Red Sox Call Up Red-Hot Pitching Prospect, Slugger From Christian Vázquez Trade

The Boston Red Sox are taking advantage of the expanded rosters by adding two talented young players into the fold.

September call ups allow for a 28-man roster and Boston reportedly has chosen which players have made the team.

"Confirmed Brandon Walter and Enmanuel Valdez are not with the WooSox and should be headed to join the Red Sox," MassLive's Katie Morrison-O'Day tweeted Thursday.

It's a bit of a surprise that the Red Sox did not opt to add two pitchers given their lack of depth and the rotation's inability to go deep into games but Valdez -- a middle infielder with a strong bat -- does deserve a longer look.

Walter's call up comes as no surprise. The southpaw has been unstoppable since going back to Triple-A Worcester. Walter has posted a 1.42 ERA, 19-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .220 batting average against in 25 1/3 innings over his last six appearances. 

At the big-league level, Walter has an impressive 3.07 ERA through 14 2/3 innings, when he helped Boston stay afloat for as long as they did -- something they had no business doing with only a handful of starters on the roster.

Valdez was an impactful member of the Red Sox's lineup from mid-April through most of May and then slumped hard before his demotion.

The 24-year-old hit .249 with 20 extra-base hits including 10 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .855 OPS in 51 games for the WooSox while battling injuries.

At some point it would make sense for the Red Sox to replace Valdez with another pitcher but he'll be a fun bat to mix in with Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in the meantime.