Eduardo Rivera was in a Portland Sea Dogs duffle bag and at Fenway Park by 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, about nine hours before first pitch against the Yankees, after the Red Sox brought him to the majors late Tuesday night. The 22-year-old right-hander had spent Sunday in Double-A Portland and Tuesday in Triple-A Worcester before getting the call that changed his week in a matter of hours.
“Like they said, I opened the ballpark,” Rivera said. “I couldn’t wait to be here in this clubhouse.” At 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, he brought a fastball he said had been sitting around 98 miles per hour, along with a splitter, to a team that needed pitching and was working through a short bench on the mound.
The move came after Boston sent right-hander Jack Anderson to Worcester because he had thrown 72 pitches and five innings over the previous three days. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox transferred Triston Casas to the 60-day injured list while he deals with an abdominal strain that interrupted his comeback from knee surgery last May. Roman Anthony also was out of the lineup Wednesday because of a sore back, though manager Alex Cora said the club hoped he would return Thursday.
Rivera had never appeared above Double-A before this stretch, and he had not spent spring training with the major league team. Even so, the organization saw enough in his brief run at Portland to move quickly: he allowed one run and struck out 16 batters in 10 innings in April, walking 8 percent of hitters in that small sample after walking 16 percent at the same level last year in 10 games. He had pitched in only two games at Double-A in April, but he was around the zone enough to draw attention.
“He’s been around the zone all season and if that continues to be the case, he will help us,” Craig Breslow said, adding that Rivera “always had huge stuff that will play in the big leagues.” Breslow also pointed to his work for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, saying, “He had a great [World Baseball Classic with Puerto Rico] pitching on a big stage,” and noted, “Sometimes there’s a don’t-overthink-this factor at play.”
Cora was just as direct about why Rivera got the nod. “He’s been under the radar the last few years,” he said. “He’s a kid from back home who loves the game.” Cora added that Rivera “had a great WBC, threw the ball well, and gained momentum,” and said, “That he’s throwing the ball well and he can give us innings.” For now, Boston plans to find out where that fits. “We’ll see how we use him,” Cora said. “But excited for him. He’s working his [expletive] off to get to his point, and now he’s a big leaguer.”