It’s only temporary, but Darwinzon Hernandez is getting a chance.
The talented Red Sox prospect will be added to the active roster as the 26th man for the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday night against the Tigers.
“I think where we are as far as guys pitching today, rest, all that, he’s rested and we can use him for more than six outs,” manager Alex Cora said.
The 22-year-old lefty had an impressive spring training, when he struck out 12 in 11 innings of one-run ball. His mid-90s heater and wipeout breaking ball appear to be big-league caliber, but his command and composure are focal points for his development in Double-A Portland this year.
He has 15 strikeouts and seven walks in 10 innings while having allowed two earned runs for the Sea Dogs.
He’s been a starter in the minors, but projets as more of a reliever in the big leagues.
“That’s something we’ll talk as an organization,” Cora said. “I love what I saw in spring training when he started and came out of the bullpen. Today is we have to take advantage of the 26th man and he’s the guy here.”
Rookie Travis Lakins is also getting his first big league action, as the right-handed Lakins was called up to replace lefty Bobby Poyner, as first reported by the Pawtucket Times. A sixth-round pick in 2015, Lakins had 10 strikeouts to one walk in eight innings with a 3.38 ERA for Triple-A Pawtucket this year.
BOGAERTS GETTING HOT
Bogaerts hit a pair of homers on Tuesday, cranking one off lefty Matthew Boyd and another off righty Drew Verhagen.
“Prior to that, I wasn’t feeling right,” he said. “Just some stuff wasn’t clicking and then out of nowhere you hit one out, and then you hit another one. This game is so weird, man. When you’re not feeling right, all it takes is one swing or just one pitch that you’re looking for and you get it and don’t miss it and can start feeling right again. That’s the weird part of baseball, stuff like that.
“I felt I wasn’t too aggressive on the inside pitch. I was just jamming it into center field or right field or taking it. I just didn’t have that click where I see it there and I can react to it. I was in the video with (hitting coach Tim Hyers). I just came in to check on that, because something wasn’t right, and I got two pitches I was able to hit out.”
Is he feeling a hot streak coming?
“I’d take a winning streak,” Bogaerts said. “I know that hot streak is coming.”
