Former Red Sox CF Jackie Bradley Jr. has taken his circus-catch act to Banana Ball’s Indianapolis Clowns

Jackie Bradley Jr. was standing next to the Space Needle in Seattle when he called, as far away from his home in Florida as he could get in the contiguous United States.

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My question was simple: What are you doing?

At 36, Bradley is playing for the Indianapolis Clowns, one of the six teams touring under the umbrella of the wildly popular Savannah Bananas. The outfielder agreed to play the entire 61-game schedule, the only former major leaguer to make that commitment.

The Clowns are in Tacoma, Wash., this weekend. Next week, it will be Kansas City. Every game is sold out through the end of the season in September.

“I just felt I would be remiss not to be part of something like this,” Bradley said. “It was a chance to pay homage to the players who came before me.”

The idea was originally pitched to him in October by Bananas creator Jesse Cole, a Red Sox fan who grew up in Scituate and has built an empire that regularly sells out ballparks across the country and the occasional football stadiums.

The Bananas have 18.2 million followers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The Red Sox have 2.6 million on the same platforms, and the Yankees 5.2 million.

“Banana ball” features two-hour games with unique rules that include no walks, bunts, or mound visits. Foul balls caught by fans are outs, and games are played at a frenetic pace.

The players break into song-and-dance routines, make trick plays whenever possible, and take on colorful personas.

Cole wanted to bring back the Clowns, a Negro League team from 1942-55 that was a baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, supported the idea.

Cole viewed Bradley as being the perfect player to build his new team around.

“I knew the history of the team and the Negro Leagues,” Bradley said. “I was interested. But I said to Jesse, ‘You have to sell this to my wife.’ ”

Jackie and his wife, Erin, have four children, ages 1 to 9. Cole made his pitch based on how many games the team would play in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and other spots that were only a short trip away.

It was also an opportunity for Bradley to share the experience with his kids.

“As Jesse says, fan first and entertain always,” Bradley said. “I’m really enjoying it. My kids love it, too. The two older ones like being around the other players.”

The actual baseball has been easy for Bradley, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner who played parts of 11 seasons in the majors and won the World Series with the 2018 Red Sox. The rest took a little work.

“I had to get used to the fast pace because we’re constantly on our feet entertaining the fans and meeting people,” he said. “You’re trying to create memories for families.”

Bradley joked that he spends more time perfecting his dancing and showmanship than his hitting and fielding.

“We’re trying to win, and the games aren’t scripted,” he said. “Believe me, I like winning a lot more than losing. But we’re trying to make it all about the fans.”

In time, Bradley could pursue other avenues in baseball. He did some work for the SEC Network and ESPN last season and has spoken to NESN about working Sox games.

“I’ll see where it takes me. Baseball was never really who I was as a person; it was something I did,” he said. “I’ve always had hobbies and loved to travel. But I’ll never close any doors to baseball. We’ll see.”

Is Kyle Harrison the modern-day Cecil Cooper? The 24-year-old Harrison is 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA in nine starts since the Red Sox traded him to the Brewers on Feb. 9 as part of a six-player deal.

Harrison dominated the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, allowing two hits over seven shutout innings and striking out 11 with one walk. He allowed a leadoff double by Nico Hoerner in the first inning, then didn’t give up another hit until Alex Bregman singled in the seventh.

The lefthander is dominating with two pitches, a four-seam fastball and a slurve, which he throws 87 percent of the time, with only occasional changeups and sinkers.

Milwaukee also raised his arm angle so his fastball would play at the top of the strike zone.

The Sox gave Harrison only two starts last season after he was acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, and had him throwing a cutter as his third pitch that the Brewers have since eliminated.

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They were convinced that infielder Caleb Durbin would hit at Fenway Park and included Harrison in a trade made just before spring training. Milwaukee has so far realized 3.0 bWAR in the trade and the Sox 0.5.

This has happened before.

Quinn Priester was 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA after the Sox traded him to Milwaukee last April. He opened this season on the injured list, recovering from thoracic outlet surgery, but has started a rehab assignment.

