Time in Red Sox’ rotation likely running out for Sean Newcomb

BOSTON — For a while, it had all the makings of a nice story.

Sean Newcomb was the local guy from Middleboro making good, a journeyman pitcher getting a chance to win a spot with the Red Sox, the team for whom he rooted as a young boy. The Massachusetts native had been part of five different organizations, and now, he was coming to pitch for his hometown team.

And when Newcomb edged out several others at the end of March and went from non-roster invitee to a player on the active roster on Opening Day, it really did seem like the stuff of which dreams are made.

But reality bites, and the end results haven’t been great. Newcomb was cuffed around for four runs in four innings in his first outing of the season. The second one was far better, with a single run yielded over 4.1 innings against St. Louis.

The ups and downs continued: six runs in four innings one time, followed buy 4.2 scoreless frames the next.

Some good, some not.

Wednesday night against the Seattle Mariners didn’t help the cause. He wiggled out of trouble multiple times and did well to limit the Mariners to a single run though the first three innings. But in the fourth, Newcomb lost his balance on the tightrope he had navigated all night and gave up three more runs.

“Halfway through the outing, everything was fine,” said Alex Cora. “He used his cutter and the four-seamer and was able to get some swing and misses.”

But in the fourth, Newcomb paid for some mistakes. He got ahead of Ben Williamson 0-and-2 before allowing a leadoff single. A single by Leo Rivas gave the Mariners two on with none out and then the lefty hung a breaking ball to the No. 9 hitter, J.P. Crawford, who drove it into the home bullpen for a three-run shot.Nothing was easy. Traffic was non-stop.

Newcomb was done, and the Red Sox were on their way to an 8-5 loss.

His pitching line hinted at what a strange outing it had been — eight strikeouts with 10 baserunners. In 22.1 innings this season, he’s allowed 32 hits, which is a tough way to live as a starting pitcher in 2025.

In its own way, the game was emblematic of his tenure here: too many baserunners and not enough length. The five innings (on 97 pitches) represented a season high.

In his five starts the Red Sox were 2-3. Not bad, but probably not good enough either, especially with other options waiting in the wings.

Brayan Bello is already back, and Lucas Giolito is next, with one more rehab start to go. What’s more, Hunter Dobbins has entered the mix with two strong spot starts and the promise of more when needed.

What’s next is unclear.

“I’m obviously aware of all that,” said Newcomb of the increasingly crowded roster. “I just want the ball. I’ll throw it in any kind of situation. I’ve got a bunch of experience in the pen and different things, so I’m just ready for whatever.”

The bullpen could offer him a lifeline. The Sox could always option Brennan Bernardino and look at Newcomb as a bulk reliever.

The rotation, however, seems like less of an option for now. The return of Bello and Giolito almost certainly means an end to his run as a starter.

Newcomb is out of options. The Red Sox, however, are not.