The Red Sox and the right hander Robert Stock agreed to a minor league deal that invited him into training camp for the big league season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports. The Naranjeros de Hermosillo, the Mexican team that Stock has been playing winter ball for, previously announced that Stock would go for a physical with the Sox.
Stock, 35, has little league experience. From 2018 to 2021, he threw 72 2/3 innings over four seasons, suiting up for the Padres, Red Sox, Cubs and Mets. He allowed 4.71 runs per nine innings. His 23.1% strikeout rate was average and his 49.8% groundball rate was solid, but he also gave up a high 12.2% walk rate. His fastball averaged 96-98 miles per hour at the time.
He hasn’t been in the majors for a few years but has done well in other areas. He spent 2022 in Korea, posting a 3.60 ERA over 29 starts for the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. That was enough to get him another shot at professional ball, as he signed a minor league deal with the Brewers through 2023. But he had an 8.22 ERA in 23 innings and was in Indy Ball in June.
In 2024, he signed with Tecos de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League. He made 19 starts and threw 98 2/3 innings with a 3.38 ERA. As already mentioned, he was playing winter football with the Naranjeros, sending big numbers there. He threw 84 1/3 innings over 14 starts with a 1.60 ERA.
For the Sox, there’s nothing wrong with bringing him in on a minor league contract to see how he looks in camp. He’s been a free agent for most of his career but has been starting in recent years, so he should be able to give the club some undrafted depth in both areas.
Boston projects have a rotation Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Brian Bello, Cutter Crawford again Walker Buehlerwith Lucas Giolito returning from elbow surgery sometime this year. There is a lot of talent there but also a lot of question marks. In the bullpen, they lost Kenley Jansen again Chris Martin in free agency, even though they signed free agents Aroldis Chapman again Justin Wilson. They are also set to find out Liam Hendricks again Garrett Whitlock after a long absence due to elbow surgery.
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