), and RBI’s (269) – and have several statistical leaders in each category:
Hits
Rafael Devers (81) – 1st in AL
Xander Bogaerts (68) – 3rd in AL
J.D. Martinez (67) – 4th in AL
Batting Average
J.D. Martinez (.349) – 2nd in AL
Rafael Devers (.335) – 3rd in AL
Runs Batted In
Trevor Story (41) – 3rd in AL
Their pitching hasn’t been as bad you’d think either – they’re top five in ERA (3.63) and strikeouts (514).
The Sox began the season 11-19 through their first 30 games, and have just recently started to pull themselves together. Despite the slow start, they are on pace for the same amount of wins they were expected to bet to start the season.
So does Jeter Downs push them over the edge? We’ll have to see. Both their playoff chances and their live win total have improved according to BetOnline, so things are headed in the right direction.
With the Celtics postseason over and the Patriots off until training camp, expect a lot more baseball updates here on CLNSMedia.com. Boston welcomes the Tigers for a three-game series starting Monday night at Fenway Park.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @RedSoxCLNS for the latest up-to-date Red Sox news!
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