“He’ll be here tomorrow just to see our trainers and see where we’re at,” manager Alex Cora said Friday at Fenway Park.
Mata was the highest-ranked pitching prospect in Boston’s system entering spring training 2023. The 25-year-old hard-thrower has been on Boston’s 40-man roster since Nov. 20, 2020. But he has yet to pitch in the majors because injuries, including Tommy John surgery in April 2021, have limited him to 117 innings in the minors since the start of 2021. He’s also out of minor league options.
The Red Sox’ plan was to stretch Mata out during his rehab assignment.