The Red Sox announced Monday that they’ve recalled infield prospect Jeter Downs from Triple-A Worcester and designated right-hander James Norwood for assignment.
It’ll be the Major League debut for Downs whenever he first steps onto the field for a game. Acquired alongside Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong in the trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers, Downs was once widely ranked among the sport’s 100 best prospects but has seen his stock tumble following a pair of poor showings in Triple-A. In 53 games so far with the WooSox, the 23-year-old Downs is hitting just .180/.297/.397 with a 31.1% strikeout rate in 222 plate appearances. That actually represents a modest improvement over his struggles in a larger sample during the 2021 campaign. Overall, he’s now tallied 627 Triple-A plate appearances with just a .187/.281/.355 slash to show for it.
Those struggles notwithstanding, Downs will get his first big league look and give the Sox some extra infield depth at a time when both Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez are on the injured list. Major League teams who’d been carrying 14 pitchers also need to cut their pitching staff back to 13 beginning today, and Downs was already on the 40-man roster, making him an easy name to recall. They’ll need a 40-man spot once Arroyo is cleared to return from the Covid-related injured list anyhow, so designating Norwood and briefly giving Downs a taste of the Majors is a sensible — albeit likely short-term — route to take for the time being.
Norwood, acquired from the Phillies for cash over the weekend, never appeared in a game with the Sox before what is now his third DFA in the past three months. The 28-year-old spent the bulk of Spring Training with the Padres but was designated for assignment late in camp and subsequently traded to Philadelphia for minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo. Norwood showed big velocity, an ability to miss bats and a knack for keeping the ball in the park during his 17 1/3 innings with the Phils. However, he also walked too many hitters, struggled to strand runners (both inherited and those he allowed to reach base), and generally yielded too much hard contact.
In those 17 1/3 frames with Philly, Norwood was tagged for an 8.31 ERA, causing his career mark through 44 1/3 innings to balloon to 5.48. It’s certainly possible that Norwood’s 96.8 mph average fastball and splitter that comes with a 42.7% whiff rate will get him a look from another team, be it via waivers or another small trade. He’s out of minor league options, though, so any interested club will need to carry him on the 40-man roster. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Norwood, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.
Good power, decent eye and defense. He’ll be a solid contributor however may take him a bit to find his footing in the bigs.
I’m not so sure a sub .200 average and %30+ strikeout rate in his entire AAA career constitutes a decent eye, no matter how much you draw a walk.
Yes, ridiculous and only there due to “pedigree”, zilch to do with actual production on field. Granted not a big deal as he’s only up till Arroyo cleared, but still. When it comes to major league level, give me someone that has actually produced in AAA, not a “prospect”. Prospects are great and all for draft and lower minors but, for me, you’re on MLB roster should be ready to contribute to wins today, not at some undetermined time in future.
Who else would you call up that is currently on the 40 man? Connor Wong and Ronaldo Hernandez are the only other possibilities and they are both catchers.
Bit of an overreaction for a ball player, whose only up for a couple days, and might not even get any playing time. He’s the best middle infield option on the 40-Man. Due to it only being a temporary job, they obviously didn’t want to make any roster clearing moves.
His eye is decent. His swing is a big uppercut to try and get more power out of him but it leaves him vulnerable to strikeouts since he’s whiffing on everything at the top of the zone.
If that isn’t a homer take, I have never read one.
One day sitting in the bullpen was enough of a look for Norwood.
it was strange to have put Norwood on the roster to begin with. Jeter has the tools supposedly. Hopefully he’ll always remember his first taste of the big leagues.
I guess he was only activated in case of a blowout for mop up work. Sure some pitching needy team will claim him.
They were hoping to sneak him through waivers with all of the pitcher DFAs coming today.
Norwood was acquired for AAA depth only. MLB teams that have over 13 pitchers must DFA or option pitchers TODAY to get to the 13 pitcher limit. Bloom figured today he could slip Norwood through to AAA without him getting claimed today. He was not acquired to remain on the 26-man or 40-man at this time.
