The Boston Red Sox continue to shuffle their pitching staff.
Right-hander Jack Anderson was called up by the Red Sox from Triple-A Worcester on Friday, with left-handed starter Jake Bennett being sent back to Triple-A.
Anderson, who is in his second stint this season with the Red Sox, has started three of his five appearances at Worcester, but all three of his games in the majors have been in a relief role, including his MLB debut. The Red Sox have not officially named a starter for Saturday or Sunday, the final two games of the series vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. It is possible Anderson appears in either role Saturday and is sent back down for a fresh arm for Sunday.
Anderson has allowed three runs on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts with the Red Sox. At Triple-A, he allowed nine runs on 21 hits, including four homers, with three walks and 17 strikeouts in 18 innings.
Bennett made two starts as he also had his MLB debut. He gave up five runs on 11 hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 10⅓ innings.
The Boston Red Sox called up Bennett, a left-hander, from Triple-A Worcester to make his MLB debut as the starter in Friday's game against the Houston Astros. Infielder Nate Eaton was optioned to Triple-A on Thursday.
Bennett, Talk Sox's No. 12 prospect, was acquired from the Washington Nationals in the offseason in a trade for another top prospect, right-hander Luis Perales. In five starts at Worcester, Bennett had a sparkling 0.86 ERA in 21 innings, allowed just three runs (two earned) on 12 hits with three walks and 16 strikeouts. He has a chance to stick in the rotation with the recent injury to ace Garrett Crochet.
Bennett was a second-round pick of the Nationals in 2022 out of Oklahoma. Bennett missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2023. He returned in 2025 to appear in 19 games (one in relief) and compiled a 2.27 ERA in 75⅓ innings with 19 walks and 64 strikeouts.
It's only the third day of the 2025-2026 Major League Baseball offseason, and the Boston Red Sox have already been busy making a variety of roster moves.
Yesterday, decisions were made regarding the future of Lucas Giolito and Alex Bregman with the club, and today, two more dominoes are falling into place. Christopher Smith of MassLive is reporting that the team and Jarren Duran have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 1-year, $7.7 million deal. Additionally, Trevor Story is expected to opt in after the Red Sox exercised their half of a mutual option.
Duran, who is controllable through 2028, has been a polarizing figure throughout his career. From multiple controversial comments to up-and-down performances, the 29-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors in the past, and those rumors may continue this offseason. In 2025, he carried an OPS of .774 with 16 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 696 plate appearances.
Story enjoyed a bounce-back season after a devastating injury in 2024. Missing only five games all season, he produced a .741 OPS with 25 home runs and 31 stolen bases. In all, he finished with a .320 wOBA and a 101 wRC+.
What are your thoughts on these deals? Do you think Duran could still get traded? Let us know in the comments!
In what promises to be a busy weekend for bullpen moves, the Boston Red Sox have swapped out another arm.
The Red Sox on Saturday activated right-handed reliever Justin Slaten from the 15-day injured list and optioned right-handed reliever Jack Anderson to Triple-A Worcester. Slaten was on the IL since April 8 with a strained right oblique.
Anderson had just been called up Friday and didn't pitch in a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox entered the weekend without a designated starter for the Saturday and Sunday games. Left-hander Payton Tolle is starting today.
Slaten appeared in four games and didn't allow an earned run in 3⅓ innings, walking two and striking out five. He posted a 4.24 ERA in 36 appearances with the Red Sox last year after a 2.93 ERA in 44 games in 2024.
The Boston Red Sox feel Eduardo Rivera is ready for a big jump.
A day after promoting the left-handed starter from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox called up Rivera on Wednesday to make his MLB debut. So Rivera is basically going straight from Double-A to the majors. Right-handed reliever Jack Anderson was optioned back to Triple-A. First baseman Triston Casas (ruptured left patellar tendon, abdominal strain) was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to make room for Rivera on the 40-man roster.
What role the 6-foot-7 Rivera will fill is another question as the rotation currently has a hole due to right-hander Sonny Gray going on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a strained right hamstring. But the bullpen has also been overworked in recent days and left-hander Payton Tolle, Talk Sox's No. 1 prospect, is primed to be called up to fill Gray's spot.
