The Boston Red Sox used one of their additional roster spots to bring back a player and the other to give a prospect a shot at making their first MLB start.
Right-hander Jedixson Paez had his contract selected from Triple-A Worcester and will make his Red Sox debut Tuesday when he starts against the Seattle Mariners. Also, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa was activated from the 60-day injured list for the other extra spot as rosters expanded by two on Tuesday to 28 for September.
To make room on the 40-man roster for both players, left-hander Eduardo Rivera was placed on the 60-day IL with a lumbar strain and infielder Brett Harris was designated for assignment.
The 22-year-old Paez, who pitched in three games for the Chicago White Sox this season, has a 4.11 ERA in 20 games (10 starts) between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. In 61⅓ innings, he has walked only seven and struck out 74. He has made three starts for Worcester, with a 2.92 ERA, two walks and 18 strikeouts in 12⅓ innings. Paez had been selected by the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft, but was returned to the Red Sox in April following three MLB relief appearances.
Kiner-Falefa has been on the injured list with right forearm inflammation since June 20. Kiner-Falefa further strengthens the bench following the return to the lineup of left fielder Roman Anthony and shorstop Trevor Story. First baseman Willson Contreras went on the 10-day IL Monday. IKF has a slash line of .277/.344/.361 with two homers, 13 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 47 games.
After a rough weekend in New York, the Boston Red Sox took another tough hit before opening a series against the Seattle Mariners.
First baseman Willson Contreras was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring Monday by the Red Sox, who called up catcher-first baseman Mickey Gasper from Triple-A Worcester.
Contreras was taken out of Sunday's 16-1 loss to the New York Yankees in the seventh inning due to the injury, which dropped the third-place Red Sox 8½ games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the AL West and four games behind the Yankees in the AL wild-card standings. The Red Sox hold the No. 2 AL wild card, five games up on the Cleveland Guardians. Contreras has been an offensive leader for the Red Sox, with a .274/.384/.516 slash line with 26 homers and 79 RBIs in 125 games. His IL placement comes a day after the Red Sox got back left fielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Trevor Story.
WIth the return of left fielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Trevor Story made official Sunday, the Boston Red Sox optioned catcher-first baseman Mickey Gasper and infielder Anthony Seigler to Triple-A Worcester to make room on the 26-man roster.
Anthony and Story were activated from the 60-day injured list and the Red Sox had two open spots on their 40-man roster to accommodate their return. Also, left-handed reliever Raymond Burgos was sent back to Worcester after serving as the extra player in Saturday's doubleheader. Anthony is back after partially tearing a ligament in his right wrist and hand, while Story had surgery to repair a sports hernia. Both have been out since May.
Anthony was back in his customary leadoff spot and serving as the designated hitter for Sunday's series finale vs. the Yankees, while Story was at shortstop and batting eighth as the Red Sox look for a split of the four-game set.
Gasper has been a solid bat while with the Red Sox this season, putting up a .278/.374/.466 slash line with five homers and 19 RBIs in 45 games. Seigler has been a nice utility player and has a .250/.331/.405 slash line with three homers and 13 RBIs in 48 games.
Interim manager Jim Tracy said Saturday that the two Boston Red Sox stars will likely come off the injured list Sunday. Who comes off the roster is another question that the Red Sox brass will contemplate overnight.
“They’re coming,” Tracy said after the Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees 9-2 to split a doubleheader. The Red Sox won the opener 6-0. The Red Sox remain the No. 2 AL wild card, three games behind the Yankees and six games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians.
Anthony, the left fielder, and Story, the shortstop, have been out since May, Anthony with a partially tearing a ligament in his right hand and wrist and Story with a sports hernia that required surgery.
Fitting Anthony in doesn't seem problematic as Tracy said he will be put in the leadoff position against right-handed starters. Trade-deadline pickup Eli White started both games Saturday in left field, while Jahmai Jones would bat leadoff vs. left-handers. Anthony had a slash line of .229/.354/.321 with one homer and five RBIs in 30 games before going on the injured list.
Story is a little trickier. He will get the opportunity to re-establish himself, but if he continues his early-season struggles, Tracy could opt to go back to Andruw Monasterio, who has helped the Red Sox surge into postseason position. Story has a .206/.244/.303 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 41 games.
