Next Red Sox minor league pitcher that could be added to the 40-man roster
The Red Sox pitching pipeline has been taking shape under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow over the last year. One of the pitchers that was added to the Red Sox pitching pipeline was righty David Sandlin, who Boston acquired from the Royals for reliever John Schreiber last spring.
Sandlin’s first season in the Red Sox system, he made 18 starts, posting a 5.34 ERA with 82 strikeouts to 18 walks with a 1.38 WHIP over 57 1/3 innings. With the pitching depth improving and the Red Sox developing a pipeline, Sandlin could be in the mix as a late-season call-up for Boston in 2025.
“I can see him getting a late-season bullpen look since he'll have to be added to the 40-man (roster) next offseason anyway, but I'd think he'll be behind others in terms of starter depth for 2025,” said Alex Speier of The Boston Globe during a chat with Baseball America in November.
Sandlin is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this coming December. It’s a strong guarantee he will be added to the 40-man next winter, but if he has a strong season with Portland and Worcester, he could be in the mix to pitch for the Red Sox out of the bullpen in 2025.
Boston could use a similar path and model to left-handed Zach Penrod, who pitched for both the Sea Dogs and WooSox last season.
Penrod spent seven games at Double-A Portland to open the 2024 campaign before he was promoted to Triple-A Worcester. While with the WooSox, he recorded a 5.93 ERA with 40 strikeouts across 27 2/3 frames. Those numbers were split between five starts and 10 relief appearances. The southpaw began pitching out of the bullpen for the WooSox, opening up a clearer path to the majors.
Staying healthy and getting to the big leagues is one of his goals for 2025.
“I have high aspirations, so I want to make my debut this year, make an impact for the team at a big league level, just follow their plan and trust them, and just knock out each goal as they throw it at me,” said Sandlin to the “Pesky Report” podcast. “I think that's all I got to do is just, every time they set a new goal, just go and conquer that one and get ready for the next one. So next time, this time next year, hopefully have that debut and roll into the next season and just keep going with it.”
As the Red Sox continue to get aggressive and develop their pitchers, Sandlin, if healthy, is an interesting candidate to help the big league club in the second half of the season. His five-pitch mix, led by a 94-97 mph fastball that has topped out at 99 mph, misses bats in all quadrants of the strike zone. Boston adding a young power arm to the bullpen, similar to what they’ve done with Penrod, allows them to get a look at Sandlin for the remainder of the season and what he might potentially be able to do in 2026.