The 22-year-old Rivera had made two starts at Double-A Portland this year, pitching 10 innings with three walks and 16 strikeouts. In 2025, splitting time between High-A and Double-A, Rivera made 15 starts and five relief appearances, walking 46 and striking out 108 in 87 innings. Rivera pitched for Puerto Rico this spring in the World Baseball Classic.
Anderson was called up April 14 to make his MLB debut and has pitched three times covering eight innings, which could be the role for Rivera. Anderson allowed one run in each of those outings, while giving up eight hits and two walks while striking out six.
Lucas Giolito put together a strong season for the Boston Red Sox in 2025 - a year removed from UCL surgery. Given his productivity, he declined his side of a mutual option, and days later, he learned that the Red Sox would not tender him a qualifying offer, effectively making him a free agent.
However, Giolito is very open to coming back. On Rob Bradford's 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast, Giolito stated, "I made it clear to everybody. I would love to come back here and continue to play for the Red Sox."
Giolito pitched 145 innings during the regular season across 26 starts. He had an impressive 3.41 ERA, though his FIP was 4.17 and could indicate some negative regression. Additionally, his K-BB% settled at a lowly 10.6% due to an elevated walk rate of 9.1%. Giolito was sidelined late in the year due to an elbow injury, keeping him off the Red Sox postseason roster. Of the injury, Giolito said, "There’s no injury, or whatever injury there was is gone. It was a weird, freak thing that popped up at the worst possible time..."
MLBTR projects him to make $32 million over two years on the open market. Do you think the Red Sox should look to bring him back?
Hours after the Boston Red Sox received confirmation that superstar third baseman Alex Bregman was opting out of his deal, they learned another player would follow suit.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe is reporting that Boston Red Sox Starting Pitcher Lucas Giolito has declined his mutual option. He will receive a $1.5 million buyout and hopes to earn at least $17.5 million in 2026 and/or future years via free agency. However, the Red Sox could opt to give him a qualifying offer of $22 million.
Giolito started 26 games, totaling 145 innings pitched. He finished the season with a pedestrian FIP of 4.17 and a subpar 10.6% K-BB rate due to an elevated walk rate. This marked his first full season pitching since undergoing a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament repair in March 2024, which could explain the difference in production between his first and second halves. In the first half of 2025, he posted a 3.67 FIP and 14.6% K-BB rate before the figurative wheels fell off in the second half. In total, Fangraphs has his 2025 value at the equivalent of a $15.6 million salary. While the Red Sox may try to bring him back via free agency, it seems unlikely they will give him a qualifying offer, given his production. On the other hand, a weak starting pitching market could drive up costs, leading to overpaying for players. Regardless, the Red Sox's primary goal will be to sign one of Bregman or Pete Alonso.
Do you think the Red Sox should look to bring back Giolito? Let us know in the comments!
The playoffs haven't even started yet, but the Red Sox were dealt a tough blow Monday afternoon as manager Alex Cora announced that starting pitcher Lucas Giolito would not be on the roster for the Wild Card series.
Cora believes that the right-hander has been dealing with an elbow issue his past few starts according to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier, but now it's gotten to the point where Giolito had to cut short his latest bullpen session. The right-hander is getting evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon, though any issue with the elbow is not good considering he had elbow surgery in 2024 that cost him the entire season.
The news is a big loss for the Red Sox, as Giolito was a constant presence in the rotation after returning from the injured list on April 30. In 26 starts, he would end up going 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA across 145 innings. He also struck out 121 batters in that span while opponents hit just .239 against him.
While the official roster hasn't been announced just yet, it is likely a possible Game 3 would be started by either Kyle Harrison or Connelly Early.
Ahead of the home half of the fifth inning, the Boston Red Sox replaced infielder Marcelo Mayer with Abraham Toro at third base.
Shortly after the move was made, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported he left Wednesday's game with right wrist discomfort. At this point the severity of the injury is unclear.
