FT. MYERS, FL – MARCH 14: A hat is displayed during a Boston Red Sox spring training team workout on March 14, 2022 at jetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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The Boston Red Sox have continued reshaping their organizational depth as the season progresses, and that seems to have brought one of their more unconventional success stories to an abrupt end.
Before joining the Red Sox organization, Danny Kirwin demonstrated persistence and a fastball that appeared to be a diamond in the rough. After pitching across multiple summer leagues and independent baseball, the right-hander earned his opportunity with Boston thanks to an eye-catching display of velocity.
But now, just over two years later, the Red Sox have decided to move on following a difficult 2026 campaign for the inspiring journeyman.
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Kirwin’s professional breakthrough came in unusual fashion after he impressed scouts while pitching in independent baseball.
“On April 20, (2024) Kirwin’s manager with the Oakland Ballers posted a video on social media that showcased the 6-foot-2 right-hander popping 98 mph on the radar gun,” Jesse Borek reported for MLB.com at the time. “Four days later, Kirwin put pen to paper and became a member of the Red Sox organization.”
That opportunity ultimately led him through Boston’s farm system, but the 2026 season proved to be a difficult one. Kirwin struggled with High-A Greenville, posting a 9.24 ERA this season before the organization decided to cut ties, per the official transaction log.
For a pitcher who worked his way into affiliated baseball through perseverance rather than draft status, the release marks another significant turning point in an already unconventional career.
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Kirwin’s story stood out because of the number of stops he made before finally earning a chance with a major league organization.
“If there was a league that offered exposure, it seems like Kirwin pitched in it,” Borek added. “There was the New York Collegiate League in 2019. The Valley League in 2021. The Coastal Plain League in 2022 and ’23 — the latter of which also included the MLB Draft League, where he got his name on a grander stage in front of big league scouts. He racked up 21 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, who were managed by former big leaguer Dmitri Young.”
That persistence eventually earned Kirwin an opportunity with one of baseball’s premier organizations, even if it lasted only a relatively short time.
At 26 years old, his release does not necessarily signal the end of his professional career. Given his demonstrated velocity and previous success in independent baseball, another organization or independent club could offer him another opportunity. For now, however, the Red Sox have elected to move in a different direction after a season in which results never matched the promise that first put Kirwin on the club’s radar.