Cam Booser’s road back to October baseball has been anything but ordinary, and now the former Red Sox reliever is on the brink of the World Series with the Rays.
That alone would have sounded far-fetched a few years ago. Booser had stepped away from baseball in 2017 after Tommy John and labrum surgeries, a bike accident that broke his back and a suspension for marijuana use. By then, he had already left the game behind, spending time in construction and later working as a pitching coach before deciding he still had enough in the tank to chase the dream again.
He gave it another shot through independent baseball, logging two separate stints there before Boston took a chance on him with a minor league deal ahead of the 2023 season. The results in Worcester weren’t flashy - a 5.91 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 10.2 innings for the WooSox - but they were enough for the Red Sox to call him up.
Booser’s major league debut came on April 19, when he worked one inning and allowed one run. Afterward, he headed to the dugout and let the moment settle in.
From there, the comeback only grew more real. He went on to make 42 more appearances for Boston in 2024, finishing that run with a 3.38 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 43 strikeouts in 42.2 innings.
“Not all of us get a straight line,” Booser said to Audacy's Rob Bradford on October 22. “When you have people that believe in you so much, it's almost like a delusional confidence you start to get.”
That confidence has carried him a long way. Now 34, Booser is in his third season in MLB and is set to pitch for Tampa Bay on the sport’s biggest stage.
His route to the Rays came after a rough 2025 with the White Sox, when he struggled to a 5.52 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over 31 innings. Chicago non-tendered him after the season, and he landed with Tampa on a minor league deal.
This year, though, he found his best form yet. Booser posted a 1.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 45 strikeouts and a 3.9 percent walk rate over 41 innings, emerging as a key arm in Tampa Bay’s bullpen. That kind of production could put him in position for some huge World Series moments.
For Red Sox fans who watched his improbable rise firsthand, the path only looks more remarkable now. And while many in New England won’t be pulling for a division rival, there’s no missing the significance of seeing Booser this close to a championship stage.
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