Boston Red Sox Call Up 31-Year-Old Reliever Cam Booser to Make MLB Debut

Relief pitcher Cam Booser was retired and working as a carpenter 4 years ago, but his comeback has reached its peak now that the Boston Red Sox called him up.

Woo Sox pitcher Cam Booser throws versus the Columbus Clippers on Wednesday April 12, 2023 at Polar Park. / Photo/Alan Arsenault / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Boston Red Sox have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Cam Booser, adding him to their active MLB roster Friday afternoon.

Boston designated left-handed pitcher Joe Jacques for assignment in order to free up a spot for Booser on the 40-man roster. Jacques had just been optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday night after the team traded for Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez and moved shortstop Trevor Story to the 60-day injured list.

The #RedSox today selected LHP Cam Booser to the active Major League roster.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the club designated LHP Joe Jacques for assignment.

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 19, 2024

Booser's arrival in the big leagues has been a long time coming, considering he is 31 years old, and he didn't exactly take a straight path to the majors.

Back in high school, Booser suffered a broken femur and a broken vertebra – the former while playing football and the latter while lifting weights. When he arrived at Oregon State for his freshman year, Booser needed to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Booser ultimately transferred to Central Arizona College and signed with the Minnesota Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2013. From there, however, he had elbow scope, followed by labrum surgery. The southpaw got hit by a car while rehabbing his shoulder injury, leading to a broken bone in his back, and he was suspended 50 games for marijuana use in 2015.

After retiring in 2017, Booser went home to Seattle and became a carpenter.

Booser made a second go at baseball once he realized he could throw a 96 mile-per-hour fastball without pain, though, ultimately signing a deal with the Chicago Dogs in an independent league in 2021. He spent the first half of 2022 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, then joined the Red Sox in February 2023 follwing a brief stint with the Atlanta Leauge's Lancaster Barnstormers.

Boston invited Booser to Spring Training in 2024, and he wound up going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.400 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 10.0 innings of Grapefruit League action. Although he didn't make the Opening Day roster, Booser was sent to Triple-A Worcester, where he opened the regular season with a 2.70 ERA, 0.600 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

Booser will be active for the Red Sox's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, meaning he could make his long-awaited MLB debut if manager Alex Cora calls him out of the bullpen.

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