Samaniego Called Up from Worcester, Makes MLB Debut Replacing Injured Slaten

Tyler Samaniego, the 27-year-old left-hander recalled from Triple-A Worcester on the morning of April 8, needed exactly three batters and one inning to rewrite Red Sox history. Entering the eighth inning of a 5-0 Boston lead against the Milwaukee Brewers, he struck out all three left-handed hitters he faced, becoming the first Red Sox pitcher to record a strikeout on each of his first three career outs since Don Aase accomplished the feat in 1977, a 49-year gap confirmed by ESPN. The Red Sox closed out a 5-0 win and a 2-1 series victory over Milwaukee.

The move was born of necessity. Right-handed reliever Justin Slaten, who had posted four scoreless appearances in 2026 before the injury, was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right oblique strain retroactive to April 5. Manager Alex Cora flagged Slaten's soreness after Tuesday's game, and with Johan Oviedo, the headliner of the same December 2025 trade that brought Samaniego to Boston, already on the injured list, the Red Sox were thin on the left side of their bullpen and needed a reliable late-inning option.

Samaniego's Triple-A credentials made him the obvious answer. In three appearances with Worcester, he produced a 3.38 ERA across 5 1/3 innings, numbers backed by a fastball that touches 98 mph, an attribute that is genuinely rare for a situational left-hander. The Red Sox had carried him on their 40-man roster from the moment of acquisition, signaling a big league role was always the intent.

He just didn't know the call would come this quickly. WooSox manager Chad Tracy found Samaniego at Polar Park around 9:30 a.m. on April 8, while the club was preparing for a noon game. Tracy told him he was needed "for some innings," then clarified that they "might need a couple of innings in Fenway." Samaniego said he "was at a loss for words for a little bit," then drove 44 miles to Fenway Park, where he was issued jersey number 78.

His route to that bullpen was neither straight nor short. Robert Tyler Samaniego, a native of Lee, Alabama, starred at Northeast Mississippi Community College, earning All-MACJC First Team honors with a 2.63 ERA, then transferred to the University of South Alabama before the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 15th round in 2021. A 2023 Double-A repeat proved difficult and a 2024 elbow injury cost him nearly a full season, but he rebounded across four levels in 2025 with a 3.99 ERA in 38.1 innings. Pittsburgh protected him from the Rule 5 Draft, then sent him to Boston in December alongside Johan Oviedo and catcher Adonys Guzman, with Jhostynxon "The Password" Garcia and Jesus Travieso going the other way.

After the final strikeout, Samaniego's thoughts turned to his late father, Rick, who played football at Jacksonville State University and who introduced his son to baseball. Tyler lost his father at the end of the 2022 season. "I was thinking about my dad. I lost him at the end of the '22 season, and he's the one that introduced me to this game," Samaniego told reporters. "I know he's out here with me, and he was there with me out there, so it just means a lot." His mother, girlfriend, and brother couldn't reach Fenway in time; they were scheduled to join the team in St. Louis.

"It was awesome, man, it was everything you dream of," Samaniego said. For a pitcher who survived elbow surgery, a trade, and a 44-mile sprint to get here, the debut made a clear case that his role in Boston extends well beyond matchup filler.