The Red Sox have a minor league deal with José De León, according to Francys Romero. The righty first implied that he’d reached an agreement with Boston on social media.
De León, now 32, was once a top prospect while he was coming up through the Dodgers’ system. Injuries have largely prevented him from carving out a consistent role. De León has pitched in parts of six seasons but didn’t reach 20 major league frames in any. That has been divided among four teams. His most recent action came with the Twins two years ago. De León gave up 10 runs (nine earned) in 17 1/3 innings. He recorded 17 strikeouts while issuing five walks.
That season was cut short in June. De León underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career, five years removed from his first such procedure. That ill-timed operation cost him the entire ’24 campaign. De León was outrighted off Minnesota’s 40-man roster during the 2023-24 offseason. He remained a free agent last year but made his comeback in winter ball in his native Puerto Rico.
De León impressed Boston evaluators enough to get another affiliated opportunity. He’ll likely begin the season with Triple-A Worcester. De León has solid numbers at the top minor league level. He carries a 3.44 ERA over 199 Triple-A innings divided between six seasons. De León hasn’t found much success in his scattered MLB opportunities. He has allowed 7.44 earned runs per nine over 65 1/3 big league frames despite a near-27% strikeout rate.