The Red Sox announced Friday that theyve signed veteran lefty to a minor league deal and invited him to major league spring training. Newcomb is represented by Klutch Sports. Boston also confirmed previously reported minor league deals/non-roster invites for right-handers , and . (Weve previously written on their deals for , and .) Newcomb, 31, is a former first-round pick (Angels, 2014) and top prospect. The Halos shipped him to the Braves as part of their trade to acquire ahead of the 2016 season, and for a couple years, Newcomb looked as though he could be a fixture on Atlantas staff in spite of sub-par command. He started 49 games for the Braves in 2017-18, registering a solid 4.06 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate but an ugly 12% walk rate. Atlanta bumped him to the pen in 2019, and the results were even more intriguing: 68 1/3 innings, 3.16 ERA, 22.2% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate. Over the next three seasons, Newcombs results Cody Stashak Jersey tanked. He pitched just 73 2/3 innings in the majors and logged a brutal 7.45 ERA. His strikeout rate held at 22.9%, but Newcombs walk rate jumped to 14.7%. After plunking only 10 hitters and to sing 11 wild pitches in 332 1/3 frames from 2017-19, Newcomb hit five batters and to sed eight wild pitches over those 73 2/3 frames from 2020-22. He not only saw his ability to throw strikes diminish he saw his precision within the zone erode as well; after yielding an average of 0.97 homers per nine innings in 17-19, Newcomb averaged 1.59 long balls per nine frames in 2020-22. Newcomb has spent the past two seasons with the As, pitching well in 2023 before undergoing season-ending knee surgery and struggling in 2024 on the heels of that procedure. Hes pitched 25 MLB innings over the past two seasons and allowed a dozen runs (4.32 ERA) on 17 hits, 17 walks, three hit batters and 24 strikeouts. Hes been far better in the minors, notching a 3.12 ERA in Triple-A between the Giants and As in 2023-24. Hes punched out 30.1% of opponents but again shown poor command (14.2%) in those two Triple-A seasons (totaling 40 1/3 innings). Boston already has , and as left-handed options locked into manager s bullpen. Southpaw is also on the 40-man roster. He worked more as a starter in the minors last year, but his path to the majors in 2025 would likely be in the bullpen, with returning and new acquisitions and in the rotation. Ryan O'rourke Jersey