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.
The injury bug has struck another member of the Boston Red Sox organization: Isaac Stebens will spend the season on the injured list. As first reported by SoxProspects’ Andrew Parker, Stebens will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early March.
Stebens was drafted out of Oklahoma State in the 16th round of the 2023 draft and split 2024 between Salem and Greenville. In 2025, the right-hander spent the entire season with Greenville where he appeared in 38 games and tossed 50 1/3 innings. After the season concluded Stebens, was one of the Red Sox representatives for the Arizona Fall League where he appeared in eight games and tossed seven innings.
Stebens was one of Greenville’s most dominant relief arms and had a good chance of opening the season with Double-A Portland. Instead, he will look to recuperate from his surgery before attempting to rehabilitate from his injury.
The Boston Red Sox need to shift their sights after losing Alex Bregman to free agency. They have their work cut out for them as they try to rebuild some trust with a rightfully frustrated fan base. Ken Rosenthal has identified two different plan B options.
Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that "some in the Red Sox organization are high on free agent LHP Ranger Suarez".
Suarez, 30, has had a very productive stat to his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2025, he made 26 starts while throwing 157 1/3 innings. He posted a 3.20 ERA (3.21 FIP) and a 17.4% K-BB rate. MLBTR projected him to earn $115 million over five years in free agency this year.
Additionally, Rosenthal speculated that Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs could be an Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette alternative.
Hoerner, who will be a free agent following the 2026 season, may be available after the Chicago Cubs won the Bregman sweepstakes. Rosenthal speculates that it would take "a young pitcher such as Connelly Early or Payton Tolle" and is uncertain whether Red Sox brass would be willing to part ways with either asset for one year of Hoerner. Across 665 plate appearances, Hoerner carried an OPS of .739, a 109 wRC+, seven home runs, and 29 stolen bases. Though he primarily played second base in 2025, Hoerner has spent time at all positions aside from catcher, first base, and right field.
Do you think the Red Sox should add either player? Let us know in the comments!
The Boston Red Sox will be without their ace for a while.
Left-handed starter Garrett Crochet went on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to inflammation in his left shoulder. Third baseman-outfielder Nate Eaton was called up from Triple-A Worcester to take Crochet's roster spot. Crochet had been slated to start Friday, with left-hander Jake Bennett a likely candidate.
Crochet hadn't displayed the same form that led to his brilliant 2025 season, when he finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting and went 18-5 with a 2.89 FIP with an 5.7% walk rate and 31.3% strikeout rate, leading MLB with 255 strikeouts. In six starts this year, Crochet had a 4.33 FIP and 6.30 ERA, having allowed five runs twice and 11 in another. He has a 8% walk rate and 26.8% strikeout rate.
Surprisingly, this move comes after perhaps his best start of the season. In Saturday's 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, Crochet went six shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Eaton played in 41 games for the Red Sox last year, putting up a .296/.348/.383 slash line with one homer, four RBIs and nine stolen bases. In 27 games for Worcester this year, Eaton's slash line is .292/.373/.458 with three homers, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases.
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.
With September officially here, MLB rosters can officially be expanded to 28 players (14 pitchers max). The Red Sox have done just that, as they have added pitcher Zack Kelly and catcher Ali Sánchez to the active roster according to MassLive's Christopher Smith.
Kelly has been shuttled this season between Boston and Worcester with a stint on the injured list as well. His last appearance with Boston was on June 29 against the Toronto Blue Jays, where he would end up leaving with an injury.
Overall on the season, Kelly has appeared in 17 games for Boston going 1-3 with a 5.56 ERA in 22 2/3 innings pitched. He’s been a victim of poor luck, as shown by his expected ERA being 3.70 and his FIP being 3.65. With Worcester, he’s appeared in 21 games and produced a 6.15 ERA in 26 1/3 innings pitched.
