Jay Groom is back.
Nearly two years after the former Boston Red Sox prospect was suspended for baseball gambling while under contract with the San Diego Padres, he has signed a new contract with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association.
Groom was selected 12th overall in the 2016 MLB Draft. Entering the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he was a consensus top 100 prospect in baseball and a clear future anchor in the Red Sox starting rotation.
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Groom wasn’t the only player out of the minor leagues as the Red Sox were busy winning the 2018 World Series.
As of the start of the 2019 season, the top 10 prospects in the organization included Triston Casas, Bobby Dalbec, Tanner Houck, Michael Chavis, Darwinzon Hernández, Antoni Flores, CJ Chatham, Durbin Feltman, and Bryan Mata. Of those, only two remain with the Red Sox.
Groom was traded to the Padres in August 2022 in exchange for Eric Hosmer, Max Ferguson, and Corey Rozier. Less than a month later, he was named the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week.
But in April 2024, Groom made just three abbreviated starts for El Paso before suffering what turned out to be a season-ending injury. That June, he became one of four players disciplined under MLB’s policy prohibiting active players from betting on baseball.
Padres Non-Tendered Groome returns in June 2025 and becomes a free agent. He has not pitched in organized baseball since.
Although the Monarchs are an unaffiliated minor league team, they offer Groom a chance to re-establish his career against high-level competition.
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