Another injured player, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, is expected to come off the IL on Tuesday when rosters expand by two.
Chad Tracy provided quite a few injury reports during media availability before the first game of the Giants series. Per The Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all continuing their rehab assignments through the weekend. There was some belief that Story could return as early as Friday, August 21, but the Red Sox seem to be taking a slower approach with the big league trio’s rehab assignments to guarantee they are ready to go once they get to Boston.
Along with that, Cerullo also noted that RHP Garrett Whitlock is set to begin throwing at 120 feet before the Giants series. Whitlock believes he is on track to return to the team as soon as he is eligible to come off of the injured list, barring no setbacks.
Also of note: LHP Garrett Crochet is throwing out to 90 feet as he progresses in his recovery from lat and shoulder injuries earlier this season. Crochet has already said that if he returns this season, he will only be able to go two innings, but progress is progress as the Red Sox continue to be in possession of the second AL Wild Card spot.
Finally, RHP Tanner Houck is set to throw a live bullpen session on Monday in Fort Myers. Houck has been quietly progressing in his rehab program from Tommy John surgery last summer and the team is hoping for him to join the pitching program at some point before the end of the regular season.
The Boston Red Sox received some injury updates Tuesday afternoon before the second game of their three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following the injuries to outfielder Masataka Yoshida and pitchers Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten, the three were scheduled for MRIs. Only two of them came back positive.
As first reported by MassLive's Chris Cotillo, both Whitlock and Slaten received good news as there was no structural damage, just inflammation, found in both of their MRIs. The two key pitchers of the Red Sox bullpen will remain shut down for now with the length of their downtime unknown.
Yoshida, on the other hand, received tough news as his injury turned out to be significant with there being a chance he misses the remainder of the regular season. The loss of Yoshida's bat is a major blow to the Red Sox as they look to make it back to the postseason. In his last 22 games, the outfielder was hitting .292/.361/.403 with five doubles, one home run and 10 RBIs.
The Red Sox also gave an update on Tanner Houck, stating that he threw a live bullpen session in Fort Myers and that it is now possible he could return this season. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery on August 18, 2025.
The Boston Red Sox are set to call up RHP Wyatt Olds from the WooSox before today’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks according to Section 10's Tyler Milliken.
Olds currently sports a 5-6 record on the season with a 5.33 ERA over 50.2 innings pitched. He’s secured five saves over the season as well.
Although no corresponding move has been announced as of this writing, Olds will likely replace LHP Raymond Burgos in the bullpen as the team looks to maximize their minor-league pitching depth that can help the big-league club as they navigate a world without both Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten for the foreseeable future. Expect this to be a fairly constant roster shuffle for the Red Sox until they start to get their leverage arms back.
Olds features a four-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball that tops out at 96.8 mph, a slider, cutter, and a changeup. It will be interesting to see where he slots in the bullpen mix since very few spots are currently locked down, but it stands to reason he may only be up for the bullpen game that is planned for game one of the series against Arizona.
The Red Sox were dealt yet another injury blow on Saturday. Both Masataka Yoshida (hamstring) and Justin Slaten (right elbow soreness) have landed on the injured list before the rubber match against the Pirates on Sunday.
We last saw Gasper in June when he was called up amid a torrid streak with the WooSox. He continued that hot streak for a while with the Red Sox but ultimately cooled off against major league pitching. Since being optioned, he’s continued to hit at an incredible clip. He’s slashing .337/.450/.566 with the WooSox this season. It’s unclear just how Gasper will slot into the lineup as of this writing, but he figures to get quite a bit of play at DH while he’s up.
Burgos has made two appearances with the Red Sox this season, tossing six combined innings. For the WooSox, he’s sitting at a 5.54 ERA over 65 innings pitched with 54 strikeouts and a 1.62 WHIP. While he doesn’t directly replace Slaten’s backend abilities, he can eat innings, and that’s something the Red Sox are going to need while both Slaten and Garrett Whitlock are on the IL.
The Red Sox can’t seem to dodge the injury bug as we cross the midpoint of the month of August. There are reinforcements on the way, but both Chad Tracy and Craig Breslow are in unenviable spots with roster construction right now.
In what could be a huge boon to the Red Sox as they look to bounce back from dropping their last seven of eight games, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all set to begin rehab assignments throughout various levels of the organization.