Yeah it seems like it was just a transactional move so where are all the ball washers claiming Chaim was a genius when he only paid cash for a hard throwing asset?
1) Who called him a “genius” for that move? Please give names. Or is this just imaginary BS?
2) The cash (or at least a big portion of it) is most likely contingent on him clearing waivers, and getting to Worcester.
1) I never put genius in quotes like you did to emphasize your post
2) Look back at the original transaction post and you’ll see Bloominatis commenting on how Chaim is one step ahead. Again, no quotes.
3) The fact that you demand exact quotes and are quick to call BS shows that you are not an objective Sox fan (or maybe also Rays fan if you’re just all about Chaim Bloom)
1) I put your genius in quotes, because I was quoting YOU. Showing how ridiculous your exaggeration is.
2) You got me to go back to the original post, and there is no one, repeat NO ONE claiming this was some kind of “genius” move, or anything like that. Most people are laughing at the move, or talking about the Pivetta & Seabold trade. So please give me a list of the “ball washers”. Your hatred makes you to read things that dont exist.
3) You made bro, that I called your BS?
You have some issues you need to deal with. No one called him a genius, and everyone here knows that. Some people liked the acquisition, as I did. I don’t care how many guys they stash in the minors. For some reason, you seem to object to minor league depth.
Only on RS threads do people show so much hate for minor league acquisitions.
I think we may have discovered another of KD17’s accounts…
He may be KD in spirit but his posts are about 150 words short of a a KD post.
More like 1,000 words short, but your point is taken. You can always tell the haters by how much effort they put into hating minor league deals. They probably have no idea who the RS have in the minors, but they definitely know that they hate them.
There are others who deserved a look before him
Already on the 40 man roster who can field SS/2B? No, not really.
And Casas currently can’t walk for the past month so his debut hopes will likely come in September if at all in 2022
is Fitzgerald on the 40?
No, I wish he was.
Fitzgerald will be a Rule 5 eligible player that will need to be added to the 40-man in November if a is not added before. He is an excellent prospect, but has slumped over the last month. Fitzgerald’s BA is down to .258 and OPS has fallen .150 over the same time frame. I would expect Fitzgerald to be a September call up unless there is a major injury in the infield.
Ok, so I get how the 40 man roster works, but I also think that promoting a .180 hitter over Ryan Fitzgerald is crazy. Can’t imagine why Bloom is still calling the shots here. All ego! He can’t stand to be wrong or to have anyone else be right.
Who do you kick off 40-Man roster for Fitzgerald? Need to answer that question first.
James Norwood?
Too late James Norwood was DFA today already.
Might be Downs kicked off the 40 after this cup of coffee.
Might be Downs kicked off the 40 after this cup of coffee.
===================================
No chance.
Arroyo
Downs is just not working out at AAA. Let’s give him a look and see what’s going on or cut bait with him. Bloom is putting this thing on the stage right now and possibly moving on.
Keeping Downs in AAA any longer looks like it won’t do anyone any good. I love it, I think Bloom is doing a fantastic job. And it’s evident right here. And it’s not protecting his ego, he’s actually admitting the guy’s not working out, but let’s give him a shot before we cut the cord with him.
I think Downs will at least start next year at AAA. He missed 2020 and basically skipped AA. So, I think he will get some more time. He had a good stretch earlier this year, but has been pretty cold recently.
You know there is also the possibility that the big league hitting coach has seen something in his swing that he can alter on the fly…..I hope that’s the case we don’t need another automatic strikeout like Bobby Dalbec
Or JD can get through to him.
King, or Jackie Bradley
we don’t need another automatic strikeout like Bobby Dalbec
==================================
Tough call. Dalbec has 38 HRs in 668 career ABs. The Ks are frustrating, but if Downs replicated Dalbec’s career stats, I would take it.
There has to be a horse racing track somewhere in the world named Jeter Downs.
