HOUSTON — The Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Grant Gambrell to Triple-A Worcester, an industry source confirmed Thursday morning. The Red Sox acquired Gambrell from Kansas City in the three-team Andrew Benintendi trade back in 2021.
Gambrell missed the 2022 season after undergoing five surgeries to remove a benign tumor from his calcaneus, the heel bone.
The 25-year-old righty has returned strong this season. He went 6-3 with a 3.42 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 15 starts for Double-A Portland. Opponents batted only .227 against him. He struck out 84 and walked 32 in 84 ⅓ innings.
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BETS
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
BET $50, GET $250 BONUS BETS
CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BETS & $100 OFF NFL SUNDAY TICKET
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
$1,500 FIRST BET OFFER
BETMGM
NEW STATE LAUNCH! Must be 21+ and present in participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 
Gambrell is a somewhat different pitcher than he was two years ago. He eliminated his four-seam fastball and now uses only his two-seam fastball. He added a cutter during spring training. He also throws a slider and changeup.
The Royals selected Gambrell in the third round (80th overall) of the 2019 draft out of Oregon State. He felt discomfort in the heel and ankle area during his first spring training with the Royals in 2020 before COVID caused the cancellation of the minor league season. But the tumor wasn’t discovered until his 2021 season ended early because the discomfort grew worse.
Boston acquired Gambrell, Josh Winckowski, Franchy Cordero, Luis De La Rosa and Freddy Valdez for Benintendi.
De La Rosa, the 21-year-old righty, has a 3.32 ERA in 25 outings (six starts) for Low-A Salem. The Red Sox released Valdez earlier this season.