First, Story has already reported to Worcester and will start his 20-day clock ticking on Sunday. It will be curious to see if he immediately slides into his usual shortstop position with the quick-rising Franklin Arias manning the position already for the WooSox, or if Story spends some time playing second base.
Anthony will report to the Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday straight from Fort Myers, where he’s been hitting off a high-velocity Trajekt machine to get his timing down. He will also have the typical 20-day ramp-up period before he has to be recalled to the 26-man roster. It’s unclear how much of that window he will need, at least from an offensive standpoint, because he has been consistently taking outfield reps while his partially torn right ring finger tendon was healing.
Finally, Kiner-Falefa has also already reported to Worcester but will be the last to start his rehab assignment on Wednesday. He’s rehabbing a left forearm stress reaction that came from him swinging the bat too hard as he started heating up earlier this season.
The more difficult part of each one of these guys getting closer to rejoining the Red Sox is how interim manager Chad Tracy will shuffle the lineups on a daily basis. There are a number of guys who have been seeing regular playing time who will either head to the bench in a backup role or could get the call from Craig Breslow that they are headed back to Worcester until rosters expand next month.
The Boston Red Sox made a change to their pitching staff once more on Wednesday morning, as the team recalled left-hander Alec Gamboa from Worcester (as first reported by the Telegram & Gazette's Tommy Cassell).
Gamboa last pitched for Worcester on August 7 and will be able to provide the team with innings out of the bullpen. The left-handed pitcher made his major-league debut this season with Boston and has made seven appearances overall. He's handled 13 innings out of the bullpen, recording one save and allowing just three earned runs while striking out 12 batters.
To make room for him on the active roster, the team is expected to designate Seth Martinez for assignment. Martinez pitched in one game for Boston, appearing in the August 11 game against Toronto and tossing one inning while allowing one run on two hits.
A busy Trade Deadline Day continued to provide the Red Sox with a new roster as Breslow completed a trade with the Atlanta Braves. The Red Sox sent Tyler Uberstine to Atlanta and received Eli White in return.
Uberstine was drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft and worked his way through the system before being added to the 40-man roster following the 2025 season. Entering 2026, he was viewed as starting pitching depth but was moved to the bullpen after the Boston bullpen needed reinforcements early in the season. The right-hander made his debut with Boston on April 5, where he pitched 2 2/3 innings and took the loss after surrendering one run. Shortly after the outing, Uberstine ended up on the injured list, where he began a rehab assignment on May 26. Overall, he’s made 15 appearances for Worcester, tossing 32 innings with a 2.81 ERA. Atlanta receives a serviceable arm that will provide them with innings either at the back end of their rotation or out of the bullpen.
For Boston, they received White. An outfielder, White has been used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner late in the game, with only 34 of his 60 games played being starts. Mostly playing right field, White has also seen time in left and center field. He is also viewed as a rather fast runner, being in the 99th percentile for sprint speed. In the playoffs, that could be a game-changer in late-inning situations as a pinch runner. Offensively, there isn’t much to talk about as he’s near the bottom of all offensive metrics if he qualified for them. He has hit left-handed pitchers better, slashing .241/.312/.446 in 83 at-bats this season.
The start of Curtis Mead's career with the Boston Red Sox lasted two plate appearances. Now the question is: How do the Red Sox replace the infielder?
Mead, acquired Saturday in a trade with the Washington Nationals, was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday by the Red Sox with an injured left wrist. Mead told Boston media the wrist is fractured and he will fly to Boston to meet with a hand specialist, who will determine if he needs season-ending surgery. He was hit by a pitch in Monday's game against the A's. Infielder Nick Sogard will be called up from Triple-A Worcester. Due to Boston being in West Sacramento, Sogard is not expected to join the team until Wednesday.
Mead was hit by a 95 mph four-seamer from A's right-hander Jack Perkins leading off the top of the fourth inning. He remained in the game until being replaced defensively to begin the bottom of the fifth inning.
Initial X-rays did not show a break, according to interim manager Chad Tracy, but more testing Tuesday led the Red Sox to make the decision to sideline their new acquisition. Mead was picked up in a one-for-one trade for left-handed starter Connelly Early. Mead has a season slash line of .253/.353/.498 with 17 homers and 48 RBIs, hoping to provide a bit of extra power from the Red Sox's infield.
