|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2024 11:18:23 GMT -5
Mets Trade Zack Short To Red Sox
By Steve Adams | May 1, 2024 at 11:01am CDT
The Mets have traded infielder Zack Short to the Red Sox in exchange for cash, the teams announced Wednesday. Boston had an open spot on the 40-man roster and didn’t need to make a corresponding move. New York designated Short for assignment five days ago when adding veteran designated hitter J.D. Martinez to the roster. Short is out of minor league options, so he’ll head right to the Red Sox’ big league roster.
Short, 28, was a 17th-round pick by the Cubs back in 2016 and has played in parts of four big league seasons: 2021-23 with the Tigers and 2024 with the Mets. He’s a career .172/.266/.304 hitter in the big leagues and carries a .224/.357/.400 slash in 1017 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Short is regarded as a sound defender at all three infield positions to the left of first base and has also had brief looks in the outfield in his professional career — mostly coming in the minors.
More to come.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2024 13:03:10 GMT -5
Dominic Smith Opts Out Of Rays Deal, Will Sign With Red Sox
By Steve Adams | May 1, 2024 at 11:54am CDT
11:54am: Smith is indeed set to join the Red Sox’ big league roster, per the Globe’s Julian McWilliams. The Sox will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move to make his signing official.
11:32am: The Rays granted first baseman Dominic Smith his release after he triggered an opt-out in his minor league deal, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. A big league opportunity with another club arose for Smith, per Topkin. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe further reports that the Red Sox “look like the next destination” for Smith after he opted out of that deal with Tampa Bay. He’ll be the second addition to the big league roster for the Sox, who acquired infielder Zack Short from the Mets in exchange for cash less than one hour ago.
Boston recently lost first baseman Triston Casas to a rib fracture that’s expected to sideline him for a considerable period of time. The Sox acquired veteran Garrett Cooper in the aftermath of that injury, but he took a 95 mph fastball off his wrist/forearm last night and exited the game. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo tweets that Cooper is thankfully only bruised and does not have any fractures following that incident. Smith will give Boston some additional depth and a potential platoon partner for the righty-swinging Cooper.
Through 29 games and 81 plate appearances with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham, Smith had posted a .263/.337/.375 batting line with a pair of homers and three doubles. He’s fanned in an uncharacteristic 29.2% of his plate appearances, but strikeouts typically haven’t been a glaring concern for the veteran, who’s fanned in 21.7% of his nearly 2000 MLB plate appearances.
Smith, 28, was a first-round pick, longtime top prospect and (more briefly) a quality run producer for the Mets prior to being non-tendered in the 2022-23 offseason. From 2019-20, Smith treated the Mets to a stellar .299/.366/.571 batting line in 396 trips to the plate. He swatted 21 homers and connected on 31 doubles in that time before stumbling to a .643 OPS over his next two seasons and being cut loose. He signed with the Nationals in the 2022-23 offseason but posted a middling .254/.326/.366 batting line with a dozen homers in his lone year in the nation’s capitol.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2024 13:09:27 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe There's nothing to lose and potentially much to gain by the Sox bringing in players like Garrett Cooper, Zach Short, Bailey Horn, Naoyuki Uwasawa and (likely) Dominic Smith.
Plenty of examples of minor pickups (Sandy Leon, etc.) who proved valuable. Pursuing small edges adds up.
Smith is more a 1B/DH these days but can play left field. Sox moving to acquire him could signal Yoshida needs an IL stint.
Lots of moving parts in the last few days and they're still moving.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 1, 2024 14:32:22 GMT -5
Red Sox DH headed to injured list, marking team’s 16th IL stint this year
Updated: May. 01, 2024, 2:56 p.m.|Published: May. 01, 2024, 2:46 p.m.
By
Christopher Smith | csmith@masslive.com
BOSTON — Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida will be placed on the injured list, manager Alex Cora said during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s Jones & Mego show (per WEEI’s Rob Bradford).
Yoshida was scheduled to undergo an MRI today after seeing a hand specialist.
The 30-year-old jammed his hand during an at-bat Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. He was lifted in the sixth inning for pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder.
He is batting .275 with a .348 on-base percentage, .388 slugging percentage, .736 OPS, two home runs, three doubles, 12 runs, 11 RBIs, six walks and 11 strikeouts in 24 games (89 plate appearances).
