Cam Booser and the baseball story you need to know
· Yahoo Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays made several franchise altering moves this offseason as they traded away Shane Baz and Brandon Lowe in separate trades made just hours apart. The deals also included Jake Mangum and southpaw Mason Montgomery.
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The inclusion of Montgomery was significant because the Rays have a lack of left-handed pitchers on the roster.
During the 2025 season, the Rays had a lack of left handed pitching as only four different southpaws took the rubber for them over the course of the season: Ian Seymour, Garrett Cleavinger, Mason Montgomery, and Joe Rock.
Of those four, Seymour is likely ticketed for the starting rotation in Durham, Cleavinger should return in the Rays bullpen (although he has also been the subject of trade rumors), and Montgomery was traded. Rock didn’t receive much of a look from the Rays last season, which could indicate he eventually converts to relief, but enters camp as a starter alongside Seymour.
Over the course of the offseason, the Rays addressed the lack of left-handed pitchers on the roster as they would add Steven Matz on a Major League deal and then a duo of hurlers on minor league deals, John Rooney and Cam Booser.
Matz is expected to be an integral part of the starting rotation. Rooney ended last season on the Injured List as he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs and to treat tennis elbow, Marc Topkin reported on January 30th that Rooney might not be ready to start the season.
Then you have 33-year old Cam Booser, one of the oldest players in camp, and potentially the second southpaw on the bullpen depth chart.
How Booser Bubbled Up
You’d be forgiven for thinking Booser was a professional wrestler given his injury history, as he suffered a broken femur in high school requiring surgery, and later broke a vertebra during a session in the weight room. Later, he’d endure Tommy John surgery and then an elbow scope. Booser’s collegiate career came and went and he’d go undrafted. However, the Minnesota Twins saw enough to sign him as a non-drafted free agent in August 2013 .
Over his first few seasons in the Twins organization, Booser didn’t do much to stand out and then underwent surgery in 2015 after a horrific accident.
That offseason, while rehabbing from his surgery, Booser was riding a bike when a motorist ran a stop sign and plowed into the helpless Booser. The vehicle suffered a broken windshield and Booser suffered a broken sacrum. Booser eventually returned to the mound and again didn’t do much to warrant any positive attention from the Twins. Booser would be suspended for 50 games in 2017 due to testing positive for marijuana (minor league baseball stopped testing for marijuana in 2019).
Fed up, Booser stepped away from the game of baseball, and went home to Washington to pursue a career in carpentry. At least for a few years.
Then, after three years of retirement, Booser decided to become a coach at a training facility. One day on a whim, he decided to throw in front of a Rapsodo machine and clocked in at 98mph.
This led to Booser getting connected with Driveline in the hopes of resurrecting his career. Once Booser received the Driveline treatment, he was given an opportunity in the Indy Leagues
Free Agent LHP Cam Booser outing with the Seattle Studs.
— Kyle Rogers (@KyleRogers18) June 13, 2021
FB: 96-99
CT: 92-93
SL: 83-86
Has been medically retired for the last 4 years. Most recently with the Twins.
He’s ready. DM for contact info. @FlatgroundApppic.twitter.com/SRYntFU5Qz
Kyle Rogers of Driveline filmed one of Booser’s outings, in which the resurgent lefty touched 99mph. This caught the attention of Carl Gonzalez, a one-time writer for Draysbay and current member of the Arizona Diamondbacks front office. Gonzalez alerted a scout for the Diamondbacks, Chris Carminucci, who informed his contacts of Booser’s potential, and the team would keep tabs on Booser.
Booser signed with the Chicago Dogs and became an instant sensation; however, although he had retired, the Minnesota Twins still controlled his rights. It took nearly a full offseason before the Twins finally granted Booser his release and the Arizona Diamondbacks quickly signed him to a minor league deal. Just like that, Booser was back on the track to the big leagues.
Of course, nothing in this story can be easy.
Booser returned to affiliated action in 2022 and spent the season in Double-A, until the Diamondbacks abruptly released him in July. He’d make 19 appearances and registered a 6.48 ERA | 6.60 FIP with a 25.6 K% & 18.8 BB% over 25 IP, so command was an obvious issue. However, instead of going back to carpentry, Booser ventured back to the Indy Leagues. This go around, he wasn’t quite as dominant but showed enough under the hood to garner the interest of the Boston Red Sox, signing a minor league deal in February, 2023.
The Triple-A Worcester Red Sox enjoyed the services of Booser throughout the 2023 season and the now 31 year old set a career high in innings pitched and appearances while greatly improving his command from the year prior while racking up a 26.7 K%. The Red Sox decided to bring Booser back the following year, but this time, he was given an invite to spring training.
He wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster, but just a few weeks into the season, the Red Sox made the decision to bring the 31-year old to Pittsburgh to make his first big league appearance.
A Spirited Debut
Booser had made it to the big leagues.
He took the mound on April 19th in Pittsburgh as the Red Sox took on the Pirates. Boston Manager Alex Cora gave Booser an opportunity to close out the game for Boston as they led Pittsburgh, 8-0, in the bottom of the 9th inning.
The first batter Booser faced was a former Rays first round pick, SS Alika Williams.
The very first pitch from Booser was a strike, a 96 mph fastball. Unfortunately it caught too much of the plate and Williams turned on it and sent it into the left field corner and raced to third for a triple. But Booser settled down after that and fanned Andrew McCutchen for his first career strikeout.
That was followed up by two weak grounders and Booser successfully sealed the Red Sox victory, albeit by allowing a run in an inning of work, a clearly cathartic moment for the journeyman.
Booser would spend the rest of the year on the shuttle between Boston and Worcester. Over 43 appearances, Booser compiled a 3.38 ERA | 3.80 FIP with a 23.5 K% & 8.7 BB% across 42 2/3 innings pitched; Booser also picked up a save.
Cam he make the Rays roster?
During the following offseason the Red Sox traded Booser to the Chicago White Sox, where he spent the 2025 season, and here was Baseball America’s blurb on Booser at the time:
Booser emerged as an unexpectedly reliable option in the middle innings for Red Sox manager Alex Cora in 2024. He attacks hitters with a mid-90s fastball, upper-80s cutter and a low-80s sweeper. Both his secondaries elicited whiffs roughly 31-32% of the time
Alas, Booser did not enjoy the same success South Side as he had in Boston.
Over 39 games, Booser compiled a 5.52 ERA | 6.26 FIP with a 24.5 K% & 13.3 BB% over 31 innings pitched. In November, the White Sox non-tendered Booser making him a free agent once again and thus the Tampa Bay Rays decided to sign the 33-year old to a minor league deal.
Given the Rays lack of left-handed pitchers in camp, there is a legitimate chance for Booser to make the Rays Opening Day roster depending on how Garrett Cleavinger and Joe Rock make it through the spring, and even if he does not, he’s a likely candidate to grace the mound for the Rays in 2026.