Cora praised 31-year-old Cam Booser
Cam Booser seems to be inching closer to a spot on the Opening Day roster of the Boston Red Sox.
The 31-year-old Booser, a non-roster left-hander who does not have MLB experience, was the recipient of Alex Cora’s praises.
“Right now Cam is throwing the ball well,” Cora told reporters before the Red Sox faced the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park on Sunday afternoon, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
Cora mentioned Brennan Bernardino, Chris Murphy, Joely Rodriguez and Jorge Benitez as others who have performed well this spring. Both Bernardino and Murphy are on Boston’s 40-man roster while Rodriguez signed a minor-league deal in late February. Benitez, like Booser, is a non-roster option.
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“He’s been great, man,” Cora told reporters of Booser, who’s allowed two runs in eight innings of work this spring. “He throws 97, 98. Sometimes he hits 99. And he’s been able to land the off-speed pitches for strikes. He’s been really good. He had a great second half last year. Talking to (Worcester Red Sox manager) Chad Tracy, something clicked there that got him in the strike zone. And he’s been doing the same thing here in spring training.”
Booser signed a minor league deal with Boston in 2023 and played the campaign in Triple-A Worcester. He recorded a 4.99 ERA in 48 appearances, but bettered that production with a 3.30 ERA in 30 innings pitched after July 1.