Brockton native looking to earn spot on Red Sox rotation before Opening Day
"The goal was just to break with the big league team in any fashion."
The Red Sox’s starting rotation is already in need of reinforcements.
Boston is expected to open the regular season next week with three starters stuck on the injured list, with Brayan Bello (shoulder soreness), Kutter Crawford (lingering patellar tendon pain), and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) all working their way back from their respective setbacks.
The Red Sox still have their three starters in place at the top of their rotation in Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, and Walker Buehler. But who will round out the rest of Boston’s pitching corps in the meantime?
Speaking on Monday, Alex Cora acknowledged that Brockton native Sean Newcomb remains in the mix as Boston’s next wave of starting talent.
“He’s caught our eyes,” Cora told reporters, including MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
Newcomb, who played high-school ball at Middleborough High School before moving on to the University of Hartford, is looking to find his footing with his hometown club. The 31-year-old lefty has been steady so far during spring-training action — allowing one run with five hits, three walks, and 10 strikeouts over 9.2 innings of work during Grapefruit League play.
Newcomb is expected to compete with Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, Michael Fullmer, and Cooper Criswell for the two vacancies in Boston’s rotation — with the 31-year-old southpaw appearing in 175 career games in the big leagues, including 60 starts.
“The goal was just to break with the big league team in any fashion, just help them get innings in any way,” Newcomb told Smith Monday in Fort Myers. “In an ideal world obviously I like starting. It’s always kind of been my thing coming up and to start my big league career. It’s always where I had my success.”
“It was just to help the team in any way and then I always just push for length because that’s where I’m able to use all my pitches and get rolling. So it’s been a good little mix of that kind of stuff happening. But it wasn’t really any kind of plan or set goal. Just to help with the big team and help us in any way I can.”
Newcomb — the 15th overall pick of the 2014 MLB Draft — impressed as a starter with the Atlanta Braves in 2018, posting a 3.90 ERA over 31 games (30 starts). But after switching to the bullpen in 2019 and holding his own (3.16 ERA), he has struggled to find some consistency across stops with Atlanta, Oakland, and the Chicago Cubs.
He appeared in seven games with the A’s during the 2024 season — sporting a 6.30 ERA with eight walks and seven strikeouts over 10 innings of work.
Newcomb — who signed a minor-league contract with Boston in January — expressed interest in signing with Boston (even if it resulted in reps with Triple-A Worcester) in order to move closer to home.
But with spots open in Boston’s rotation and Newcomb stringing together several strong appearances, he’s looking to make the most of the opportunity in front of him.
“It would be really cool, Newcomb told The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham of playing for the Red Sox. “Just thinking back to being a kid and seeing my first game at Fenway in 1998, it’s the kind of thing you dream about, playing for the Sox.”
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