The Red Sox announced Wednesday that recently designated-for-assignment hurlers Stephen Gonsalves and Mike Shawaryn were outrighted after clearing waivers. Gonsalves was assigned to the team’s alternate training site, meaning he’s still in the 60-man player pool and eligible to pitch for the Sox in 2020 if they select his contract to the 40-man roster. That’s not true of Shawaryn, who has been removed from the team’s player pool entirely. Boston has also released right-hander R.J. Alvarez, who had been pitching at the alternate training site.
Gonsalves, once a top prospect within the Twins organization, has bounced from the Twins to the Mets to the Sox since last season drew to a close. He sports a career 3.46 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and a less-palatable 4.9 BB/9 in 125 Triple-A frames, as well as a 2.35 ERA in 184 Double-A innings. Gonsalves has struggled greatly in limited MLB action, although he never got much of a look in Minnesota and didn’t pitch with the Mets’ big league club at all. Arm injuries have hampered him in recent years, and it’s perhaps somewhat telling that he went unclaimed on waivers. Still, the Sox see enough in him to keep him on hand as a depth option in the player pool.
That much can’t be said of the 26-year-old Shawaryn, who was one of the organization’s best-ranked pitching prospects for several years (albeit in a poorly regarded farm system). Last season saw Shawaryn pitch to a 4.52 ERA with a lackluster 76-to-49 K/BB ratio in 89 2/3 frames with Triple-A Pawtucket. He was crushed for 22 runs on 26 hits (five homers) and 13 walks with 29 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in his first taste of the Majors. Prior to that, he’d put together a solid track record, averaging about eight strikeouts and two walks per nine innings pitched with a mid-3.00s ERA in his time in the upper minors.
Alvarez, 29, was hoping for his first trip to the big leagues since a 2015 run with the A’s, but it seems that won’t come with the Red Sox. He’s spent time with the Cubs, Rangers and Marlins organizations since his last Major League action, including some time as a closer with the Triple-A affiliates for Texas and Miami. Alvarez has a 4.22 ERA in 179 Triple-A frames and has averaged nearly 11 strikeouts per nine at that level.
I usually don’t complain about this stuff, but have to make an exception now, that first paragraph needs some major editing…
Shawaryn was likely lopped out of the first sentence as words were juggled to make all the information fit. It happens a lot in this modern writing environment where copy editors are pretty much non-existent. All writers need that second set of eyes from time to time.
I usually don’t complain about things that are fantastic and free too.
I think the comments are fine.
Ist guy sent down but eligible to pitch again this season on the 60 pool, The other two are off the roster.
I think I may be imagining this, but are they opening roster spots?
making room for sure. something coming soon.
I don’t really get how Shawaryn has gone from one of their top prospects to now clearing waivers and being sent off the 60-man roster. I mean until last season he had been putting up really solid numbers in the minors and seemed to have decent stuff as well. Unless he’s lost several MPH on his FB or lost his control or something… I’m just surprised that the Sox have seemingly completely given up on him… and even more surprised that no one else felt he was worth taking a chance on by claiming him off waivers. Honestly I thought he had a legit shot at being a solid ML pitcher, guess he really has just fallen off a cliff of something… or who knows maybe he’ll figure some things out and wind up in the majors next year either with the Sox or someone else. Idk… just had seemed like a legit prospect for the past several years and even though he got hammered last year in 20 IP in the majors — I thought overall his 94 MPH sinker showed enough promise that he’d get another shot — especially considering how awful the rest of their staff is/has been this season.
Yes, agreed about Shawaryn. I was always bothered that he was at his best as a starter in AAA, but was mostly used as a bullpen piece in the majors, and he didn’t perform nearly as well. I suspect that not having the longer rest and the regular preparation between starts had something to do with his fall-off. Of course I don’t know that, but it seems like he wasn’t given a second chance to succeed in the minors to build his way back up. And (I hope I remember correctly) that stupid season-opening series against the NYY in England had a lot to do with getting him off to a bad start. Finally, I’d mention that he was drafted alongside Shaun Anderson, and, when it came time to trade one, the club kept Shawaryn. That was the last show of confidence in him.
He was nowhere near good enough to be a MLB starter and his walk rate was too high. Over the last 13 years every “starter” the Red Sox have drafted has ended up in the bullpen even highly touted Barnes (1st round), Houck, Beeks, Brian Johnson (1st round), Workman, Alex Wilson (2nd round), Casey Kelly (1st round), Ryan Presley, Hunter Strickland. It is not much too show for 13 years of pitchers that have been drafted and made contributions to MLB teams.