Major League Baseball

Red Sox call up reliever Joe Jacques ahead of Yankees series

Updated Jun. 9, 2023 7:15 p.m. ET

The Boston Red Sox have called up left-handed pitcher Joe Jacques from Triple-A ahead of a pivotal series against the New York Yankees, bringing the 28-year-old a big step closer to completing an improbable journey to the major leagues — possibly in his hometown.

Jacques, a New York City-area native, had zero Division I scholarship offers coming out of high school before walking onto the Manhattan College baseball team, according to MLB Network.

He was then a 33rd-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and spent parts of five seasons in that organization before the Red Sox selected him in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft.

Jacques has a 3.58 ERA over 27.2 innings of work in 23 games this season, earning himself a promotion to Alex Cora's squad just before a massive stretch of games against the Red Sox's archrival.

Not only that, but Jacques now has a chance to make his long-awaited MLB debut against the team he grew up rooting for — the Yankees.

Jacques has a 3.69 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 146 games (four starts) with 10 different teams in his minor league career.