Red Sox Nation woke up Tuesday morning to another roster shake-up that left fans scratching their heads. Well, you know how it goes in baseball—one day you’re throwing strikes, the next day you’re designated for assignment. The latest casualty? A 30-year-old reliever whose brief Boston chapter might have just come to an abrupt end, as Alex Cora remarked, “Good kid, good stuff. We’ll see what the future holds, but we needed to make a change.”
That reliever? Jorge Alcala. The Red Sox pulled the trigger on the 30-year-old right-hander, designating him for assignment while recalling Isaiah Campbell from Triple-A Worcester. Want to take a guess at what prompted this move? Alcala’s numbers tell the brutal story—despite a seemingly respectable 3.31 ERA in Boston, the underlying metrics screamed trouble. The hard-throwing reliever walked 10.5% of batters, unleashed three wild pitches, and surrendered four home runs in just 16⅓ innings.
Jorge Alcala was designated for assignment and Isaiah Campbell was called up.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 5, 2025
Boston acquired Alcala from Minnesota in mid-June, trading minor league infielder Andy Lugo for what they hoped would be bullpen stability. The outcome, you may ask? They received the very same imbalances that surrounded him in his days with the Twins – an 8.88 ERA in 24⅓ innings of work before being traded. And his August 4 performance against the Kansas City Royals was the final straw, considering he had been in the hot seat for a while.
The 30-year-old came into the game in the eighth inning with a score of 7-1 in the Boston Red Sox’s favor, and almost immediately, he let up a solo home run to Vinnie Pasquantino. The same was replicated to Maikel Garcia before he collected an out. Then Mike Yastrzemski got to him for a double, and Alex Cora had had enough. He pulled Alcala out of the game to use Justin Wilson, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman in what could have been a landslide win.
Campbell, on the other hand, gets his shot to prove he belongs in the big leagues. The Portugal-born, 27-year-old has so far made only one MLB appearance this year for Boston and allowed 2 runs against Colorado in July. It almost seems justified given Alcala’s recent meltdown: 3⅓ combined innings of work over his last five appearances while surrendering six runs on eight hits and four walks.
Inconsistency has marked Alcala throughout his career. The reliever worked double-digit ERAs for two of his three seasons with Minnesota while showing a glimmer of promise in 2024. With over seven years of service time and $435,000 due to him on his contract, Alcala will probably pass through waivers, elect free agency, and hold on to his guaranteed money. For Red Sox fans, the situation is another reminder that not every mid-season purchase works out as expected.
MLB world reacts to Red Sox designating relief pitcher Jorge Alcala for assignment
When this news broke out, the baseball world did not hold back on its comments. Social media exploded with mixed sentiments as fans questioned the strategy of the Boston Red Sox bullpen and whether Campbell was ready for another shot in the MLB.
“That isn’t much of an upgrade,” said one frustrated fan, summarizing the skepticism surrounding the move. And the numbers back up their skepticism–Campbell’s career 5.54 ERA across 36 MLB games hardly inspires confidence compared to Alcala’s 3.31 ERA, despite the underlying issues. Then, there is obviously the experience that comes into play, given that Alcala has been in the league for over seven seasons, while Campbell has only had three seasons.
But now that Boston has made its call, another supporter chimed in with nostalgia: “Bring back Cooper Criswell.” Their plea highlights how quickly fan sentiment can shift when familiar faces disappear from the roster. And Friday night was an exhibit of that. Cooper Criswell pitched a gem for the Red Sox, but that didn’t stop his move to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday. The reason behind the move was to make roster space for trade addition Dustin May, arriving Saturday.
Making his first big league start of 2025, the 29-year-old held the Astros to one run in seven innings, allowing seven hits and striking out four batters in a 2-1 walk-off win. He was beyond efficient and threw just 84 pitches. Despite having limited chances in majors this season, he did give the Red Sox a solid performance in 18 starts last year, logging a 3.49 ERA in 85 innings. But we know how fast-paced the world of baseball is. And its most recent victim was Jorge Alcala.
The criticism grew sharper as reactions poured in. “Seriously why call up Campbell,” read another response, questioning whether the organization truly upgraded its relief corps. Given Campbell’s struggles—surrendering two runs in his lone 2024 appearance and posting a 4.17 ERA at Triple-A — the skepticism seems warranted. One confused fan simply asked: “Why? Was he bad or something?” The answer lies in Alcala’s alarming final stretch: six runs allowed over just 3⅓ innings in his last five outings.
Perhaps the harshest assessment came from a blunt observer who labeled both pitchers as “Two terrible pitchers.” The harsh reality supports this view—between Alcala’s 8.88 ERA with Minnesota and Campbell’s career struggles, neither pitcher offers proven reliability. For the Boston management, these reactions serve as a reminder that every roster move faces immediate public scrutiny in today’s social media landscape.
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