It was a strong return to the mound for Noah Song in Sarasota.
Coming off last April’s Tommy John surgery, Song threw two shutout innings for the FCL Red Sox, striking out four. The 27-year-old didn’t allow a hit and walked one batter, while his fastball sat 93-95 mph, according to Ian Cundall of Sox Prospects.
A fourth-round pick from the 2019 draft, Song has long boasted intriguing potential.
He was seen as a first-round arm coming out of the Naval Academy, but fell to the fourth round because of his mandatory service commitment. That summer after he was drafted, Song made his debut with Lowell Spinners, but then didn’t pitch from 2020-22 because he was serving in the Navy.
In December of 2022, Song was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 Draft and granted a military waiver, but returned to the Red Sox in the summer of 2023 when he didn’t stick on Philadelphia’s big league roster after such a long layoff. Then, last spring Song tore his UCL and missed the entire 2024 season.
Red Sox lefty Chris Murphy, who is also in Florida rehabbing from Tommy John, raved about what he’s seen from Song in an interview with the Boston Globe.
“I’m trying to make him aware, ‘I’ve seen big league arms in person. You’re not far off of those guys right now,’ ” Murphy told Alex Speier. “It’s so hard to put yourself in his shoes … Getting the game you play taken from you [by military service], and then you come back and you’re like, ‘I’m doing it again,’ and then you get it ripped from you again [by injury], that sucks. I don’t know if I would have the mental fortitude to do that.
“But for him, I think he’s still chasing that, which is awesome. I want him to chase it. I want him to believe he can pitch in the big leagues, because I know he can.”