Red Sox Demote Fan Favorite After Just 1 Day in Majors

Major League Baseball can sometimes be tricky for guys on the roster bubble. That has been the case for Boston Red Sox utility man Nate Eaton over the last 24 hours.

On Wednesday, Boston promoted Eaton to the big league roster for the first time this season as Garrett Crochet was placed on the Injured List. Eaton played in 41 games for Boston in 2025 and endeared himself to the fanbase. So much so that there were plenty of posts celebrating his promotion to the majors on Wednesday.

The Red Sox Sent Down Nate Eaton

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox third base Nate Eaton (40) hits a double during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

I’d rather play Nate Eaton than Duran. At least he has a pulse.

Also they missed their trade window on Duran. Can’t get much for him right now
— Martin Sekulski (@SkiTalksSox) April 29, 2026

I’m a big Nate Eaton fan by the way and he will always be goated since he took Skubal deep on the first pitch at the WBC.
— Amar Miletić (@AMill617) April 29, 2026

Nate Eaton is back!
— Nate Eaton Enjoyer (@njkingsbury57) April 29, 2026

It's because nate Eaton is back in the lineup pic.twitter.com/k1j0Vry1SU
— nate eaton mvp (@saucetrnak) April 29, 2026

Where were you when Nate Eaton saved the 2026 Red Sox?
— Woogie (@REALwoganowski) April 29, 2026

man i love nate eaton
— nate eaton mvp (@saucetrnak) April 29, 2026

Nate Eaton >IKF
Not sure it’s close
— Jeff Sweet (@jsweet1918) April 29, 2026

nate eaton has famously struck out prime adolis garcia and throws 95mph, he might just be crochet 2.0 https://t.co/c2DxFRWg3s
— Tim (@timmurphh) April 29, 2026

The list goes on. Essentially, Boston fans love themselves some Nate Eaton. While this is the case, he didn't get into the club's 8-1 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon. Now, he's heading back down to Triple-A Worcester. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported the news and unsurprisingly reported that with Eaton down in Triple-A, it opens the door for No. 6 prospect Jake Bennett to make his Red Sox debut on Friday against the Houston Astros.

"Nate Eaton was optioned back to Worcester, clearing the way for Jake Bennett to start tomorrow," Cotillo wrote.

It has been known for a few days at this point that Bennett would be in consideration for the club for their upcoming series against the Astros. Earlier in the week, it was shared that Bennett was on standby as the club took a look at the rotation for the weekend. Initially, some thought that meant that Brayan Bello could be demoted from his role in the rotation. Instead, Crochet is on the Injured List and there is a clear hole for Friday night's matchup.

If you're a Red Sox fan, you should be excited about the chance to see Bennett in action on Friday. He has been incredible for Triple-A Worcester. He has a 0.86 ERA in five starts on the season so far. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy certainly got a good look at him down in the minors before ascending to the big league club after Alex Cora was fired. It's never good to see a guy go down with an injury. Boston needs Crochet to really succeed. But getting a brief look at a 6'6'' flamethrower in the meantime is a good consolation prize for the club. There has been a lot going wrong for Boston. It's hard to argue against that fact. But, seeing Bennett will be a much-needed positive.

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