Jedixson Paez promoted by Red Sox to start Tuesday vs. Seattle in Boston debut

What happened

The Boston Red Sox announced Tuesday that they have selected the contract of right-hander Jedixson Paez from Triple-A Worcester, with Paez lined up to start that evening's game against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park — his first appearance in a Red Sox uniform at the major league level.

To create the necessary roster space, the club designated infielder Brett Harris for assignment. In a separate 40-man maneuver, the Red Sox transferred left-hander Eduardo Rivera — already on the injured list — to the major league 60-day injured list, a move that under general league rules removes a player from the active 40-man count without requiring a separate roster spot. The club also reinstated utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the 60-day injured list as part of the same round of moves.

That is a considerable amount of paperwork for one Tuesday afternoon in September, but the headline is Paez on the mound.

Why it matters

Paez's path to this start is one of the more winding itineraries a 22-year-old can log in a single calendar year. Per the club's announcement, he signed out of Venezuela at the start of the 2021 international free agent signing period — still a teenager at the time. He spent years developing in the Red Sox system before the White Sox selected him in last December's Rule 5 Draft.

Under general Rule 5 mechanics, a player selected in that draft must remain on the selecting club's active roster for the full season or be offered back to his original organization. Paez broke camp with Chicago but was released after only three innings of work. He then cleared waivers and was returned to Boston. Because he had already been a Rule 5 selection, per the announcement, Paez did not need to be immediately placed on the 40-man roster upon his return — a procedural wrinkle that gave the Red Sox some flexibility in managing his path back through Worcester.

Now, several months after that detour, he gets the ball at Fenway.

The numbers

Boston enters Tuesday at 78-65 (.545), sitting third in the AL East, 7.5 games behind the division leader. The Wild Card picture is considerably more hospitable: the Red Sox rank second in the Wild Card standings, sitting +6.0 relative to the cut line. They have also won three straight heading into this series.

Paez is set to face Bryan Woo for Seattle on Tuesday. Wednesday's game at Fenway pairs Patrick Sandoval against Bryce Miller, before the series shifts to Baltimore on Thursday, where Jake Bennett is the probable for Boston against Brandon Young.

Where the club stands

A 78-65 record and a +6.0 cushion above the Wild Card cut line means Boston is not scrambling — but September is not a month that rewards complacency, and the schedule does not offer many soft landings. The Red Sox carry a three-game winning streak into this home series, which is the kind of momentum a club wants when handing the ball to a pitcher whose recent history has been anything but linear.

The Wild Card margin is real, but it is also the sort of number that can look different in a week. Third place in the AL East with 7.5 games to close is a longer shot for the division title, which makes the Wild Card path the operative one. Every game in this stretch of the schedule carries weight, and giving the ball to a pitcher making his organizational debut — after a Rule 5 round trip — is a genuine bet on upside.

Is Paez pitching tonight?

Per the club's announcement, yes — Paez is slated to start Tuesday's game against Seattle at Fenway Park. It will be his first appearance as a member of the Red Sox at the major league level. He did make a major league appearance earlier this season with the White Sox before being released after three innings and returned to Boston, so Tuesday represents his Red Sox debut specifically, not his first time on a big-league mound.

What we don't know yet

The announcement does not specify a role for Paez beyond Tuesday's start — whether he slots into the rotation on a longer-term basis or serves a more situational function as September rosters expand is not addressed. Under general league rules, rosters expand from 26 to 28 players beginning September 1, which gives clubs additional flexibility in how they deploy arms.

Brett Harris, designated for assignment, has a 7-day window under standard league procedures during which the club must trade, release, or expose him to waivers — but the announcement does not indicate which direction Boston intends to go. Similarly, the nature and timeline of Eduardo Rivera's injury are not detailed in the announcement; his transfer to the 60-day injured list is a roster-management step, but no diagnosis or timetable is provided.

Kiner-Falefa's reinstatement is noted in the announcement without additional detail about his availability or expected role going forward.

What to watch

The most immediate thing to watch is Paez himself on Tuesday evening against Seattle. His major league sample to this point is three innings — a number too small to carry much predictive weight, but enough to confirm he has stood in a big-league batter's box before. How he handles a Fenway crowd, a Mariners lineup, and the particular pressure of a pennant-race September start will tell Boston something it cannot learn from Worcester.

Beyond Tuesday, the Red Sox rotation picture for the coming days is already sketched in: Patrick Sandoval follows on Wednesday against Bryce Miller, and Jake Bennett travels to Baltimore on Thursday. Whether Paez remains in that rotation conversation — or whether Tuesday is a one-start audition — is the question the next several days will begin to answer.

The Wild Card cushion is comfortable enough that Boston can afford to find out.