Less than a year after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, Brandon Workman is back with the Boston Red Sox. On Thursday, the team called the right-handed reliever up from Triple-AAA Worcester and will activate him for their series finale against the Houston Astros.
Workman spent the first seven years of his major league career with the Red Sox after being drafted by the club in 2010. That included two missed seasons in 2015 and 2016 after Tommy John surgery. At last year’s trade deadline, Workman was sent to Philadelphia along with Heath Hembree in exchange for pitching prospects Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold.
After struggling with the Phillies, Workman signed with the Cubs this past offseason. He spent a month in Chicago before being designated for assignment after posting a 6.75 ERA in 10 appearances.
He signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox on May 6, including a stipulation that he could opt-out if he wasn’t called up after a month. The 32-year-old has been dominant with the WooSox. In seven outings, he has an ERA or 1.29 with a WHIP of exactly 1.00. Given the recent struggles of the Red Sox bullpen, Workman will have a chance to earn a permanent role with the team.
In order to open up space on the roster and in the bullpen, the Red Sox will option Colten Brewer to Triple-AAA. Brewer, who was called up late last week, made just one appearance for the Red Sox, and allowed four runs in one inning of work.
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