The Sox received two minor leaguers for Priester and a draft pick they used to select righthander Marcus Phillips. That deal could ultimately prove beneficial.

A few other observations on the Red Sox:

▪ Bradley on center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela: “I like what I’ve seen from him in the outfield. He can go and get it and seems to get a good jump on the ball. They have a good one.

“I really like [right fielder Wilyer] Abreu, too. His arm is impressive.”

▪ Righthander Dustin May was 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA in six games for the Sox last season after he was acquired from the Dodgers. The two prospects the Sox traded to get him — outfielders Zach Ehrhard and James Tibbs III — are now ranked among the top 21 prospects in a loaded Dodgers organization by Baseball America. May is pitching out of the Cardinals rotation.

▪ Triston Casas, who last played in a major league game on May 2, 2025, has recovered from an oblique strain and restarted baseball activities in Fort Myers. Whether that leads to the first baseman playing in games any time soon is uncertain.

▪ The Sox have won eight consecutive series against the Royals dating to September 2022. They are 18-7 in those games. Going back to 2018, the Sox are 34-14 against the Royals. Kansas City comes to Fenway Park on Sept. 11-13.

▪ Could Bruce Springsteen and some members of the E Street Band stop by Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon for the Twins game? Springsteen is playing the Garden that night. Noted Cubs fan Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine has joined the band for this tour. Springsteen played the first rock concerts at Fenway on Sept 6-7, 2003. He returned for two shows in 2012.

As Brody Bumila warmed up for his start against Xaverian on Monday in Westwood, there were approximately 25 scouts watching from a grassy hill adjacent to the bullpen.

A large collection of backpacks and radar guns was left behind on the bleachers behind home plate to reserve their seats. By the time the game started, there were easily 40 evaluators on hand.

Bumila, Bishop Feehan’s 6-foot-9-inch senior lefthander, did not disappoint. He struck out 14 and allowed one hit over 6⅓ innings. He tired in the seventh and walked three before leaving after 117 pitches.

A few things that stood out:

▪ Bumila also had two hits and drove in two runs. He led Feehan to a state title in basketball, and his athleticism plays on the mound. Two scouts I spoke to during the game said they loved that he played hoops instead of grinding away at baseball all year long.

He’s not nearly as big as CC Sabathia, but Bumila is physical on the mound in the same way with his extension. From my seat in the bleachers, it looked like he was on top of the hitters.

▪ The velocity is primetime. Bumila sits comfortably in the mid-90s and can dial it up to 100 miles per hour. He has the makings of a changeup and a loopy breaking ball that had some hitters swinging out of their shoes.

▪ His delivery is pretty simple with a low arm slot. But the Xaverian hitters fouled off a lot of pitches and made more contact than you would expect, considering they struck out so many times. They gave him a good fight.

▪ Bumila cheered for his teammates and was attentive to things like picking up bats left in front of the dugout. He also signed autographs for some younger kids after the game.

Feehan coach Joe Breen said he loves coaching him and that wasn’t something he said in passing.

▪ Because he’s already had elbow surgery, there is some speculation that Bumila won’t necessarily be taken in the first round. But with 25 first-round picks this season, it’s hard to believe a young lefty who throws that hard will slide beyond that.

The Red Sox have the 20th pick. Given how chief baseball officer Craig Breslow operates without emotion, it’s doubtful they see any added benefit to taking a local player.

But the Sox missed on taking Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice, Massachusetts products who are now Yankees mainstays. Do they risk doing that again?

