Meet the New Guy: Luis Guerrero

The Red Sox promoted the righty relief pitcher from Worcester.

Who is he and where did he come from?

He’s Luis Guerrero and he’s from BOSTON. And when I say BOSTON, I don’t mean he grew up in some suburb out by 495 and came into the city a couple of times a year to check out the Christmas lights in Quincy Market and get some overpriced cannolis at Mike’s. What I mean is he’s from Jamaica Plain.

Here he is throwing baseballs in front of the most famous non-TV bar in the history of the city (RIP, Doyle’s):

Here he is giving outdoor interviews in the middle of winter in front of a family-owned garage on Dot Ave:

If I keep digging I’m sure I’ll eventually find footage of him dipping steak tips into a cup of Dunkin’ iced on a delayed orange line train — that’s how Boston this dude is.

Guerrero was born in the Dominican Republic, moved to New England when he was a child, and went to junior college in Florida. Thanks to an infection he suffered as an infant, Guerrero has limited mobility in his right leg and walks with a permanent limp, but that didn’t stop him from being one of the best strikeout pitchers in the entire country at Chipola College. The Sox drafted him in the 17th round of the 2021 draft and he’s steadily climbed the ladder since then.

After making 42 appearances for AAA Worcester this year, he was promoted to the bigs a few days ago, when the Sox gave up on the doomed Rich Hill experiment. So, yes: the Sox replaced a 44-year-old pitcher with a guy who walks with a limp. Irony continues to be one of the most delightful things in the world.

What position does he play?

While he did start a few games in college, every single professional appearance he has ever made has been out of the bullpen and there are no plans to change that.

Is he any good?

He looked pretty good against the Baltimore Orioles last night didn’t he? Guerrero was brought into an incredibly difficult spot — facing Adley Rutschman with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of a two-run game — and unfortunately allowed a two-run single on a tough changeup on the outside edge of the plate. But Guerrero settled down and retired the next four hitters on the strength of a lively upper-90s fastball, a changeup that dove away from lefties, and a slider that kept righties honest.

He walked way too many batters in Worcester this year (5.3 BB/9, which would be the worst mark on the Red Sox pitching staff), but he certainly has the stuff to be an effective middle reliever if he can improve his control.

What’s he doing in his picture up there?

The same thing that every single kid who actually grows up in Boston does on the first day of college: looking askance at someone who introduces themselves as “from Boston” only to then reveal that they grew up closer to Nashua than to Castle Island.

Show me a cool highlight.

Doesn’t get much better for a reliever than striking out the side, right? Let’s hope we get some of this in Fenway soon.

What’s his role on the 2024 Red Sox?

If he keeps pitching like he did last night, he has a good chance to stick in the bullpen for the rest of what little remains of the season, hopefully giving a boost to some tired arms. With the struggles the pen has had down the stretch — along with the impending free agent departures of Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin — Craig Breslow will have to significantly rebuild the relief corps this offseason. Guerrero has a good chance to put himself in the center of that rebuild.