Hard-throwing Red Sox right-hander to throw live batting practice this week (report)
Red Sox right-handed pitcher Bryan Mata has been out of action since spring training after suffering a hamstring injury. He is expected to throw his first live batting practice session at the end of this week, according to the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
If Mata’s session goes well, he could begin a rehab assignment at the end of the week. The Red Sox have both their affiliates, the WooSox and Sea Dogs, playing at home this week, allowing them to get a closer look at the rehabbing righty.
Mata is out of minor league options, so he will need to have earned a 26-man roster spot by the end of his 30-day rehab assignment. If not, the Red Sox will have to remove him from the 40-man roster, exposing him to waivers or a potential trade.
With the lack of roster flexibility, it’s make-or-break for Mata. Back in January, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham joined the To the Show We Go podcast after the Winter Weekend in January, and he talked about what Mata needs to do through the organization’s eyes at this point in his career.
“I think it’s just at a point where he needs to perform,” said Abraham. “You know he can only prepare and be prepared to perform so much, and then you actually have to do it on the mound.
“So that is the point where he’s at in his career, where we’re going to have to see some success during spring training.”
That success will now be gauged through live bullpen sessions and rehab outings over the next 30 days.
“He’s going to have to stay healthy. He’s going to have to be able to repeat his deliveries. He’s going to have to be able to throw strikes and do all those things so he can be a reliable arm in the bullpen.
“I don’t think we are built to have a roster of someone who’s not going to be able to be utilized to their maximum capacity on a daily basis. I don’t think any organization or Major League roster, as you know, there’s 26 men on the roster, and they all need to be utilized,” added Abraham.
Mata went from being a top pitching prospect in the Red Sox system to battling for a spot on the roster. His roster status is a byproduct of where he is currently in his career. The Red Sox are hopeful he can regain his form and offer them a potential multi-inning relief arm with a fastball that sits between 95 and 97 mph and tops out at 99 mph.
He also offers a slider that he throws between 87 and 90 mph that offers an 11-to-5 shape, but he hasn’t used it much since his Tommy John surgery. Mata has two other pitch offerings: a 78-81 mph curveball and an 89-92 mph changeup, according to his SoxProspects scouting report.
“He’s had ups and downs. He’s had progress, and he’s had regression in terms of the physical side. But I think we’re finally at a point where hopefully the stuff that he has, he has electric stuff when healthy, when he’s on. We’re hopefully in shorter stints where he can recover; it’ll allow him to have success on our Major League roster,” said Abraham.