Earlier Wednesday, Boston acquired infielder Zack Short from the Mets in exchange for cash. It also is on the verge of adding veteran first baseman Dominic Smith.
Boston (not including Yoshida) has 13 players on the injured list, including three pitchers and two position players on the 60-day IL. This will be the Red Sox’ 16th IL stint involving 16 different players.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2024 5:05:25 GMT -5
Red Sox Designate Vladimir Gutierrez For Assignment
By Darragh McDonald | May 1, 2024 at 5:55pm CDT
The Red Sox announced that they have signed first baseman Dominic Smith to a one-year contract. He’ll take the roster spot of outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left thumb sprain, retroactive to April 29. To open a 40-man spot for Smith, right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez has been designated for assignment. Prior to the official announcement, manager Álex Cora announced that Yoshida was heading to the IL on Jones & Mego. Hat tip to Rob Bradford of WEEI. The Sox adding Smith was reported on earlier today.
Yoshida, 30, has hit .275/.348/.388 so far this year. That’s fairly comparable to last year’s production, when he hit .289/.338/.445 in his first season after coming over from Japan. He departed Sunday’s game after jamming his hand during an at-bat, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. Smith relayed yesterday that Yoshida would be getting an MRI, which seems to have revealed this injury.
Though the Sox won’t be happy to lose Yoshida’s bat, his absence will give them a bit of lineup flexibility. He has primarily been serving as the designated hitter this year, with just one inning in left field. They can now use that DH spot to rotate various players through based on health and matchups.
With Triston Casas on the injured list and unlikely to return any time soon, the Sox have been looking outside the organization for help at first base. They acquired Garrett Cooper from the Cubs but he himself is banged up after getting hit by a pitch last night on his arm last night. Chris Cotillo of MassLive relayed that Cooper is just bruised and is going to be okay but it’s possible he may need a day or two to rest up.
With Smith now on the roster, he can perhaps cover for Cooper as he is on the mend. With Yoshida out, the Sox could have both Smith and Cooper in the lineup via the DH slot, if they so choose. Both players have a bit of outfield experience but neither of them are considered strong defenders on the grass.
To get Smith onto the roster, the Sox have cut Gutierrez. The 28-year-old was acquired from the Brewers in a cash deal a couple of weeks ago. The Red Sox have kept him down in Triple-A on optional assignment since then, where he has pitched six innings over three appearances, allowing four earned runs while striking out seven but walking eight.
The Sox will now have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. He’s been bouncing around the league quite a bit this year. He signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in February and was selected to their roster in the first few days of the season. He was designated for assignment and went to the Brewers on a waiver claim, before being DFA’d again and getting flipped to the Red Sox. That makes today his third DFA in roughly a month.
The Cuban righty joined affiliated ball by signing with the Reds as a 21-year-old, earning a bonus of $4.75MM. He made his major league debut in 2021 with 114 innings over 22 starts, posting a 4.74 earned run average that year while striking out just 17.7% of batters faced. He struggled in 2022 before requiring Tommy John surgery in June of that year, wiping out the remainder of that season and most of his 2023. The Reds outrighted him off their roster at the end of last year, which led to his minor league deal with Miami.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2024 17:34:41 GMT -5
Red Sox Outright Joely Rodriguez
By Anthony Franco | May 2, 2024 at 3:45pm CDT
The Red Sox have sent reliever Joely Rodríguez outright to Triple-A Worcester, tweets MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Boston had designated the left-hander for assignment over the weekend.
Rodríguez signed a minor league deal with the Sox over the offseason. Boston carried him on the Opening Day roster to keep him from opting out and retesting free agency. That didn’t work as the team hoped, as he surrendered 12 runs (eight earned) over 11 innings. Rodríguez ran an 11:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and induced grounders on over 55% of batted balls, but the Red Sox clearly weren’t overly bullish on his chance to get back on track.
It is the second straight season in which Rodríguez struggled over an 11-inning stint for Boston. Oblique, shoulder and hip injuries kept him to just 11 appearances a year ago. Rodríguez also allowed eight earned runs in that season, which came on the heels of a $2MM major league free agent deal. He divided the 2021-22 seasons between the Rangers and the two New York franchises, combining for a 4.56 ERA across 107 appearances.
