With the Red Sox’s starting rotation dealing with injuries, the team called up and activated 32-year-old lefty Matt Dermody to start on Thursday in the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians.

Since being called up, a since-deleted homophobic tweet from Dermody’s Twitter account has made its rounds online. The main tweet, sent in June 2021 when Dermody was pitching for the Seibu Lions in Japan, reads “#PrideMonth. Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. They will go to hell. This is not my opinion, but the #Truth. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9. May we all examine our hearts, ask Jesus to forgive us and repent of all our sins. I love you all in Christ Jesus!” Dermody also continued in the replies, including a tweet reading “I am not a homophobic (sic).”

• According to Sean McAdam of MassLive, the Red Sox were unaware of the tweet when they signed Dermody to a minor league contract back in January. They didn’t become aware of it until spring training, which led to a meeting with team officials.

  “It’s important to us that he had taken the tweet down and important why he had done it,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, via McAdam. “I talked to him personally about that and what he told me was that it really came down to two things. One, he didn’t realize that his words would be hurtful and he didn’t want to hurt anybody and when he realized that they were, he took (the post) down.”

  “He also understood that it’s not the right use of his platform,” Bloom continued. “He knows he made a mistake tweeting that. That’s why he took it down. Obviously, that doesn’t mean that we endorse anything he said or anything he believes. But the fact of the matter is, if we’re committed to creating an (inclusive) environment, it’s not right for us to police what people believe.”

   

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  Jul 27, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom talks with the media before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park. Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

• McAdam adds that the Red Sox “absolutely” considered releasing Dermody at the time, “but discussions with Dermody led them to refrain from doing so.”

  In a statement, team president and CEO Sam Kennedy said, “What Matt posted in 2021 was hurtful — and we addressed this with him when we learned about it after he joined the Red Sox in 2023. Matt, along with all our minor leaguers, went through our mandatory anti-discrimination and harassment prevention training in March. We cannot dictate the religious beliefs or political views of our players and employees, but we do require they treat people in our organization and ballpark with respect and professionalism.”

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  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 15: Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy looks on during a press conference addressing the departure of Alex Cora as manager of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on January 15, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. A MLB investigation concluded that Cora was involved in the Houston Astros sign stealing operation in 2017 while he was the bench coach. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Dermody has spend this season with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, where he’s 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in eight starts. Prior to coming to the Red Sox he appeared in 30 Major League games over the course of four MLB seasons between 2016 and 2022. Most recently he pitched for the Chicago Cubs, throwing a single inning last season in which he allowed two earned runs.

  The Red Sox and Guardians will get underway at 7:10 p.m. on Thursday night. It’s a rubber match, with the Red Sox having won the first game of the series followed by a 5-2 Guardians win on Wednesday night.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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