The Boston Red Sox have designated left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe for assignment on Saturday after he went two innings against the Mets and walked three. Coulombe struggled through the 2026 season producing a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings of work with a 1.50 WHIP and an 11.4% strikeout rate versus a bloated 13.6% walk rate. The underlying numbers backed up his performance this season, as he produced a 4.71 FIP and a 5.91 SIERA.
Coulombe was brought in as lefty help in the spring, with only closer Aroldis Chapman profiling as a legitimate left-handed option, but he did not meet the expectations set for him.
One interesting note from Chris Cotillo, who broke the DFA news:
So it seems that beyond his play this season, there was legitimate financial incentive for the Red Sox to make this move. No corresponding transaction has been announced yet.
While it took an extra few days, Willson Contreras is officially going to the 2026 All-Star Game.
The first baseman for the Boston Red Sox was named as an injury replacement for next Tuesday's game at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia. Contreras, an All-Star for the fourth time, replaces Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who said he was not going to play in the game to rest his ailing back.
4x All-Star Willson Contreras ⭐️ Willson has been added to the AL All-Star team!
Contreras joins left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman and left-handed starter Ranger Suarez as representing the last-place Red Sox in the All-Star Game.
Acquired in the offseason in a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, Contreras, a former catcher, has had a career season offensively, posting a .284/.378/.542 with 20 homers and 59 RBIs in 86 games. Contreras has already matched his home run totals from last year and 2023, while his career best is 24 in 2019.
Contreras is also awaiting word on his appeal of a seven-game suspension resulting from an incident with the Washington Nationals. Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli, the other primary figure in that incident, had his suspension reduced from seven to five games and began serving that Monday.
After a long wait, Patrick Sandoval is finally joining the Boston Red Sox.
The left-handed starter was activated Monday by the Red Sox off the 60-day injured list as he returns from Tommy John surgery and left biceps discomfort. To make room for Sandoval on the 26-man and 40-man rosters, left-handed reliever Alec Gamboa was optioned to Triple-A Worcester and right-hander Jack Anderson was designated for assignment.
Sandoval underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Angels, with his comeback delayed with the biceps issue. Sandoval signed with the Red Sox after the 2024 season with an eye on making it back for Opening Day this year. He made eight rehab appearances, pitching 23⅔ innings and putting up a 3.42 ERA with 13 walks and 22 strikeouts.
Sandoval has a 3.96 career FIP (4.01 ERA) with a 9.9% walk rate and 22.9% strikeout rate.
Gamboa has appeared in four games with the Red Sox this season, including making his MLB debut May 5. In five innings, he has allowed two runs on three hits, including a homer, with four walks and four strikeouts.
Anderson made his MLB debut in April, pitching in three games and covering eight innings. He walked two and struck out six, while giving up one run on eight hits. He has a 4.81 ERA in 16 games (11 starts) at Triple-A this year.
Despite being in last place in the AL East, the Boston Red Sox are sending two players to the All-Star Game.
Left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman and left-handed starter Ranger Suarez were named to the AL roster for the July 14 All-Star Game at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. It is the ninth trip to the All-Star Game for Chapman and the second for Suarez, who played his first eight seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Chapman, a two-time AL Reliever of the Year, has 17 saves in 27 appearances this season with a 2.10 ERA. Chapman just surpassed Hoyt Wilhelm record for career strikeouts by a reliever with his 1,364th.
Suarez will be heading back to Philadelphia sporting a 2.94 ERA in 16 starts, posting a 7.2% walk rate and 25.5% strikeout rate.
The nine starters for each team were determined by two rounds of fan balloting, with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement getting automatically selected to start by virtue of leading the first round in the NL and AL, respectively.
The Boston Red Sox made multiple roster moves pertaining to their pitching staff following the conclusion of an 8-1 loss to the Washington Nationals. The major news is the loss of Connelly Early. The left-hander exited Tuesday night’s start after just four innings and 61 pitches with left elbow discomfort.
While Early himself didn’t seem too worried about the injury, the team sent him for imaging Wednesday morning just to be certain. The result led to Early being placed on the 15-day Injured List with left elbow inflammation.