Rodríguez has the requisite three years of major league service to decline an outright assignment, but he has not crossed the five-year threshold necessary to retain his salary if he does so. If Rodríguez accepts the assignment, he’ll join Lucas Luetge as a veteran non-roster southpaw in Worcester. Boston has Brennan Bernardino and Cam Booser in the big league bullpen. They acquired Bailey Horn from the White Sox earlier this week. He’s on the 40-man but was immediately optioned to Worcester and hasn’t yet pitched in the big leagues.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2024 17:49:15 GMT -5
Red Sox once again send Bobby Dalbec (hitting .132) down to WooSox (report)
Published: May. 02, 2024, 4:59 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
BOSTON — Bobby Dalbec’s latest opportunity to stick in the majors with the Red Sox is reportedly over.
Dalbec has been optioned back to Triple-A Worcester, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, clearing a roster spot for the expected activation of second baseman Vaughn Grissom before Friday’s series opener in Minnesota. The move has not been made official by the Sox, who lost, 3-1, to the Giants on Thursday.
The move comes as no surprise considering the new makeup of the Red Sox’ infield mix. After initially signaling that Dalbec would be the everyday first baseman in the wake of Triston Casas tearing cartilage in his ribcage, the Red Sox added two veteran first baseman — Garrett Cooper and Dominic Smith — who are expected to platoon at the position. Newcomer Zack Short, who debuted as the second baseman Thursday, can fill the role of backing up Rafael Devers third base and has more versatility than Dalbec due to his ability to play both middle infield spots. Beginning Friday, the Red Sox will have a starting infield of Smith or Cooper at first base, Grissom at second, Ceddanne Rafaela at shortstop and Devers at third with Short serving as a backup utility option and Romy Gonzalez likely entering the mix when he returns from the injured list. Second baseman Enmanuel Valdez, who started 26 games at the position to begin the year, was sent down earlier Thursday.
Dalbec provided steady defense for the Red Sox in the corners but has provided little offensively this season. Including a 0-for-3 (with a walk and two strikeouts) performance Thursday, he has hit just .132 (7-for-53) with 28 strikeouts, four walks and four RBIs in 22 big league games. He’ll try to find his form in Worcester, where he hit hit .269 with 33 homers, 79 RBIs and a .938 OPS in 114 games last year.
Dalbec is in his last year where he can be optioned to the minors. He was already sent down once, on April 8, before returning to the majors four days later. He has appeared in 316 games for the Red Sox over the last five seasons.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 2, 2024 18:03:24 GMT -5
Breslow: Cora deserves 'a ton of credit' for Red Sox play despite injuries Tom Ruminski
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow believes manager Alex Cora is doing a great job in getting the most out of the team despite a slew of crippling injuries to begin the season.
"(He deserves) a ton of credit," Breslow told WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Thursday. "I think it would be really easy to look at the injuries – and specifically who has suffered from those injuries – and kind of think it would be really difficult to overcome those, and that the odds are just stacked against us. Instead, I think the complete opposite has been true."
Boston is off to an 18-13 start with a plus-41 run differential despite injuries to Rafael Devers, Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom, Triston Casas, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Whitlock.
"I think that is a credit to Alex and his ability to create a really positive and strong culture and connect guys and relate to them and get them to believe in what we're trying to do here," Breslow added.
Entering Thursday's action, the Red Sox rotation boasts a 2.60 ERA - the lowest in baseball - and owns the second-best fWAR (5.1), while the club's offense ranks 11th with a 107 wRC+ and has hit the seventh-most home runs (36).
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 3, 2024 17:58:16 GMT -5
Could Red Sox sign ‘Big Three’ prospects to extensions before debuts? They weigh in
Updated: May. 03, 2024, 6:46 p.m.|Published: May. 03, 2024, 6:20 p.m.
By
Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
PORTLAND, Maine — A recent trend around baseball has seen teams reward top prospects with long-term extensions before they even make their major league debuts. Just last winter, the Tigers locked up infielder Colt Keith for six years and $28.6 million and the Brewers signed outfielder Jackson Chourio to a record-setting eight-year, $82 million deal before either player reached the big leagues.
