MLB · Biography
Jake Bennett
Pitcher (LHP) · Boston Red Sox · MLB · active · OU 2020-2022
Bixby lefty who became a Red Sox rookie starter after Tommy John
Jake Bennett grew up in Bixby, Oklahoma, and was Perfect Game's top-ranked left-handed pitcher in the state at Bixby High School. The Washington Nationals took him in the 39th round in 2019, but he went to Oklahoma.
He was a Freshman All-American in the shortened 2020 season after going 3–0 with a 0.75 ERA in three starts. After a tougher 2021, he became OU's Friday-night starter in 2022 and went 10–4 with a 3.69 ERA, striking out 133 and walking only 22 in 117 innings. He was a first-team All-Big 12 pick and a second-team All-American (Baseball America, D1Baseball), and he struck out 10 against Ole Miss in the College World Series Finals.
The Nationals drafted him again, this time in the second round (45th overall) in 2022. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 and missed all of 2024. He came back in 2025 with a 2.27 ERA across three minor league levels, and Washington added him to its 40-man roster. On December 15, 2025, the Nationals traded him to the Boston Red Sox for pitching prospect Luis Perales.
Bennett made his major league debut on May 1, 2026, starting and winning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. He finished his rookie season 9–7 with a 3.65 ERA in 20 games, 19 of them starts. As of October 9, 2026, he is a pitcher for the Red Sox.