To fill his spot on the roster, the Red Sox activated left-handed pitcher Jovani Morán from the injured list and added him to the active roster. The left-hander was a trusted arm in the Sox bullpen prior to his injury, appearing in 21 games and tossing 33 innings with a 3.00 ERA. He also struck out 38 batters. Morán made two rehab appearances last week with Worcester and looked ready to return to Boston after tossing three scoreless innings.
The other change in the pitching staff pertains to Tommy Kahnle. The 36-year-old reliever was designated for assignment after a tough stint in the bullpen. Kahnle signed a minor-league deal with Boston near the end of spring training and pitched well there, leading to the team adding him to the active roster following the activation of his opt out clause. Since then, the right-hander made eight appearances in Boston and pitched nine innings while allowing eight runs on 12 hits and six walks.
To replace Kahnle on the active roster, the Red Sox recalled Alec Gamboa. This will be Gamboa’s third stint with the team, having pitched twice for them previously. Overall, he’s tossed 1 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and struck out three. He’s spent most of the season with Worcester, where he’s tossed 17 2/3 innings out of the bullpen while allowing just two earned runs.
The Red Sox look to close out their homestand with a win today against the Nationals at 1:35pm.
In desperate need of infield depth, the Boston Red Sox got a familiar face back.
The Red Sox activated Romy Gonzalez off the 60-day injured list and inserted him into the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the rival New York Yankees. Third-string catcher Mickey Gasper was optioned to Triple-A Worcester and outfielder Roman Anthony was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to make room for Gonzalez on the 40-man roster.
The Anthony transaction was simply a paperwork move as he has already missed nearly 60 days after going on the IL retroactive to May 5.
Gonzalez, who can play first base, second base and third base, underwent surgery on his left shoulder in spring training. He had a bit of a scare when he sustained a hip flexor injury during his rehab assignment last weekend while playing at Triple-A, but it turned out to be nothing and he wrapped up preparing to return to the Red Sox this week.
His bat will be a nice addition to the Red Sox's offense. Last year, Gonzalez slashed .305/.343/.483 with nine homers and 53 RBIs in 96 games.
Gasper has appeared in 34 games for the Red Sox this year, slashing .243/.305/.308 with no homers and seven RBIs.
Second baseman Marcelo Mayer was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday by the Boston Red Sox due to a stress reaction to the left ulna. Shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng was called up from Triple-A Worcester to make his Red Sox debut.
Mayer has been dealing with the forearm issue for a couple months, but it got to the point where the Red Sox decided to shut Mayer down. The Red Sox now have six infielders on the IL, including three on the 60-day IL (Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Romy Gonzalez). Gonzalez, on the mend from surgery on his left shoulder, could return this weekend against the New York Yankees. He was scheduled to play in a rehab assignment for Worcester on Friday. In addition, third baseman Caleb Durbin has a partially dislocated left pinkie finger that he is currently playing through.
Mayer is slashing .220/.282/.312 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 70 games this season.
Cheng, who bounced around the waiver wire this offseason before finally sticking with the Red Sox, made his MLB debut last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 0-for-7 in three games. At Worcester this year, Cheng has a .254/.351/.424 slash line with seven homers, 18 RBIs and 10 steals in 64 games.
After being a late scratch for Friday's series opener, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is now out through at least next weekend.
The Boston Red Sox on Saturday placed the infielder on the 10-day injured list with right forearm inflammation. Infielder Anthony Seigler was called up from Triple-A Worcester.
Kiner-Falefa was in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners, but was removed about 30 minutes before first pitch with Marcelo Mayer taking over at shortstop. Mayer had missed the previous game due to an illness and wasn't in the lineup. An MRI on Kiner-Falefa's forearm revealed the extent of the injury. He had not been taking batting practice during the recent homestand.
Kiner-Falefa is slashing .277/.344/.361 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 47 games.
Seigler is up for the third time this season, but has played in just two games and gone 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a strikeout. At Worcester, Seigler has a .290/.409/.435 slash line with three homers and 23 RBIs.
A big piece of the Boston Red Sox's bullpen is back.
Right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock was activated off the 15-day injured list Tuesday by the Red Sox, who optioned infielder Anthony Seigler back to Triple-A Worcester. Whitlock had been out since May 28 (retroactive to May 25) with inflammation in his right knee, meaning this was a minimum IL stint.