Could the Red Sox, who extended young big leaguers Brayan Bello and Ceddanne Rafaela earlier this spring, follow suit? It’s possible because the types of blue-chip prospects the team currently has in the organization. Outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer and catcher Kyle Teel are the types of players who the team may want to commit to at the early stages of their careers, but so far, it doesn’t appear there has been any traction with any of them.
All three players are currently with Double-A Portland, two stops away from the majors. And while they’re all candidates to reach Boston by the end of the year, it doesn’t appear contract extensions are on the horizon in 2024.
“It’s not something I’ve considered at all,” Mayer said before Friday’s Sea Dogs game at Hadlock Field. “I’m just going out there, playing my game, playing hard, having a good time with my teammates. Whatever happens, happens. That’s not really up to me to decide. The only thing I can control is going out there and doing what I can.”
Teel was Boston’s first-round pick just last year but despite having less than one full season of experience in the minors, may be on track to reach the big leagues the fastest of the three. The 22-year-old said the Red Sox have made a strong impression on him in the nine months since taking him as the 14th overall pick out of the University of Virginia. Teel is represented by superagent Scott Boras, potentially lessening the chances he signs an extension before debuting.
“I can say this: I love the Red Sox. I love this organization,” Teel said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. With that being said, that’s down the line and the No. 1 thing I’m focusing on right now is preparing to play the Fightin’ Phils.”
Anthony, 19, acknowledged he has paid attention to the fact the Red Sox have made efforts to lock up players like Bello, Rafaela and first baseman Triston Casas, who remains unsigned but will be a priority moving forward. Hammering out a deal of his own isn’t a priority as he approaches his 20th birthday May 13.
“It’s great to see they have locked up some of the guys who are younger and the guys they think are the future. It’s obviously something that, right now, at 19, my goal is to continue to learn, get better and help the team win whenever I’m there.,” Anthony said “So I don’t really know yet.
“It’s a tough question because I don’t know how those look and I haven’t really been involved with anything like that. I don’t know the logistics of it. Obviously, I love where I’m at, I love the Red Sox, I love the organization. They drafted me. My goal and my dream is to win a World Series in Boston. To be honest, I don’t think about any of that. I don’t play the game for money. I play the game because I love playing the game. Lucky enough, I have a family that supports me and will continue to support me for as long as I need. Eventually, I’d like to make my own so I can support my family one day. But it’s not really something I focus on.”
|
|
|
Post by scrappyunderdog on May 3, 2024 20:59:19 GMT -5
Breslow: Cora deserves 'a ton of credit' for Red Sox play despite injuriesTom Ruminski Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow believes manager Alex Cora is doing a great job in getting the most out of the team despite a slew of crippling injuries to begin the season. "(He deserves) a ton of credit," Breslow told WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Thursday. "I think it would be really easy to look at the injuries – and specifically who has suffered from those injuries – and kind of think it would be really difficult to overcome those, and that the odds are just stacked against us. Instead, I think the complete opposite has been true." Boston is off to an 18-13 start with a plus-41 run differential despite injuries to Rafael Devers, Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom, Triston Casas, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Whitlock. "I think that is a credit to Alex and his ability to create a really positive and strong culture and connect guys and relate to them and get them to believe in what we're trying to do here," Breslow added. Entering Thursday's action, the Red Sox rotation boasts a 2.60 ERA - the lowest in baseball - and owns the second-best fWAR (5.1), while the club's offense ranks 11th with a 107 wRC+ and has hit the seventh-most home runs (36). It's kind of remarkable. Chase Anderson Justin Slaten Cam Booser Naoyuki Uwasawa Cooper Criswell Zack Kelly Greg Weissert David Hamilton Zack Short Garrett Cooper Dominic Smith Grissom That's 12 guys that are either rookies, or half out of baseball. And three SPs out + Giolito.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 4, 2024 5:26:48 GMT -5
Red Sox Notes: Grissom, Pivetta, Bello, Yoshida
By Anthony Franco | May 3, 2024 at 6:57pm CDT
Vaughn Grissom will make his Red Sox debut tonight against the Twins. Boston reinstated the young infielder from the 10-day injured list, optioning Bobby Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move. Grissom gets the nod at the keystone and is hitting seventh against Chris Paddack.