Maybe Derek can open one. I know Steinbrenner owned racehorses so maybe he can team with his people in some way.
Maybe we transfer Barnes to the 60 day IR opening a 40-roster spot?
…or maybe Darwinzon Hernandez to the 60 day IL.
or both Darwinzon & Barnes to the 60.
Plus both Kike and Arroyo will be back soon. Putting Downs in the Show may help his development. A taste of 1st class can go a long way.
Promotion for a .180 average in AAA? Good luck, but if you’re not hitting in AAA, it will probably be a short MLB visit.
He will be removed as soon as someone is healthy, so a short stay is all that’s expected from him.
I recall Red Sox fans calling the Mookie trade to be a huge success. These days it’s looking like they didn’t get much out of it other than dumping half of Price’s remaining contract
That is still $48,000,000
Still talking about that? Wasn’t it three years ago? I think one of the biggest benefits was getting below the tax line to avoid consecutive year penalties, is that not correct? Plus Mookie was going to walk anyway so they got some guys for him.. backup catcher, serviceable outfielder and a minor Leaguer of high acclaim.
Price was not himself when they traded him as well. Missed some time Etc. Even though they paid half of Price’s salary I think it was still considered a good move. You think not?
Betts walks for nothing in return and we keep Price another year? I would think Alex Verdugo is a starting outfielder in Major League Baseball so good trade in my opinion.
Any time you trade a player of Mookie Betts’ caliber, you should at least get one high level player back. A serviceable but unspectacular player like Verdugo shouldn’t be the highlight of the package, especially when you’re trading with a team as loaded as the Dodgers
Even if that player is in a contract year? The Dodgers could have waited a year and got him for free. But I see what you’re saying. Good point made.
Completely agree with Gary.
1) By getting rid of both Betts and Price, they were able to get up cap. That was top priority.
2) By adding Price to deal, it lessened the return.
3) It was a contract year. There’s only so much you can get for one year of any player, and the Red Sox weren’t going to be contending with the state of the team in 2020, anyways.
4) He wasn’t re-signing with Sox. It was obvious he wanted to move on.
5) ALCS last year, doing good this year. Talented Minor League System. Red Sox have recovered just fine without him.
Haters be Hatin’
I agree with you and Gary. The only thing I would add is that the 2nd best offer was for far less and required the Sox to take back Myers bad contract and keep Price instead of getting $48,000,000 salary relief. Preller is still trying to dump Myers with no takers.
Myers would fit with the Mariners right now. They’re struggling in LF/DH since Winker has turned into a wet pool noodle, and while Myers probably isn’t going to move the needle much for the season he’s still an upgrade over what they have. Maybe Dipoto can coax Preller into coughing up a prospect in exchange for taking on Myers and his contract.
The M’s just gave Winker 2 yrs/14.5 MM
You’re still missing the point. Sure, dumping Price’s salary was a plus but the overall return was weak. The Red Sox would have been better off getting one blue chip prospect as opposed to getting a role player and two cans. They also could have given Mookie the QO after 2020. Again if the highlight of trading away a superstar is getting salary relief from a bad contract, that isn’t a good trade
I disagree. It might not have been a great deal, but I think getting $48 mil off your books is a good deal. That is more than some teams spend on their entire team’s payroll. I am not sure the Red Sox had any offers better than the Dodger’s offer. I think the haul was better than giving Mookie a QO and only getting a draft pick when he signed elsewhere.
Ronk you are missing the point — there were no better offers. Plus you have to add Mookie’s 27MM to Price 48MM for a total saving of 75 MM.
Ronk – Agreed! At the time of the trade, Mookie was arguably the second-best player in MLB and he had a full year of control remaining. Regardless of how the trade turns out in the long run, it sure seems like the Sox should have gotten more. However … I think most teams didn’t want to trade for him because they knew he would be gone if they didn’t give him a $320M+ extension. How many teams can afford that kind of expenditure? Not many.
