Jake

Bennett

Bennett pitched well, but things fell apart after a leadoff double in the fifth. A bunt single, an infield single and then an infield double followed; the last hit bounced off Bennett’s leg and into no man’s land on the left side of the infield. The Rays scored three of their four runs in the frame. Bennett struck out four and his only walk was intentional. He made a case for sticking around in Brayan Bello’s spot, but the Red Sox do have some flexibility here with Thursday and Monday as off days. If they stay in rotation, then Bennett would face the Blue Jays next Wednesday.

This move was expected after Brayan Bello was demoted to Triple-A, but it is now official. Bennett allowed five runs on 11 hits in 10 1/3 innings in his first two MLB starts, including allowing four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Rays in his final outing before being demoted. He will get the Rays again on Wednesday and is not a recommended streamer. He will be on the 15-team radar in more advantageous matchups.

The expectation is that Bennett will join the Red Sox early next week to take the rotation spot that was vacated by the struggling Brayan Bello. The 25-year-old hurler has been dominant at the Triple-A level this season, posting a 1.60 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 41/9 K/BB ratio across 39 1/3 innings.

The Red Sox will add reliever Joe La Sorsa for the weekend, but they will need a fifth starter on Tuesday, and Bennett is the leading candidate for the job. Bennett was solid in two starts for the Red Sox earlier this season, but has gone down to Triple-A and dominated since then. On the season, Bennett has a 1.60 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 41/9 K/BB ratio in 39 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season. He is unlikely to replicate those strikeout numbers in the big leagues, but he could be a solid streaming option due to his deep arsenal and solid command.

The 25-year-old southpaw gave up four runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings in a losing effort against the Rays on Thursday. With Ranger Suarez not expected to require a trip to the injured list and Sonny Gray back in the fold, there was simply no longer room for Bennett to remain in the rotation at the moment. The Red Sox will make a corresponding move on Friday.

The big left-hander didn’t allow a single extra-base hit on the day. The second run he allowed came on a bunt single, and the third run he allowed came on a sacrifice fly. He then threw a scoreless third, fourth, and fifth innings before an infield single and a walk ended his night in the sixth, and he watched as one of those runners came around to score. Despite not allowing much hard contact, he also didn’t miss many bats with just a six percent swinging strike rate and one strikeout on the day. Provided Ranger Suarez (hamstring) doesn’t need a trip to the IL, we’d bet that Bennett will head back to Triple-A.

Gray returns to Boston’s rotation to take the ball for Wednesday’s series finale in Detroit following a two-week absence recovering from a hamstring strain. The 36-year-old veteran has compiled a pedestrian 4.30 ERA and 13/5 K/BB ratio over 23 innings this season, but he’s a worthwhile option in all fantasy formats, especially in a favorable road matchup. The big question is whether the Red Sox are going to ship top pitching prospect Payton Tolle, or fellow rookie Jake Bennett, back to the minors with Gray back in the rotation.

Gray completed a bullpen session earlier this week without any issues and has made it to Detroit already. The 36-year-old veteran hit the shelf back in late April with a hamstring strain. His return likely pushes Jake Bennett back to the minors, unless they want to make a more dramatic move like shipping out a struggling Brayan Bello.

Bennett was solid in his big league debut, firing five innings of one-run ball while striking out three. The rookie made it through the first two innings unscathed, but gave up a leadoff homer to Carlos Correa to start the third inning, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead. It would be the only run Bennett would surrender in the inning, as the leap from Triple-A to the majors didn’t appear too overwhelming. If he sticks around for a while, he would be in line to face the Tigers on Wednesday in Detroit.

He’ll start today’s game against the Astros for Boston. We wouldn’t send him into 12-team league lineups for his major league debut, but he has an 0.86 ERA in five starts for the Worcester so far this year, with only 12 hits allowed in 21 innings. He’s certainly a plausible play in deeper leagues.