The Boston Red Sox have endless depth in their pitching, and it shows just by looking at the Triple-A Worcester's pitching rotation. Seriously, it's like they are making more arms in a factory.
Shane Drohan is the next prospect discussed, and some for mixed reasons. Not only did he recover from a hefty, injury-riddled 2024 campaign and a season-ending injury last year, but he has also dealt with forearm tightness throughout the 2025 calendar.
Having said that, most concerns disappear whenever Drohan is actually on the field. He's played well in his first nine games (8 starts) with the WooSox, posting a 2.38 ERA with 51 strikeouts across 40 1/3 innings. It goes without saying that Red Sox fans wouldn't mind having his arm in manager Alex Cora's lineup this fall.
Red Sox LHP Shane Drohan Could Play Vital Role Down the Stretch
If Drohan improves, and there's another injury in Boston's rotation or bullpen, he could be the next man up as an emergency arm. The 26-year-old could get his shot and finally make his MLB debut.
MLB teams require reliable arms in the postseason, and that's the type of reputation Drohan brings to the table. He's averaging 13.5 strikeouts and only 5.8 hits per nine innings with Worcester, and being able to maintain that success in the Majors would give the Red Sox a trustworthy left-handed weapon.
The veteran southpaw has been through a winding road in his career. Selected by Boston in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Florida State, Drohan was seen as a strikeout pitcher with control issues. He was working out the kinks throughout his minor league career, including adding a cutter and increasing the velocity on his pitches.
He rose to the top as one of the best pitching prospects in the Red Sox farm system, dominating his foes while in Double-A Portland in 2023 to the tune of a 1.32 ERA with 36 strikeouts, with a 9.5 K/9 and a BB/9 of 2.38. But even with his phenomenal season, the Red Sox didn't add him to the 40-man roster, leading to his being picked up by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft
Drohan's time with Chicago was hampered by the nerve decompression surgery that he had in February of 2024. He returned to the Red Sox in June of that year, but couldn't stay on the field and had the shoulder inflammation that prematurely ended his season. Now that he's back, he's seemingly ready to live up to his potential.
Assuming Drohan can put together another strong run, Red Sox fans shouldn't be surprised if he's thrown into a meaningful role sooner rather than later.