Red Sox urged to call up No. 7 prospect pitcher from AAA, help Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen

Red Sox urged to call up No. 7 prospect pitcher from AAA, help Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox have gotten together a little bit after a horrible start to 2026, with a record of 8-11 and fourth place in the AL East. However, some of their team remains a bit shaky, with one surprising part being their bullpen.

Last year, the Sox’ bullpen was the best in the American League; this year, they are eighth. Aside from Aroldis Chapman and for the most part Garrett Whitlock, the bullpen just isn’t performing. With that in mind, Sports Illustrated’s Patrick McAvoy urges Boston to call up their No. 7 prospect, Jake Bennett, to come to their aid.

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“The lefty got a lot of buzz throughout Spring Training with his blistering fastball and sky-high potential. He's Boston's No. 7 prospect and if he were in the bullpen, he'd arguably be among the top options for Boston right now…If Bennett keeps pitching the way he has, the club should consider a shift if they want another long man in the bullpen. Payton Tolle is down in Triple-A as rotation depth with working his way back as well. was on a rehab assignment, but it had to be paused. Hopefully, he's back soon as well. But if the Red Sox eventually have Tolle, Sandoval and Crawford all ready as depth options down in Triple-A, it would make moving Bennett to the bullpen easier,” McAvoy wrote.