Red Sox Promote 29-Year-Old Rookie for Rays Doubleheader

The Boston Red Sox are bringing up another arm for the club's doubleheader vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

May 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Alec Gamboa (68) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox will kick off the second half of the season on Friday in a big way.

Boston will kick off a four-game series against the American League East-leading Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. The Red Sox won't just be playing one game, but a doubleheader. Boston certainly isn't easing into the second half of the season, to say the least.

With a doubleheader on the docket, Boston is allowed to promote a 27th man for the active roster and MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that the club opted to promote lefty Alec Gamboa for the spot.

"Alec Gamboa called up as 27th man," Cotillo wrote on X on Friday morning.

The Red Sox Are Promoting Alec Gamboa

Feb 17, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Alec Gamboa (68) poses for a photo during media day at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 29-year-old made his big league debut earlier in the season for Boston. The rookie made his big league debut on May 5 against the Detroit Tigers and pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Overall, he has made four appearances for Boston this season and has a 3.60 ERA in five innings of work. His most recent outing came on July 4 against the Los Angeles Angels. That day, he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in an 8-1 win. Overall, he has allowed two earned runs in his five innings this season.

Boston will play Game 1 of the day-night doubleheader with the first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET at Fenway Park. Lefty Jake Bennett will take the mound for Boston in the first game. The second game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, but neither Boston, nor Tampa Bay, has announced its starting pitcher yet. For the Red Sox, one intriguing option would be Brayan Bello, who was promoted back up to Boston for its first half finale against the New York Mets on July 12. He came in relief behind Payton Tolle and pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on a Francisco Lindor solo homer.

With 18 innings to fill, it wouldn't be shocking at all to see Gamboa get some work on Friday and then returned to Triple-A after the doubleheader wraps up.

Boston entered the All-Star break as the hottest team in baseball with nine straight wins. Now, the club will have a chance to see how it compares to the top team in the American League in the Rays. If the Red Sox can come away from the four-game series still red-hot, it will be a good sign that this hot streak is here to stay.