Acquired from the Braves for Chris Sale, Grissom entered camp as Boston’s expected second baseman. Groin and hamstring issues (plus a recent bout with the flu) kept him off the field for the first five weeks. That paired with a season-ending injury to Trevor Story to leave the Sox very shorthanded in the middle infield. They moved Ceddanne Rafaela in to handle shortstop.
It’s been more of a revolving door at second base, where no one has produced. Boston second basemen are hitting an MLB-worst .179/.202/.299 over 125 plate appearances. Enmanuel Valdez and Pablo Reyes took the majority of those reps. Valdez was recently optioned, while Reyes has been designated for assignment.
Grissom, 23, brings quite a bit more offensive upside. He’s coming off a .330/.419/.501 line in Triple-A in the Atlanta system. The Braves’ loaded infield limited him to 64 big league contests over the past two seasons, but he turned in a solid .287/.339/.407 showing. Grissom collected 10 hits (eight singles and two doubles) over nine games on his minor league rehab stint.
Manager Alex Cora provided positive updates on a handful of injured pitchers this evening (link via MassLive’s Christopher Smith). Nick Pivetta is expected to return to the rotation during next week’s series in Atlanta. The righty tossed three innings in a rehab start with Worcester yesterday. While the results weren’t good — he allowed four runs on three hits and four walks — the Sox don’t feel he needs another minor league appearance. Pivetta dominated through two starts before a mild flexor strain sent him to the IL on April 9.
Brayan Bello and Garrett Whitlock are a bit further behind, but both are set to take steps in their respective recoveries. Bello, who went on the shelf on April 21 with lat tightness, will make one rehab start at Double-A Portland and could return to Boston by the end of next week. Whitlock is set to throw a bullpen session tomorrow, his first mound work since an oblique strain knocked him out on April 17.
Despite the injuries, the Red Sox’s rotation has been fantastic. Boston starters enter play Friday with an MLB-best 2.03 ERA. They’re ninth in strikeout rate and sixth in strikeout/walk rate differential. Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck have each logged around 40 innings of sub-2.00 ERA ball. Bello, Whitlock and Pivetta were each performing well before going on the IL. Depth arms Cooper Criswell and Josh Winckowski have stepped in effectively in their respective trio of starts.
The news wasn’t universally positive for Boston, however. Designated hitter Masataka Yoshida is heading for a second opinion after his recent IL placement, tweets the Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. The Sox initially announced his injury as a left thumb sprain. It’s not entirely clear what the initial evaluation suggested, but news of a second opinion is at least somewhat alarming.
Yoshida started the season slowly but had begun to find his form before the injury. He’s hitting .275/.348/.388 over 89 plate appearances for the year. Injuries to Yoshida and Triston Casas led the Sox to go outside the organization for Garrett Cooper and Dominic Smith to split playing time between first base and DH.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 5, 2024 7:19:42 GMT -5
Andrew Bailey explains his pitching philosophy: 'We're really just playing wiffle ball in a major league stadium' By Ryan Gilbert WEEI 93.7
The Boston Red Sox overhauled their pitching department this offseason and it’s paid off thus far under new pitching coach Andrew Bailey. The Red Sox have the best team ERA in the league as of May 3rd (2.58) with both Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck boasting top-10 individual ERAs.
Bailey explained his pitching philosophy to Rob Bradford on the Audacy Sports Podcast “Baseball Isn’t Boring” this week.
“I think you always want pitchers leveraging their strengths. So you look at our usage rates and that’s everything everybody’s talking about,” Bailey said. “But really we just want our pitchers – they’re really talented – throw your best pitch in the zone.”
Pitching philosophies have changed over the years. While chasing speed and velocity has resulted in more and more pitchers hitting the 100 mph mark, movement may be more important than velocity as the game evolves.
“Innately when I was 10 years old, 11 years old, 12 years old and after school I’d ride my bike to the baseball field and play double or nothing with my buddies or wiffle ball in someone’s backyard I didn’t try to throw the ball straight,” Bailey said. “I was trying to do crazy things. I was throwing lefthanded just to get guys out or whatever, submarine. You’re going through all different arm angles.