Without any fanfare, MLB has relaxed its approach to scheduling and become increasingly amenable to moving game times in advance of bad weather. It has happened with the Red Sox several times already this season, including Monday in Kansas City, when the start time was moved up by 30 minutes because of storms in the area. With division rivals now playing four series a season instead of six, there are fewer opportunities to reschedule makeup games later in the year as part of doubleheaders. It also decreases the odds of having a one-game series later in the season … Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer Wednesday at San Diego, then threw five shutout innings. Ohtani is the only player in history to hit a leadoff homer as a pitcher, something he has done twice. It was the seventh time he had a scoreless start and homered, counting the postseason. Hall of Famer Bob Gibson did that six times … You’re going to start hearing more about NanoNeedle surgery in baseball. It’s the minimally invasive procedure Dr. Neal ElAttrache used on Tigers ace Tarik Skubal on May 6. Surgeons can use a needle-sized camera to assess the extent of an injury and then remove what are called “loose bodies” from the elbow or perform other repairs with less inflammation and swelling. Instead of two months on the injured list, Skubal has already thrown three bullpen sessions since the surgery and could return in early June. He had a 35-pitch bullpen Thursday that simulated two innings. The surgery seems to have preserved his trade value. The Dodgers’ Blake Snell had similar surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow Tuesday. The needle-sized instruments also could expedite recovery from injuries to the shoulders and knees … DJ LeMahieu, an infielder who played parts of 15 seasons with the Rockies and Yankees, will manage the Royal Oak Leprechauns of the Northwoods League this summer. LeMahieu, 37, hasn’t officially retired but signed up to manage a college summer league team that plays a 72-game schedule starting later this month. The Leprechauns play in Troy, Mich., near where LeMahieu starred at Brother Rice High School. Former Red Sox pitcher Anthony Ranaudo, who played with LeMahieu at LSU, is the Leprechauns’ director of marketing … Old friend Martín Pérez has given the Braves a lift, posting a 2.85 ERA in his first 10 appearances (six starts). The 35-year-old lefthander, who was signed to a minor league contract in spring training, has helped fill gaps in the rotation created by injuries and underperformance. Pérez has also been amenable to helping with roster moves. He was designated for assignment April 12, accepted an assignment to Triple-A two days later, then returned to the major league roster three days after that. The Braves are the fifth team Pérez has pitched for since the start of the 2023 season. He is 18-18 with a 4.17 ERA in that span … Lefthander Eric Lauer had been a serviceable swingman for parts of eight seasons with three teams before he was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on May 11. Toronto didn’t have much choice. Lauer, 31, had a 6.69 ERA in eight games and allowed 11 homers over 36⅓ innings. But the Dodgers obtained him for cash considerations six days after he was designated, and added him to the major league roster Tuesday. What gives? Lauer had a 3.18 ERA over 104⅔ innings for the Blue Jays last season and pitched well in the postseason, including 5⅔ scoreless innings against the Dodgers in the World Series. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior also worked with Lauer when he was the minor league pitching coordinator of the Padres. The Dodgers want to stay with a six-man rotation to ensure their starters are well-rested and ready for the postseason. With Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the injured list, even just a few decent starts from Lauer would be helpful … Munetaka Murakami is an interesting hitter. He had 17 homers, 39 walks, 33 RBIs, and 69 strikeouts in his first 49 games with the White Sox, with just two doubles. He’s basically a smaller version of Joey Gallo. Murakami is signed only through 2027. There is already speculation that the White Sox could trade Murakami this season while his value is high … Condolences to the family and many friends of Vermont sportswriter and broadcaster Bill Murphy, who passed away earlier this spring. He was 78. Murphy was a frequent presence at Fenway Park and a freelance contributor to the Globe during a long career in sports that included coaching and umpiring … The new book “Cape Cod Baseball League: From College Stars to Big League Futures” is out. It’s a collection of essays edited by Mike Richard and Bill Nowlin that tells the story of the league and the people who make it work. The book will be available at most CCBL fields this summer, or you can email Richard, the league’s historian, at [email protected] … Happy birthday to Bartolo Colón, who is 53. Colón was 4-2 with a 3.92 earned run average over seven starts for the Red Sox in 2008. Colón joined the Sox on a minor league contract and was called up in May before landing on the injured list in June with a back strain. He ended the season on the restricted list after returning to the Dominican Republic in September for what was termed “personal reasons” and never returned. He also had been late for several meetings. “He decided he just wasn’t really comfortable,” manager Terry Francona said at the time. Colón went on to pitch nine more seasons and win 97 more games, part of a 21-year career.

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