The Boston Red Sox have completed their first trade of the season by acquiring right-handed pitcher Jorge Alcalá from the Minnesota Twins.
To finalize the deal, the Red Sox sent utility player Andy Lugo to the Twins. The team has officially announced the trade, but Dan Hayes was the first to report the news for The Athletic. To make room for Jorge Alcalá, the Red Sox designated Brian Van Belle for assignment.
Jorge Alcalá is a 29-year-old pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He has been pitching as a reliever for the Twins this season. Alcalá threw 24.1 innings across 22 games, recording 28 strikeouts but also issuing 15 walks before being traded to the Red Sox on Wednesday night.
It appears the Red Sox have found some help for their overworked bullpen, which has been taxed recently due to a heavy game schedule and starters not pitching deep into games.
On Wednesday, the Red Sox starters achieved three consecutive outings of at least six innings for the first time since the first week of May.
This is the second time the Dominican-born pitcher has been involved in a trade. Originally signed by the Houston Astros, he was traded in 2018 along with Gilberto Celestino in exchange for Ryan Pressly.
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The Boston Red Sox have made several roster moves recently, especially to strengthen their bullpen. In the past three weeks, they added Luis Guerrero, Nick Burdi, Zack Kelly, Cooper Criswell, and Brian Van Belle to help manage the heavy workload on their relievers.
Photo: @Twins