Mayer was called up following Alex Bergman's injury earlier this season. In 43 games this season, he has an OPS of .674 with 4 home runs, 19 runs scored, and 10 runs batted in. He has seen playing time at third base, second base, and shortstop.
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.
According to Matthew Crory on X, Marcelo Mayer’s sprained wrist is more serious than originally thought. He received an anti-inflammation injection in the wrist on Saturday, August 2 that will take up to three days to see if it works according to Alex Cora. He said that after those three days Mayer will start doing baseball activities and the team will see how he responds to those.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today went a step further, saying that season-ending surgery is on the table for Mayer. Obviously, this is the worst case scenario as the Red Sox currently are in sole possession of the second AL Wild Card spot and only four games behind the AL East leading Toronto Blue Jays. Something to note is that Mayer sprained this same wrist in 2022. He didn’t require surgery at the time.
We’ll have to keep an eye on the next few days for Mayer and see how he responds to the anti-inflammation injection as the Red Sox hope that he can be a contributor later this season.
Marcelo Mayer is set to miss the remainder of the 2025 season, as he will be having surgery on the wrist that landed him on the injured list in late July. Alex Cora noted that the injury requires a three-month recovery, so Mayer will be ready for spring training in 2026.
Mac Cerullo went on to note that this injury is the same injury Mayer suffered in 2022, but that this most recent injury is worse. Mayer hoped that a shot that he received would help get him through the season, but he said he knew surgery was always likely.
Marcelo Mayer was called up as Alex Bregman’s replacement after Bregman was placed on the injured list earlier in the season. The rookie performed well defensively for the team while leaving a bit to be desired offensively. After his recovery, Mayer should hit the ground running and be in contention for a spot on the 2026 Opening Day roster.
The Boston Red Sox made a roster move ahead of Wednesday’s finale against the Colorado Rockies as they sent Nate Eaton down to Triple-A Worcester to make room for the return of Masataka Yoshida, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox moved right-handed pitcher Nick Burdi from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Yoshida has missed all of 2025 so far as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, but is finally healthy and will be in the lineup tonight as the designated hitter. The left-handed hitter looks to be an addition to a lineup that has been on fire recently.
Eaton, who was called up to the Red Sox after the Rafael Devers trade, appeared in 14 games, hitting .250/.296/.333 to go along with two doubles, an RBI, and three stolen bases. He split his time between third base and the outfield and had been the team’s leadoff hitter for the previous four games.
Burdi, who was placed on the injured list June 3rd due to a right foot contusion, has pitched in four games for Boston, tossing 5 1/3 innings while not allowing a run to score. He had made two rehab outings for Triple-A Worcester in the middle of June but suffered a setback when he felt discomfort in his hip.
With Yoshida officially back what are your predictions for him for the remainder of the season? Join the conversation in the comments.
The Boston Red Sox will lose one coach looking to climb the MLB ranks, and rumors are swirling that a second might soon follow.
Rob Bradford of WEEI is reporting that Chris Hess, the Double-A Portland hitting coach, has been hired as the assistant hitting coach for the Miami Marlins at the big league level. This comes days after it was being speculated that Justin Willard is expected to be hired as the next pitching coach for the New York Yankees Mets. Willard has served as the Red Sox director of pitching for each of the last two seasons.
While that isn't ideal, Bradford has a glass half full perspective, stating "You hire. You develop. You lose good people who get better titles. The Red Sox should take it as a compliment."
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.
The Boston Red Sox have seemingly decided upon their bench for Opening Day, as Nate Eaton has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. Eaton was in a competition with Andruw Monasterio for the final bench spot, but in the end, it was Monasterio who won it.
What may have swung the decision towards Monasterio was his ability to play second base and the potential to platoon with Marcelo Mayer by hitting left-handed pitching well.
Eaton signed as a minor league free agent prior to the 2025 season and played well enough to garner a call up to Boston. In 41 games with the big-league club, Eaton hit .296/.348/.383 with four doubles, one home run, four RBIs, and nine stolen bases. He can also play all three outfield positions and third base will provide excellent depth in Worcester. He will likely be one of the first players called up should injury or inconsistent play occur.