Sánchez was previously acquired by Boston on August 8 when Carlos Narváez was banged up. Serving as the third catcher, Sánchez appeared in just one game as a defensive replacement before getting designated for assignment. After refusing an assignment to Worcester, Sánchez became a free agent and signed with the New York Mets. On August 31, he was traded back to Boston by the Mets and was assigned to the Worcester Red Sox this morning before being activated to the major league roster.
To make room for Sánchez on the 40-Man roster, Marcelo Mayer was transferred to the 60-Day injured list.
Both players will be active starting today as the Red Sox open the final month of the season against the Cleveland Guardians.
MassLive’s Chris Cotillo has reported that the Boston Red Sox have announced a rather large group of non-roster invitees to spring training this year.
INF Mikey Romero could be pushing for playing time in Boston later in 2026, so it’s not surprising to see his name included here nor is it shocking to see so many catching options. The team has long been rumored to still be looking for a way to upgrade the backup catching position this offseason so putting their top-level catching options through their paces at spring training makes sense.
On the pitching side, Noah Song is the name that should jump out the most to Sox fans. Song has a very interesting path to the majors and finally looked like a contributing member of the organization during his quick rise to Triple-A Worcester last season. Once he arrived there, he left quite a bit to be desired but it was his first full, healthy season in pro ball since he finished his military commitment.
These 14 guys are being given a chance to stake their claim at big league camp. It will be interesting to watch how they perform. Other names are likely to be added as non-roster invitees as we get closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to Fort Myers on February 10.
The Boston Red Sox have announced important dates for spring training. as the team stated pitchers and catchers will report to Fort Myers on February 10.
Pitchers and catchers will hold their first workouts before the rest of the team arrives; Sunday. February 15 will be the first full squad workout for the team before spring training swings into full motion.
Before players arrive, however, the yearly tradition known as Truck Day has to take place. The team announced that the festive day will take place February 2.
The team also announced that spring training tickets will be available for sale on Thursday, January 8. The Red Sox will play an exhibition game Friday, February 20 against Northeastern University before opening spring training play against the Minnesota Twins the following day.
The Boston Red Sox have begun to add to their spring training roster, naming seven non-roster invitees. While most names on the list are of no surprise, it also doesn’t close the book on other players being added as a non-roster invitee the closer we get to the team reporting to Fort Myers.
The group of seven are made up of catcher Jason Delay, infielder Vinny Capra, right-handed pitchers Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, and Devin Sweet and left-handed pitchers Alec Gamboa and T.J. Sikkema. Among the seven players announced, six of them signed minor-league deals with the Red Sox across the offseason while the seventh (Harris) re-signed with the Red Sox on a minor-league contract back at the end of September. While non-roster invitees may not seem all too exciting, they help create competition in camp for the final few roster spots, along with exciting storylines. And, sometimes, they may even break camp with the team. Last season, the team saw non-roster invitees Kristian Campbell and Sean Newcomb make the team, while the likes of Trayce Thompson, Matt Moore, and Adam Ottavino created discussion pertaining to the back end of the roster.
Overall, the group is comprised of veterans who have either limited experience in the majors or have spent several seasons in the minors as they attempt to showcase why they should be in the major leagues. Of the seven, four have some time spent on a major-league roster.
Sikkema, a left-handed pitcher, signed with the Red Sox shortly before the announcement. Now 27 years old, he was a former first-round pick by the Yankees back in 2019 (39th overall). Last season, he split time in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization as he played for both Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville.
The Boston Red Sox have placed reliever Justin Slaten on the 15-day injured list with a right oblique strain. To replace him in the bullpen, the team has called up LHP Tyler Samaniego before the series finale with the Brewers.
Alex Cora revealed in his media availability after the 3-2 win on Tuesday that Slaten was dealing with soreness on his right side but hesitated to call it an oblique injury at the time. Now, we have conformation that Slaten will be missing time while he heals up. While Slaten has been useful out of the pen, his injury history isn't exactly brief, so it's disheartening to see him go down again so early in the year.
Samaniego has appeared in three games for the WooSox, posting a 3.38 ERA with three strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP over 5 1/3 innings. He was impressive in spring training after he fully recovered from some initial back issues. His fastball tops out at 97 mph but he lacks a solid secondary pitch at the moment. With some development, he could be an incredibly useful arm out of the bullpen down the stretch. Expect to see him serve as an up-and-down reliever for the entirety of the season.
Justin Slaten landing on the IL again is not great news for a team already pushing their bullpen to the maximum this early in the season, but Samaniego has the opportunity to show that his strong spring was more than just a fluke once he arrives in Boston.
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.
In what was an expected outcome, the Boston Red Sox have declined Liam Hendriks' $12 million option for the 2026 season. Hendriks will instead receive a $2 million buyout. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported the news first.
Hendriks, who signed with the Red Sox as spring training was beginning in 2024, was rehabbing from surgery. While he started a rehab assignment in the second half of the season, Hendriks did not pitch in the majors in 2024.
2025 was more of the same when it came to Hendriks staying healthy as he opened the season on the injured list die to right elbow inflammation before being activated on April 19. Hendriks would end up back on the injured list with right hip inflammation on May 30 before being transferred to the 60-Day injured list in early July.
When healthy, Hendriks struggled with the Red Sox, appearing in 14 games and going 0-2 with a 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings.
Hendriks, entering his age-37 season will look to sign with another team an in attempt to continue his career.
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.
The Boston Red Sox designated infielder Abraham Toro for assignment Thursday, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.
Across 77 games and 284 plate appearances, the switch-hitter slashed .239/.289/.371 with seven home runs and 27 runs batted in. His fWAR came in at -0.7.
It wasn't all bad for Toro, who entered play on June 13 hitting .330 with a 151 wRC+ and five home runs. However, he hit the wall hard, particularly from a power standpoint, slugging just .255 with two home runs in his final 185 plate appearances. He struggled particularly since the trade deadline passed, where the Red Sox didn't acquire a first baseman, hitting just .131 with a -1 wRC+ in 53 plate appearances.
His fWAR during that span was -0.7, tied with Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos for last among 188 qualified hitters.
The corresponding move returns middle infielder David Hamilton to Boston ahead of their four-game weekend series with the New York Yankees.
Hamilton has struggled between inconsistent playing time and results, posting a .174/.227/.265 slash line with a 32 wRC+ in 69 games in MLB this season. However, his defense at second base remains great, where he's tied for fifth with seven defensive runs saved despite being 37th in innings.
His speed and baserunning is also super valuable, as he's top-60 in Base Runs (BsR) and in the 93rd percentile for sprint speed.
In nine games with Triple-A Worcester, Hamilton hit .282 with two home runs and six stolen bases. Perhaps with uncertainty surrounding the availability of outfielder Wilyer Abreu, the Red Sox are preparing for more Ceddanne Rafaela in center field, thus opening an opportunity up for Hamilton to play second base, despite his skillset overlapping a lot with fellow speedster Nate Eaton.
The Boston Red Sox made a move Thursday afternoon to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, as they needed to reinstate several players from the 60-day injured list. To open up room on the roster, the team designed right-handed pitcher Luis Guerrero for assignment, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
Guerrero, a 17th-round draft pick in 2021, spent parts of two seasons in the majors with the Red Sox, appearing in 22 games and throwing 27 1/3 innings to a 2.63 ERA. Despite having some of the best raw stuff of anyone in the system, his command and control along with inconsistency held him back during his time in Boston. In his 27 1/3 innings pitched, Guerrero had allowed 16 walks. The 2025 season was when his inconsistency issues were at their worst, as he allowed 14 walks in 17 1/3 innings across 13 games.
Guerrero last pitched for Boston on June 27 against Toronto, when he went 1/3 of an inning and allowed two runs on a walk and two hits. He would be placed on the 15-day injured list the next day for a right elbow strain before being transferred to the 60-day injured list on August 2.
