Red Sox Option Lefty One Day After Emotional MLB Debut

The Boston Red Sox officially are getting Sonny Gray back in the mix to face off against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.

Gray, who hasn't made a start since April 20 due to a hamstring strain, officially was activated off the Injured List on Wednesday. In response, the Red Sox announced that lefty reliever Alec Gamboa was optioned down to Triple-A Worcester just one day after making his emotional big league debut.

"The Red Sox today reinstated RHP Sonny Gray from the 15-Day Injured List. To make room, Boston optioned LHP Alec Gamboa to Triple-A Worcester," the Red Sox announced on X.

Gamboa had an assignment clause that allowed another club to claim him from the Red Sox if they were willing to add him to their active roster and Boston was unwilling to match. Instead of allowing that to happen, Boston promoted the 29-year-old on Monday to the big leagues. On Tuesday, he got into his first big league game and pitched a scoreless inning against the Tigers and struck out two batters in front of his family in the crowd.

The Red Sox Sent The Lefty Down

Apr 29, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of the Boston Red Sox logo and a field bag during batting practice before the game between the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Welcome to the Big Leagues 👏

Alec Gamboa strikes out Zach McKinstry for his first Major League strikeout 🥳 pic.twitter.com/ZhL2D7jjYU
— NESN (@NESN) May 6, 2026

It certainly was an emotional day for the lefty.

Alec Gamboa stays behind in the dugout to take in his MLB debut 🥹

(before being congratulated by his teammates ❤️) pic.twitter.com/cXVjycHlhn
— NESN (@NESN) May 6, 2026

While he's going back down to Triple-A now, it wouldn't be a shock to see him back in the majors in the near future. Before his promotion, Gamboa had a 6.23 ERA in Triple-A across three starts. In 2025, Gamboa made 19 starts for the Lotte Giants of the KBO League and had a 3.58 ERA across 108 innings of work. Boston took a chance on him this past offseason and now he's officially a big leaguer.

It's a bit surprising to see him go down on Wednesday rather than Jake Bennett, who also made his big league debut over the last week. His big league debut came on May 1 against the Houston Astros and he went five innings and allowed just one earned run. Gray is making the start on Wednesday, so the Red Sox's rotation seemingly is full.

That is, of course, if Ranger Suárez is able to make his next start. He had to leave his last start early against the Astros. If Suárez is good to go, then the Red Sox have him, Gray, Bennett, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early and Brayan Bello. As of writing, the Red Sox haven't announced starters beyond Wednesday, so this is now something to watch.

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