Ex-Red Sox Top Prospect Called Up With New Team In Attempted Career Resurgence

The young slugger has struggled to find success over the last few seasons

Scott Neville | Apr 12, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Top Prospect Called Up With New Team In Attempted Career Resurgence /

In this story:

The Boston Red Sox parted ways with a heap of young talent this offseason -- most of which would be deemed underachieving prospects.

One of the more notable players Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom designated for assignment was middle infielder Jeter Downs.

Downs was claimed by the Washington Nationals, who called him up to the big leagues Tuesday afternoon.

The 24-year-old was the No. 1 Red Sox prospect according to MLB Pipeline when he was acquired in 2020 -- supplanting highly-regarded first baseman Triston Casas.

Downs was a significant part of the trade that sent superstar outfielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Boston also received outfielder Alex Verdugo and catcher Connor Wong -- both of which are on the 26-man roster.

Unfortunately, Downs' career with the Red Sox lasted 14 games. He hit .154 (6-for-41) with a double, home run, four stolen bases and a .427 OPS. His performance at Triple-A Worcester was not much better -- and he's struggled to hit .200 at any level as of late.

Downs hit .167 (6-for-42) in spring training with the Nationals and started his campaign with Triple-A Rochester batting .105 (2-for-21).

The once-heralded prospect hasn't done much of anything to prove his worth to the Nationals but still received a call-up.

Normally a move this fast would entail that the Red Sox gave up too early but not in this case.

The player they likely are kicking themselves about releasing is outfielder Franchy Cordero -- who's hitting .286 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and already has racked up 0.5 WAR with the rival New York Yankees. It's early, but Cordero is the one fans should miss, not Downs.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Released Once Highly-Touted Flamethrowing Closer

Published Apr 12, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu