Former Red Sox pitching prospect assigned to Triple-A Worcester to continue rehab
Red Sox pitcher Bryan Mata is going to continue his rehab assignment with the WooSox this week on the road in Scranton, Pa.
Mata is likely to pitch on Wednesday to remain on a five-day rotation.
The 25-year-old has thrown five shutout innings over two appearances with the Portland Sea Dogs. Mata joining Worcester is the final step before the Red Sox need to make a decision on what they’ll do with the right-hander.
The hard-throwing Mata is out of minor league options and can’t be sent back to Triple-A Worcester without being subject to waivers. According to MassLive’s Sean McAdam, the Red Sox believe Mata would be claimed off waivers from another club if they were to designate him for assignment.
The Red Sox will need to make a decision by July 16 during the All-Star break on what they’ll do with Mata. His 30-day rehab window began on June 16 and will expire on July 15.
Mata has been dealing with a left hamstring strain he suffered during spring training. He was rehabbing back with the Sea Dogs in May and was shut down again due to a lat issue.
“It’s been really tough dealing with all of these weird injuries that have been happening to me,” Mata said. “All I can control is working hard like I have been. That’s something that’s out of my control. But yeah, it’s definitely tough.”
The clock is ticking on the Red Sox to make a decision, but if healthy, Boston should give Mata an opportunity to play at the big league level.
“We’ve got to make a decision at one point,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora last month to reporters. “He’s very talented. He is talented. We’ve been talking about him for a while. It just hasn’t happened. Inconsistency, and being hurt. Hopefully, he stays healthy, and then we have to make a decision.”