The Red Sox's bench now should look as such come Opening Day: Connor Wong, Masataka Yoshida, Andruw Monasterio, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
In other roster-related news, Ryan Watson was informed Monday that he made the team. Watson was a Rule 5 pick over the winter and was required to be on the active roster in order to remain with Boston. In response, Boston optioned Tyler Samaniego to Worcester per MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
The roster is nearly complete, as the only spots remaining is who out of Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle will be the final member of the rotation and who might be the final bullpen arm.
The Boston Red Sox will need to shuffle their active roster after signing first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Additionally, one more spot will need to be created for Nate Eaton.
Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster is reporting that the Boston Red Sox plan to activate Nate Eaton ahead of Monday nights game. In all, there will need to be two corresponding moves before either player is officially added to the active roster.
3:19 update: Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive is reporting that Rob Refsnyder has been moved to the 10-day IL with an oblique strain and Ali Sanchez has been designated for assignment to make room for Eaton and Lowe.
Eaton has played in 14 major league games this season, where he holds a .250/.296/.333 slash line amount to a wOBA of .276 and a wRC+ of 70.
Eaton has spent the majority of the season with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, appearing in 53 games and hitting .277/.364/.439. While his productivity leaves you wanting more, his positional versatility will be a welcomed addition to the Red Sox depth.
How much of an impact will Eaton have on the club? Join the conversation in the comments!
After a relatively disappointing trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox are 7-3 in their last 10 games. Yet, they're still looking to solidify their bullpen and made moves on Monday to do just that.
Chris Cotillo of MassLive is reporting that the Boston Red Sox have DFA'd Nick Burdi and selected Jovani Moran to join the big-league club.
Burdi had previously been on the injured list since June 3 with a bruised foot and was later transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 9 after a setback with a hip injury. He had been activated from the injured list on August 2 and optioned to Triple-A Worcester. Before the injury, Burdi had pitched 5 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in the major leagues this season, with a 0.00 ERA and a 2.36 FIP.
Moran, acquired from the Minnesota Twins for Mickey Gasper in the offseason, missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November 2023. He has been pitching for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, and in 12 appearances has a 3.44 ERA with 26 strikeouts and three walks in 18 1/3 innings.
What role do you think Jovani Moran slips into in the Red Sox bullpen? Join the conversation in the comments!
Sogard, a switch-hitter, has not played since Saturday. Since being called up May 16, Sogard had produced a .257/.350/.371 with no homers and two RBIs in 12 games. The Red Sox are already missing star shortstop Trevor Story, who is on the 10-day IL with a sports hernia, and Romy Gonzalez, who is on the 60-day IL following surgery on his left shoulder, from their infield mix.
Seigler was the third player the Red Sox acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the six-player Caleb Durbin trade that cost Boston left-handers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan and infielder David Hamilton. The Red Sox also picked up infielder Andruw Monasterio in that deal. Seigler will be making his Red Sox debut after putting up a .298/.425/.471 slash line with three homers and 21 RBIs at Worcester. Seigler has the ability to play almost anywhere on the diamond, including catcher, and made his MLB debut last year with the Brewers, playing in 34 games and slashing .194/.292/.210 with no homers and five RBIs.
The duo is seen as two of Boston’s top pitching prospects, with Early being ranked as the Sox’s sixth-best prospect and Sandlin the 12th on MLB Pipeline. Both starters opened the season with Double-A Portland, and it was viewed as a matter of time until they were called up to Worcester.
Early, drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, has made incredible strides this season after ending 2024 with Portland. In 15 games this season, 12 starts, Early has gone 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA in 71 2/3 innings. In that span, he struck out 96 batters and only walked 29 for a strikeout per walk rate of 3.31. So far this season, Early has a strikeout rate of 32.3% and a walk rate of 9.8%, while limiting opposing hitters to a .198 batting average.