“We’re really just playing wiffle ball in a major league stadium. You’re trying to get the opposing hitter out. Now it’s not our friend in the backyard, but the wiffle ball concept just makes sense to me. You’re trying to induce weak contact or swing and miss, and when we were 10 years old in the backyard we tried to make the wiffle ball do crazy things to do that. So why is it changing just because there’s a perception that like 95 (mph) is fast means it’s hard. Well, yeah, it is, but it still has damage attached to it. Just be a 10-year-old in the backyard and play wiffle ball with your buddies and try to get them out.”
It makes sense. Although a faster pitch may seem harder to hit, getting vertical movement on a pitch has the ability to cause more weak contact or swings and misses. It all comes down to what works for each individual pitcher.
“Now, there’s nuance there of course, and I also think the history of baseball just says fastballs are the pitches that Pitcher A can command, and I don’t think that’s true,” Bailey continued. “I think that everybody’s different. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. Somebody might be able to command their cutter better than their four-seamer or someone might be able to command their sweeper better than their curveball… I just think point blank saying ‘Oh, well, you throw fastballs for strikes.’ Sure, I think that makes a ton of sense, you always want strikes, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the most commanded pitch.”
Bailey explained that he’s encouraged his pitchers to embrace what makes them stand out.
“We have a really talented bunch of pitchers, we really do, and allowing them to be themselves, allowing them to create their own identity as pitchers and what they want to be and everybody wants to be good,” he said. “Everybody wants to be dominant and buying into what they do well, their outlier pitch shapes. I really believe pitchers are here for a reason because they have certain outlier qualities to them. That’s the difference sometimes between guys in Triple-A and guys in the big leagues…
“What makes you a big leaguer? Why are you here? What outlier qualities do you have relative to everybody else? And don’t get off of those. Those are you. Those are what make you a major leaguer, and stick to your strengths at all costs.”
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 6, 2024 13:08:38 GMT -5
Aggressive Red Sox aren't waiting for problems to fix themselves Craig Breslow and Alex Cora already have made several important roster pivots. By John Tomase, Red Sox Insider • Published 3 hours ago • Updated 2 hours ago
When the Red Sox saw obvious problems last year, they eventually got around to fixing them. Maybe. After much debate.
Kiké Hernández brutalized the infield defense at shortstop for three months before being traded to the Dodgers and replaced by the bargain-basement Yu Chang, who represented a significant (and belated) defensive upgrade. The Red Sox had hoped to wait out Trevor Story's return, but with disastrous results.
The rotation suffered similar neglect in July when injuries to Chris Sale, James Paxton, Tanner Houck, and Garrett Whitlock left manager Alex Cora with two healthy starters and a flurry of bullpen games. Off days helped the Red Sox survive for a month, but attrition arrived like a hammer in August, and it was goodbye, season.
Craig Breslow replaced Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer promising to act aggressively, and while that didn't translate to a busy offseason (blame ownership), it has been reflected in a more urgent approach to problem-solving.
The 2024 Red Sox have faced no shortage of challenges, from Story's season-ending shoulder injury, to a decimated starting staff, to losing slugging first baseman Triston Casas for possibly the rest of the first half.
But unlike a year ago, when problems festered for weeks without being addressed, these Red Sox aren't messing around. Just consider some of the following pivots, which have helped the team to a surprising 19-16 start.
Left-hander Joely Rodriguez surprisingly made the opening day roster, beating out incumbent setup man Brennan Bernardino. Rodriguez surrendered a homer on opening day, took the loss in his next appearance, and delivered exactly one clean outing in 11 tries. It took only 10 days for Bernardino to return and he has been nails ever since, with a 0.64 ERA as both a bridge man and an opener. The Red Sox outrighted Rodriguez to Triple-A last week. Story's injury created a suction vortex at shortstop. Rookie David Hamilton simply wasn't ready for prime time. Romy Gonzalez lasted only one game before being injured. That left an option the organization didn't universally love, which was shifting electric center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela to his second-best position. The Red Sox are 9-6 since Rafaela moved to short, and even if he's a better outfielder than infielder, he has stabilized a position of weakness. With Rafael Devers in and out of the lineup and Casas hurt, the Red Sox needed offense. Enter Wilyer Abreu. Moving Rafaela to short opened a spot in the outfield, with Jarren Duran shifting to center and Tyler O'Neill flipping from right to left. The Red Sox gave full-time at-bats to Abreu, and since becoming a regular, he's hitting .377 with a 1.065 OPS, as well as a couple of tremendous catches in right field.
