Despite Tuesday’s loss, the Boston Red Sox appear to be turning the corner. The four-game weekend sweep of the New York Yankees, spurred by Boston’s dominant starting pitching, has the team riding high. In an effort to continue that, they are giving one of their young prospects another shot at the big-league level.
According to multiple reports, including one from Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Red Sox are calling up Alec Gamboa from Triple-A Worcester for the second time this season. He should be on the roster for Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Washington Nationals. In a move likely meant to clear roster space for Gamboa, Cotillo also reported that the Red Sox designated left-hander Tommy Kahnle for assignment on Tuesday night.
Report: Red Sox to Recall Alec Gamboa for Second Big-League Stint
Gamboa made his major league debut with the Red Sox earlier this season. He made only two appearances, one in May and one in June. He pitched 1 1/3 total innings with three strikeouts, but allowed no runs and was credited with two games finished. Gamboa has seen more action at Triple-A. He has appeared in 13 games for the WooSox (six starts), pitching to a 3.21 ERA and 1.048 WHIP with 40 strikeouts in 42 innings.
Red Sox will scramble to make roster moves before tomorrow’s matinee with everything going on. Per source: Alec Gamboa summoned to Boston as one of them.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 1, 2026
A ninth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019, Gamboa was in their minor league system until 2025, when he joined the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization. Evidently impressed by his performance overseas, the Red Sox then signed him to a minor league deal last December. It’s been a long road for the 29-year-old to reach the majors, let alone get significant playing time. After his cup of coffee in May and early June, this may finally be Gamboa’s chance to get an extended chance with the big-league club.
WooSox lefty Alec Gamboa over his last 8 appearances:
20 IP, 11 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 18 K
Might be near the top of the list for MLB bullpen depth when needed for the Red Sox.
— Andrew Parker (@ByAndrewParker) June 30, 2026
The Youth Movement Continues
The Red Sox have been relying on their young (especially in Garrett Crochet‘s absence) pitching staff to keep their season afloat. Gamboa is no neophyte, having been in the pros for several seasons, but he continues the trend of Boston pitchers with relatively little major league experience getting some reps this season. Just this past weekend, youngsters Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, and Jake Bennett all pitched well in their starts against the Yankees. The staff has picked up the team when the offense has been subpar, although they got decent run support in the four-game set at Fenway.
The Last Word
Although the Red Sox remain in last place in the American League East, 13 games back with a 37-47 record, they are only five games out of a Wild Card spot. The overall weakness of the American League this season has kept most sub-.500 teams in the race despite very poor starts to the season. Once Boston fired Alex Cora early on, very few in the team’s orbit would’ve thought they had any chance at a postseason berth. On the other hand, the overall vibe seems to be that they are playing with house money.
While they still have a lot of ground to make up, their recent strong play has rekindled the hope that they can make a run. For that to happen, the lineup will have to do a better overall job supplementing the recent strong pitching the Red Sox are getting. But that’s another issue altogether. In the meantime, they can never have too many young arms in the mix with how well they’ve been pitching. Gamboa will join the bullpen and likely get low-priority innings to start. But if he can succeed in that role and work his way up to more high-leverage situations, he has a chance to play a significant part in Boston moving forward.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
