Downs, a top prospect acquired for Betts, DFA'd by Sox

BOSTON -- Jeter Downs was rated the No. 1 Red Sox prospect per MLB Pipeline shortly after coming over in the 2020 trade that sent perennial All-Star Mookie Betts to the Dodgers.

The Red Sox certainly bought into Downs' lofty status, which is why they finalized the controversial trade once the shortstop was included in the package by Los Angeles. However, Downs didn’t come close to living up to his promise during three years in Boston’s farm system.

That was never more apparent than Thursday, when the Red Sox designated Downs for assignment so they could fit Masataka Yoshida, their prized acquisition from Japan, onto the 40-man roster.

“This was a tough one,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. “The fact that he was in a position where we considered him and chose him to be designated I think just speaks to some of the struggles we’ve had getting him on track.

“I still think there’s a lot of physical ability there, but we haven’t been able to unlock it consistently. Certainly, he’s still young and there’s no reason to write him off, but he’s obviously had some struggles.”

What Downs has struggled the most with is hitting. He hit .190 at Triple-A Worcester in 2021, and his average ticked up to just .197 at the same affiliate this past season.

The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in 2022, when the Red Sox were decimated by injuries, and he had the memorable moment of producing his first career hit -- a game-tying, RBI single -- in the bottom of the ninth against the Yankees. A few minutes later, he scored the walk-off run.

In 14 games, Downs, a middle infielder, hit just .154 for Boston with a homer and four RBIs.

“I’m glad he was able to get to the big leagues with us, glad he was able to have a moment with us here at Fenway, help us win a big game,” said Bloom. “That was a lot of fun for a lot of people, but obviously, we haven’t been able to get him to that success as consistently as anybody would like with Jeter.”

Bloom was asked if the DFA was harder to swallow given that he was one of the three pieces that came over for Betts, joining Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong, who are still with the club.

“I don’t think it changes what the decision is, because ultimately we have a responsibility to every player in this organization to just make the right decision by all of them when we’re making decisions for the organization,” said Bloom. “No doubt he was a big part of a really significant trade, and that we haven’t gotten him to the level we expected hurts, but at the end of the day, we want to do right by all of our players and the organization.”