Sandlin was acquired by the Kansas City Royals in February 2024, just as spring training was beginning for John Schreiber. Much like Early, Sandlin has also shown great improvement this season as he’s managed to go deeper into outings and limit his walks. In 17 games this season, 13 starts, Sandlin has gone 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA in 82 1/3 innings pitched (a career high). He’s also struck out 86 batters while walking just 27. While his strikeout rate is down this season, Sandlin has instead focused on allowing batters to put the ball in play when a strikeout isn’t necessary. His strikeout rate has dropped to 25.4% from 33.2% last season, and his walk rate is 8.0%. Opponents are also hitting just .226 against the right-hander while his FIP is at a career low of 3.29.
The two will likely continue to pitch in both the rotation and as long men out of the bullpen through the remainder of the season. If they continue to impress in Worcester, there’s a chance one or both could be called up to Boston as reinforcements.
What do you think about the promotions? Too soon? Should they have been earlier in the season? Do either of them make it to Boston this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
The Red Sox continued their post-deadline trend of promoting prospects, as outfielder Miguel Bleis is on his way to Portland per Beyond The Monster’s Andrew Parker.
Bleis, who is 21 years old, signed as an international free agent in January of 2021 and received the largest bonus that year. His potential was viewed so highly that, entering 2023, he was a Top-100 prospect on several prospect lists despite only playing in the Florida Complex League. Since signing, he has dealt with several injuries that cost him time in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. but the potential he showcases at times helps to explain what the Red Sox and scouts saw in him back in 2021.
Bleis is currently ranked 12th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Red Sox prospects (19th on TalkSox) and will look to showcase his potential in Portland while aiming to play in a career high number of games.
So far in 77 games, Bleis is hitting .226/.314/.422 with 15 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 41 RBIs. The outfielder is incredibly talented yet very inconsistent. He will be Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason, and so his time in Portland could also serve as a showcase for teams who might be interested in his skills.
Following the trade deadline, the Red Sox are promoting one of their top prospects to Worcester. As reported by Beyond the Monster’s Andrew Parker, the Red Sox are promoting infielder Mikey Romero to Triple-A Worcester.
Romero, a former first-round draft pick, is likely being promoted to fill the roster spot left by traded corner infielder Blaze Jordan. Romero, who was initially drafted as a shortstop has seen his time in the field split between third base, second base and shortstop. He has also spent time as the designated hitter.
Known for his offensive potential, Romero appeared in 65 games for Portland, where he hit .250/.313/.436 with 17 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, and 39 RBIs. What may be most impressive for Romero is the fact that he’s on pace to play in the most games of his professional career, beating the 78 games played last season.
Romero will likely see the majority of his playing time come at third base and shortstop as the team sees how he can handle the increased level of play.
The struggle has been real for former Boston Red Sox top prospect Kristian Campbell. The 23-year-old has a .223/.319/.345 slash line with six home runs and two stolen bases across 263 plate appearances. Overall, his production - or lack thereof - computes to a 86 wRC+.
Campbell has been used as the teams primary second baseman, but has played a little outfield with the big-league club. After Tristan Casas' injury, he was also getting practice reps at first base.
If there is one positive to take away from his first two and a half months in the big league it's that his walk rate was 11%. However, a strikeout rate of 27.4% and swing percentage may indicate that he needs to be a bit more aggressive at the plate.
From a scale of 1-10 how concerned are with you Campbell's long term outlook?
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.
The Boston Red Sox stayed busy Sunday afternoon after sweeping the Houston Astros as they promoted their top pitching prospect Payton Tolle to Triple-A Worcester per Beyond The Monster’s Andrew Parker.
Tolle is Boston’s top pitching prospect and has pitched for both Greenville and Portland. Now he will face the highest level of minor league baseball with the possibility of being added to Boston’s roster at some point in September.
In six games since his promotion to Portland, Tolle made five starts and pitched out of the pen in a piggyback role once. He tossed 27 innings and had a 1.67 ERA to go along with 37 strikeouts to just seven walks
Do you think it’s too early for Tolle to be promoted? Should he have just been promoted alongside fellow pitchers David Sandlin and Connelly Early last week? Could he make it to Boston before the end of the year? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments.