The ever-changing Boston Red Sox infield rotation opened the door for prospect Nick Sogard, who the organization promoted from Triple-A Worcester hours before Wednesday night's series finale against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park -- part of a four-player roster shuffle following Tuesday's MLB trade deadline.
Although Sogard sat and watched throughout his first official day as a big leaguer, the 26-year-old arrived just in time for a thriller. Boston and Seattle went back and forth, dragging a rubber match into extra innings which ended with Rafael Devers sending everyone home with a walk-off double to secure the team's first series win since the All-Star break. Sprinting out of Boston's dugout to mob Devers in celebratory fashion still made for a memorable debut experience for Sogard.
"That's probably a unique way to be the first time you set foot on a big league field – celebrating a walk-off hit," Sogard said, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. "I guess I have that."
Sogard joined the Red Sox in 2021 as part of a four-player trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, two years after being selected in the 12th round of the 2019 draft. He's since spent three seasons in Boston's farm system, predominantly playing in Triple-A at third base, second base, and shortstop along with a few occasional appearances in the outfield. Sogard compiled a slash line of .279/.382/.439 with 12 home runs and 17 doubles in 89 games, and while the leap in power has drawn eyes down in Worcester, adding a switch-hitting bat with reliable defense was the priority in giving Sogard a chance to contribute to Boston, as Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained pregame on Wednesday.
Cora inserted Sogard into Friday night's lineup as the team's starting second baseman for Boston's series opener against the Texas Rangers, marking his much-anticipated MLB debut. Sogard will step into the batter's box and face right-hander José Ureña who left-handed hitters have slashed .284/.353/.471 against throughout his career. It's likely that Sogard, one of Worcester's longest-tenured players, will have plenty of viewership support from the East Coast as soon as the Red Sox and Rangers take the field in Texas.
"That is one that I’ve been waiting for for quite a while," Sogard's Triple-A manager Chad Tracy said immediately after the call-up, per Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive. "He means a lot to all of us. Not just because we think he’s a great player, which he is, but he's turned into one of the leaders of our team from the scrawny little kid with long hair that showed up two and a half years ago."
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