Red Sox righty Bryan Mata tops out at 97.8 mph in latest rehab outing
Red Sox right-hander Bryan Mata made another rehab start for the WooSox on Tuesday night.
In his second rehab outing for Triple-A Worcester, he topped out his sinker at 97.8 mph and his four-seam fastball at 96.6 mph, per Baseball Savant. Mata threw his sinker 14 times and his fastball 10 times, totaling 51 pitches in his outing.
In total, Mata tossed 2 1/3 innings and allowed one run off two hits while walking two and striking out two hitters. Over seven rehab starts, Mata has a 4.24 ERA in 17 innings with 12 strikeouts to five walks.
The 25-year-old is on the Red Sox 40-man roster and is out of minor league options. He has spent the entire season on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Mata also dealt with lat soreness, which ended his first rehab assignment with the Sea Dogs.
“It’s been really tough dealing with all of these weird injuries that have been happening to me,” Mata said after he was shut down following his first rehab stint. “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.”
Mata’s latest rehab assignment began on June 16. Pitchers have a maximum of 30 days on a rehab assignment, which means the clock is ticking on the Red Sox to make a decision on the righty's future.
“We’re going to keep in a starter structure, but we’re not going to extend him more than three innings,” Red Sox skipper Alex Cora said after Mata’s first rehab start for the WooSox.
