The Boston Red Sox are still within striking distance of the Toronto Blue Jays in a competitive AL East, but their primary weakness remains difficult to look past. Boston needed to upgrade the bullpen in a major way at the trade deadline. Steven Matz offers a solid middle relief option, but he’s not the shutdown, high-leverage arm Boston so desperately lacks in front of Aroldis Chapman.

A great example of Boston’s bullpen woes manifested on Tuesday, when Isaiah Campbell inherited a five-run lead in the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins. He promptly gave up four hits and three earned runs, which forced Alex Cora to call on Chapman for the final out. Chapman, the 37-year-old fireballer, has been lights-out all season long, but his postseason track record is complicated. If Boston cannot rely on those in front of him, things could get messy when the games really start to count.

Campbell has a 7.04 ERA in 7.2 innings across six apperances with the Red Sox this season. He pitches to contact with his sinker and has done a nice job of it at the Minor League level, but he’s still struggling to break through in MLB at 28 years old. It’s time for Boston to consider its alternatives.

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Red Sox need to consideration demoting Isaiah Campbell as bullpen woes continue

Campbell clearly shouldn’t be on the roster with October on the horizon. He was never a real candidate for the postseason roster, but Boston should explore their other options, just in case someone else is worthy of a spot this fall.

Absent trade options, Boston can go a few different directions here. Craig Breslow can wait for the waiver market to develop and see if any big names, such as Raisel Iglesias or old friend Kenley Jansen, get cut. Or he can look iternally, which is the more immediate and pragmatic solution. Boston has plenty of pitching talent coming through the pipeline with Triple-A Worcester right now.

It’s unlikely that we see the Red Sox’ No. 2 prospect, Payton Tolle, get his call-up this season. The lefty has rocketed through the Minor League ranks, but he has struggled in two Triple-A starts and he’s still early in his development at 22 years old. Boston will also want to develop him as a starter, the routine Tolle has kept all season. Thrusting him suddenly into a bullpen role isn’t an appealing course of action.

Red Sox aren’t short on internal options to replace Isaiah Campbell

Boston can look to its top prospects, such as 24-year-old David Sandlin or 26-year-old Tyler Uberstine.

Sandlin, the No. 10 prospect in Boston’s farm system, has struggled since arriving in Triple-A (7.45 ERA in five games, one start), but he’s well-respected in the organization and the upside is considerable. Command issues are prevalent, but the Red Sox are already prepping him for bullpen work, which should ease a hypothetical MLB transition.

Uberstine is not a top-30 prospect at MLB Pipeline, but he’s a couple years older than Sandlin and he looks more ready for his shot in the big leagues. Uberstine has a 3.50 ERA across 13 games (nine starts) for Worcester this season, posting 71 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. He was dominant against Fall League and High-A competition last season and has quickly climbed the organization ladder. He is probably Boston’s best bet.