Mookie Betts trade tree: Red Sox call up final piece

The Boston Red Sox are calling up prospect Jeter Downs, who arrived as part of the Mookie Betts trade in 2020.

Back in 2020, the Boston Red Sox made the decision to trade star outfielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team deal that also included the Minnesota Twins. In return, the Red Sox received outfielder Alex Verdugo and two prospects in Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. Now, one of them is finally getting his major league call-up over two years later.

On June 20, the Red Sox announced that they have recalled Downs from Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, Boston designated right-handed pitcher James Norwood for assignment.

Red Sox call up prospect Jeter Downs

That’s right, Red Sox fans are going to be rooting for a player named Jeter. Who’d have thought?

Joking aside, Downs has been hyped up ever since he was flipped from Los Angeles to Boston. He is ranked as the fifth-overall prospect in the Red Sox’s pipeline. Yet, his statistics in Triple-A have been less than ideal.

Downs played in 53 games this season with Triple-A, where he slashed .180/.297/.397 while recording 11 home runs, 21 RBI, 35 runs scored and 34 hits. The previous year, Downs recorded a .190 batting average, a .605 OPS, 14 home runs, 39 RBI and 68 hits through 99 games.

Of course, things can change when he steps into the batter’s box in an MLB game. But when will he officially make his debut with the Red Sox? Manager Alex Cora said, via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, that he anticipates that Downs may start in the team’s Wednesday game against the Detroit Tigers. The keyword is “may.”

The belief is that Downs’ stint with the Red Sox could be a short one, as Kike Hernandez and Christian Arroyo are set to make a return off of the injured list in the near future. Regardless of how long Downs stays on the major league roster, Red Sox fans are going to be excited to see what he can do when he gets the chance to play. Let’s be real, any fanbase will be hyped up to see one of the team’s top prospects get a shot to play in an MLB game.