Role
Jake Bennett came over from Washington in December in a one-for-one trade for right-hander Luis Perales. He debuted on May 1 against Houston (five innings, one run), bounced back to Worcester once, and returned for good on June 10. From there he held a rotation spot through September. He finished 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) and 113.1 innings, with 91 strikeouts and 21 walks. For 2027 he's competing for the last spot in the rotation.
Outlook
He walked 1.67 batters per nine innings, which is why his WHIP sat at 1.10 even though he struck out only 7.2 per nine. His four-seamer averaged 92.8 mph, and he leaned on his changeup 27.1 percent of the time, per MLB's pitch data. His best stretch came from late June into July, when he gave up three runs over four starts against the Yankees, Angels, White Sox, and Rays. September was rougher, with nine runs allowed over 10 innings against the Angels and Rangers.
Our take: the league adjusts to finesse lefties, and his strikeout rate leaves little room for error. We'd still hand him the No. 5 job in spring. He'll turn 26 in December, and a starter who throws strikes with a 3.65 ERA is worth keeping in the rotation while Boston figures out the rest of it.