Thx for the additional context. Yeah, he definitely seems like a useful organization guy... but is that worth a 40-man spot, & if not, does someone take him?
I've compared him to Thad Ward before, but after digging into it some more, it seems like an even more apt comparison.
Ward is another guy with ok stuff who missed '20 with the pandemic. He only pitched 9 innings in '21 before being shutdown & eventually undergoing TJ surgery.
Then in '22 as a 25 y/o in AA, after 3 short rehab assignments, he put up a 2.43 ERA, 3.74 xFIP & 1.26 WHIP, 29.5% k/10.1% bb.
To add to the similarities, SoxProspects also says Ward's fastball sat in the 91-94 range. In addition to the 3 pitches Gambrell throws, he also throws a slider & cutter.
https://soxprospects.com/players/ward-thaddeus.htm
So do they treat him the way they did Ward & just let him go? Do they see more of a future with him? The roster crunch is definitely more significant this year than it was last year.