The Boston Red Sox’s starting rotation was unsettled all season, but few, if any, could have predicted José De León would take the mound.
A seven-year MLB veteran, De León had spent most of the year starting games for Triple-A Worcester. He was called up on the final day of the regular season to help preserve the bullpen ahead of the playoffs. Given his 6.93 ERA over 75 1/3 innings in the minors, expectations were low — yet he far exceeded them with his performance.
After allowing three earned runs to the Detroit Tigers and picking up the win in his lone start in a Red Sox uniform, it appears De León will look to parlay his one day of fame into a more fruitful opportunity for next season.
José De León chose to enter minor-league free agency, as noted in the transactions log on his official roster page—a move that wasn’t unexpected, since the Red Sox had already removed him from their 40-man roster the previous Thursday.
Before his brief appearance on the final day of the 2024 season with Boston, De León hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2023. Over his career, he’s had stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and Minnesota Twins. His most active major league season came in 2021 with the Reds, when he logged 18 1/3 innings.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2023, José De León made his return to affiliated baseball in 2024 by signing a minor-league deal with the Red Sox following a full year away from the game. His season included multiple stints on the development list, highlighting just how tenuous his hold is on a spot in the upper levels of the minors.
Whether De León’s future remains with the Red Sox—or even within affiliated baseball at all—is still uncertain. For now, his fleeting appearance at Fenway Park stands as a brief, memorable moment that may soon drift into the realm of obscure baseball trivia.
Leave a Reply