With the DFA of Guerrero along with previous cuts of Isaiah Campbell and José De León, the Red Sox 40-man roster currently sits at 40.
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.
The Boston Red Sox, off to a 10-17 start, fired manager Alex Cora and five members of the coaching staff Saturday in an early-season stunner. A sixth coach is being reassigned.
Hitting coach Peter Fatse, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and major-league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also fired by the Red Sox. Game-planning coach Jason Varitek is considering a possible reassignment.
Chad Tracy, the 40-year-old manager of Triple-A Worcester since 2022, has been named interim manager.
"Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a released statement. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived. I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude."
The moves came shortly after the Red Sox pounded out a 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles snapped a four-game losing streak.
Despite that offensive showing, the Red Sox were last in the AL East and had a .667 team OPS, which ranks 26th out of 30 teams, and ranked 20th in runs scored with 112 in 27 games (4.15 per game). Entering Saturday, the Red Sox had lost four straight and six of seven.
Cora's contract runs through 2027 and has just over $13.5 million remaining following an extension in 2024.
Cora led the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship following a 108-54 record in his first season as an MLB manager. Cora compiled a 620-541 record, missing the 2020 season as a result of a suspension for his involvement in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. He was initially fired by the Red Sox in January 2020, then rehired after the season. After posting winning records in his first three seasons, the Red Sox finished 78-84 in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons and 81-81 in 2024. Boston went 89-73 last year. His 620 wins are the third-most in Red Sox history.
The Red Sox made the postseason just twice in the eight seasons since winning it all in 2018, losing to the Houston Astros in six games in the 2021 AL Championship Series, then falling to the rival New York Yankees in the final game of the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series last year.
Double-A Portland manager Chad Epperson will become the third base coach and Worcester hitting coach Collin Hetzler will join the Red Sox's hitting staff.
Cora also played four seasons as an infielder for the Red Sox, including being a member of the 2007 World Series championship team. His last season as a player was in 2011.
As spring training gets closer to concluding, the Boston Red Sox have continued to shape their Opening Day roster. On the first day of March Madness, the team optioned and reassigned multiple players to the minor leagues.
The team wound up optioning two players, including one member of last year's roster in Nick Sogard. He was joined by Tsung-Che Cheng. Sogard appeared in 30 games last season for Boston, providing defensive versatility for the organization while also securing a few clutch hits at the plate. Overall, he hit .260/.317/.344 with eight doubles and nine RBIs. Sogard also played a big role in the Red Sox's Game 1 win over the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series.
Cheng, who was selected off waivers from the Nationals, is only 24 years old and made his debut last season with the Pirates. He went hitless in seven at-bats. Cheng was never expected to compete for a roster spot and instead will serve as depth in Triple-A.
Players who were reassigned to minor league camp include utility players Max Ferguson and Tyler McDonough, infielder Mikey Romer, outfielder Allan Castro, and first baseman and catcher Nathan Hickey.
It wasn’t just the roster that saw changes occur prior to the Winter Meetings, as the front office acquired new talent as well. According to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Cubs director of pitching Ryan Otero is leaving the Cubs and joining the Boston Red Sox's front office.
Otero will be a special assistant to Craig Breslow. This move is a reunion for Otero and Breslow, as the duo worked together during the latter’s time in Chicago. While serving as an assistant general manager and the senior vice president of pitching, Breslow’s, right-hand man was Otero. After Breslow left, Otero was promoted to the role of pitching director for the organization. His transition to Boston should go smoothly considering the past relationship between the two.
Breslow spoke highly of Otero earlier in the year, saying "his ability to speak very technically, and then also in everyday language that resonates with players and coaches, was something I was drawn to... And so, I was like, this is a guy that I need to pull close and give significant responsibility to."
The addition of Otero, while in a different position, should help offset the loss of Justin Willard, who was hired by the New York Mets to be their new pitching coach.