The Red Sox could be adding reinforcements to their bullpen soon, as a productive left-handed reliever nears a return from a rehab assignment.
Boston has been dealt blow after blow to the bullpen, but it appears to finally have some good news on the horizon.
Chris Murphy has made four appearances in the minor leagues and is yet to allow a run. He’s struck out seven of the 17 hitters he’s faced thus far with Portland and Greenville.
Murphy hasn’t seen major league action since September of 2023. He was injured in last year’s spring training and underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2024.
The reliever made 20 appearances with a 4.91 ERA. He struck out 23% of the hitters he faced while walking 8%. His surface numbers aren’t overly impressive, but he has some interesting characteristics that could make him an effective bullpen piece.
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His four-seam fastball, which he throws about 40% of the time, has above-average vertical movement from a low release point. This creates a very flat attack angle, making the pitch difficult to square up, especially when it’s located at the top of the strike zone. Before injury, his velocity was fairly average at 94 mph, but he uses his frame to extend down the mound well, which allows the pitch to play up.
His fastball isn’t an overpowering pitch, but it was effective against left-handed hitters. They hit just .228 against the pitch in 2023. Murphy also uses a slider both in and out of the zone for strikes. Those two pitches work in tandem to create uncomfortable at-bats for lefties.
It’s unclear when Murphy will be ready to return to big league action, but his return to the mound is an encouraging sign for a Red Sox bullpen that’s leaned heavily on Brennan Bernardino to attack lefties. Murphy still has options remaining, so he may stick with Worcester until his services are needed in Boston.
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