Manager Alex Cora got defensive at suggestions the team had benched slumping DH Masataka Yoshida, but it's clear he wasn't going to force him into the lineup just because he's making $18 million a year. Yoshida is currently seeking a second opinion on his injured thumb, but even before that, the Red Sox didn't go out of their way to get him at-bats, at one point giving journeyman Tyler Heineman the start at DH in a win over the Pirates. Don't be surprised if Breslow finds a way to move on from the one-dimensional Yoshida this winter. Knowing that Casas would be down for multiple months, the Red Sox gave Bobby Dalbec first crack at first base, but they didn't give him long. With Dalbec continuing to strike out in nearly half of his plate appearances, Breslow swung a deal for Cubs first baseman Garrett Cooper and then signed Dominic Smith. The two veterans will get a chance to fill the job until Casas returns. Dalbec is back in the minors. Then there's second base. The Red Sox mixed and matched while awaiting Vaughn Grissom's return. Enmanuel Valdez got most of the reps, but was shaky defensively and hit only .156. Veteran utilityman Pablo Reyes only hit .183 and also struggled uncharacteristically in the field. Seeking a steadier defensive presence in reserve after activating Grissom, the Red Sox bought versatile infielder Zack Short from the Mets. Valdez was sent to Worcester and Reyes was designated for assignment. We haven't even mentioned the rotation. With Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, and Whitlock on the shelf, the Red Sox didn't default to openers around Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford. They summoned Cooper Criswell and he has responded by going 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA in four starts. Not bad for a $1 million signing. They also shifted long man Josh Winckowski to the rotation, leaving themselves with just one opener per turn. They expect Pivetta and Bello to return shortly, but it feels safe to say they'll go outside the organization for pitching help if any of their injuries prove longer lasting.
Taken individually, none of these moves is particularly earth-shattering. But collectively, they might be the difference between 19-16 and 16-19, which would make for two very different seasons.
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 6, 2024 14:35:56 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on May 6, 2024 18:56:07 GMT -5
Red Sox Outright Vladimir Gutierrez, Pablo Reyes
By Steve Adams | May 6, 2024 at 2:45pm CDT
Red Sox righty Vladimir Gutierrez went unclaimed on outright waivers and has accepted an assignment to Triple-A Worcester, reports Francys Romero. Boston designated him for assignment last week. Also sticking with the organization following a DFA is utilityman Pablo Reyes, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Like Gutierrez, he went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Worcester. Either player could’ve rejected the assignment in favor of free agency, but they’ll stick with the organization and no longer require 40-man spots.
Now 28 years old, Gutierrez was a high-profile signing out of Cuba back in 2016, when the Reds gave him a $4.75MM bonus and paid a 100% tax on top of that sum. He was one of Cincinnati’s top pitching prospects for a few years but wound up giving them just 150 2/3 innings of 5.44 ERA ball while posting strikeout and walk rates of 17.3% and 10.4%, respectively — both worse than the league average.
Despite those struggles, Gutierrez would surely have received a longer look with the Reds if not for injuries. A torn ulnar collateral ligament in 2022 led to Tommy John surgery. Gutierrez returned to the mound to toss a handful of minor league innings last September but didn’t get back to the big leagues. He was removed from Cincinnati’s 40-man roster and became a free agent following the season. After a few showcases for big league scouts, he signed a minor league deal with the Marlins. He’s since bounced from Miami, to Milwaukee, to Boston via waivers and will now stay put in Worcester for the time being.
The 30-year-old Reyes has been with the Sox since 2023 but hasn’t been able to follow up on a solid .287/.339/.377 slash he posted in 185 plate appearances last season. He hit just .183/.234/.217 in his first 64 trips to the plate this season while fanning at a 29.7% clip that’s nearly triple his 11.4% mark from the prior season.
Reyes has appeared in six straight big league seasons, but last year’s 185 plate appearances were the most he’s accrued in a single season. Overall, he’s taken 572 turns at the plate in the majors and produced a .248/.309/.349 batting line between the Pirates, Brewers and BoSox. The versatile Reyes has appeared at every position on the diamond except for catcher. His career numbers at third base are particularly solid, though he made a few costly errors there earlier this season.
|
|