Whitlock, one of the top setup men in MLB, has a 2.80 FIP (3.20 ERA) over 20 appearances and 19⅔ innings with a 7.4% walk rate and 30.9% strikeout rate.
Seigler was called up Wednesday and played in two goings, going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a strikeout. At Triple-A, Seigler is slashing .298/.425/.471.
Opting for a bat over a full bullpen for at least a day, the Boston Red Sox have called up outfielder Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester on Monday. To make room, recently acquired left-handed reliever Joe La Sorsa was optioned to Triple-A.
The Red Sox open a three-game road series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.
Eaton, who has 113 games of MLB experience with the Red Sox and Kansas City Royals, is in the majors for the first time this season. At Worcester, the right-handed hitter was slashing .283/.348/.450 with five homers, 22 RBIs and eight steals in 48 games. He has a career MLB slash line of .233/.293/.317 with two homers, 17 RBIs and 23 steals. In 41 games with the Red Sox last year, he had a .296/.348/.383 slash line, hitting a homer, driving in four and stealing nine bases.
La Sorsa was acquired last week from the Pittsburgh Pirates after exercising an upward mobility clause in his contract. He appeared in just one game, Sunday's 6-1 loss to the New York Yankees, giving up a three-run homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. before recording the final out of the eighth inning.
A move regarding the pitching staff is likely before Wednesday as the Red Sox have yet to announce a starting pitcher for that game.
Another day, another move involving the pitching staff.
The Boston Red Sox on Saturday placed left-handed reliever Jovani Moran on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his left elbow and called up left-hander Alec Gamboa from Triple-A Worcester. The Red Sox also sent right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock on a rehab assignment to Triple-A.
Moran last pitched Thursday, when he went two shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out three in an 8-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. For the season, Moran has a 4.23 FIP (3.00 ERA) in 33 innings over 21 games. He has an 11.2% walk rate and a 28.4% strikeout rate in his fifth MLB season.
Gamboa was called up for the second time this season. He appeared in one game, making his MLB debut in a 10-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on May 5, pitching a perfect ninth inning, including two strikeouts. At Triple-A, he has started six of his eight appearances, posting a 3.66 ERA in 32 innings with one complete game. He has walked eight and struck out 30.
The Brayan Bello situation has taken another turn.
The Boston Red Sox demoted Bello to Triple-A Worcester following yet another bad start by the right-hander Thursday, according to multiple reports.
The move came after Bello allowed eight runs over five innings in an 8-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Six of those runs came in the first inning. It was the second game this season in which the 27-year-old has allowed eight runs, with another start yielding seven runs and yet another six runs. That is four of his 12 appearances this year, eight of which have been starts. The Red Sox have also tried using an opener for Bello, who is in the third year of a six-year, $55 million contract.
When questioned by the media about his role on the team and whether he would be better off in the bullpen or the minors, Bello took exception.
Brayan Bello on whether the big league rotation -- as opposed to the bullpen or Triple-A -- is the right place for him to navigate his struggles:
Bello has a 6.34 ERA and entered Thursday's game with an 8.2% walk rate and a 15.6% strikeout rate. While the walk rate is very close to the MLB average of 8.4% and just off his career mark of 8.3%, his strikeout rate is the worst of his career, below the 15.6% for his career and the MLB average of 22.4%. Opponents are also hitting .310 vs. Bello, the worst mark since his rookie season of .315.
It was already a busy day on the pitching side for the Red Sox, who promoted right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle before the game and then traded for left-handed reliever Joe La Sorsa, who was in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization and will be added to the roster prior to Friday's series opener against the New York Yankees. La Sorsa is an easy swap for Bello's spot on the 26-man roster, but a 40-man move will need to be made.
La Sorsa had an upward mobility clause in his contract that he exercised, which prompted the move by the Pirates. Pittsburgh is also in need of some bullpen help, which adds another interesting aspect to this transaction.
The Red Sox will have to make a move before Friday's series opener against the New York Yankees to get La Sorsa on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
The 28-year-old La Sorsa had a 3.46 ERA at Triple-A for the Pirates. In 26 innings covering 20 appearances, he allowed six walks and 22 strikeouts with a .237 opponent batting average. He also pitched for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.