Does Kyle Harrison Still Fit the Red Sox's Long-Term Plans?

There’s no doubt that Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox failed to capitalize on the trade of Rafael Devers. The much-maligned move has garnered mostly negative conversation from the fanbase, especially based on the return package the team received for their star slugger. While the relationship between the organization and Devers had become fractured and beyond repair, looking back it feels like the return has been a bit of a letdown.  

Of the four players who were part of the return package, one (James Tibbs III) has already been traded in a separate failed deal, one (Jose Bello) won’t be close to reaching the majors for a few seasons, and the remaining two (Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison) have been mixed bags in Boston. Despite that, Harrison may prove to be both the most intriguing and important piece of the trade from the Red Sox's side of things.

Harrison, who spent most of his time with Worcester in 2025, made key changes to his pitch arsenal as he worked on a new changeup grip along with incorporating a cutter into his pitch usage. As always with a learning experience, there were ups and downs, but Harrison looked to have taken to the Red Sox approach, making 12 starts with Worcester while resembling more of his rookie self.

Then, needing pitching help in September, he rose to the occasion for the team by pitching both out of the bullpen and making two starts (including the postseason clincher). Overall, in those three appearances, he looked like an arm the team could count on in the future, tossing 12 innings and allowing just four earned runs while striking out 13 batters. However, with the additions of Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo along with the presence of young pitchers Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and David Sandlin, Harrison may not be needed for the rotation. With that in mind, many have wondered just what Harrison’s role will be. And considering the level of talent the team gave up acquiring him, it wouldn’t sit well with the fanbase for the Red Sox to just cast him aside.

Instead, Harrison’s role may actually be one that didn’t seem like a perfect fit at the start of the offseason. Placing Harrison into a swingman role similar to the one Kutter Crawford filled during 2022 and 2023 could be perfect for the southpaw and the Red Sox at the moment. Currently, the Red Sox have one guaranteed lefty in the bullpen in Aroldis Chapman; while he’s likely to be joined by Jovani Morán, there’s nothing set in stone. Likewise, the team is expecting both Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval to return from their respective injuries, but there’s nothing that guarantees they’ll return to their pre-injury selves immediately.

While the Red Sox could plug in both Tolle and Early as left-handed options either in the rotation or bullpen, the team may rather have them open the year in Triple-A to continue their respective developments after seeing how the duo performed in September in the majors. This is especially true for Tolle who, despite displaying a phenomenal fastball, needs more work with his secondary offerings.

This is where Harrison steps in. Should the rotation need help, he could fill the role of the fifth starter until another option becomes healthy and then be moved into the bullpen where he becomes a left-handed arm who can provide some length for manager Alex Cora. There are also many cases where the Red Sox could look to incorporate him as an opener who provides two to three innings due to a favorable matchup.

The thought of Harrison not having a defined role may be a bit of a turn off for the fanbase, but his versatility between the rotation and bullpen and the flexibility it provides the organization could be rather helpful across an entire season. As everyone saw in 2025, the pitching staff you open the season with never makes it through the entire year. Instead, players will be asked to step up and fill various roles for the organization. Harrison already showed he can pitch both as a starter and reliever and after a full offseason of working with the Red Sox pitching lab on his pitch arsenal, he could look even more comfortable in a swingman role.

Harrison is still young — he won’t turn 25 until August — and the swingman role would be temporary until a permanent role in either the bullpen or the rotation is viewed as his final destination by the Red Sox. But for right now, it would be a waste to have him rotting away in Triple-A for the 2026 season when he could be providing support to both the rotation and bullpen by bouncing back and forth between the two.

There’s no doubt the Devers’ trade will never be viewed in a positive light here in Boston, but Harrison has a chance to at least soften the blow. Like everything in baseball, there’s no guarantee, but should Harrison take the foundation he built in 2025 with the Red Sox and run with it, he could turn into a key piece of their pitching staff for 2026 and beyond.