Red Sox call up top prospect Jeter Downs
The Boston Red Sox are calling up one of their top prospects to potentially make his major league debut on Monday.
A 2017 first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds, Downs was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Homer Bailey and Josiah Gray in December 2018 in a blockbuster that landed the Reds former All-Stars Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood and Matt Kemp, as well as Kyle Farmer. Downs moved from the Dodgers to the Red Sox in another monster deal in February 2020, a trade that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles.
While Downs was the third-best prospect in the Dodgers' system at the time of the deal, he has struggled in Boston's farm system. The Colombian infielder — who ironically is named after Derek Jeter of the bitter-rival New York Yankees — missed out on a 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Downs was still heavily regarded as a top-100 prospect in baseball entering 2021, but his stock has tumbled since then. While he's posted 25 home runs and 29 stolen bases over 152 career Triple-A games, his slash line has left a lot to be desired.
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