BOSTON — With their upper-level pitching depth depleted due to injuries, the Red Sox added a veteran arm this week. There’s a catch, though.
Boston has agreed to sign 35-year-old righty John Brebbia to a minor league contract and he’ll join Triple-A Worcester, a source confirmed Saturday. NESN’s Tom Caron first reported the move Friday morning.
Brebbia, having joined the organization after September 1, won’t be eligible for the postseason. He can be called up at any point down the stretch if the Red Sox need an arm.
Brebbia, a journeyman who has pitched in the majors for five different teams, was born in Boston and grew up in Sharon, attending Sharon High School for three years before moving to Florida as a senior. He then went to Elon before being taken by the Yankees in the 30th round of the 2011 draft. In the decade-plus since, Brebbia has logged a 4.04 ERA in 376 big league games (21 starts) with the Cardinals, Giants, White Sox, Braves and Tigers.
Brebbia signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with Detroit last offseason but struggled to a 7.71 ERA in 19 games for the Tigers before being cut in June. From there, he hooked on with the Braves and pitched at Triple-A before struggling in three big league games. He was once again designated for assignment and, overall, owns a 7.71 ERA (20 earned runs in 23 ⅓ innings) this year while striking out 26 batters and walking 12.
Brebbia will join Worcester as a relief option over the final couple of weeks, serving as another line of defense if Boston’s injury troubles persist. The last 10 days have seen the Red Sox place pitchers Jordan Hicks, Dustin May and Brennan Bernardino on the injured list.
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