Just two days after securing a playoff spot, the Red Sox were focused on giving their regular pitchers a break during their 162nd and final game of the season. To eat up innings, they summoned De León—who had posted a 6.93 ERA with Triple-A Worcester—to pitch as much as he could handle.
Amazingly, De León turned in 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball and got the win over the Detroit Tigers. But the entire world seemingly knew that it would be De León’s one and only outing for the Red Sox at the major league level.
On Thursday, the Red Sox moved closer to finalizing José De León’s exit from the organization.
According to his official roster page, the 33-year-old was outrighted to Triple-A, which means he was taken off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers unclaimed. While he could technically remain in the organization, it’s more likely he’ll choose free agency and explore minor-league opportunities elsewhere.
Over his 13-year professional career, José De León has appeared in parts of seven MLB seasons, but never logged more than 18 1/3 innings in any one of them. He previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, and Minnesota Twins.
This marked his second stint with the Red Sox organization—he also spent three months with Triple-A Worcester at the end of the 2021 season before opting for free agency.
Ironically, De León’s strong outing at Fenway Park in the final game of the regular season may have unintentionally worsened Boston’s playoff path. By winning that game, the Red Sox secured a wild-card matchup against the New York Yankees. Had they lost, they would have fallen behind the Tigers in the standings and instead faced the Cleveland Guardians.
It’s probably safe to assume De León has pitched his last game for the Red Sox, but that afternoon against the Tigers will live on as a strange final image of a strange regular season.
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