Even his current year salary of $27M took a lot of teams off the table. Even without the extension, I thought that SD & LAD were the only teams that had the money and were playoff contenders, and you really need to be both in order to trade.
Thank you Gary. Keep that post for a quick copy and paste to respond to the folks who continue to spew nonsense. Well said.
It’s funny how different the Red Sox spin on this is. They write: “Downs, 23, has played in 53 games for Worcester this season, including 52 starts at shortstop. He is tied for the team lead in stolen bases (11) and ranks second in home runs (11) and runs scored (35), one of only two players in the International League with at least 10 home runs and 10 steals.” [https://www.mlb.com/redsox/news/jeter-downs-called-up-by-red-sox]. It will be interesting to see which version of him we see. Maybe they’ll try to get him to stop swinging for the fences now that he’s in the big leagues. Or maybe he’s being brought up solely to be the runner on second at the start of extra innings.
His stat line reminds me of Dylan Moore, the UT for the Mariners. Good power and stolen base totals, but can’t consistently put the bat on the ball. Downs might end up as a UT guy if his defense is solid enough at most positions.
I thought Downs was having a better year based on earlier reports. That’s an ugly triple slash line over a lot of games and repeating a level. The talent is there, but so now is the concern.
He started the year well, but has been pretty cold at the plate for the last month or so.
The Red Sox are bringing up a guy named after Derek Jeter, acquired in the trade of a guy named after Mookie Blaylock, whose name inevitably reminds one of Mookie Wilson, whose grounder between Bill Buckner’s legs marked a low point in Sox history. If another player named Ruth makes the majors, he’s bound to end up in Boston.
The ball between Buckner’s legs was hardly the low point. It was the wild pitch by Stanley that Gedman couldn’t block. Once the game was tied it was over.
hayzee – Sorry but a game-losing play is always worse than a lead-losing play.
Sox still had a chance to win after the wild pitch, they did not have a chance to win after the Buckner play.
With that being said, Johnny Mac is the one who deserves the blame – not Buckner.
Betts is playing for Manager Dave Roberts. The man who stole the base to start the greatest comeback in the history of any sport against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, and end an 86 year World Series drought for Boston. 😛
There is a lot of forcing to this name connecting.
He sucks but his name is Jeter so we’ll give him a chance.
He looked pretty good last year according to the stats.
.180 BA, 11 HR’s, 11 SB’s.
Sox are thin up the middle right now. Dalbec can cover 3B if Devers has to leave a game but if anything were to happen to Bogaerts or Story Refsnyder would have to play the Infield, which would not be ideal
It doesn’t really hurt to let Downs get his feet wet a little while other players are out
The move will either motive him to kick it into an extra gear or scare the heck out of him. Either way, this will let the Sox know what they have ie a guy who refuses to give up or needs to move on.
What was the point of Norwood?
Emergency bullpen arm in case of blowout or injury.
I guess the idea is now that he will be sent to the Minors if no one takes him? Not a bad move I suppose.
I think they are calling Downs up to show case him for a trade
Doubt that. Blooms philosophy is to build a future, not trade it away. Bogaerts will probably be gone next year so he may take the throne.
I agree. Nothing is guaranteed, but my guess is that they are planning on Yorke for the long-term. Downs is good enough to still be on everyone’s radar, albeit at a discount. Even a decent week or two could cause people to re-assess.
With his minor league stats I cant see any team giving up a player worth any value to get Downs. The stats will only get worse at the MLB level.
better name for ‘recall’ is needed
Was cool hearing fans cheer “Lets Go Jeter” in 9th inning. But, he looked overmatched in his ABs.
It looks like we retained Norwood. Nice add for a cheap price. Well thought out by Bloom.
Joe– this no Houck, Duran & Sale in Toronto could be very bad . Three gms Sept. 30, Oct 1-2 could decide WC 1. giving Toronto 3 home games in the new playoff format. not to mention the effect on a 5 or 7 game playoff.